Here's a little introduction from our new Director of Admissions & Communication, Mrs. Lisa Yost:

"I am a mom to 4 sons, ages 16-27, am married to a high school math teacher, and live in Powhatan.  We still consider ourselves new to the area, having moved to RVA in October of 2015.  I went from owning my own insurance agency for 13 years to stay home with my children and ended up home schooling three of them from various grades through middle school.  Two of our sons went on to graduate from VMI, one is a UVA graduate, and our youngest is a rising 11th grader at Benedictine College Prep.  I enjoy advocating for good health and nutrition through a small home business, am a new running enthusiast, and enjoy tennis and all things outdoors.  I enjoy reading, especially philosophy for novices and anything related to the Catholic Faith.  I am so excited to join the St. Benedict Catholic School family!"

We encourage students to take a break and relax over the summer, however, we don't want them to completely forget about learning.  With this in mind, we do have summer reading for the students.  In addition, we've noticed that typing is a weak area for most middle school students.  We have included a free typing program that middle school students will be expected to complete over the summer.  The summer assignments can be found here.

If you are an employee or someone who is interested in volunteering at any Catholic Church or School in our Diocese, the Diocesan Safe Environment program requires that you attend the 'Protecting God's Children for Adults' session provided by VIRTUS.  This is a one-time session for adults to learn ways to protect children from child sexual abuse.  For your convenience, Saint Benedict will be offering a VIRTUS session on  Wednesday, June 28 at 6:00pm in the St. Augustine Room of the Parish Center.  If you would like to attend, you will need to register at:  http://virtusonline.org/virtus/index.cfm.  When registering, be sure to list the parish or school you are affiliated with.  VIRTUS training should be completed before you begin your volunteer role or at point of hire.

Blood Drive: The Knights of Columbus will be sponsoring a parish blood drive Sunday, June 25 from 9:00am – 1:00pm in Saint Anselm Hall at the Parish School.    They are in dire need of platelets and type O Negative blood and will be bringing the platelet machines to the upcoming blood drive.  They are hoping to collect 17 or more units.  In February we were able to get 19 units!!  Let’s beat our old record!!  There is a sign-up sheet posted on the bulletin board of the Side Porch of the church or email threeguidarellis@verizon.net. 

EDGE: The parish middle school youth group has a number of exciting summer events planned.  View the informational flyer here.

Organ Concert: Please join us in welcoming several hundred out-of-town guests THIS Tuesday, June 27, at 2:00pm, as we host a very special concert featuring our Martin Pasi organ, oboe, flute, and soprano soloists. This concert is being presented as part of a four-day convention being hosted by the Richmond Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. The concert is free of charge and open to the public.  Please bring your friends and colleagues and spend an hour with wonderful live music. The full schedule of convention concerts can be found on a flyer in the side porch. For more information, please contact Joel S. Kumro, Choirmaster and Organist at  jkumro@saintbenedictparish.org.

Teaching Series: Please join seminarian Alex Jimenez for a three-part series on different ways to pray.  The series will cover three distinct prayer methods: lectio divina (“divine reading”), St. Ignatius’ compositio loci (“composition of place”), and meditation.  Each class will include a teaching portion, silent time in the church to put these methods into practice, and discussion afterwards.  Take some time to disengage from all the busyness of life – come and learn how to find rest in the presence of the Lord in silent prayer.  Classes will be held 6:30-8:00pm on Tuesday, July 18; Wednesday, July 26; and Wednesday, August 2 in the St. Gregory the Great room of the Parish Center.  Please RSVP to ajimenez@richmonddiocese.org to confirm if you are attending any one of the sessions.