Thanks Bruce

Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father." Matthew 6:1

With a smile on his face, Bruce Tangeman has been actively involved in the parish well before he joined the staff in 1999. Since then he has quietly been a key part of supporting eveything we have done. Today is his last day.

Thanks Bruce!

Archbishop Lucas receives his pallium

This morning, Archbishop designate George Lucas was one of 34 Archbishops given the pallium by Pope Benedict XVI. The two-inch woolen band worn over the shoulders symbolizes the "easy yoke" of the Lord. This the liturgical vestment is used by metropolitan archbishops within their respective provinces as a sign of their union with Peter's successor and is an ancient tradition. Last night the pallia spent the night in the Apostle Peter's tomb.

"The pope and archbishops wear the pallium as a sign of their authority over the Christian community, but it is the Gospel authority of a shepherd called to carry his sheep, to lead them and feed them," said Rev. Joseph Taphorn, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Omaha.

The pallium used to be bestowed upon a new archbishop in his cathedral. In 1984, Pope John Paul II started the global rite. An archbishop must formally request it within three months of being appointed in order to receive it. Archbishop designate Lucas received his pallium before his upcoming installation in Omaha. If an Archbishop is transferred, the pallium doesn't go with him. Thus Archbishop Tim Dolan of New York who received one as archbishop of Milwaukee in 2003 received one this morning as well.

An archbishop's pallium is made from the wool of lambs blessed by the pope on the feast of St. Agnes on January 21. The pallium is presented today on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Homily Podcasts

If you want to hear a homily again, share it with a friend, or hear another one on the weekend, don't forget out homily podcasts. Typically each homilist will have their message posted on our website each Tuesday morning in an MP3 format. If you go to www.saintcolumbkille.org, you can click on Homily Podcasts on the lower right for the latest ones.

Festival Ideas

Last year Linda Ostronic came to a Parish Festival meeting and suggested we add a Bull Ride. Without her suggestion, this never would have happened:




If you have an idea for the Festival on Saturday September 20th,
tell Deacon David. You can call him at 339-3285 ext 104
or email to dkrueger@saintcolumbkille.org

A Week of Fun & Faithbuilding

This has been a week of learning about God at the Crocodile Dock.

We have two themes for the week.

One focuses on being fearless because…

God is with us,
God is powerful,
God does what He says He’ll do,
God gives us life, and
God Cares for us.

Our other theme is light.

The light of Christ shines through us when we love and serve others. All week, kids are asked to watch for ways they see God active in their lives each day. We call these “God Sightings.” A God Sighting might be a hug, a butterfly, acts of service or letting someone go first in line.

Monday’s Bible Verse: God Said, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12)
Bible Story: God speaks to Moses in a burning bush. Exodus 3:1-4:17 God gave Moses a hard job to do. Even though it was a hard job, God knew Moses could do it because God was with him!

Tuesday’s Bible Verse: “By this (God’s Power) you will know that I am the Lord.” (Exodus 7:17)
Bible Story: Plagues (or troubles) came upon the Egyptians, but God’s power kept His people (the Israelites) safe.

Wednesday’s Bible Verse: “The Lord will keep His promises.” (Psalm 145:13b)
Bible Story: God gave Pharaoh many chances to let His people go. But Pharaoh didn’t believe that God was the Lord. God kept his People safe in their homes.

Thursday’s Bible Verse: “Do not be afraid!...for He has risen from death as He said He would.” (Matthew 28:5-6)
Bible Story: Jesus died on a cross and rose to new life.

Friday’s Bible Verse: “Do not be afraid, stand still and see the Lord save you today.” (Exodus 14:13)
Bible Story: God helped His people by parting the Red Sea so they could walk across on dry land.

Everything wraps up today with a Bible Story, Music & Lights, Mass and a Meal!

Thank you to everyone who came and were a part of the week

or brought your kids, or were part of the activities or planning in any way!

Proclamation & Actions

"Jesus speaks of the proclamation of the Kingdom of God as the true objective for his coming to the world, and his proclamation is not just a 'discourse.' It includes, at the same time, his actions: His signs and miracles indicate that the Kingdom is now present in the world, which in the end coincides with himself. In this sense, one must recall that even in this idea of the 'primacy' of proclamation, word and sign are inseparable."

Pope Benedict XVI

Visitors from the Bayou

After the flower of VBSers had their picture taken this morning...

... they had some visitors from the bayou.

The more the merrier!

Use It Again

The Annual Use it again sale starts tomorrow.

Select from an enourous variety of slightly used items

at affordable garage sale prices.

All procees go to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Columbkille

to help the less fortunate in our community.

The ReRuns Event Center Store in La Vista

85th & Brentwood

Wednesday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

1/2 price sale Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

My Light Shines for Jesus

The Bayou including the "Crocodile Dock" arrived at St. Columbkille as Vacation Bible School has begun. This year's theme is "My Light Shines for Jesus."

Today Moses was spotlighted. In one activity the kids visited the Burning Bush and learned about Moses and how sometimes it is difficult to do what God asks of us.

Today was the first day to learn the songs and actions.

Today's Bible verse was Exodus 3:12, "God said I will be with you."

Thank you to the hard work & energy of all the people who make

this week of fun & formation possible!

Vocation Discernment

Last night about 15-20 men who are High School freshmen or older are gathered at Fr. Wee's house with Fr. Wee and Fr. Damian to talk and consider their discernment. It is great to know so many men are expressing their openness to whatever God wants for them in the future regardless of whether it is a priestly or lay vocation.

Father's Day

Today in Mass the following blessing of Fathers was done:

God our Father,
in your wisdom and love you made all things.
Bless these men,
that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always
with a spirit of profound respect.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

AMEN.

Lamb of God

During the Summer Religious Formation sessions Mrs. Cronican was kind enough to bring two lambs to class.
Their names are Lancelot and Guenivere. They are almost fully grown and they will produce a high quality wool.

Since they often hear about Jesus as the Lamb of God, this was a great chance for the First and Second graders to see some real lambs.

Thank you to Mrs. Cronican and all of the teachers who found ways to reach out to the classes and help in their formation as disciples.

Year for Priests

On the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 – a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy –, I have decided to inaugurate a “Year for Priests” in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the “dies natalis” of John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests worldwide.

Pope Benedict XVI

This will be a year where we will celebrate the priesthood and pray for the growth of our priests.

For Pope Benedict's recent letter visit: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20090616_anno-sacerdotale_en.html

Summer Formation

We are offering an intensive, two-week Religious Formation class for our young members who attend the public school system. The program is in use in other parts of the country, but we will be the first parish in the Omaha area to offer this alternative.

Two hundred of our young people are in the program. In the first week, there was only one absence. Other parishes that have used this approach have found that the children retain the information better from an intensive program in comparison to the once-a-week program. The number of class hours remains the same between the intensive summer program and the weekly school-year program. Each day the students gather in the gym for an activity before class. Today Fr. Damian is speaking to all of them. On Tuesday they all sang with Deacon Thome.

After the singing, they all headed to their classes.

We delight in watching our students grow in their faith this summer. Thank you to everyone who helps make this possible.

Picnic With the Priests

Sunday was the Picnic with Priests.

For those who signed up at the Ceili or since,

it was a chance to get together with Fr. Damian

play some games and

have some great food.

It was a good day to gather and enjoy the parish family.

Baby Bottle Campaign

The Church celebrates Mary rushing to help Elizabeth with her pregnancy on the Feast of the Visitation. Our Lady's act of charity is compelling when we consider that she had what the world would consider to be a "troubled pregnancy."

We have passed out bottles and ask that you will them with offerings to

assist A Woman's Touch pregnancy crisis center. Bottles will be collected the weekends of July 11-12 and 18-19.

Some of the largest expenses at A Woman's Touch are their basic needs for insurance and advertising. Located across the street from an abortion site, some women are attracted to A Woman's Touch by the landscaping. They are about to upgrade their landscaping further and are looking for people who can help with that as well.

Corpus Christi

The sacrament of Christ's body and blood is honored in a special way today, and the liturgy reminds us of the magnitude of this gift, with its roots deep in Jesus' own Jewish heritage (first reading and Gospel) and its power to draw us into life with Christ (Gospel verse and communion antiphon). Nor does our celebration permit us to focus only on the eucharistic elements. Though "we worship [Christ] living among us in the sacrament," we pray that we might lead lives "poured out in loving service of [God's] kingdom" (alternative opening prayer). Our sharing in Christ's body and blood joins us to Christ's sacrifice and makes us members of God's family. Perhaps the second preface for Holy Eucharist sums it up best: "We come then to this wonderful sacrament to be fed at your table and grow into the likeness of the risen Christ."

(The text above is from OCP and was written by Bryan M Cones.)

SALSA Chair

Fr Damian and Creighton President Fr. John Schlegel, S.J., were the honorary chairs for the 7th annual SALSA dinner last month.


SALSA (Supporting All Latinos in Spirituality and Academics) supports the Catholic Latino Scholarship Fund. About 300 people were in attendance and they raised over $100,000. Scholarships support Latino students attending Catholic Schools.

Fr. Damian is an example of how we share our talents with those outside the parish as well as those within.

KVSS

KVSS has changed it's signal to 102.7 as they also increased their signal. It is now so strong that Fr. Damian can listen to it in his office. Thank you to Mike Trautman and those who helped distribute yard signs, bumper stickers and other information a few weeks ago.

Catholic Leadership Institute

Right now a group from our parish are among those attending the Catholic Leadership Institute as they grow into being the leaders and disciples they were designed to be.

Know that you are all in our prayers this week.

T Ball is in full swing

T Ball is one of the many athletic programs offerred by the parish.

It gives kids a chance to learn fundamentals and

sportsmanship in a good environment.

We have over 300 people who assist as coaches or in other ways.

Play hard and have fun!