Pumpkins

The Kindergartens went pumpkin hunting at Vala's on Monday.

Now they are all ready for Halloween.

All-powerful and ever-loving God,
you led the children of Israel on dry land,
parting the waters of the sea;
you guided the Magi to your Son by a star.
Guide these children as they travel the neighborhoods.
Under your protection, lead them safely on their journey
as they collect candy and sweets.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ready for Halloween

At Sacred Heart Preschool we wore our Halloween costumes.

We decorated pumpkins.

We had a Halloween snack and juice.

We practised Trick or Treating.

We heard a Halloween story.
We are ready for Halloween!

The Principal with Keys

In Isaiah, Eliakim was given the Keys of David

to show his authority as prime minister.

In a similar way St. Peter received the

keys to heaven from Jesus.

Yesterday our Principal of the Day had the school keys.

By the power of Ceili, our principal had a number of responsibilities. He thanked two Kindergartners who learned how to close the doors after recess to keep the school safe.

He had to make decisions of how to handle it when an 8th grade class asked him to make certain their teacher didn't give them any homework that day. (It was an easy decision after Mrs. Monico said she wasn't giving any homework anyhow.)

He served our school well on his day. Thank you!

Making Disciples & Google

Our parish mission is, "Go and Make Disciples" which is right from Matthew 28:19.

On Google, a search was made using the words: go and make disciples parish.

To our surprise, the first thing that popped up was the parish website.

Trying Again

The west parking lot is closed again.

Weather caused havoc with the attempt to resurface the parking lot last week. So early this morning they were back and working again.
As long as the sun stays out we should be in good shape.

Hour of Power

“The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this Sacrament of love…Let our adoration never cease.”

-John Paul II, CCC 1380

Come spend one hour of Contemporary music, silent praying before the Eucharist, and traditional Benediction of the Eucharist. Hour of Power is Wednesday at 9 p.m. Bring a friend and come relax before the Lord for an hour.

October 28 begins our new monthly format. Future dates are: Nov. 11, Dec. 16, and Jan. 27.

Music Rehearsal and set up begin at 8 p.m.

A Freshly Ordained Deacon

The picture above was taken of Deacon Brian Thomas and his wife Pat as they had left the Cathedral from his ordination and were about to enter the reception.

It's with great delight that we add another deacon to our parish. Deacons serve a specific role as the servant Christ representing the Church in all that they do.

Deacon Thomas' first Mass as a deacon will be at noon on Sunday, November 1st. The entire parish family is invited to the Mass and/or the reception in the Social Level of the church afterwards.

Also ordained was Robert Jergovic, husband of Lisa and son in law of Leo and Janet Trautman. We congratulate Brian, Robert and the six others who were ordained yesterday.

Vocations Day

Each year all of the 6th graders attending Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese have a Vocations Day, but yesterday was the first time they all gathered on the same day in the same place.

Consecrated religious, seminarians (including Dan Szalewski from our parish) and clergy were there as the students divided into groups and moved through stations throughout the day. Archbishop Lucas said it was "Great," and "a wonder of organization."

Students from St. Columbkille were in the front row of

the whole group because they were the first to arrive.

Studies have shown that 6th grade and 11th grade are

key times when our youth think about their future.

If today was any indication, the Church's future looks great.

Where is Fr. Damian?

Today Fr Damian and his tour group visit the Crypt of St. James, the patron saint of Spain and the brother of St. John the Beloved. St. James lived and preached in Spain for a time before he returned to Jerusalem, where he was the first Apostle to be martyred. They will also visit the tombs of St. Athanasius and St. Theodore, the Church of San Francisco, built in honor of St. Francis’ pilgrimage to the town around the year 1213, and the churches San Roque and Santa Clara. Dinner and overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

Please keep Fr Damian and his group in your prayers.

Watch Your Mail

Watch your mail. In the next week or so all parishioners should get a copy of the latest Guide Book & Directory for the parish.

Closed Parking Lot

Yesterday the parking lot west of the church was closed for resurfacing.

It was perfect weather to put down the first coat.

Unfortunately, soon after they finished, it started to mist. Of course, it has been raining today delaying things more.

While we hope we get some dry weather to finish this all up, right now the parking lot remains closed. If you do need to get to the parish office, the best route is through the stairs on the South East side of the building.

Youth Rally

Three buses of our Jr High students traveled to the

All Parish Youth Rally held at St. Robert's Sunday.

Archbishop Lucas was there to speak and share a hot dog with the youth. He said he looks forward to seeing all of them at their confirmation in the next couple of years.

There were other speaks and a few youth from St. Columbkille went on stage and attempted to follow directions playing Simon Sez.

Fire Safety

Last week Charlie’s uncle came to preschool to talk about fire safety.

He showed us his fire fighting gear.

He told us how to stay safe in an emergency.

The preschoolers had a chance to try on some firefighter gear too.

Missionaries

WE'RE ALL MISSIONARIES

Do you know the date of your baptism? Well, on that day, you became a missionary, called by our Lord to share your faith with those around you--and to be part of the church's mission to the world. Jesus himself directed his followers to go into the whole world and proclaim his Gospel--the "good news" of his love for us--to all peoples (see Mk 16:15). That mission is now directed to each one of us.

On World Mission Sunday, we have the opportunity to be part of the church's missionary work in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific Islands through our prayers and support offered to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

Fun Lunch

Yesterday there were fun lunches at school.
Normally Papillion-La Vista Schools prepare our food,
but because they didn't have school today,
they didn't prepare food.

Fortunately the Home School Association (HSA)
steps in and prepares a Fun Lunch for $1.

Thank you!

Praying for a Priest

With Fr. Damian leading a pre-ordination retreat and Fr. Wee returning from Rome, Mass this morning was led by Fr. Dodd who is a Columban Father. He often fills in for daily Masses when our priests have other responsabilities. They are a missionary order that does work around the world and happen to be headquartered in Bellevue. In the summer of 2008 a member of their order spoke at all of our weekend Masses. Our Rosary Makers gave over 3,200 rosaries to the Columbans this summer to distribute around the world.

On Sunday one of the Columbans, Fr. Michael Sinnott, was kidnapped in the Philippines. The 79 year old priest Columban Father, known to his family and friends as Mal, was kidnapped last Sunday evening as he was taking an evening stroll in the garden of his home in Pagadian City in the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, Mindanao.

Following studies in Rome, Fr Mal was first assigned to Mindanao, Philippines in 1957, where he served until 1966 when he was then assigned to the theology staff in Dalgan Park, Navan. He returned to the Philippines in 1976 where he has served in a variety of pastoral and administrative roles.

In 1998 Fr Mal founded The Hangop Kabataan Community Based Rehabilitation Programme for Children with Disabilities. 'Hangop Kabataan' means 'reaching out to children' and the programme was a response to the lack of educational and rehabilitation facilities for children with disabilities in the Pagadian area. The centre caters for around 60 children who attend daily. About one third of these have been diagnosed as autistic, while the rest have other learning and physical disabilities. There is also an outreach programme which facilitates visits to around 20 children in their homes.

'From the beginning the underlying philosophy of the school has been that of empowerment,' his family said in their statement. 'Before the programme began Fr Mal had noticed that many children with disabilities were kept at home and lacked any opportunity to develop skills and any level of independence,' the family said.

When interviewed recently about the programme, Fr. Mal said: 'the parents did not know what to do with their children, most were confined to their homes, and the parents from some false sense of guilt were over compensating – feeding, washing and helping them with their toilet needs'.

'For me the biggest improvement in the children was the development of their confidence and I think of their own dignity and importance. I think the atmosphere of support, love and concern in the centre has given them a greater realisation and sense of their own dignity as persons, in so far as they can understand this.' said Fr Mal. The school is non-denominational, and is staffed by five teachers, a secretary, bookkeeper and a driver. It has also one volunteer teacher, lay missionary and a livelihood teacher.

This morning Fr. Dodd said that while there have been a variety of secular media reports, as an order they have not heard anything. Fr. Mal had heart surgery four years ago and does not have his daily medication so there are extra concerns for his health. Please keep him in your prayers, especially as we prepare for World Mission Sunday this weekend.

(Much of the information above was taken from a Wednesday article in the New Ross Standard.)

Principal for the Day

By the power of Ceili, yesterday one of the 3rd graders

became principal for the day.

She took care of all the keys for the school.

She handled phone calls in her office.

She visited rooms and observed things like the 7th grade dissecting crawfish.

And she had lunch at Applebees with her family.

It's really fun being the principal for one day.

Care Notes

Looking for something that helps explain or defend our faith? Grab a copy of Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth.
Want to understand the Mass a little better? Grab Father Larry Richard’s CD, The Mass Explained.
Want to read a good story with a Catholic flavor? Read Bud McFarlane’s best sellers: Pierced by a Sword, Conceived Without Sin, or House of Gold.
How about a little pocket book of Daily Catholic Devotions? Get yourself a copy of Living Faith.

Please examine these and other free materials in the vestibule near north doors, courtesy of the Knights of Columbus.

Why Such a Big Deal Over Something So Small?

Stem Cells, Cloning, and Embryos:

Why Such a Big Deal Over Something So Small

WHO: Greg Schleppenbach - Nebraska Catholic Conference's state director of the Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities & heard often on KVSS, Spirit Catholic Radio.

TOPIC: "Stem Cells, Cloning, and Embryos: Why Such a Big Deal Over Something So Small?"

WHEN: Thursday, October 15 (6:30-9pm)

WHERE: Greek Islands (3821 Center St) In the Greek Islands' Party Room again! It's easy to find, has great food, and great parking. Come early and order food from our special menu (cash or checks only) and get drinks at the bar. Special raffle prizes will also be available for purchase to help raise funds for next year's events!

SPONSORED: By Theology on Tap

Trivia Night

Saturday was the parish's first ever Trivia Night.
Groups competed using their trivia knowledge.
And the groups came dressed for the occassion:

It was a lot of fun. Groups are already planning for next year.