Parish Mission Week

All parish members are invited to join us by participating in the Parish Mission. A Social follows each evening of the Mission, which enables us to continue to build community. At 8pm on the third evening of our Mission, after the talk and again on the following Sunday at 2pm, we will have the opportunity to celebrate God’s unconditional love and forgiveness with Reconciliation Services. The Social following the Reconciliation Services will include an awesome celebration hosted by our Women’s Guild that features cookies, crackers, cheese, punch and wine.

Please consider joining us for a very blessed week.

Stations & Snacks

The Monday and Wednesday Religious Education classes took part in Stations & Snacks this week. Families and students were able to participate in the Stations of the Cross and then enjoy some snacks & fellowship following the service. 

The Ceili was Record Breaking

The Columb's Ceili was held Saturday, March 4th at Embassy Suites in La Vista.  The Ceili hit an all-time high, breaking previous years' numbers with over 500 people in attendance.  Doug and Judy McWilliams served as the Ceili's Honorary Chairs. 

Those attending were able to enjoy a special performance from the St. Columbkille Crusingers Show Choir, bid on both silent and live auction items, enjoy a delicious dinner & cocktails, socialize with parish and community members and dance to live music provided by the band, The Labels.

The Ceili is the parish's largest fundraiser.  It takes many hands, long hours and generous donors to make it a success.  This year's event proved what a fantastic, energetic and supportive parish we have at St. Columbkille. 

If you were unable to attend Ceili, but would still like to donate, please visit our Helping Hands page to make a donation.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Dads and daughters were able to enjoy some quality time together creating memories at the 2nd Annual Daddy Daughter Dance on February 19th in the Social Level. 

The theme was

 "Love You to the Moon and Back". 

The evening consisted of silly "picture booth" photos, dancing, snacks, 

games and a time capsule.

Dads had many opportunities to teach some great dancing skills.

                 

 All of the dads and daughters were able to take some fun photographs, 

be silly and enjoy an evening dedicated to them.

                    

 Fr. Pat  and Fr. Dave were able to enjoy some of the fun with many of the attendees.

                           

 It was a special night to honor our Dads and Daughters!

                                       

Fish Fry Fridays

The Fish Fry began in 1990 and is held on all the Fridays during Lent from 5 to 8:00 pm, except Good Friday. The “all you care to eat” dinner is prepared weekly for approximately 1,200 people at a very reasonable cost. If you come after 7 pm the lines are very short and the food is still freshly made!

The annual income to the parish averages over $25,000. Funds from the Fish Fry are used to help support a variety of our parish needs. In the past, they have been used for the Social Level kitchen renovation and equipment, heating and cooling, landscaping, Religious Education needs, school supplies, office equipment and the St. Columbkille Educational Trust Fund.

Take Fridays off from cooking at home!

We serve the area’s BEST fried and baked fish along with all the trimmings for only $30 per family.

$8 Senior Citizens (over age 60)

$9 Adults (over 15 and under 60 years)

$8 Children (under 15 and over 5 years)
$3 Children (under age 5)
$30 per family  

Ash Wednesday

The parish community gathered throughout the day and evening to mark the beginning of the Lenten season.  The preschool, school and RE program took part in Ash Wednesday services. 

 

 

Fr. Pat shared a prayer with Sacred Heart Preschool students

prior to distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday.

 

 

Why do Catholics practice fasting and abstinence during Lent?

Lent is the 40 days before Easter in which Catholics pray, fast, contemplate, and engage in acts of spiritual self-discipline. Catholics do these things because Easter, which celebrates the Resurrection of Christ, is the greatest holy day of the Christian year (even above Christmas) and Catholics have recognized that it is appropriate to prepare for such a holy day by engaging in such disciplines.

The reason Lent lasts 40 days is that 40 is the traditional number of judgment and spiritual testing in the Bible.  Lent bears particular relationship to the 40 days Christ spent fasting in the desert before entering into his public ministry. Catholics imitate Christ by spending 40 days in spiritual discipline before the celebration of Christ's triumph over sin and death.

Fasting is a biblical discipline that can be defended from both the Old and the New Testament. Christ expected his disciples to fast and issued instructions for how they should do so. Catholics follow this pattern by holding a partial fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Abstinence from certain foods is also a biblical discipline.  The only kind of flesh Catholics eat on Friday is fish, which is a symbol of Christ.

 

Even the Ash Wednesday practice of having one's forehead signed with ashes has a biblical parallel. Putting ashes on one's head was a common biblical expression of mourning.  By having the sign of the cross made with ashes on their foreheads, Catholics mourn  Christ's suffering on the cross and their own sins, which made that suffering necessary.

The time of Lent, through fasting and abstaining, should be an important reminder of what it means to suffer.  This small suffering should not be met with misery, but with great joy as we better understand the incredible sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for all of us.

 

Lenten Ideas

Next week begins our Lenten journey.  Ash Wednesday, March 1st, marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 days of preparation for the Easter season when we are called to deepen our spiritual lives through the practices of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. The belief is that these practices will improve our spiritual well-being by stripping away all that is unnecessary, allowing us to become more mindful of how God is working in our lives.
Challenge yourself this year and go beyond the usual practice of “giving up” something.
Make a plan...Lent begins next week!
Here are just a few ideas you may want to try this Lenten season --
*Take something on — 40 days of reaching out to those you don't always get to see or visit, 40 acts of random kindness, 40 phone calls to the important people in your life.
*Get some friends together and attend our Friday fish fry (or pick one at a neighboring parish). The fried fish version is not the healthiest thing in the world (St. Columbkille offers both fried and baked), but a fun Catholic tradition to help you abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent while supporting the parish!
*Get to know your neighbors. Introduce yourself, plan a dinner, or bring food to an older person, single parent or someone dealing with some health issues.
*Go to a weekday Mass one day during the weeks of Lent.
*Gather items you may not be using any more and donate them to help others.

Fat Friday




 

Lent begins Wednesday, March 1st -- this Friday is the last "meat" Friday before the Lenten season.  Let the Knights of Columbus do the cooking for you!



Coming Soon...

For more information, click on the link below

http://www.columbsceili.org/