Deacons at INET

Three of the deacons associated with St. Columbkille are involved with the INET conference today exploring RCIA.

Deacon Bill Hill is leading a workshop based on the Come and See classes at St. Columbkille. Some people who are considering entering the Church are in a different place that those entering RCIA. Come and See allows some of those people a safe place to consider what it means to be Catholic.

Deacon David Krueger led a workshop explaining how St. Columbkille used the Strength Groups in our parish as part of mystagogia this year.

Deacon Eric Vande Berg is part of the group putting on INET. We appreciate his year round effort to help parishes in the Archdioces learn from one another and grow together.

Welcome Fr. Francis

This welcome we welcome Fr. Francis Ndolo from the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya in East Africa. For our annual missionary appeal, Fr Francis will tell us about his home diocese of Kitui. After communion we will take a second collection for the diocese of Kitui.

Thanks Use It Again Sale

Saturday the Annual Use it Again Sale ended.

All of the money raised goes to the St. Vincent

de Paul fund to help those in need in our community.

We thank ReRuns R Fun who allowed

the sale to take place at their site.

This year over $22,000 was raised

breaking last year's record.

That would not have been possible without the generosity

of all the disciples who used their talents to make the sale happen.

Thank you!

From Archbishop Lucas

The following is from a Press Release by Archbishop George Lucas:

It is profoundly disturbing that Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has announced its intention to open a new center at 3105 N. 93rd Street in Omaha that will include among its services the killing of unborn children through abortion. So many people of good will in Omaha have become involved in efforts to reduce violence in our community. It is particularly ironic that Planned Parenthood is now proposing to increase the possibility of violent attacks on innocent human life, attacks that are no less harmful to the life of our community even though they remain largely hidden from view.

Women and their unborn children deserve better than to suffer the violence of abortion. As a caring community, we can offer them a compassionate alternative. I invite any woman who might be considering abortion to turn first to the loving and supportive care of the pro-life pregnancy help centers in the Omaha area. These include Catholic Charities, Essential Pregnancy Services, A Woman’s Touch, AAA Crisis Pregnancy Center, Bethlehem House and Gabriel’s Corner (in Council Bluffs).

I also encourage Catholics and all women and men of good will in Omaha to oppose the opening of this abortion facility. Nebraskans United for Life has created a petition (the petitions have been distributed to all parishes in Omaha) to express opposition to this proposal to our elected officials. Nebraskans United for Life is also organizing a prayer vigil at the location of the planned abortion center on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 1 pm. I plan to be there, and I invite you to join me. Make your voice heard in opposition to the efforts of Planned Parenthood to expand the culture of violence and death in Omaha. Please pray for a greater respect for all human life, from conception to natural death.

Going to Grand Island Monday?

This weekend Fr. Francis Nbolo will be visiting the parish to do a missionary appeal for his home Diocese of Kitui in Kenya, East Africa. Fr. Nbolo has been in the United States for over two years as he is studying for his Master's Degree in Counceling from Western Illinois University.

One Monday morning Fr. Francis needs a ride to the airport in Grand Island. His flight leaves at noon. Is anyone going out that way who could give him a ride?

Survey Results

In the July 18th bulletin, Fr. Damian invited anyone who wanted

to hear the results of the Gallup poll to attend a gathering Saturday.

Those attending were a mixture of Pastoral Council

 members, parish staff and other parishioners.

After hearing about the philosophy of the survey and getting the results,

those present discussed ways they can use that information to improve.

While the full results are being prepared for the parish,

the results are positive, show good improvements and,

as Fr. Damian has said, are well worth celebrating.

From Deacon James

Dear Friends,

Yes, it is hard to believe and seems like I have only been here for a couple of weeks, but my assignment at St. Columbkille ends this week. Thus, I must already say "good bye". I have truly enjoyed being here this summer and getting involved with many of the parish groups. Thank you for sharing your lives with me and showing much kindness and generosity.

As a newly ordained deacon, the summer has been filled with many firsts for me…my first proclamation of the Gospel, homily, blessing, baptism, and funeral. These experiences have brought me great joy, hope, and compassion. (More Here)

On Your Mark, Get Set, Blow

Last night the Cub Scouts gathered for

a Summer Splash at the Schwer Splash Pad.

After playing and a meal they had their First Raingutter Regatta! Each scout was offered a free kit that included all the supplies to build their boat. At the race, the scout blew on the boat's sail to propel their craft down the gutter.
 

There was a lot of excitement in play as the overall winner

received a 2 liter bottle of pop and a straw.

Heartland Catholic Men's Conference

The Heartland Catholic Men's Conference is Saturday August 14th, 2010 at the D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center. The conference is an effort of the Archdiocese of Omaha to provide Catholic men in our area with an opportunity to know their faith better, network with other Catholic men, and receive spiritual nourishment.

This annual event is also informative in that it will provide area men with a view into the many opportunities for spiritual and intellectual growth, often in their own parishes. For more information, follow this link.

A Case of Virus

At the parish, we may have a virus which is sending SPAM with our domain name. As a result, our domain has been added to some blocking lists which email systems can use to block SPAM. Dan, who supports our computers, was concerned and started monitoring the number of emails being sent. When he noticed that thousands started being sent Friday night while our staff was gone, he shut down our system for awhile.

Things are improving, but it's making us a little slower in how we do some of our communicating for the moment.

Welcome Nicole!

Today Nicole Cook returns to the parish staff as the Coordinator of Disciple Formation. Nicole (pictured above with her husband Tyler) has been a member of St. Columbkille since 2003 when she came to the parish as the director of music ministry. She left for a few years to work at her alma mater, Creighton University, as the assistant director of alumni relations, but has now returned to St. Columbkille to work with the youth ministry and adult formation programs.

As Fr. Damian explains it, "Nicole will provide the oversight for all formation programs for young people in high school through parishioners who are enjoying retirement. She will not be doing all the formation herself; she will simply be the person who ensures that the formation programs are running smoothly."

Nicole says, "I have missed working full-time in ministry, and am very much looking forward to returning to work at St. Columbkille! I feel very blessed to be a part of such a great community, and hope that I will be as much of a blessing to those I work with, as I know they will be to me."

Religious Formation Program Featured

St. Columbkille is the only parish in the diocese to offer Religious Formation as a summer only alternative. The program was recently featured in the Archdiocesan Newspaper, The Catholic Voice. You can see the article here.

Parking, Scapulars & Dairy Queen

A few quick notes:

Both entrances to the parking lot will be open this weekend. Because the street construction continues, you may still need some extra time to get around.

Yesterday, in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Fr. Wee offerred scapulars to those who desired this sacramental. If you would like to learn more about the scapular feel free to call Fr. Wee at the parish office (339-3285) or email him.

On Monday if you get anything from the Papillion Dairy Queen, be sure to mention St. Columbkille. By simply doing that, 25% of your purchase will come back to the parish and school. Be sure to thank them as well.

Pope Benedict & the Angelus

Just about every Sunday Pope Bendict prays the Angelus publicly. He also, typically has a short meditation. Linked above is an example of that.

EMHCs Needed

The archdiocese trains and mandates  new Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) and Lectors. These ministries are performed by non-ordained members of the community who assit in the disrtibution of Communion (EMHC) and proclaim the scripture (Lector) at Mass. Some of our EMHCs take communion to the homebound. If you feel called to minister to our parish community this way, please consider one of these ministries.

Candidates must:

• be a High School junior or older;
• be a practicing Catholic;
• have received the sacrament of Confirmation; and
• if married, be in a valid marriage.

Candidates are REQUIRED to attend:

1. ONE of the following diocesan training sessions:

• Tuesday, August 17; St. Leo Omaha 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
• Sunday , August 22; St. Columbkille Papillion 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
• Monday, August 23; St. Vincent de Paul Omaha 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

2. The Mandation Mass Thursday, September 2, 7:30 p.m. St. Cecilia Cathedral

3. Parish Training Sessions: Tuesday, September 14; St. Columbkille Parish

• Lectors:  7 to 8 p.m.
• EMHCs:  8 to 9 p.m.

Registration deadline is Monday, August 2nd. Candidates must be approved by Fr. Damian and names will be submitted to the Chancery office of the archdiocese. To register for candidacy, please contact David Batter, Director of Music & Liturgy, in the parish office at 339-3285 or by email.

Surrounded by Construction

In addition to the construction south of the parish on 6th Street (Cornhusker) ...

we are putting new pavement by the north entrance to the church.

Daily Masses and prayer continue as normal, but

you may need to plan on a little extra time to get here.
Jesus is worth it.

Steubenville St. Louis

It was a full house at the Steubenville conference in St. Louis last
 weekend as 3,100 youth gathered to sing, praise and worship God.

Deacon Weeder was there to proclaim the Gospel at Mass Sunday.

For Fr. Wee attending meant missing the championship

game of the World Cup, but he offerred it up.

Fr. Wee said the highlights of the trip for him were:

1. Mass, 2. Eucharistic Adoration and 3. Hearing Confessions.

We pray that all those who attended bring

that excitment back to their parishes.

Movie Reviews

Did you know the US Bishops' web site contains Movie Reviews?

If you want a moral perspective on what you

 or your children are seeing, click here.

Youth Serve # 1

With the second session of Youth Serve starting today,

it seems proper to remember the first session.

Youth Serve blends service ...

with opportunities to learn ...

and grow...

with others in our parish & our Church.

Thank you for being disciples!

Coach Pitch Baseball

Two of the Coach Pitch Baseball teams finished the season with a game against each other followed by hot dogs and hamburgers.

Hope you had a great time!

Street Construction

Sixth Street (Cornhusker) just south

of the church is under construction.

Public Works Director Marty Leming has assured us that one of the entrances into the church parking lot will be kept open all the time. But this does make driving around the church and parking more difficult.

You should plan on it taking a little longer

than usual to get into Mass this weekend.

Puzzle

During VBS, there were 750 puzzle pieces on a side table.

It was a difficult puzzle.

But over four days, with much help ...

it all came together.

Well done!

Week of Hope

Some of our High Schol youth took a mission trip to Denver.

There they participated in "A Week of Hope."

The activity they particpated in was helping at a local food bank.

Thank you for modeling dicipleship for all of us!