One Week on Campus

These pictures were all taken on campus within the last week.

President Lincoln said...

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

—President Abraham Lincoln, March 30, 1863

Proclamation Appointing a National Day of Fasting

Listen to God this Lent says the Pope

Benedict XVI is inviting the faithful to pause a moment in silence this Lent to listen to God speaking to their hearts.

The Pope reflected today on the Gospel story of the Samaritan women, whom Jesus spoke to at Jacob's well, before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.

"The woman goes every day to get water from an ancient well put there by the patriarch Jacob, and that day Jesus was sitting there, 'tired from the journey,'" the Pontiff explained.

"Jesus' weariness, sign of his true humanity, can be seen as a prelude to the passion, with which he brought the work of our redemption to completion," he said.

The Holy Father that Christ was also thirsty, and that the "theme of 'thirst' emerges in particular in the meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well."

"This thirst, like the weariness, has a physical basis," the Pontiff explained. "But Jesus, as Augustine continues, 'had thirst of the woman's faith,' as he has for the faith of all of us.

"God the Father sent him to quench our thirst for eternal life, giving us his love, but asks our faith for bestowing this gift. Love's omnipotence always respects man's freedom; it knocks at his heart and awaits his answer with patience."

This is a portion of an article from Zenit: View the whole article here.

Pinewood Derby

 Sunday cars arrived for the Pinewood Derby.

 

 Every race was followed intently.

 There were all kinds of awards categories.

 There were medals for all the racers.

A scout who has cancer told Make-A-Wish that what he wants is one million letters of encouragement. So after their race was finished, each scout wrote a letter encouraging him in his fight with cancer.

Mary's Vocation

Today we celebrate the Annunciation. This was the day the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked if she would be willing to take on the vocation of having and raising the Son of God.

Along with celebrating Mary's "Yes," it is a day for us to consider the vocation God asks of us.

4th Graders in Lincoln

Yesterday the fourth grade classes took a trip

to Lincoln. They began in the State Capital.

There they learned how our legistlature and courts work.

 Our State Senator Senator, Jim Smith, spoke with the students.

That was great since one of the expectations for parishioners

at St. Columbkille is to "Once a year engage your

 political leaders in concerns for justice."

Outside was the Education Freedom Rally for LB 50.

This tax credit bill would help eligible parents pay private

school tuition. Archbishop Lucas spoke about it.

After their visit to the capital, students visited Morrill

Hall at the University of Nebraska State Museum.

They learned about fossils in Elephant Hall ...

 

 ... and they were able to get involved in some exhibits.

 

It was a very busy day in Lincoln.

Eating meat Friday for the Annunciation

In view of the celebration of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord on Friday, March 25, the observance of abstinence from meat is not obligatory, in accord with paragraph 1251 of Canon Law. This is not the same as a bishop dispensing from the obligation. That sometimes happens, for example, when the optional memorial St. Patrick’s Day occurs on a Lenten Friday. In that case, a bishop needs to make a special act to dispense from the obligation. Here, the law itself prescribes that when a solemnity (but not a memorial, as a solemnity ranks higher) occurs on a Friday, the law of abstinence does not apply.

But you can still enjoy the Fish Fry.

Meet the Archbishop at the bar

Archbishop George J. Lucas is hitting Omaha’s bar scene. Lucas is the first featured speaker of the Archdiocese of Omaha “Theology on Tap” Lenten series to help young adults in their twenties and thirties, married and single, who want to grow in the Catholic faith.

Lucas will appear Thursday March 24 at McKenna’s Booze Blues and BBQ at 7425 Pacific Street in Omaha. His talk, titled “Mass Conversion: Liturgical Changes Explained,” will get underway at 7:30 p.m. Lucas will give an early look at the much-anticipated changes to the Catholic Roman Missal, which includes the prayers spoken and heard at Mass.

“Theology on Tap is a great opportunity for young adults to meet in a comfortable setting to explore how faith shapes their lives,” Lucas said. The evening’s format includes a speaker, question-answer session, followed by discussion and socializing.

The Rite of Election

Last Sunday was the Rite of Election for the Omaha Archdiocese. Twice in the day the Cathedral is filled with all of those who will be entering the Church this year. Archbishop George Lucas greets each of them as they go through the final stages preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil.

Here we have pictures of some of our Candidates meeting the Archbishop:

 

 

 

 

 

Preschool Practicum

Janice Reisberg (a graduate of St. Columbkille and Mercy High School) is a freshman at Wayne State College.  Janice recently used her Spring Break to complete an early childhood practicum at our parish preschool. 

The children enjoyed their time with Miss Janice.

Soup & Stations

On Monday and Wednesday we celebrated Soup and Stations.

 

First families gathered in the Social

Level and had soup together.

 

After eating, they gathered in the church

to pray Stations of the Cross.

Children walked along from Station to

Station as they participated in the prayers.

Stations of the Cross is also celebrated

every Friday of Lent in the church.

A Visit from Afghanistan

During Catholic Schools Week, students wrote valentines and collected small gifts/tokens for our troops. Eleven boxes of these were sent to Afghanistan c/o a former student, PFC. Kyle Heese. Home on a very brief visit, he stopped by for Mass and to visit the school today.

After the presentations, he got a suprise.

Then the students and staff had a chance to greet him.

Thank you PFC Heese!