Celebrating the Mother of God

A prayer recited at Compline or the Night Prayer of the Divine Office is:

We fly to your patronage,
O Holy Mother of God;
Despise not our petitions in our necessities,
But deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin

In 1917 an ancient, Egyptian text was discovered using this prayer. This was a surprise as many didn't realize how old the prayer was. Because the prayer uses the term "Mother of God" it was assumed that it could be from just after 431 because that's when the Council of Ephesus declared that Mary was the Mother of God or Theotokos. But scientific tests showed the papyrus dated form no later than the 3rd century. Further research showed that Alexandrian Christians were already calling Mary the Mother of God in the third century.

This is an example of how the people of God experienced Mary and grew from her before the Church officially recognized that dogma. The same was true with calling Mary the Immaculate Conception, which was a widespread practice before the Church officially recognized the term. As a Church we grow through our experiences.

Masses as we celebrate this holy day are:

Wednesday

5:30

  

Thursday

7:30, 9:00, 10:30 & noon

Enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Sacred Heart of Jesus was enthroned at St. Columbkille Catholic School. All of the students and staff were there for the service.

The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart means the official and social recognition of the loving kingship of the Heart of Jesus in the Christian family. This is done by  solemnly installing an image of the Sacred Heart in a place of honor and dedicating itself to Him by an Act of Consecration. The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart at St. Columbkille is recognition of the living presence of our Lord in our school, where His Divine Heart, as King of Love, is the center of our school family.

Jesus is invited to participate in all activities. He then sanctifies all the details of school life. By the Enthronement and under the influence of the Sacred Heart, each member learns intimacy with Jesus. Either as a class or individually, each will grow in confidence and love with the One who longs for our love. Thus, the gift of the Enthronement is an awareness of His Living Presence in the school and a source of grace and blessings for the school family.

The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is more than a mere veneration of an image or a transient consecration. It becomes a "way of life", a sharing of hearts, a permanent state of devotion and love.

If you are interested in doing this at your home, please let Fr. Vogel know. This helps a home become a "Domestic Church" - a place where Jesus is loved and where a family will render reparation to the King of Love.

The current 8th grade class, the Class of 2016, donated the image to the school through their Class Challenge. We thank them for that.

Here is the video of the service:

Carols Around an Empty Manger

Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. On this day our collect prayer at Mass is:

O God, whom the Holy Innocents confessed
and proclaimed on this day,
not by speaking but by dying,
grant, we pray,
that the faith in you which we confess with our lips
may also speak through our manner of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever

On December 19th, Metro Pro-life Advocates and Nebraskans United for Life co-sponsored Carols Around an Empty Manger outside an abortion site in Bellevue. It was a chance to mourn the deaths of Holy Innocents in our day as well as to proclaim the hope given in the birth of our savior.

About forty people, including four priests, gathered on that cold Saturday morning.

 The group gathered for Cookies and Hot Chocolate afterwards.

Feast of the Holy Family

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. Pope Paul VI said:

Nazareth is a kind of school where we may begin to discover what Christ's life was like and even to understand his Gospel. ... First we learn from its silence. ... The silence of Nazareth should teach us how to meditate in peace and quiet, to reflect on the deeply spiritual, and to be open to the voice of God's inner wisdom ... Second, we learn about family life. May Nazareth serve as a model of what the family should be. ...  

Finally, in Nazareth, the home of the craftsman's son, we learn about work and the discipline it entails. I would especially like to recognize its value -- demanding yet redeeming -- and to give it proper respect.

We should all strive to bring the warmth and love of the Holy Family into the actions of our everyday lives.

Polar Bear Express

The second grade classes had a treat when they spent the day taking part in the Polar Express. It was a fun adventure and journey before the Christmas break.

Helping at Christmas

One of the classrooms at St. Columbkille Catholic School considered what it would be like to be elves. They are thinking about what it means to help others!

Merry Christmas!

Evidently one of the kindergarten classes provided Rudolf for Santa's sleigh this year. Thanks St. Columbkille Catholic School!

Presents for Jesus

A Kindergarten Class at St. Columbkille Catholic School emphasized that the greatest gift we can give to Jesus is ourselves.

Come Quickly Lord Jesus

In the collect prayer for Mass this morning we pray:

Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus,

and do not delay,

that those who trust in your compassion

may find solace and relief in your coming.

Who live and reign with God the Father

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.