Updated Decorating Schedule

Here's an updated schedule of our church decorating festivities.  Come join the fun!

Reconciliation Service

Tomorrow is our reconciliation service, and you won't want to miss it! To hear more about it, check out Fr. Dave's homily from December 17: http://http://saintcolumbkille.org/wordpress/index.php/121717-homily/http://saintcolumbkille.org/wordpress/index.php/121717-homily/

Time to Decorate the Church!

Please consider helping out to tidy up the worship space for the crowds this Christmas season!

Thursday, Dec. 21 | 9:00 a.m.-noon
Church cleaning and moving chairs

Thursday, Dec. 21 | 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Tree decorating, outdoor decor, ceiling
decor, and nativity construction

UPDATE:
Saturday, Dec. 23 | 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (previously Friday morning)
Social hall and floral work

Sunday, Dec. 24 | 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Church clean-up after weekend
Masses, Advent take-down, and
Sanctuary decorations

Contact Michelle Grzywa for more information.

Feast of St. Nicholas

The Feast of St. Nicholas was December 6 - Deacon Russ Perry visited our school, taught us about St. Nicholas, and shared some goodies with all of the children!

Fr. Dave Visits Preschool

Today, Fr. Dave stopped by the preschool to visit with us about a special birthday coming up.  We know it is Jesus! 

Christmas Mass Schedule

Christmas is just around the corner! Come celebrate the birth of our Lord with us!

This year, Christmas falls on a Monday. Since Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on the Fourth Sunday of Advent and again on Christmas, there are two obligations to fulfill. These can be fulfilled in any of the following ways:

Saturday evening and Sunday evening;

Saturday evening and any time after midnight on Monday;

Sunday morning and Sunday evening;

Sunday morning and any time after midnight on Monday;

Sunday evening and any time after midnight on Monday.

In the last option, the Sunday obligation is fulfilled even if the Mass is for Christmas Eve.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! 

Check out this blog post to learn more about all of the miracles behind Our Lady of Guadalupe!

https://vivaguadalupe.org/news/ten-amazing-facts?utm_content=buffer1d763&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Tomorrow, Dec. 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, & is a holy day of obligation! Join us for Mass:

Advent Celebrations

Advent begins this Sunday - check out this blog with some great ideas for celebrating Advent! 

https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/how-to-celebrate-advent-like-a-catholic/?utm_content=buffer94276&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Join us for Mass at 9:00 a.m.

“Don’t Worry” – Yeah, Easy for Jesus to Say (The Litany of Trust)

Check out this beautiful blog on the Litany of Trust! 

https://ryanadorjan.com/2017/03/06/dont-worry-yeah-easy-for-jesus-to-say-the-litany-of-trust/?utm_content=buffere65d9&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer 

The Second Half of Life

In the second half of life, a number of things happen to us.  We sense our connection with those who suffer.  Whereas we used to try to avoid suffering at all costs, we come to a point where we discover that suffering teaches us some very important lessons and is able to change us in very important ways.  We realize in the second half of life that darkness is as much an essential part of life as light.  We used to try to avoid darkness, but we come to a point when we learn that darkness expands our spirit.  It joins us to others.  It puts us in our proper place in the universe.  Often this change in our outlook happens after we have lost loved ones, after we realize that we cannot control very much of what happens in our lives.  In the second half of life, we come to know that life does not depend upon us and our efforts; it depends upon God and God’s love for us.  We stop seeing God as one who is apart from loss, death and limitation.  We stop looking at God as identified with success, prosperity and moral correctness.  We learn that God is in all things, the dark and the light, the life and the death, the gain and the loss, the victory and the defeat.  We are able in the second half of life to be with Jesus as he dies on the cross, we are able to know that experience and to know that it is okay and we will come through that pain and loss in the glorious gift of real life from God.  In the second half of life, we see that there are very few things we really need.  We stop going after what is unnecessary, what is merely distracting, what glimmers and shines, what is attractive, and we seek what is needed, what meets our truest desires and longings, what is substantial and what will last.  In the second half of life, we are no longer looking to be the center of attention, we are not trying to be liked or to be a hero, we are not trying to accomplish goals, we are content with life on its own terms.  In the second half of life, we are not trying to prove anything. 

We get to the heart of life in the second half which is not defined in terms of years or experiences.  Even children can become quite wise when their circumstances teach them the true meaning of life, when they sense that everything is a gift, when they see that their relationships define them, when they stop trying to impress others, when they are like the children of God and the children whom Jesus called to himself and whom he blessed and invited to the kingdom.  We often see such children in those who are dealing with serious illness, who are in the dying process, who have been rescued from situations of abuse and are able to know love again, who have lost a parent and have found another adult who loves them unconditionally.  These children know that everything in life is a gift.  They do not earn their blessings, they simply receive them.  All who come to the second half of life know this.

The transition to the second half of life is not easy.  It comes with a price.  We must give up our illusions about ourselves, our belief that we are meant only for success, that if we do everything right, everything will come out right for us.  Our notion of God changes as we go into the second half of life.  God is no longer a rescuer from all that hurts us.  God is no longer only seen as the one who rewards the good and punishes the sinner.  God is not just identified with glory, victory and power.  God becomes a God of all situations, a God who can be present in absence, a God who suffers when God’s people suffer, a God who works in unknown and unaccustomed ways, a God who is inscrutable and who often writes in crooked lines, a God who is both small and great, a God who more often than not comes to us in the tiny whispering sounds of our lives.  The God of Sinai becomes the God of the empty tomb.  When we come to the second half of life, we are content with this God.  We stop making God in our image and we let God be what God wants to be.

Written by parishioner, Gene Ulses

All Saints Day

All Saints Day is tomorrow, Nov. 1, and is a holy day of obligation! Join us for Mass:

All Souls Day

Please join us for a special Mass to commemorate all our loved ones who have passed away.  We especially invite all those who have lost someone dear to them this past year.

Photos of our church

One of our former parishioners, Joe Weiss, sent us these beautiful photos of our church! Thanks, Joe, for sharing your talents with us!

Worthy Woman of Distinction

Congratulations to Dee Iske for being recognized as a Worthy Woman of Distinction! We are so grateful to her for all her hard work over the years, caring for others in both body and soul. You will be able to read more about it in the Papillion Times!

Mommy & Me Night

On Monday evening, Sacred Heart Preschoolers gathered with their moms for Mommy & Me Night.  We had a great time sharing a snack and decorating our graham cracker houses with frosting and candy!  We love our moms!

Saint John Paul the Great

Today is Saint John Paul the Great's feast day! JPII, pray for us!

Parish Mission Talks now on Website!

Did you miss the Parish Mission?  You can find all the talks on our website by clicking the "View Parish Mission Post" on the homepage, or clicking the link here!

http://saintcolumbkille.org/wordpress/index.php/101517-mission/

All Hallows Eve Party

Join us this Saturday for some good fun!

100th Anniversary - Our Lady of Fatima

Today is the 100^th Anniversary of the Miracles at Fatima!

Join us for Mass at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Holy Rosary led by the Legion of Mary.  There will also be a Rosary Crusade in the west parking lot tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

LoveEd Seminar

Parents, check out this seminar to teach your kids about sexuality!

Youth and Young Adult Vatican Survey

Pope Francis wants to hear from young people!

To prepare for the upcoming international Synod on "Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment," the Holy Father wants online feedback from all youth and young adults, ages 16 to 29, from around the world, regardless of how active they are in the practice of the faith.

Youth and young adults, ages 16 to 29, are invited to go online and fill out the Vatican survey: https://survey-synod2018.glauco.it/limesurvey/index.php/147718

Parents and grandparents, please encourage the teens and young adults in your lives to participate. The Church wants to learn and listen to them!

The online survey is open until November 30, 2017.

Blue Mass will Pay Tribute to First Responders

October 4, 2017 (Omaha, NE) – A tradition that began over 80 years ago will continue tomorrow with the Blue Mass that honors police, medics, firefighters, and those who have died in the line of duty. Archbishop George Lucas will celebrate the 9:30 a.m. Mass at Ss. Peter & Paul Church.

“The Blue Mass is an opportunity to say thanks to God for the work of the first responders in our community, and to ask God’s blessing on them in that important and sometimes dangerous work,” said Archbishop Lucas.

After every Blue Mass, Archbishop Lucas blesses first responders and public safety equipment.

All Omaha metro area police and fire personnel, including families and friends, are invited to attend regardless of religious affiliation. Ss. Peter & Paul School students also will attend.

The Blue Mass dates back to 1934, when many first responders wore blue uniforms.

15 Things I Learned in the Dominican Republic

by Kara Harvey 

First, I want to begin with thank you! I would not have learned these lessons that I hold close to my heart without YOUR support. Your donations and prayers sustained me through the 5 weeks that I was in the Dominican Republic. For this reason, I want to dedicate this list and its contents to YOU. I hope that you will be able to experience the Dominican Republic through these words. Thank you again!

**Throughout this list, there may be references to reflections I participated in as well as the daily mass readings and passages from Simply Surrender, a reflection book of writings by St. Therese of Lisieux.

1.  Living in the moment is not an excuse to be crazy. It is a reminder to sit still.

Pause. Be patient with others, but first and foremost, be patient with yourself. During the school year, my mind is as busy as my planner, which if you ask my friends, looks “scary”. I am a color-coded, list- making, schedule-follower. My first day in the Dominican Republic (DR) transported me into another culture where getting the most done is not the status quo. Taking care of yourself and spending time with people is valued above organized chaos. I was even encouraged to sit still. Siéntese. Sit down.

2.  Take pride in where you are from, where you are at, and where you are going. God is present in all of these.

On the outskirts of Santiago, there is a community called Cienfuegos. We were given an inside view of the community from a Deacon who has faith, trust and pride in this community that has come so far. Cienfuegos began as a shanty town and then became a place of crime and delinquency. More recently, the community has become a place with schools, safety, and growth though it is still in deep poverty. We were able to go up on a hill that over looked the entire area. The Deacon asked us, “Isn’t it beautiful?” Si! From most people’s eyes it is a group of run-down, poor buildings. For him, it was an improvement of life for thousands of people. It is his legacy. God is present and at work in his life and in all of our lives no matter how it may look on the outside.

3.  Take chances. Jump off a cliff into a waterfall.

There are times in our lives (such as going out of the country for the first time) when we come to the edge of a challenge and we don’t know what is waiting. It is in this moment when we must jump into God’s waiting arms. Once I acknowledge that I need God, it becomes obvious that God will catch me, carry me, and give me peace in the mist of the challenge. Going to 27 Waterfalls to jump, slide and wade through the water in the mist of God’s beautiful creation was a kind of trust fall. In the end, to jump is not to succeed, but it is to try. It might not be pretty at first, like me trying to speak Spanish, but if I go into the unknown dark tunnel, I have the possibility of singing like a canary.

4.    Interprofessional teamwork is important.

The communication between professions, students, and translators was what made our clinic in San Felipe run so smoothly. As a team, we were not afraid to help out someone who needed it no matter what our “job title” was.

5. Juice builds community

The families in San Felipe, the community where we lived and served, loved juice. Each time we entered a home, they brought out homemade juice. Chinola (passion fruit), cherry, limeade, pineapple, and many others. They did this to welcome us. To give to us. They saw us giving to the community through the daily clinic and health visits and responded with generosity. Gratitude leads to generosity. And the generosity of San Felipe led me to deep gratitude for each person, the community, the juice, and for God’s love for us all. We grew as a community by asking our hosts questions about themselves while drinking juice.

6.  You can adapt to almost anything.

Chirping birds, crowing roosters, dishes being washed, the scrape of a plastic chair, card games, Dominos, the wind, the dispensing of filtered water, buzzing of bugs. Silence. Not understanding the language. Weather. Scenery. A bed. Bucket showers. A home. But maybe not the bugs…

7.   Take care of yourself.

Look clean. Take a shower. Show others that you care for yourself to give them confidence to put their trust in you.

8. Take a step back and let God have all the credit.

Many people in our group came to the DR to do good. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus references hiding our good deeds so that others can not see them. This is not to belittle us and how we want to help the people of the DR, but to allow God, the source of the good, to shine. When I take a step back, humbling myself, others can experience God through my actions giving God the glory. In this, I am learning to depend and trust in God more and more, which allows more mercy and more love to shine on others.

During my time in the DR, I was continually humbled by my inability to speak Spanish. In this, God reminded me of my worth as a person and then He used me to connect to others in ways I did not originally think of. I pray that my patients and the people I met in San Felipe saw God through me.

9.  There is a universal language.

I won the superlative for best Dominican hand language, which is funny looking back because communication was the component of this trip that I was most nervous for. One evening I told my group, “Mireya made me put on a long-sleeved shirt before I left!” They responded “Wow! You understood that she said that!” I responded, “No… she pointed to my room, rubbed her arms like she was cold, and then pointed to my bare arms.” Language is not always words. When in doubt, find a child. Children and food gather people together and create a common language of smiles and hugs.

10. Confidence is the combination of experience and trust.

Throughout my time in the San Felipe clinic, I had chances to perform wound care, ear irrigations, assist with a small procedure, set up pap smear trays, complete intake forms, and above all, interact with and advocate for my patients. This experience increased my trust in myself. This improved trust in myself has increased my confidence in my nursing ability.

11.   Chocolate comes from a fruit.

Google it! This is a fun fact that I learned first-hand in San Felipe where they grow cacao.

12. Holding someone’s hand can be enough to form a bond.

Benita came to the clinic many times throughout the month for her chronic disease management and I was able to form a deep friendship with her. She taught me to listen, even when I don’t understand. She taught me that supporting someone through sadness does not have to be through words, but through a hug or a squeeze of a hand. And in these meaningful actions, a friendship was born.

13. Sometimes a pair of earrings is more than just that.

A few days before I left the DR, my Dominican mom, Mireya, handed me a pair of earrings. We did not speak the same language so we mostly communicated through tone of voice, actions and hand gestures. I saw that she only had an earring on one of her ears. I tried to communicate to her that these were her earrings. She told me she had her matching earring in her room and pushed the gift towards me. She told me to wear them en la mañana. In the morning, I put on the earrings Mireya had given me. When I walked into the kitchen, her entire face lit up with a smile. I learned that generosity does not come out of wealth, for Mireya did not have money, but from a heart of love. I learned that I could show my gratitude for this generosity by accepting the gift.

14. Siempre ~ Always

A common response to gracias in the DR is siempre. In a way, they are saying that they are always there for you. As a culture, I found that the Dominicans in San Felipe prioritize people. This directly correlates to a phrase we heard every day in clinic, gracias a Dios. After the patients find out that their glucose or blood pressure is normal, they praise God. They thank God. They are grateful for their health and for the people in their life. They put people first because there is nothing (material, jobs, etc.) that is worth more.

15. Home is people.

Home is not a building, or food, or weather. Home is not a structure built by man. It is the people built by God that will be forever in your heart. The bonds that were created with my family in San Felipe is not one of blood, but it was just as powerful. After only a month, Mireya, my Dominican mom, made an irreversible mark on my heart. As I stood in our kitchen watching her make me a warm drink for the last time, I started to sob. She loved me through morning coffee and crackers, Domino games, big hugs, and staying up late to let me in. Mireya and many more people I now call friends are a part of my home.

With love,

Kara Harvey