Our Next Associate Pastor

As this is written, the Creighton Prep website is asking for information for "Lost Alumni." Under the Class of 1990, they are searching for Patrick Nields. He's not hiding in a cave.

He was actually on the front cover of the most recent issue of The Catholic Voice and on July 1st Fr. Pat will be our new Associate Pastor. In the meantime he will be ordained a priest on June 4th.

So you know, Nields rhymes with fields. After his ordination, he prefers to be called Fr. Pat.

The pictures above are from a Holy Land Retreat and Pilgrimage through Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. Their journey included a five-day canonical retreat on the Mount of Beatitudes and visits Jerusalem and various sites in the Holy Land. Above Dcn Pat reads during Mass on the shore of Lake Galilee. Two other pictures above are by the shores of Lake Galilee.

In the picture above, Dcn Pat (below right) is at the "Wailing Wall" of the temple in Jerusalem.

Fr. Dave spoke about Dcn Pat in the bulletin this weekend. He also noted that you will be able to meet Fr. Pat if your sign up for the Picnic with the Padres on June 26th.

Fr. Damian once noted that a priest's first parish forms him. We thank Archbishop Lucas both for gifting him to us and entrusting us to help shape him.

Scholarships

Seven of our eighth grade students from St. Columbkille Catholic School have been awarded scholarships to Catholic High Schools.

Thank you to Creighton Prep, Gross, Marian & Skutt for recognizing our students!

(For those keeping score, Mrs. Loeffler had one more of these

 students in her first grade class than Mrs. English.)

Hypocrites

"I'm a phony and a fake."

A holy man used to say those words, the late Father William O'Leary, a Jesuit at Creighton Prep who sometimes celebrated Masses at St. Columbkille.

When Father O'Leary talked that way, I was taken back, because clearly he was a good Christian. He gave away what few possessions he had, constantly made himself available to serve others and maintained a life of prayer and sacrifice.

A phony and a fake?

I thought maybe that was his awkward way to deflect his growing reputation for holiness. But to say he was a phony, a fake, a hypocrite, seemed so over the top, maybe even a lie. I've had the same feeling when I read the writings of some saints, when they go on and on about how wretched and unworthy they are. I would read their works, knowing that the Church later canonized them as saints, and think, "Really, how could think of yourself that way?"

But I was completely wrong. That's no false sense of humility. In fact, the saints had humility in the truest sense, knowing how completely unworthy they were of God's calling and recognizing Him alone as their source of holiness. They were, and we are, pretty wretched on our own. And it's proper to give credit where credit is due: all our good works, our love for one another, comes from God.

They couldn't help that others saw their holiness. After all, you can't hide a lantern under a bushel basket. Christ's presence, His holiness, glows in His saints. It's meant to be noticed, that all would give glory to God.

Sometimes I say to myself quiet accurately, "I'm a phony and a fake." I try to witness to how God is working in my life, but I know my faults and failures, and so do others. I can't help but feel like a hypocrite.

When we try to be Jesus' disciples, we make ourselves vulnerable that way. Others will see the sinner in us, but hopefully they will see something of God.

In a way, we're all phonies and fakes. But God's light can be seen most clearly when it shines through the darkness of sin.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

Light of the World

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father."

Many people at St. Columbkille remember Father William O'Leary, a Jesuit priest who passed away Monday in Wisconsin. He taught at Creighton Prep for four decades and offered Masses at parishes across the Omaha area, including St. Columbkille.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Father nearly nine years ago for an article in The Omaha World-Herald. The occasion was a surprise party for his 75th birthday. The party had to be a surprise, organizers said, because otherwise Father O'Leary would not have allowed it. He lived humbly, not drawing attention to himself. But in the course of living out his Catholic faith, people noticed him and were drawn to him. In other words, his light shined.

I didn't know Father O'Leary personally, but I was inspired by his simplicity. I learned that when he received gifts, he often gave them away. He is said to have owned just three pairs of pants and three shirts. He drank water without ice and gave what money he had to pay for lunches for underprivileged students or for their families' utility bills. Father didn't travel by airplane; he preferred the bus because it gave him time to minister to fellow passengers and even offer them the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The light Father O'Leary shared is Jesus, the Light of the World. We, too, are called to let Him radiate through us. May Jesus, our Perpetual Light, shine on Father O'Leary and all the souls of the departed.

Inspired by this Year of Faith we will be posting columns like this from Susan Szalewski about exploring and/or deepening our faith. Watch for it on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

Congratulations on your Scholarships!

Yesterday representatives from Creighton Prep, Duchesne, Gross Catholic and Mount Michael High Schools were on hand to offer scholarships to nine of our 8th grade students.

Congratulations!

Spirit of St. Columbkille: The Dethlefs

Later today, the Spirit of St. Columbkille Award will be presented to the Andrea and Hans Dethlefs family at Columb's Ceili. One of the parish ministries the Dethlefs family has been involved with is “Step Out & Serve.” In this ministry, the family commits to a one-day project to help those in need in the greater community. But, “step out and serve” is also an excellent way to describe the Dethlefs family’s involvement at St. Columbkille Parish and in the community.

Andrea and Hans have been parishioners for fifteen years, serving on various councils, committees and ministries. Whether it is as EMHC’s, Baptism Catechists or serving on the School Advisory Council, Hans says he has been involved because he has been invited. In each case, he sees the invitation to serve as an invitation from Christ himself.

In 1997, Hans and Andrea moved their family to Honduras in Central America to perform missionary work with the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. There, Dr. Dethlefs worked with patients of all ages, but also focused on community health and malnutrition, establishing an inpatient center for severely malnourished children. Meanwhile Andrea helped with translating letters between sponsors and the Honduran children, taught English classes to some of the sponsored (Spanish-speaking) children, and started a library (La Biblioteca San Columkil) with funds raised from our parish.

Andrea feels God calls people to spread the Gospel in different ways. She believes her way is to serve others, whether that is serving at ReRuns R Fun, the school’s Art Reach program or on the Family Fun Festival Committee. She has been a Minister of Care at Papillion Manor and have worked for Kind Hearts (elderly care at home) in our community. She participated with MOMS (Ministry of Mothers Sharing) at St. Columbkille for several years and also helped coordinate DFACTS for 5 years. She teaches Spanish at St. Columbkille Catholic School.

Hans is a family practice doctor at One World Community Health Centers which serves the underserved in South Omaha. In 2009 Hans received the Nebraska Medical Association’s Physician of the Year Award. Hans and Andrea pray an hour of Adoration weekly in the Chapel.

They are delighted to see the same sense of service and discipleship growing in their children. Allison is a senior at Marian High School. She is involved with Youth Ministry including singing in the choir, serving as an EMHC, Lector, Server and participating in Young Neighbors in Action. Christopher is a freshman at Creighton Prep. He is a server at our parish, has participated in Youth Serve and many Youth Ministry activities. Rachel, who is in the sixth grade at St. Columbkille Catholic School, also serves at parish Masses and for several years has helped rake leaves for the elderly in the community. Each year everyone in the family helps at the Family Fun Festival.