Ceili Gave Us a Sign

It was Dr. Blue who had pointed out there were no sings on the north side of the Education Center. In response, the 2013 Ceili Committee decided to make a digital sign their Helping Hands project.

The unanticipated problem with a digital sign along Cornhusker, was the question of where to locate the sign? It was soon realized that due to trees and the hill, there was no one spot where the sign could be seen from both sides.

One idea was to locate the sign on the south side of the block. The first concern with that is that it wouldn't help accomplish the original goal to identify the building. The second was that the primary readers of a sign on the south side would be parents dropping off or picking up kids -- whom we ought not distract.

So along with putting some signs on the building to identify it, the decision was made to locate the digital sign along 84th street and use it to promote the parish and all of our activities.

It's Been a Year

It was a year ago today that Dr. Blue passed away. She made a significant difference in our school in a short times. She deserves a great deal of credit for moving us towards Advanced Accreditation. 

In retrospect it is perhaps even more amazing to realize how well the staff stayed together and moved forward as she fought and surcame to cancer.

She is the intention of the noon Mass today.

The Times on our new Principal

St. Columbkille names principal

By Mike Bell
Times Staff Writer

Meet the new boss.

St. Columbkille School hired its new principal last April, and he knows he has big shoes to fill.

Jim Makey started his new job this month, and is looking forward to his first year as principal. Makey, of Guthrie Center, Iowa, has been an educator for 33 years. His most recent job was principal at Logan Magnolia Elementary School in Logan, Iowa.

Working at a private Catholic school will be a new experience for him.

“I’ve been in public schools my whole life, so this is a switch for me,” he said.

Read more of the Papillion Times story here.

Thank you Mrs McGuire

Mrs. Mary McGuire had a tough task coming to St. Columbkille Catholic School on April 2nd while Dr. Blue was in hospice and less than two weeks before she passed away.

She was admirable in her abilty to bring a joyful presense and encourage everyone in the process.

She was able to fill the tasks as principal, encourage our teachers in their work and give another perspective as we plan for the future. She brought energy, faith and two decades experience just when we needed it.

 

Last week she finished her tasks preparing for the new administration. She is relaxing this week and next before she undertakes her next role as Interim President of Skutt Catholic High School. She assures us that, in a year, she really will retire and she has grandchildren ready to hold her to that promise.

Again, thank you!

Making Cards

With a note on one side and a picture on the other, Mr. Cunningham's 7th grade class was among thome making cards for Dr. Blue today.

It's Been a Rough Week

It’s been a rough week.

Here at St. Columbkille we’re mourning the death of our principal, Dr. Cheryl Blue.

Tragedy struck on a national level in the terrorist attack Monday in Boston and again last night at an explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas.

Sometimes it’s hard to not become saddened, discouraged or even angry about all the pain and loss of life. Sometimes it’s hard to not question why God allows these bad things to happen.

But we are Christians, who know that God’s plan of salvation does not spare us from suffering. He made suffering part of that plan, the cross that leads to the Resurrection. The Father sent His Son to show us the Way. Jesus took on all our pain and death and transformed it.

“The power of Christ is able to control fiercer storms than those of the wind and sea. It is able to still the torrents of evil of the whole world in the stillness of His own heart. It is the power which enables Him to command the floods of all the sorrow in the world and hold them within His peace. It is the power which not only gives life back to the dead, but can change death itself into life. It is the power of divine love.”

Those words, from the 20th century author and mystic Caryll Houselander, struck me during this horrific week, particularly the second-to-the last line.

“It is the power which not only gives life back to the dead, but can change death itself into life.”

God can take all the death we saw in the past week and change it into life -- a life that is eternal and more glorious than anything we can imagine.

That is power of the Resurrection. That is why Christians have hope, even in the midst of evil and death.

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.

Running in Pink for Blue

Some members of the track team asked if their shirts be pink this year in honor of Dr. Blue. At their first meet Saturday, the team gathered and prayed for Dr. Blue.

Remembering Dr. Blue

Dr. Blue:

You weren't just our principal

You were approachable

 You tied our shoes

You were ready for us

You were at our concerts

 and our special events

You prepared us for graduation

You recognized and rewarded us

You were there for our First Day of School

and our first day of summer

You even directed traffic

You supported HSA at McDonalds

and Runza Night

and the Flower Sale

and Turkey Bingo

You were a valuable part of our staff

 and encouraged us

We didn't know quite what to think of you three years ago

but right away you wanted to see what we were doing

We appreciated you and your qualities

 and we shared that with you

We're blue today

It's hard to think of you on the sidelines of our lives

We'd like to give you one last hug goodbye

This year, well before anyone knew your cancer returned, you helped us put on emphasis on praying for one another. So we continue to pray for you. We hope you pray for us as well.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord

And let perpetul light shine upon her

May she rest in peace

Amen

May her soul and the souls of

all the faithful departed, through

 the mercy of God, rest in peace

Amen

Welcome Mrs. McGuire

Due to the declining health of Dr. Blue, Fr. Damian has hired a Principal who recently retired, to lead the school for the remainder of the year. We welcome Mrs. McGuire as Interim Principal.

Mary McGuire was the Principal of St. Wenceslaus Grade School in Omaha for twenty years. She helped fill in a similar transitional role at Holy Cross a few years ago when their Principal had to step down because of family reasons. Fr. Damian said, “Just as I could step into any parish in the diocese and take on the role of pastor, Mrs. McGuire’s experience allows her to step into the role of principal and lead the school as we finish out this year strong. We are blessed to have her here.”

While some of our faculty have already suggested she be the new Principal, Mrs. McGuire is not a candidate for the principal position. She loves her retirement and spending time with her grandchildren. We are thankful that she is willing to step in and help us out during our time of need.

Fr. Damian extends his thanks to the staff and faculty of the school who have managed the school so well during Dr. Blue’s illness.

The Witness of the Cross

Some of us try to convey our faith with words. Words, especially The Word, can be effective, in transforming hearts and minds.

“Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

We can also witness to our faith with our lives. Our priests and deacons sometimes send us forth from Mass with these words: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”

If we live what we believe, our relationship with God radiates from us, inviting others to live the same faith.

But the most powerful witness is the cross.

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

Jesus invites all of us to share in His cross as a means to our salvation. But some, it seems, have an especially difficult cross to bear. Our faith shows us that these extraordinary crosses are actually extraordinary gifts, reserved for Jesus’ closest friends.

I was moved and humbled recently by two examples of this kind of witness.

Dr. Cheryl Blue, principal at St. Columbkille Catholic School, provided the first when she trustingly placed her life into God’s hands by entering hospice care. Dr. Blue had desired to return to work after cancer treatments. But as Father Damian said, it seems our Lord had other plans.

Jim Krajicek, a former St. Columbkille parishioner, and his family also recently accepted a heavy cross. Jim had been undergoing rehabilitation at a Lincoln hospital after suffering a debilitating stroke in August. His family saw progress and setbacks in the following months. They had hoped and prayed for a quick recovery and to soon have him back at their Grand Island home. But again, it seems God had other plans. This week they moved him to a specialized care center in Ankeny, Iowa, a five- hour drive from home.

Before his stroke Jim was a fiercely independent man, according to his wife, Theresa, but he seemed at peace with his most recent move. The care center, called On With Life, accurately described the move for both Jim and their family, she said.

“I know he is where God wants him to be and I thank all of you who support this path for Jim from the bottom of my heart,” Theresa wrote in a recent Caring Bridge blog, which has kept friends and family up to date on Jim’s recovery. “The support the kids & I have received from so many people is really just God taking care of us -- you are all God's Instruments!”

Sometimes we become like Simon of Cyrene when we have heavy burdens forced on us. We certainly wouldn’t choose the cross. But the faithful learn to embrace the painful gift, perhaps reluctantly at first.

Both Dr. Blue and the Krajiceks have graciously shared their private struggles, their Way of the Cross, with the St. Columbkille community. Many have been following the Krajiceks’ Caring Bridge updates, while Father Damian has kept the school community current on Dr. Blue’s struggles through email letters.

Both may have preferred more privacy in their battles. But by sharing their crosses with us, we have been able to help them shoulder their crosses through our prayers and support.

Their even bigger gift to us is their witness of the cross.

Please continue to pray for them.

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.