Farewell from Fr. Vogel

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It has been a wonderful five years of being your priest.  A priest’s first parish has a special place in his heart.  I have learned so much from you, from Fr. Damian especially, Fr. Steve and Fr. Dave – from our deacons, parish and school staff, married couples, widows, single adults, young people and children.  I thank you so much for opening your parish and your lives to me.  It has been my desire to try to follow St. Paul in a passage I reflected on in the seminary before coming to St. Columbkille Parish:

“When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

In so far as I have been but a small instrument in helping you encounter Christ, I rejoice and thank God.  For those moments I have come short, inadvertently or unknowingly caused harm, I ask your forgiveness.

It is the great privilege of the priest to be able to be a part of your lives, especially at so many important moments of your family.  I have helped you bury the dead through over 80 funerals, but also worked with couples for 40 weddings, baptizing 3 of their children out of 104 baptisms. Comforting the sick through countless anointings, bringing the Father’s mercy again and again through reconciliation, assisting in the preparation of those to receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, and being the conduit through which Christ has fed your souls with his daily bread, the Eucharist, in the Sacrifice of the Mass.  I feel blessed to have so many spiritual children, including your children that I have so much loved teaching in the school and religious formation.  It is difficult to leave.  But just like Elisha in the first reading this weekend, just like the disciples in the gospel, the Lord has called me to leave this family, and go on to a new assignment.

I rejoice knowing that the same Jesus Christ who was with you before I arrived will continue to be at the center of your lives after I go.  All the Christian faithful remain united to one another through the Mass and prayer; may we continue to lift each other up in our prayers.  I depart with these words of the Father, that you may never forget you are His beloved sons and daughters:  “You are precious in my eyes and honored, and I love you, … Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:4a, 5a).

Giving thanks to God for you always in my prayers,
Fr. Vogel

Understanding the Mass

At our Parish Mission Monday evening, Dr. Edward Sri presented A Biblical Walk through the Mass: Understanding what we Say and Do in the Liturgy. It was based on his book. The clip above is just a portion of what he discussed.

If you want to gain a better understanding of the Mass, the last session of Altaration is Monday, March 21 at 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. in the Steinhausen Center.On April 4th there will be a tour of all the space in the church. On April 11th we will meet in the Steinhausen Center to study the scritpural roots of the Mass.

After Dr. Sri's session Monday night, Fr. Vogel told some parishioners, "Now you know just a smidgen of why I'm a priest and why it's so awesome."

Quite the Jack-O-Latern

Did you see this pumpkin on Fr. Vogel's porch? It has the Sacred Heart of Jesus carved into it.

Sometimes Facebook is Wrong

On Facebook, there has been a silly argument that the reason for our original bulletin cover this weekend was to support the supreme court ruling on gay marriage. That is false.

Quick version: If you want feedback about the supreme court decision, then please listen to this homily by Fr Vogel. We will warn you, Fr Vogel did a very crazy and unusual thing before he commented on the supreme court ruling: He actually read it.

If you're wondering about the bulletin -- let's go a little deeper.

St. Columbkille Parish is the only parish we know of in the Omaha Archdiocese that is having 1-2 Holy Hours every day for two weeks leading up to July 4th. During this time we are primarily praying for Religious Liberty, but we knew full well that the Supreme Court Decision might come out during these two weeks. We asked our parishioners to pray also for traditional marriage.

Fr Damian has often said strong reactions can be a sign that you are doing something right.

During VBS, different groups wore different colored shirts. The idea was then to take a picture of all the VBS kids as a rainbow - the sign God gave us as a covenant of His love for us. This picture was taken on Thursday June 18th. Those who read the bulletin each week will have likely noticed that we try to tie in between the Collect Prayer and the image each week. For this week, Deacon David Krueger thought this image would tie together with this week's prayer of standing up as children of light for truth. The bulletin was printed and shipped on Wednesday, June 24th, two days before the Supreme Court Ruling came out. Had we known what the ruling would be and when it would come out, we wouldn't have used that image at that time.

Saturday there was a little teasing that this bulletin could be politicized -- then it was.

We have redone the bulletin cover as an online version. Some parents were rightly concerned that they did not want the images of their children to be politicized. We agree entirely. We apologize to those families.

Also, we continue to pray for our country this week. Please join us.

Fr Vogel's Lesson on Ashes

Each year palms from the previous Palm Sunday are burned to create the ashes for Ash Wednesday. There is an art to it as they need to burn just the right amount of time to be the correct color. As a young associate pastor, Fr Damian learned the hard way that while it might it a nice idea to burn the ashes at Mass to show everyone, they are too hot to use right away.

Since becoming a pastor, Fr Damian has considered it one of his duties to make certain every associate knows how to properly burn ashes before they leave. Earlier this week Fr Vogel got his lesson -- and passed with flying colors.

Healthy Clergy Week

Governor Dave Heineman has proclaimed October 12-18 as Healthy Clergy Week. Our priests received "Healthy Care Packages" which included a gym bag, memory foam pillow (because good sleep is essential for good health), snacks, ear buds, iTunes card, and a water bottle. (Father Damian also received a Fit Bit, so be sure to ask him how it is working for him.) Our deacons all received a card and a healthy snack.

The parish nurses pray for our priests and deacon's health that God may bless with you all with good health of body, mind, and spirit. Remind our clergy that their health is important to them as well as all the Parishioners of St Columbkille.

Thank you for all that you do!

Welcome Fr Jason

Fr. Jason Singalness is a seminary classmate of Fr. Vogel. He stopped to visit and con-celebrated Mass with Fr. Vogel this morning. In the Bismarck, North Dakota diocese he is the pastor of Sts. Peter & Paul in Strasburg, St. Mary in Hague and St. Michael in rural Linton. Strasburg is the hometown of Lawrence Welk. Fr Jason said there are often visitors to the sod house where the Welk family once lived.

It was great to have him stop by our parish on his way to visit Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. We pray he has a good and safe vacation.

Pastor, Church of Sts. Peter & Paul (Strasburg), Church of St. Mary (Hague), Church of St. Michael (rural Linton) - See more at: http://bismarckdiocese.com/index.cfm?load=org&org=101#sthash.0vMN9P9D.dpuf

Pastor, Church of Sts. Peter & Paul (Strasburg), Church of St. Mary (Hague), Church of St. Michael (rural Linton) - See more at: http://bismarckdiocese.com/index.cfm?load=org&org=101#sthash.0vMN9P9D.dpuf

BASIC: The Visual Gospel begins Tonight

We live in a culture where a superabundance of visual and audio experiences flood everyday life, many of which are neither beautiful nor Christian.  In such a visual culture the time is ready to rediscover the power sacred art has to speak truth through beauty.  Sacred art is not a consumer product of visual entertainment, but serves to awaken, to teach, and to nourish faith.  Learn how to read this Visual Gospel.  Major topics include:  principles of beauty and sacred art, study of the sacred art tradition (Iconography, Gothic, Baroque, Stained Glass, etc.), and the theology of church architecture.

Basic: The Visual Gospel

with Fr Kevin Vogel

7:00 p.m.

Steinhausen Center

St Columbkille Parish

 

Server Party

 The Server Party, held at Papio Fun Park, was a fun time for those who serve us to gather for fun together.

Fr Vogel's New Home

Inspired by Pope Francis and in solidarity with the poor, Fr. Vogel has decided to move into a tent.

Fr. Damian has given Fr. Vogel permission to set up a tent and live on the vacant lot the parish owns on 84th street -- behind the house most associates have chosen to live in.

"Fr. Damian was a little hesitant at first," Fr Vogel explained, "but I pointed out that there is a shower in the Parish Office that I can use and with the remodel of the Steinhausen Center maybe a small refrigerator could be set up for me to keep a few food items. Fr. Damian did suggest that I not make the move until a port-a-potty can be set up. It is a luxury that the homeless don't have, but he convinced me I should make use of one so I'll wait for that to arrive."

While this may seem like something sudden, it is something they have been discussing for quite some time. Since Christmas Fr. Vogel has been sleeping on the floor of his home to help make the adjustment and has been eating simple foods that could be eaten raw or grilled.

If you're wondering about the home Fr. Vogel has been living in, he thinks it could be torn down to expand parking. While Fr Damian says that is a possibility, he thinks we should make certain Fr Vogel doesn't change his mind after a few months. He also pointed out that the next associate may want to sleep in a bed.

Fr. Vogel says he won't need much help moving although some tips from the boy scouts may come in handy. The move date just depends on how quickly the port-a-potty arrives.

For any more information please see today's date.

Soup & Stations & Stations & Stations

 Monday and Wednesday was Soup and Stations

 for our families in Religious Formation.

 Families first gathered to together for a meal ...

... then they moved upstairs to pray 

the Stations of the Cross together.

 But they aren't the only groups 

to be praying with the stations.

 Tuesday night those in RCIA 

prayed the Stations together.

Fr. Vogel has been leading school groups in them as well.

Tonight at 6 p.m. we will have 

Stations of the Cross in the church.

But feel free to just stop by sometime

 and pray -- just you and the Stations.

Godfather Vogel

Last weekend Fr Vogel flew to Washington D.C. to become serve as Godfather to Gerald Dane Curren III, the son of two of his dear friends.

His parents attribute the miracle of his birth to Our Lady of Lourdes as they were told by a doctor that they would be unable to achieve pregnancy naturally.

As Fr. Vogel was on the first leg of his trip, the flight was the second leg was cancelled, delaying him for a day. His flight back also had to be rerouted due to weather in the east. But it was well worth it.

Adoration Training

During Catholic Schools Week, Fr. Vogel explained Benediction to the 5th and 6th grade classes. Although students had experienced Benediction before, this was a chance for Fr. Vogel to explain exactly what happens during Benediction and why we do it the way we do. After the explanation, they prayed together.

Is Fr. Vogel the Best Dressed?

While Esquire Magazine named Pope Francis 2013's Best Dressed Man of the Year, we can't help but wonder if they overlooked Fr. Vogel.

 

Whether it is speaking to students ...

 

 ... or playing soccer, no one rocks black like Fr. Vogel.

He's even been known to sew his

 own hats to get just the right look.

Please Click "Like" if you consider

Fr. Vogel the Best Dressed!

More on Souls and Goals

As previously mentioned, Fr. Vogel was recently in St. Louis to compete for the...

... Souls and Goals Soccer Cup.

The game designed to show that priests and men studying for the priesthood take part in normal activities with joy and drew over 1,000 spectators.

Before the game, The Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus led the teams and the crowd in evening prayer.

In the game, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary Lions soccer team (who play in the CYC's adult soccer league) faced Clergy and Co., a team of priests and a few of their friends.

 It was a tight game that was scoreless at halftime...

... but the seminarians pulled at a 2-0 win in the end.

You can read more about this in the St. Louis Review. They were the source of the pictures shown above.