Confirmation was Awesome

Archbishop Lucas was o hand to confirm 

two batches of Conformandi yesterday.

Fr. Dave introduced the candidates ...

 ... and Archbishop Lucas addressed them.

Fr. Dave seemed to entertain Archbishop Lucas between the two services.

First Communion Novena

My son David, a second-grader, has been counting down the days to his First Holy Communion.

Now we are getting close. His big day will be April 23, when he will receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament at the 6:30 p.m. Mass. Other second-graders will have the honor at other weekend Masses.

The timing of this celebration seems perfect:  in the freshness and renewal of spring and Easter and when farmers and gardeners are preparing the ground for planting.

In the same spirit as a gardener, the children -- with the help of their parents and teachers -- have been preparing. Their young souls are to become fertile ground where Jesus can grow and flourish.

And during these final days, a special First Communion Novena, also known as "A Garden Fit for a King," can help. It can be found here.

During the novena, children symbolically plant flowers in their hearts, an idea similar to a spiritual bouquet.

On Day 1, they plant roses, focusing on acts of kindness toward others. On Day 2, they plant lilacs, trying to be patient and gentle when they might otherwise get angry. Day 3 is for forget-me-nots, when children make a special visit to Jesus in an Adoration Chapel or at Church.

The novena continues with prayers and a new flower, with a corresponding virtue or emphasis, for each of the nine days. The simple prayers reflect on the life of Jesus as He was growing up and invite children to imitate Him.

At the end, the garden is complete and ready to present to Jesus for First Communion.

Please take a look at this age-appropriate novena, especially if you know of a special second-grader who might benefit. For years I have struggled at finding concrete ways to get my children ready for First Communion and surely have fallen short. I think this novena is a step in the right direction, especially as excitement for the big day builds and we want to stay focused Jesus, rather than the clothes and gifts and other non-essentials.

May God Himself prepare our children. And may He find welcome in the gardens of their  hearts.

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.

Making Christmas Bright

During the Advent Festival, our Religious Formation students made over 100 Christmas Cards which were delivered to residents at the Papillion Manor.

Students also donated many items  for the 

Child Saving Institute as our RE families 

were incredibly generous.

The folks at the Child Saving Institute were ecstatic to receive an abundance of items which they need throughout the year. They had at least 10 people come to help unload.

The event was even covered by the Catholic Voice on their website.

2015 Advent Festival

Monday and tonight was the Advent Festival. Each night it began with a prayer service...

 ... then families migrated to

the Social Hall for events.

 There was hot chocolate, ...

 

 ... music, ...

 ... and a lot of fun activities.

Beloved: Mystery and Meaning of Marriage

What if Marriage is more than a simple contract between two people, based on romance, mutual fulfillment and basic attraction? What if, created into the very design of humanity, God has placed a purposeful desire to unite a man and a woman into something mysterious, holy and eternal?


Beloved Trailer from Augustine Institute on Vimeo.

In 6 sessions, Beloved explores the true meaning of Marriage. Here you’ll discover the deepest spiritual, emotional and practical realities of Marriage through Scripture, Tradition and Church Teaching. You’ll see first-hand how to experience the wonder, mystery and joy of this Sacrament – from that first “I do” through the rest of your lives.

Mondays November 2nd to December 14th   

At 7 p.m.in the Steinhausen Center

We will be presenting a series on Marriage running for 6 weeks.  The Beloved program will begin with a prayer and brief introduction to the evening's video (about 10 min) followed by a 30-35 minute video.  The video will be followed by a short break with refreshments and then we will pose a series of questions for each table to briefly discuss. This discussion will be followed by a fostered Q and A surrounding those discussed questions.  We'll close with a prayer and give a real quick intro (1 min or less) on the following week's topic. Weekly topics are as follows:

Session 1: Does Marriage Matter?

Session 2: Entering the Story of Marriage

Session 3: Love Revealed

Session 4: The Total Gift of Self

Session 5: A Sacramental Bond

Session 6: Real Challenges Real Love


Registration is not required. Light snacks and drinks will be provided. Basic handouts will be available and student workbooks can be ordered at a cost of $10. Please contact ncook@saintcolumbkille.org if you desire a workbook.

Learning about the Theology of the Body

Have you ever wondered...What is the meaning and purpose of your life? What does it mean to be human? How do I find real fulfillment and genuine happiness? 

From September 1979 over the course of five years, Saint Pope John Paul II gave a series of speeches that have come to be known collectively as the Theology of the Body. In a profound and coherent way he demonstrated to the world that the above questions can be answered by a proper understanding of the human person and that understanding can be obtained through evaluating the human body in light of Sacred Scripture.

Whether you are married or single, 

your body will make visible to you the answer to the above questions. 

Mondays August 24th to October 19th    

7 p.m. Steinhausen Center

(The Initial Session will be held in the School Library.)

We will begin videos on an Introduction to Theology of the Body with Christopher West for adults running for 8 weeks.  The TOTB program will begin with a prayer and brief introduction to the evening's video (about 10 min) followed by a 30-35 minute video.  The video will be followed by a short break with refreshments and then we will pose a series of questions for each table to briefly discuss. This discussion will be followed by a fostered Q and A surrounding those discussed questions.  We'll close with a prayer and give a real quick intro (1 min or less) on the following week's topic. Weekly topics are as follows:

What is Theology of the Body?
Session 1:  An Education in Being Human
Session 2: The Great Analogy of Spousal Love

The Gift of Our Creation and Redemption
Session 3: Man and Women He Created Them (Our Origin)
Session 4: Man and Woman He Redeemed Them (Our History)

The Marriage Made in Heaven 
Session 5: The Resurrection of the Body (Our Destiny)
Session 6: Celibacy for the Kingdom

The Marriage Made For Earth 
Session 7: Marriage as a Sacrament
Session 8: The Language of Sexual Love

Registration is not required. Light snacks and drinks will be provided. Basic handouts will be available and student workbooks can be ordered at a cost of $10. Please contact ncook@saintcolumbkille.org if you desire a workbook.

What is the Theology of the Body?

Thanks to Ceili's 2015 Helping Hand!

You may not even notice it, but every classroom in the education center has one of these units. It allows for a wireless connection into our network. One of beautiful things about the network is that as Principal Makey carries an iPad from room to room, it will automatically connect without him doing a thing.

These units are just a part of the funds raised by the 2015 project done at Columb's Ceili this year. Every year the Ceili raises funds for a project to help the campus. This year it was working with the technology backbone to allow greater bandwidth and possibilies in the classrooms of the school and Religious Formation.

Dan Sullivan has been busy getting

 them all installed this summer.

In the classrooms, the lower grades have been doing more with iPads while the upper grades have been doing more with Chromebooks. With this work, we expect it to not only handle these needs, but also whatever gets invented next.

Thanks Ceili!