We've Got Carpet

It is amazing that we had our previous carpet for 30 years. To make certain the carpet we're putting in now lasts a long time, the new carpet also has a very high density to it. That means this carpet had to be specially manufactured for us. Now it has arrived. Once the tile is in place, the carpet can be laid. That should happen sometime this weekend.

The carpet color is exactly the same as the

previous carpet. But it is clean and new.

Tile From Portugal

The tile that is going around the altar area is highly polished limestone from Portugal. It will also be under the piano and music area.

Below you can see a couple of

"Before and After" pictures of the progress.

 

 

Fr. Augustus Tolton

In 1862, Martha Tolton was a runaway slave. She traveled 20 miles with her children Charley (9), Gus (8), and Anne (20 months) to Hannibal, Missouri. With the help of Union troops, she got into an old rowboat and managed to get her family across safely while Confederate troops fired at her.

Three days and twenty one miles later they arrived in Quincy, Illinois. There she and her sons began working in a tobacco factory. When Charley was ten, he died from pneumonia. When Gus (Augustus) turned ten, she got him enrolled in a local Catholic school as the first black student. Unfortunately the other parents rebelled threatening to withdraw their children, withhold their giving and/or leave the parish entirely. A month later, Gus was no longer in the school.

Four years later, Fr. Peter McGirr insisted that Gus begin attending school at St. Lawrence (now known as St. Peter). While a student, Fr. McGirr realized that Gus seemed to have a calling to the priesthood. At the age of 19, he began to be tutored in Latin and prepared for the priesthood.

Seven years later, after every seminary and religious order in the United States refused to allow Gus to enter (due to his race) he left for Rome to study at the Collegium Urbanum de Propaganda Fide. The understanding was that upon ordination he would become a missionary priest in Africa.

The day before he would be ordained a priest, Cardinal Simeoni told Gus Augustus that at a committee meeting the evening before, it was agreed that he should be sent to Africa, but at the end of the discussion, Simeoni overruled the committee announcing, "America has been called the most enlightened nation in the world. We shall see whether it deserves that honor. If the United States has never before seen a black priest, it must see one now." He was assigned to a parish in Quincy and was the first black, diocesan priest in the United States.

A few years after his time in Quincy, Fr. Tolton was assigned to an all black church in Chicago. Fr. Tolton died in Chicago 115 years ago today. On March 10, 2010 Cardinal George announced his intent to pursue the cause of sainthood for Fr. Augustus Tolton. On February 13, 2012 the Sacred Congregation for Causes of Saints at the Vatican granted the title "Servant of God" to Father Augustus Tolton and ordered that the Archdiocese of Chicago proceed with the Diocesan Inquiry into his life and virtues.

For more information on Fr. Tolton, click here.

Photos are arriving

Some of the free 8 x 10 pictures given to families for having their photo taken are in the Parish Office.

More are arriving daily, but they are available from

8:30 am to 4:30 for pickup in the Parish Office.

Somebody Stole Our Stairs

Fr. Damian joked, "Someone stole our stairs," when

 he first looked over the courtyard renovation.

 

Of course a new set of stairs had already been poured. We expect that a lot of wedding pictures will be taken here once the work is done.

It's been a lot of work as it isn't simply replacing the stairs, but all new landscaping. The retaining walls were put in on the hottest week of the year.

 

This project to replace the steps and landscape was all made possible by Columb's Ceili. Each year the parish's annual dinner designates one "brick and mortar" project to improve the parish. This year the project was named, "Creating Disciples: Step by Step" and is aimed at beatifying the courtyard and west entrance to the church. Everything is progressing well.

No Alessandro, It is a sin

Although Alessandro was only 19 years old, he had become addicted to pornography. Wanting to live out his fantasies he attempted to molest an 11 year old girl. As she yelled out, "No Alessandro, it is a sin..." he became enraged and stabbed her 14 times. Although she made it to a hospital and received Communion as Viaticum, she died.

Alessandro was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Although he was aware that Maria, the girl, had forgiven him on her deathbed (even saying she wanted to be in heaven with him) he did not feel remorse. Then he had a dream -- which was surprising in and of itself because Alessandro did not typically dream.

In this vivid dream, the prison walls and bars fells away as his cell became a sunlit garden. full of flowers. He was surprised to see a peasant girl dressed in white since they wear dark colors. Then he realized it was Maria. She was walking among the flowers, smiling and not as all fearful. He wanted to leave but couldn't. Maria picked white lilies and handed them to him saying, "Alessandro, take them!"

One by one he accpted the 14 lilies. As he took them, each lily transformed into a flaming light. There was one lily for each of the times he had stabbed her. Then Maria smilingly said, "Alessandro, as I have promised, your soul shall someday reach me in heaven."

The dream changed him. For the first time he understood the light of God's grace and mercy. From that time on, he looked to reform his life.

Because of his good behavior, he got out of prison after 27 years. For a time he wandered as a farmhand, but them he became a brother in a Capuchin monastery.

Finally, 31 years after the trial, he went to visit Assunta Goretti, Maria's mother. Begging Assunta's forgiveness, she placed her hands on his head, caressed his face and gently said, "Alessandro, Marietta forgave you, Christ has forgiven you, and why should I not also forgive. I forgive you, of course, my son! Why have I not seen you sooner?"

The next morning Assunta, with head held high and tears falling, took Alessandro by the hand and led him to Mass. Side by side they took communion. From that day on he was welcomed into the Goetti family as "Uncle Alessandro."

Assunta and Alessandro were also side by side when St. Maria Goretti was cannonized.

Adding Some Tile

In the back of the church we have statues of Mary with the infant Jesus as well as the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Below them are areas for candles.

Over the years, the carpet beside the candle altar has sufferred a number of small burns. At the suggestion of some parishioners, we're making a small modification to the plans and putting tile around these candle altars.

So our architect and builder have been thinking though ideas to figure out the best way to do this.

Faith of our Fathers

On this date in 1776 our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence saying:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

In other words, that when the government does not allow the rights given to us by our creator, people have a right to alter that government. When the Constitution of the United States of America was adopted, the first amendment guaranteed religious liberty.

Those were the decisions of our Founding Fathers. Today it is our time to choose. We can either validate or invalidate their decisions with what we decide in our day. How important is religious liberty to us today?

Religious Liberty (From the US Bishops' site)

Is Following Our Conscience Important?

Wow, This Must Matter

The Ham Sandwich Parable

Fr. Vogel is getting ready

It's less than a month to the August 1st

 Server's party at Papio Fun Park.

 Fr. Vogel has been practising to get ready for all the fun.

Now that Fr. Vogel has gotten warmed up, he'll be getting information out to the servers later this week.

Got Fireworks?

In their recent issue, the Papillion Times noted that the Fireworks tent run by the St. Columbkille Shepherds "is the longest consecutive nonprofit stand in Papillion."

So visit them at the corner of Washington (84th) and Centennial and get whatever fireworks you need this week.