First Communions

Yesterday afternoon we  were able to celebrate more First Communions at the parish.

All the communicants processed in past the

 baptismal font and into the sanctuary.

 It was a full house ...

 ... for a joyous celebration.

Congratulations to all of our First Communicants!

Before the Crowning

Before the May Crowning this morning, the second grade students from St. Columbkille Catholic School gathered in their classrooms dressed in their First Communion clothes. Among the comments overheard was, "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to buckle my seatbelt in this dress!"

 

Deacon Dave Graef

Yesterday morning Deacon Dave Graef was one of nine men who were ordained deacons by Archbishop George Lucas in the cathedral. This morning was his first Mass as a deacon.

Congratulations!

Elevator Progress

Work continues on our elevator.

 Although there is more work to be done, what may

 take the longest now is the inspection process.

Junior Cougar Band

On Wednesday, the Junior Cougar Band, under the direction of Mr. Nick Romero toured three schools including St. Columbkille Catholic Schools. First, a band composed of just the 5th graders played.

A number of the students are from St. Columbkille.

Then Mr Romero introduced the

 band of 6th to 8th grade students.

They played very well and we appreciate the visit!

Why Now?

It’s May, and there’s snow outside.

I know that snow this time of year isn’t completely unheard of in our region. But sometimes you just have to shake your head.

Stranger things have happened recently. Who would have imagined that we would have two popes alive at the same time?

At times it feels like we’re living in the Twilight Zone. We live in an age that brings us amazing breakthroughs in science and technology. But on a deeper level, our culture, the culture of death, seems to be moving us backward. The strong current of evil in a supposedly advanced age seems unusual, like snow in May. But the evil shouldn’t surprise us. It should challenge us.

God placed us in this precise time in history, in this location, for a reason. What would He have us do?

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.

St. Joseph the Worker

When Pope Pius XII declared today to be the Feast of St. Joseph the worker, he said:

“The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work. Thus, if you wish to be close to Christ, we again today repeat, ‘Go to Joseph.’”

One of the stained glass windows in our clerestory is called "The Influence of Joseph." It reminds of how Joseph and his work influenced Jesus.