All Souls Day

Wednesday, November 2 is All Souls Day. Masses will be offered at 7:00 a.m. and at 7:30 p.m. (this is the Annual Mass For Deceased Children). A Novena of Masses for All Souls will be offered each day this week.

All Saints Day

Tuesday, November 1 is the Solemnity of All Saints. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses will be offered on Monday evening, October 31 at 5:30 pm and on Tuesday, November 1 at 7:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and at 7:30 p.m.

Ordination Anniversary

Father Michael will celebrate his Thirty-Fifth Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood on Monday, October 31. He will gather with his Ordination Class on Thursday, October 27 at Epiphany Church in NYC for Mass and a private dinner with classmates. Please pray for the Ordination Class of 1981 from St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie and for more Vocations to the Priesthood.

Funeral Mass - John R. Bleakley, Sr.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of John Bleakley on Saturday, October 29 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

Funeral Mass - Edward Moszczynski

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Edward Moszczynski on Friday, October 28 at 1:00 p.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

Funeral Mass - Anthony Esposito

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Anthony Esposito on Wednesday, October 26 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

Humility

He looked like a red rose between two thorns!

There was Cardinal Dolan at the Al Smith Dinner seated between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

He was asked – what was it like?  They did try before the dinner to be courteous to one another. But during the dinner . . .

In the past – self depreciating humor – make fun of yourself – a humble humor – but now: at the expense of the other. Not humility but humiliation.

Thinking of Odell Beckham, star receiver of the Giants. Last week he scored a touchdown, waved his teammates away & took off his helmet – hey, look at me! Forgetting that Eli threw the pass and his other teammates blocked for him.

Two people went to the temple to pray:

1) Pharisee  -  by and large: good and holy people  “the separated ones”  not priests, but lay people – must strictly observe the laws

- fasted 2 x week     -  10% income to God   -  prayed 4 x a day    pretty good.

2) Tax collector – the publican    most considered him a traitor – he worked for a foreign government (Romans)   earned his pay by over taxation    ritually unclean   should not have even been there  -    O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!

Shocked – tax collector justified by God  -  why?

1) Pharisee prayer -  did not even need God – all about himself   I  I   I      Humility from the Latin word – humus – earth.  God created Adam from the earth. God created us! All I am is a gift from God.  Humility.

2) All about comparisons -  compared to others like this tax collector    grew up comparing, still do it!   Mom,  Dad!!!  Maureen got a bigger slice!!!

What tax collector did was compare himself to God!  

Reconciliation -  cilia – eyelash      eyelash to eyelash w God     & who will win???!!!

St. Augustine: What are the ways to God?  “The first is humility, the 2^nd is humility, the third is humility”

St Therese “Beginning of holiness is humbly admitting that without God, I can do nothing, but - that  with   in  and through him,  everything is possible.

St. Mother Teresa   to experience JOY

Jesus   Others   You.

O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!!!

Funeral Mass - Richard Carroll

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Richard Carroll on Saturday, October 22 at 11:00 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

Keep Praying!

To Persist – she kept after the judge, Moses kept holding up hands in prayer. Made me think of a parishioner of St. Stephen’s Warwick – Dolores Murphy & her brother – Stephen McDonald. Through Dolores I met this amazing man.

Thirty years ago, while on patrol in Central Park, the then Officer McDonald was shot three times –head – throat and spine. He is paralyzed from the neck down. At the time, he and his wife Patti were married only 8 months and she was carrying her soon to be son Conor – who is now a 4^th generation Police Officer. Stephen was in the hospital for months. Every day was a struggle to live.

Card O’Connor once described them: “They are ordinary New Yorkers . . . but they are extraordinary, too, imbued with the spirit of forgiveness, faith and fidelity to each other beyond earthly measure . . . their conscious effort to conquer death and hatred with a spirit of life and love ennobles them.

Forgiveness – Go 2 ways:  hate or love:  “I forgive the boy who shot me, and I hope he can find peace and purpose in his life.”

Fidelity – She never thought to go back on her yes – “we did not get married to be divorced”

Faith – Stephen speaks to many young people and he encourages them “to grow in relationship with God and our Blessed Mother. Life is important and has meaning. You are a special and rare creation of God with enormous value. God creates you for a purpose!”

Relationship with God . . .     Friendship with God

1)      Spend time – intentional, even put on schedule

2)      Learning – what to know as much as possible about the other person – Bible & saints

3)      Honesty – let self be known to the other – share everything with God, not just what we think God wants to hear.  Even anger, disappointments, sadness

4)      Listening – create a space for the other to be heard.    Listen to physical signs, other people, scripture, emotions, memories, daily life    connects with:

5)      Silence – Mom & Dad would sit in room - not say a word – intimacy.  Electronic: disconnect to connect.

6)      Changes – Relationship with God can and should change over time.

Stephen said last July: I am not here by accident. There is a purpose and plan to my life. God has been involved in this story from beginning to end.    So persist, be strong, do not be afraid!

Funeral Mass - Mildred Murphy

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Mildred Murphy on Wednesday, October 19 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for her and for her family.

Funeral Mass - William Meyers

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of William Meyers on Monday, October 17 at 11:30 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

Funeral Mass - Sylvia Holt

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Sylvia Holt on Monday, October 17 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for her and for her family.

Funeral Mass - Deacon George Stewart

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Deacon George Stewart on Saturday, October 15 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family. Deacon Stewart previously served as Deacon at St. Columba. His son, Father George Stewart, is Pastor of St. Augustine - Our Lady of Victory Parish in the Bronx.

Funeral Mass - Michael McHugh

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Michael McHugh on Friday, October 14 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

Funeral Mass - Dina Scecchitano

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Dina Scecchitano on Monday, October 3 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for her and for her family.

Respect Life Sunday

Faith the size of a mustard seed – great things can happen.

Life begins with a seed, doesn’t it? And something amazing begins to happen:

-          5 weeks – the heart begins to beat

-          6 weeks – the nose, mouth and ears begin to take shape

-          7 weeks – hands and feet are forming

-          8  weeks – baby is moving

-          10 weeks – all organs and structures are in place, ready to grow

-          13 weeks – the baby has fingerprints and foot prints.

This child – all children, are uniquely loved by God.  On this Respect Life Sunday, we are reminded that They deserve our love and protection.

Today we welcome the Little Sisters of the Poor. They essentially began on a cold winter night in 1839 when Jeanne Jugan noticed an old woman out in the cold with no place to go. Jeanne took her into her apartment and put the old woman in her own bed. People began to notice, people wanted to help, and the Little Sisters of the Poor were born.

They try to make sure the neediest of the elderly have a home. They are welcomed as Christ.

These last two years they have received much national attention. They told our government that, while providing medical coverage for their employees, that do not want to pay for anything that might destroy human life.  The government insisted that they must and the Little Sisters appealed right up the Supreme Court.  This past March, the Supreme Court instructed lower courts to work with the Sisters to make sure their religious beliefs were not violated. 

We thank you Sisters for standing up for the truth and teaching us how to Respect Life – from conception until natural death.

We at St. Columba, want to support the Sisters in their work. We also want to continue our good works on behalf of Life.  We are grateful to all parishioners who are involved in:

-          Our Respect Life efforts, including 40 Days For Life

-          Our SVDP Food Pantry, which feeds 100’s of individuals each month.

-          Our Ministry of Care, which shows that a simple phone call can make all the difference in the world.

-          Our Midnight Runs to assist the homeless poor.

Please consider taking home a Baby Bottle today and filling it with change this October. You gift, no matter how big or small, will help your parish put into practice our faith – all human life is sacred and loved by God.