All Souls Day

Thursday, November 2 is the Solemnity of All Souls. While not a Holy Day of Obligation, it is an important opportunity to remember and to pray for our beloved departed. All Souls Masses will be offered at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. All Souls Day also marks the beginning of a Novena of Masses for our Departed. May they rest in peace.

All Saints Day

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

Funeral Mass - Madeline Wagner

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Madeline Wagner on Monday, October 30 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for her and for her family. 

25th Anniversary of St. Columba Parish

Welcome all – and thank you for being here on this magnificent night.

The story began in 1904 – just around when Msgr. Thompson began his service as a priest. It continued in 1960 when a Hall was built for Mass and in 1965 when a new school was opened.  In 1988 a new church was opened and then, in 1992 – probably around the time Father James was born, there was another birth as the Parish of St. Denis gave birth to the Parish of St. Columba. St Columba in turn would give birth to St. Kateri Mission in 1998, becoming a full Parish in 2002.

So today, as we celebrate the 25 years of St. Columba Parish and the 113 years that the good News has been proclaimed by this faith community, it is truly a time to give thanks for the wonders that God has accomplished! 

Let us pray!

Eternal and loving God, today we give thanks to You for Your goodness through all the years of prayer, witness and service in this Parish of St. Columba. We give You thanks for Your grace in calling us to be Your people, for Your love revealed to us in Christ Your Son, for Your gift of the Spirit and the joy of salvation.

For the Church universal, of which our parish is a visible symbol, together, we say - We thank you, Lord.

For your presence whenever two or three have gathered in your name, We thank you, Lord.

For our parish church where we may be still and know that you are God, We thank you, Lord.

For our school and religious education program where so many children have been taught our Faith, We thank you, Lord.

For the fulfilling of our desires and petitions as you see best for us, We thank you, Lord.

For our past and a vision of the future that lies ahead, We thank you, Lord.

For the gift of the Holy Spirit and new life in baptism, We thank you, Lord.

For the pardon of our sins when we have fallen short of your glory, We thank you, Lord.

For the Holy Eucharist in which we have a foretaste of your eternal kingdom, We thank you, Lord.

For the blessing of our Marriage Vows and the crowning of our years with your goodness, We thank you, Lord.

For the gift of so many priests, deacons and religious sisters who have served us, We thank you O Lord

For the faith of those who have gone before us and for our encouragement by their perseverance, We thank you, Lord.

For all the benefactors of our parish who have died in the peace of Christ and are at rest, We thank you, Lord.

For the fellowship of all your saints, and especially St. Columba, our patron, We thank you, Lord.

O God, from living and chosen stones you prepare an everlasting dwelling place for your majesty. Grant that in the power of the Holy Spirit those who serve you at the parish of St. Columba may always be kept within your presence. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Bless us, O Lord  . . . 

Wedding - Jonathan Pai & Kimberly Levine

The Sacred Bonds of Holy Matrimony will be exchanged by Kimberly Levine and Jonathan Pai on Saturday, October 21 at 1:00 pm. Please pray for this couple about to be married.

Funeral Mass - Frank Giancaspro

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Frank Giancaspro on Friday, October 20 at 10:30 am. Please pray for him and for his family.

An Invitation

Once Winston Churchill received an invitation from George Bernard Shaw to one of his opening plays back in the early 1900s. The note read, "Enclosed are two tickets to the performance of a play of mine. Bring a friend - if you have one." Churchill sent back this reply: "Dear GBS, I thank you very much for the invitation and tickets. Unfortunately, I am engaged on that night, but could I have tickets for the second night? - if there is one."

The king has sent invitations – come to the wedding banquet – the king! And yet - some say no – how do you say no to the king? – but some do.

There are reasons:

-       Just too busy. God gets crowded out. Sunday is sleep in day or football day. If there is a soccer game on Sunday morning, soccer will most often win. Dad = put God first.

-       I am not good enough – I don’t belong – I still have doubts – I am a sinner. Of course, we are not worthy – but the king wants us – He gave His life for us!

-       I’m good enough. I don’t need it. I’m better than most of those people at church. It’s not how good we are compared to others, but compared to God?

-       Too many hypocrites. Mozart is no less a composer when someone plays his music less than perfectly. It’s not Mozart, it’s us. And so is God. We are not here because we are perfect. It is because we need God.

What’s happening more and more – people are ignoring the invitation. Reminded – after President Trump was elected – not my President – not my God – or – there is no God.

— “Because I grew up realized it was a story like a fairy tale.” Based on true, historical evidence. Discover the truth about God and Christianity.

— “As I learn more about the world around me and understand things that I once did not, I find that the thought of an all-powerful being to be less and less believable.”  Where did we come from? Where did universe come from – scientists more and more believe universe had a beginning – what or who brought it into existence???

— “I realized that religion is in complete contradiction with the rational and scientific world, and to continue to subscribe to a religion would be hypocritical.”  I will not follow a faith that is not rational. It has to make sense – and not all knowledge is scientific. There are other ways of knowing.

A small boy was consistently late coming home from school. His parents warned him one day that he must be home on time that afternoon, but nevertheless, he arrived later than ever. His mother met him at the door and said nothing. His father met him in the living room and said nothing.

At dinner that night, the boy looked at his plate. There was a slice of bread and a glass of water. He looked at his father's full plate and then at his father, but his father remained silent. The boy was crushed. The father waited for the full impact to sink in, then quietly took the boy's plate and placed it in front of himself. He took his own plate of meat and potatoes, put it in front of the boy, and smiled at his son. When that boy grew up, he said, "All my life I've known what God is like by what my father did that night." Come to the wedding feast!

Funeral Mass - Helen Phelan

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Helen Phelan on Monday, October 16 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for her and for her family.

Funeral Mass - John Sievers

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of John Sievers on Saturday, October 14 at 11:00 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

Wedding - Stephanie Sullivan and Christian Narewski

The Sacred Bonds of Holy Matrimony will be exchanged by Stephanie Sullivan and Christian Narewski on Saturday, October 7 at 3:00 p.m. Please pray for this couple about to be married.

Wedding -Carolyn Cassidy and Rinaldo Lopez

The Sacred Bonds of Holy Matrimony will be exchanged by Carolyn Cassidy and Rinaldo Lopez on Saturday, October 7 at 1:00 p.m. Please pray for this couple about to be married.

Funeral Mass - Bernabella Hu

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered in Spanish for the repose of the soul of Bernabella Hu on Wednesday, October 4 at 9:30 a.m. Please pray for her and for her family.

Jesus Emptied Himself and Became Obedient

Two sisters were babysitters. A young couple hired one of them. When they got home, the home was a mess, the kids looked tired and the babysitter was half asleep on the couch. The next day, however, the kids said their babysitter was a lot of fun. She helped them do their chores and homework and said their prayers with them. But this did not change their decision – never again.

The next time they hired the other sister. When they got home, the home was tidy and the kids were asleep. The sitter said – they were like angels – so they gave her an extra tip. The next day, the kids complained. She yelled at them, called her boyfriend instead of helping them and forced them to go to bed early.

So, you’re the parent – which one will you hire the next time?

Jesus speaks of a man who had two sons.  Told one – go out to the vineyard today. No – but thought about it and then he went. Then told the other one – you go too – and he said yes – but never went.

Some thoughts:

1)     Important to do what we say we are going to do.   A young widow was left with 2 children. During the wake for her husband, many came up to her and told her they would be there for her. As the year went on – some were but some were not – not even call or visit.   CS Lewis fought in WW1. His buddy told him – if anything happened to him, please look after his wife and daughter.  Something did – and Lewis kept his word. Sometimes the woman was ungrateful, rude and arrogant. But he made a promise, and he kept it.  Just like so many here!

2)     A key to a successful life is to be a promise keeper. Before he went into politics, Abraham Lincoln and a partner owned a store. Eventually the store went under and the partner died. He had a pile of debt. I will repay everyone. It took him 15 years, but he repaid every last cent. Not surprising he became a great President.

3)     We want to be known as someone who does the right thing. Oskar Shindler was baptized a Catholic, but when Hitler came to power, he became a Nazi. He drank too much. He gambled too much. He was not faithful in marriage. And he tried to make money by using Jewish slave labor. But then, he began to see – human beings. He tried to put to work as many as possible to keep them out of the gas chambers.  He saved thousands. Today there is one Nazi buried on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.   

-          Do what we say we are going to do.

-          Be a promise keeper.

-          Be known as someone who always does the right thing.

The son said no to God, but finally he said yes! And so can we!