Updates From St. Columba - December 30, 2020

 

SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD – NEW YEAR

Holy Mass for the Solemnity will be offered on Thursday evening, December 31 at 5:30 pm and on Friday, January 1 at 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 12:00 noon.

 

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

New Year’s Eve – 9:00 am – 12:00 noon

New Year’s Day – Closed

 

ADORATION THIS WEEK

No Adoration this week on Thursday (New Year’s Eve) and Friday (New Year’s Day). Happy New Year!

 

YOUR CHRISTMAS GIFT TO ST. COLUMBA

Please consider making a Christmas gift to our parish this year. Gift envelopes are available in the bulletin racks. We deeply appreciate your generosity! Please drop it in the collection baskets or mail it back to St. Columba. Or consider joining WeShare and give electronically. See our website www.stcolumbaonline.org. Thank you so much for your support! God bless you!

 

Music for the Solemnity of Holy Mary, Mother of God ~ January 1, 2021

 

Entrance

 

1.         Sing of Mary pure and lowly, 

            Virgin mother undefiled,

            Sing of God's own Son most holy,

            Who became her little child.

            Fairest Child of fairest Mother, 

            God the Lord who came to earth,

            Word-made-flesh, our very brother, 

            Takes our nature by his birth.

 

2.         Sing of Jesus, son of Mary,

            In the home at Nazareth.

            Toil and labor cannot weary

            Love enduring unto death.

            Constant was the love he gave her,

            Though he went forth from her side,

            Forth to preach, and heal, and suffer,

            Till on Calvary he died.

 

Presentation

1. Of the Father’s love begotten,

Ere the worlds began to be,

Christ, the Alpha and Omega,

Christ, the source, the ending he,

Of the things that are, that have been,

And that future years shall see,

Evermore and evermore.

 

2. O the birth forever blessed,

When the Virgin, full of grace,

By the Spirit blest, conceiving,

Bore the Savior of our race,

And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,

First revealed his sacred face,

Evermore and evermore.

 

3. Let the heights of heav’n, adore him;

Angel hosts, with praises sing;

Pow’rs, dominions, bow before him,

And extol our God and King; 

Let no tongue on earth be silent,

Ev’ry voice in concert ring,

Evermore and evermore.

 

Communion

1.         What child is this, who, laid to rest, 

            On Mary's lap is sleeping? 

            Whom angels greet with anthems sweet 

            While shepherds watch are keeping?

 

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; 

Haste, haste to bring him laud, 

The babe, the son of Mary.

 

2.         Why lies he in such mean estate 

            Where ox and ass are feeding? 

            Good Christian, fear; for sinners here 

            The silent Word is pleading. 

           

3.         So bring him incense, gold and myrrh; 

            Come peasant, king to own him. 

            The King of kings salvation brings;

            Let loving hearts enthrone him.

 

Text: William C. Dix, 1827-1898

 

Recessional

1.         Hark! The herald angels sing,  

            “Glory to the newborn King; 

            Peace on earth, and mercy mild  

            God and sinners reconciled!”

            Joyful, all you nations, rise; 

            Join the triumph of the skies;  

            With the_angelic host proclaim, 

            “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

            Hark! The herald angels sing, 

            “Glory to the newborn King!” 

 

2.         Christ, by highest heav'n adored,  

            Christ the everlasting Lord: 

            Late in time behold him come, 

            Offspring of the Virgin's womb. 

            Veiled in flesh the Godhead see: 

            Hail the_incarnate Deity,  

            Pleased as man with us to dwell, 

            Jesus, our Emmanuel. 

            Hark! The herald angels sing, 

            “Glory to the newborn King!”

 

Reprinted with permission under One License #700703. All rights reserved.

Updates From St. Columba - December 26, 2020

 

December 27, 2020 – Music for the Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

 

Entrance

1.         Angels we have heard on high, Sweetly singing o'er the plains, 

            And the mountains in reply , Echo back their joyous strains. 

REFRAIN: Gloria in excelsis Deo. Gloria in excelsis Deo.

2.         Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong? 

            Say what may the tidings be, Which inspire your heav'nly song.

3.         Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing; 

            Come, adore on bended knee Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.

4.         See him in a manger laid  Whom the choirs of angels praise; 

            Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, While our hearts in love we raise.

 

Presentation

1.         Hark! The herald angels sing,  “Glory to the newborn King; 

            Peace on earth, and mercy mild  God and sinners reconciled!”

            Joyful, all you nations, rise; Join the triumph of the skies;  

            With the_angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

            Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!” 

 

2.         Christ, by highest heav'n adored,  Christ the everlasting Lord: 

            Late in time behold him come, Offspring of the Virgin's womb. 

            Veiled in flesh the Godhead see: Hail the_incarnate Deity,  

            Pleased as man with us to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel. 

            Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

 

3.         Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! 

            Light and life to all he brings, Ris'n with healing in his wings. 

            Mild he lays his glory by, Born that we no more may die, 

            Born to raise each child of earth, Born to give us second birth.

            Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!” 

 

Communion

 

1.         The first Nowell the angel did say

            Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay; 

            In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, 

            On a cold winter's night that was so deep. 

 

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell!

Born is the King of Israel.

 

2.         They looked up and saw a star 

            Shining in the east beyond them far; 

            And to the earth it gave great light, 

            And so it continued both day and night. 

 

3.         And by the light of that same star 

            Three wise men came from country far; 

            To seek for a king was their intent, 

            And to follow the star wherever it went.

           

4.         This star drew nigh to the northwest, 

            O'er Bethlehem it took its rest; 

            And there it did both stop and stay 

            Right over the place where Jesus lay.

 

5.         Then entered in those wise men three,

            Full rev'rently upon their knee,

            And offered there in his presence

            Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

 

6.         Then let us all with one accord

            Sing praises to our heav'nly Lord,

            Who made the heavens and earth of naught,

            And with his blood our life has bought.

 

Text: English Carol, 17th C.

 

Recessional

 

.           Joy to the world! the Lord is come: 

            Let earth receive her King; 

            Let ev'ry heart prepare him room, 

            And heav'n and nature sing, 

            And heav'n and nature sing,

            And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

 

2.         Joy to the world! the Savior reigns: 

            Let us, our songs employ; 

            While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains 

            Repeat the sounding joy, 

            Repeat the sounding joy,

            Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

 

reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-700703. All rights reserved.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

On behalf of the priests, religious sisters, deacons, and staff of St. Columba Parish, we offer our prayerful best wishes for a safe, peaceful, and faith-filled Christmas Season.

O sweet Child of Bethlehem, grant that we may share with all our hearts in this profound mystery of Christmas. Put into the hearts of men and women this peace for which they sometimes seek so desperately and which you alone can give to them, especially in the midst of this pandemic. Help them to know one another better, and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness, and purity. Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness. Join them all together in your love. Give us your heavenly peace and bring an end to this time of fear and suffering. Amen.

THANK YOU!

A special thanks to Pat Moore and his fantastic team of ushers and greeters. With their planning and help we were able to have 1,384 people safely attend Mass at Christmas. Thank you to our wonderful musicians, especially Cathy Reale and Linda Moore. We thank Emily Ricci who set up or reservation system and our social media team who livestreamed six Christmas Masses. God bless all of you.

 

YOUR CHRISTMAS GIFT TO ST. COLUMBA

We have included in our mailing a Christmas gift envelope with an addressed return envelope. Additional envelopes are available in the bulletin racks. We deeply appreciate your generosity this year! Please drop it in the collection baskets or mail it back to St. Columba. Thank you so much for your support!

 

ADORATION THIS WEEK

No Adoration this week on Thursday (New Year’s Eve) and Friday (New Year’s Day). Happy New Year!

 

SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD – NEW YEAR

Holy Mass for the Solemnity will be offered on Thursday evening, December 31 at 5:30 pm and on Friday, January 1 at 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 12:00 noon.

 

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

New Year’s Eve – 9:00 am – 12:00 noon

New Year’s Day – Closed

 

Merry Christmas! Christ Our Savior Is Born!

We welcome you to Christmas Mass at St. Columba.  The year 2020 has been a challenging and difficult year for all of us. It makes it even more important for us to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. This Christmas reflect on how Christ is at work in your life, especially this year.   A child was born, the Son of God, to save the world.  Together we celebrate his birth.

 

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What to Expect this Christmas at Mass

We need to do many things differently this year to make sure that we are all safe.  If you are a regular parishioner at St. Columba, you are used to many of the changes, but not all.  We are outlining what to expect at Christmas Mass.

• Masks are required.  If you have any cold or flu symptoms or have already gathered this week with multiple households or large groups, stay home, and join us via our livestream. See instructions below.
• Christmas is the busiest time for all churches with many more people attending Mass than normal.  Knowing that we had to reduce our capacity, we increased the number of Masses to 12.
• To ensure we adhere to our capacity restrictions, we issued tickets for each Mass.  Many of our Masses are at capacity and sadly we cannot accommodate anyone without a ticket.  This is being done for everyone’s safety.
• To safely maximize our space, we created a seating plan for each Mass.  A seat has been pre-assigned to you (and your family).  These assignments are based on the best use of our space considering proper distancing guidelines. 
• Please do not arrive at the church or school gym earlier than 30 minutes before the start of Mass. We need to thoroughly clean all the surfaces between Masses and will hold everyone outside until this work is completed.  But please arrive beginning at ½ hour before Mass. All should be in their seats before Mass starts.  Socially distance while waiting to be seated. Once Mass begins your reservations ends and we will quickly fill any available seat.
• Please arrive together if you are a group. 

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What to Expect When You Arrive

• Red tickets are for the church and green tickets are for the gym.
• When you arrive, you will be greeted by an usher. 
• Show the usher your ticket(s) – paper or smartphone
• The usher will cross check your name on the registration list
• He or she will escort you to your seat.
• Some families used the name of one family member to register for various Masses.  Please use the name on the registration when entering the church so we can easily determine where your seat is.

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Communion

If you plan to receive Communion, wait for the usher to indicate your turn to enter the Communion reception line.  If there is someone in the middle of pew not intending to receive, we ask that person to exit the pew, so no one must climb over top of anyone then return after everyone has either left or returned.  Remove your mask when you approach the Priest/Deacon/Eucharistic Minister but cover up immediately after receiving.

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Exiting

• In the church, we ask everyone seated in the side sections to exit via the nearest side doors.  Those in the center aisles should exit through the front doors.  Please do not bunch up. 
• If you are in the gym, please follow the usher’s instructions.   Our objective is to spread out as much as possible.
• Although we will try not to rush anyone, we all need to leave at the end of Mass so that we can disinfect the church/gym.

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Collection

We have not been taking up a collection in the traditional sense and we will continue this practice at Christmas.  We are placing several “collection drop” baskets near the entrance of the church and gym.  Drop your contribution in the basket at any time.  Our church needs your financial support.   We are grateful to those who have sent their Christmas donation to us through the mail and the many who give to us electronically.

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Live Streaming

We will Live Stream the following Masses at Christmas:

          Christmas Eve -- 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM,  Midnight
          Christmas Day -- 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12 Noon

Connect with us at:          FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/StColumbaHJ
                                         YouTube:    https://www.youtube.com/c/saintcolumbahopewell

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A Note About our Ushers

We are most grateful to our ushers. Many of them have volunteered to help at two, three and even four Masses to help keep us as safe as possible. Please listen to and follow their directions. Please reach out to an usher if there are any special needs.

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Our prayerful best wishes to you and your family for a safe and blessed Christmas!