Saint Columba RC Church

A Great Way to Give to St. Columba – We Share

We estimate that since the pandemic began, our collections are running short about $1,000 per week. Can you help support your parish during this difficult time?

We Share is On Line giving with new options – you can give using a bank account, credit card or debit card. It is easy, safe and secure. It is used by hundreds of parishes. It is under your control! For questions and support go to: https://www.4lpi.com/my-account/donor-support/

This is a great new way to support St. Columba. If you are presently using E-Giving, you can stay or switch, your choice. If you want to switch to We Share, email manager@stcolumbaonline.org.y

To sign up click below

 stcolumbahj.weshareonline.org

EMERGENCY BLOOD DRIVE
Friday, July 30 from 3:00 - 9:00 pm in gym.
No reservations necessary - just walk in!

WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS THIS SUNDAY - JULY 25
We will offer a prayer for grandparents at all Masses this weekend. After Mass, grandparents are invited to see an usher and receive a special prayer card.

PRIEST VACATION
Father Michael will be away July 25-31.

NEW TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustees for each parish is made up of the Cardinal Archbishop, the Vicar General, the Pastor and Two Trustees. Patrick Moore and Rosemary Thorn have served in this role for three years. They have been a valuable resource for our parish and a great sounding board for Father Michael. We thank them for their service. Two new Trustees have been appointed. They will serve for one year with the option of being renewed for two additional years. We thank Mary Walsh and Marty Soyka for their willingness to serve.

WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY
Pope Francis has released a message for the First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The theme chosen by the Pope for the inaugural commemoration is “I am with you always” (Mt 28: 30).
The Holy Father addressed the theme from the Gospel of Matthew to all Grandparents and the elderly, reminding them that this is the promise the Lord made to his disciples before he ascended into heaven.
“The whole Church is close to you – to us – and cares about you, loves you and does not want to leave you alone!” the Pope said, identifying with the elderly, as one of them.
Comfort amid the pandemic
The Pope’s message comes amid the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected everyone, especially elderly people. Many, Pope Francis noted, “fell ill, others died or experienced the death of spouses or loved ones, while others found themselves isolated and alone for long periods.”
“The Lord is aware of all that we have been through in this time,” the Pope said, “He is close to those who felt isolated and alone, feelings that became more acute during the pandemic.” Illustrating this, he recounted the story of St. Joachim, the grandfather of Jesus, who, according to tradition, was consoled by a messenger of the Lord when he felt estranged from those around him.
The Lord sends angels, messengers through His words
Even at the darkest moments, the Lord continues to send angels to console our loneliness and to remind us that He is with us always, the Pope assured.
These angels, he continued, will at times have the face of our grandchildren, while at other times, “the face of family members, lifelong friends or those we have come to know during these trying times, when we have learned how important hugs and visits are for each of us.”
At the same time, the Lord also “sends us messengers through his words, which are always at hand” the Pope noted, inviting the elderly to “try to read a page of the Gospel every day, to pray with the psalms, to read the prophets.” He added that “the Scriptures will also help us to understand what the Lord is asking of our lives today. For at every hour of the day, and in every season of life, he continues to send labourers into his vineyard.”
The vocation of the elderly
The Holy Father went to recall the words of Jesus to the disciples when he asked them to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20)
Addressing these words to the elderly, he highlighted that this helps them better understand that they have the vocation “to preserve our roots, to pass on the faith to the young, and to care for the little ones” irrespective of their age, if they are alone or have a family, if they work or not or if they are grandparents or not. The Pope underlined that there is no retirement age from the work of proclaiming the Gospel and handing down traditions to grandchildren.
Further encouraging the elderly to “set out and undertake something new” in spite of the doubts and questions they might have, he reminded them that Jesus himself heard a similar question when Nicodemus asked him “how can a man be born when he is old” (Jn 3:4)
It can happen, “if we open our hearts to the working of the Holy Spirit, who blows where he wills.  The Holy Spirit whose freedom is such that goes wherever, and does whatever he wills,” the Pope said.
Emerging from the crisis
Reflecting on collective efforts to put an end to the pandemic, Pope Francis stressed that we will not emerge from the present crises as we were before, but either better and worse. He noted that “no one is saved alone” and we are all indebted to one another because “we are all brothers and sisters.”
In this regard, he went on to insist that the elderly “are needed in order to help build, in fraternity and social friendship, the world of tomorrow” where, together with their children and grandchildren, “will live once the storm has subsided.”
The Pope insisted that all of us must “take an active part in renewing and supporting our troubled societies” and the elderly, better than anyone else, can help to set up three of the pillars that support “this new edifice,” which include dreams, memory and prayer.
Dreams, memory and prayer
Recalling the words of Prophet Joel, “Your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men will have visions” (Joel 3:1), Pope Francis said that the future of the world depends on the covenant between young and old because “who, if not the young, can take the dreams of the elderly and make them come true?”
For this to happen, “it is necessary that we continue to dream,” said the Pope. “Our dreams of justice, of peace, of solidarity, can make it possible for our young people to have new visions; in this way, together, we can build the future.”
Explaining further, the Pope said that “dreams are intertwined with memory.” The Pope then turned his thoughts to the painful memory of war and the importance of helping the young to learn the value of peace. He stressed that those among the elderly that experienced the suffering of war must pass on the message because keeping memory alive and sharing it with others is a true mission for every elderly person.
“Without memory, however, we will never be able to build; without a foundation, we can never build a house. Never. And the foundation of life is memory,” he said.
Finally, Pope Francis spoke on prayer, recalling Pope Benedict XVI’s words: “the prayer of the elderly can protect the world, helping it perhaps more effectively than the frenetic activity of many others.”
He reminded the elderly that their prayer is “a very precious resource; a deep breath that the Church and the world urgently need” that “inspires in everyone the serene trust that we will soon come to shore” especially in these times “as we continue to sail in the same boat across the stormy sea of the pandemic.”
Concluding, the Holy Father held up the example of Blessed Charles de Foucauld to the elderly, explaining that the story of his life “shows how it is possible, even in the solitude of one’ s own desert, to intercede for the poor of the whole world and to become, in truth, a universal brother or sister.” He, therefore, asked the Lord that through his example, “all of us may open our hearts in sensitivity to the sufferings of the poor and intercede for their needs.”
“May each of us learn to repeat to all, and especially to the young, the words of consolation we have heard spoken to us today: “I am with you always”! keep moving forward! May the Lord grant you his blessing,” the Pope said.

LOOKING AHEAD
THREE PICNICS! – All Under the Big Tent!
Friday, September 10 – St. Denis-St. Columba School Welcome Back Picnic
Saturday, September 11 – God Squad High School Youth Group Welcome Back Picnic
Sunday, September 12 – Welcome Back Parish Picnic

REPAIR WORK
Two important jobs are in progress at St. Columba: we are replacing our church boilers and upgrading the church sound system. The church boilers are over 30 years old and one failed last winter. We ran on the back up for the rest of the winter. The sound system upgrade will better isolate the speakers, prevent feedback, and enable us to put a direct sound feed into our livestream, eliminating the mic now pointed at a speaker. The cost of these projects is about $35,000.00. If you would like to make a special donation toward these projects, you are welcome. We are using money from savings as well as the maintenance fund.

UPDATED ST. COLUMBA CHURCH GUIDELINES – June 30

1. The CDC and NYS have made masks not required for some and required for others. Please follow the CDC and NYS guidelines as you make your decision about the wearing of masks in church.
2. At weekend Masses we will set aside the far-left section along the windows for anyone who wishes to sit in a mask only section – your choice. See an usher when you enter and request the “mask only section.” 

OBERAMMERGAU – AUSTRIA AND BAVARIA 2022 WITH FATHER MICHAEL - TWO OPENINGS LEFT!!! BUT - WE COULD APPLY FOR MORE TICKETS IF AVAILABLE! CALL FATHER MICHAEL 845-227-8380
Pilgrimage packages for the 2022 Oberammergau Passion Play are now available for a limited time! In 2020, the famed performance depicting the Passion of Christ, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the globe, had to be postponed due to COVID-19. Now, it is harder to get tickets for the 2022 performance than ever before!
Peter's Way Tours still has space available on our PILGRIMAGE July 28 – August 6, 2022 to the once-a-decade event. Join us and attend a showing that has been re-scheduled, something that has happened only a handful of times in the play's long history. This will indeed be a special and historic pilgrimage that few people ever get to make! Here is a graced opportunity to pray for us and for our world, enjoying along the way wonderful shrines and sights.
For more information call Father Michael or contact Peter’s Way Tours (note – if the dates do not work for you there are other tours to choose from) peter@petersway.com or 800-225-7662.

ABOUT LAST RITES AND ANOINTING OF THE SICK
If possible, please do not wait until the last minute to request these Sacraments. Due to COVID, we are still not back to normal. For example, as of April 15, patients at Vassar Hospital may only have one visitor per day. Parish priests may not normally visit and must get permission in extraordinary cases, which can take time. We have been calling the Vassar Hospital Catholic Chaplain for anointings. He has access and is usually very dependable but may not always be available. Or, for Wingate, parish priests can visit in emergencies but must get a rapid test first which is not always quickly available. Trust us, we are often very frustrated and cannot wait until the situation normalizes. In the meantime, remember that the Anointing of the Sick is available every day after Mass or by appointment. Your priests will also administer Last Rites at home. Anyone present must be wearing a mask. Again, if possible, do not wait until the last minute especially after hours. Of course, emergencies cannot be planned, and we will do our best to help.

CARDINAL’S APPEAL
We are happy to announce that St. Columba has reached the assigned goal of the Cardinal’s Appeal. Thank you so much! Outstanding! Now, any amount received over our parish goal will include a rebate to St. Columba. If you have not done so already, please consider donating to the Appeal. Any gift, large or small, is deeply appreciated.

GIVE TO THE CARDINAL’S APPEAL
Watch the video - https://vimeo.com/509065100/4eb731b736.
Click here to give - http://www.cardinalsappeal.org/       Parish 392 St. Columba HJ

CARDINAL’S APPEAL 2021 as of July 16, 2021
Parish Goal - $97,000.00
Pledges from Parishioners - $121,622.00
Number of Gifts – 459
Average Gift - $264.97
Thank you - thank you - thank you! We have reached our goal! Now our parish will receive a percentage back for all money collected over our goal. God bless you and thank you for your generosity!

RENEW AND REBUILD LOAN
We are happy to announce that our loan with Tompkins Mahopac Bank for the work in the church has been completely repaid thanks to our many generous and faithful parishioners. Any remaining money to be collected through Renew and Rebuild will stay in the dedicated account for the replacement of school windows in the summer of 2022. Thanks again to our donors for enabling us to beautify St. Columba Church.

RENEW AND REBUILD as of July 16, 2021
Pledge Goal - $1,709,000.00
Amount Pledged - $1,766,771.92
Paid - $1,364,142.98
Balance - $403,932.29
Number of Gifts - 528

ENROLL NOW ST. DENIS – ST. COLUMBA SCHOOL 2021-2022 – Do not delay as classes are filling fast. Go to stcolumba.net

Podcast - "Raising Saints" for Catholic Families by Father Michael Connolly & Alexandra Sullivan
https://anchor.fm/raisingsaints

TRAVELING AND LOOKING FOR A CATHOLIC CHURCH? Churches Open Near Me

PLEASE CONSIDER REMEMBERING St. COLUMBA PARISH IN YOUR WILL - For more information go to - https://plannedgiving.archny.org/

St. Columba LIVESTREAM - Sundays at 10:30 am - No Daily Livestream in summer - Click here: http://www.facebook.com/stcolumbahj
Videos also archived on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/saintcolumbahopewell

Prayer Requests – Send your Intentions to rectory@stcolumbaonline.org 

The Parish Office is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Appointments are preferred.

Baptisms on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 & 3:00 pm. One family at a time. Contact Deacon Dennis to begin the process.

Sponsor and Godparent certificates can be obtained by calling the Parish Office and ask for a priest or deacon. During the pandemic they are not done after Mass or in person, only over the phone.

Funeral Masses and Memorial Masses can be scheduled Monday to Saturday at 10:00 am or 11:30 am.

Communion Calls - Some of our EM's have volunteered to bring Communion to the homebound. If you know someone who is homebound and would like to receive Holy Communion, email rectory@stcolumbaonline.org.
 

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