St. Columba Parish

05/31/2026

From the Pastor’s Desk:
It is hard for us to wrap our heads around the reality of God. God is so much more unlimited and wondrous than we can imagine. So, since we can’t fully imagine God, we think about God in ways that don’t fully reflect who God is. We think of a wielder of divine power like the pagan gods( forgetting that the true God is power itself), we look to a father or brother figure (forgetting that God does not have any of the faults or gaps in love that these human figures do), we think of some force or
presence that we have a hard time sensing and we doubt (forgetting that although God is present, God is beyond our sense organs - and our emotions are not an accurate barometer that picks up God’s presence). This Sunday we celebrate Trinity Sunday. We remember a God who is mysterious (you can’t fully grasp), but who is very real and present. We remember a God who has power (but not that we get to direct), a God who is father and brother (but in a way that is beyond our idea of these roles), and a God who is three persons in one undivided God (this is part of the mystery, and if we don’t get it that doesn’t make it untrue). Despite God being self-sufficient, and of no need of us, we hear today that: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Maybe this is the final part of the mystery - why this amazing God cares and does so much for us? It is something to be thankful for: a wonderful God who wants to share part of that wonder with us.

God Bless,
Fr. Steve

05/30/2026

Join the Holy Father and Catholics around the world in a Rosary for peace beginning at 1pm today!
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-05/pope-preside-over-rosary-dedicated-to-peace-in-vatican-gardens.html

05/30/2026

St Joan of Arc pray for us!

🔥 Saint of the Day: St. Joan of Arc 🔥Feast Day: May 30
In a world full of noise and uncertainty, St. Joan of Arc reminds us what it means to listen to God's voice with courage and act with unwavering faith, even when the world doesn’t understand us.

Though she was young and untrained, she led armies and inspired a nation, all because she trusted in the divine call placed in her heart.

What is God asking of you today?
Maybe it's not leading troops into battle , but it might be standing up for truth, forgiving someone, or staying faithful when it’s hard.

💬 “I am not afraid… I was born to do this.” – St. Joan of Arc

🕊️ St. Joan of Arc, pray that we may be brave, faithful, and open to God’s will in our lives.
https://ewtn.co.uk/article-saint-joan-of-arc/

05/29/2026

Thank you to all our parishioners who have made their gift to the 2026 Partners in Charity Appeal and a special thank you to those who gave for the first time. We have received 55 gifts for a total of $32,615. St. Columba is 82% toward its goal of $40,000.
If you have not yet made a gift or pledge, please consider filling out a
commitment pledge envelope located at the front entrance to the Church and in the pews Or visiting www.partners-charity.net to do it online. You can even make your gift from a smartphone by texting DONATE to 84576! Regardless of how you donate, please make sure to note St. Columba on your donation so it is counted towards our parish goal.
Thank you!

05/27/2026

75th Anniversary Logo Design Contest - You have a chance to win a $100 cash prize!

Design our new parish logo to commemorate our 75th Anniversary. The logo will be printed on a Christmas ornament to commemorate our 75th year anniversary and on our parish cards.

Logo Design Details
Size: Maximum printed dimensions = 1.12" x 1.12 “

Colors: Two colors (maximum)
Format: jpeg, pdf, vector files(high res), pnz, AI.

Entry: Include your name and phone number
Submit your entry to: [email protected]
Entry Deadline June 7, 2026
Please include “Logo contest” in the subject header
Good luck!

05/26/2026

As part of the75th Anniversary celebration, we are compiling a booklet and running a photo montage to celebrate the history and people of our parish.
We would like to include personal memories and pictures about St. Columba Parish from all 75 years. If you would like to share a special memory, type or write it down
(150 to 200 words). Please include your name, phone number (in case we have questions), date/ year and email to: [email protected]

We are also looking for pictures (picnics, sacramental events, parish events, etc.). Please “take a picture” of your photograph or “send” from your electronic albums to the same address above. We hope to have representation from all 75 years and will include as much as we are able. A box will be placed in the back of the church for those who find it easier than email. The entry deadline for “Memories” is June 8th.

05/26/2026

May 26 is the feast day of St. Philip Neri, St. Philip Neri, patron saint of JOY, pray for us! https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-philip-neri-478

05/24/2026

From the Pastor’s Desk:
This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. This promised sending of the Holy Spirit is the birth of the Church. The body was there, but lifeless. At this event God breathes life into the Church like God breathed life into Adam in the Garden. The Body of Christ had flesh, but no soul. Now - enlivened by the very Spirit of God - it is a true body. And look what happens: They go out, they do as he did, they preach and teach and heal, they find the same strength that Jesus showed when in his body. Truly Jesus was walking the earth again in that body. We are privileged to be parts of that Body, and when we are truly joined to it, we will do as he did. The activities of that first incarnation of Jesus in the Church were dramatic - but we can participate in it now in our own way.
We become part of the healing power of that Body when we care for others in body, mind, or spirit and move them to wholeness, we become part of the witness of that Body when by our actions we do as he did and restore justice in the world, and we speak a universal language that is understood by all (no matter their origin) when we love as he taught. Pentecost is still going on - join in the party!
May you have a blessed week
Fr. Steve

05/20/2026

1701 YEARS AGO TODAY, THE CHURCH DEFINED THE FAITH FOR ALL TIME
"And the Word was God." John 1:1

On May 20, 325 AD, Emperor Constantine I convened 300 bishops from across the Roman world in Nicaea (modern-day Turkey) to settle the most consequential theological controversy in Church history: the A***n heresy.

Arius of Alexandria taught that the Son of God was a created being: exalted, but not eternal, not fully divine. The Council answered with one decisive word: homoousios — consubstantial, of the same substance as the Father. The Son is not merely like God. He is God.

What emerged from Nicaea was the Nicene Creed — still professed at every Sunday Mass 1,701 years later. Among those present: the young deacon Athanasius, who would spend the rest of his life defending Nicaea against emperors and bishops alike. As he famously stood: Athanasius contra mundum — Athanasius against the world.

The Council of Nicaea did not invent Christian doctrine. It defended it, and in doing so, handed it to us.

Drop a 🙏 in the comments to mark this extraordinary anniversary!

05/20/2026

The 75th anniversary committee has been continuing to collect information and pictures for a historical display of parish life.
The Bishop has set a date to be with us (right around the time of the anniversary of the day Bishop Wright came to St. Columba to consecrate our church), and other festivities are planned.
Please help to contribute to the richness of this celebration first by your presence at the activities (they will be announced as we go along), and also by contributing memories to be shared as a community. There will be a basket at the front entrance of the church for these memories, or they may be sent to [email protected].