Dear Friends and Parishioners:

The last time I emailed you, we were waiting to hear news of when we can reopen the church for public Mass. Well, as most of you know, we can reopen which is great news, but it is conditioned by some stringent parameters that we have to meet for the safety of all involved. While the order to close has been lifted, the Virus still remains! Below is a rather lengthy document which explains all we must do to insure that we meet the requirements to reopen. I strongly urge you to read the entire document so you can get a complete understanding of what has to be done. For members of our Spanish speaking community, we hope to soon send you a Spanish version of the document.

Re-Opening Guidance on Preparations and Requirements

We all have been taught that patience is a virtue. During these times we certainly need to pray for that virtue. Right now we do not know for sure when we will be able to reopen for Sunday Masses. It could be in a few weeks, or it could be a number of months from now. We have a sense of expectation that it is coming, but we must do our best to temper that expectation with a strong dose of patience and acceptance of the difficulties of this current time. We will reopen someday, but we do not know when. However, I have been asked by the Cardinal to be one of two pastors among other people to serve on a restart committee to work on preliminary plans for reopening the churches.

Opportunity to contribute to our collection continues. You may put your contribution into any weekend collection, mail it to the parish office or drop it off at the parish office. If you did not receive a mailing, you may pick up one in the racks at the entrances of the church. The grand annual collection is the largest single source of revenue for the parish. Your generosity is needed and deeply appreciated.

Thank you to all who contributed last week to the Saint Columbkille Parish Grand Annual Collection

Opportunity to contribute to our collection continues through the Fall. You may put your contribution into any weekend collection, mail it to the parish office, or drop it off at the parish office. If you did not receive a mailing, you may pick up one in the racks at the entrances of the church. The grand annual collection is the largest single source of revenue for the parish. Your generosity is needed and deeply appreciated.

New electronic Vigil Light stand at the San Donato statue in the upper church….
A new Vigil Light stand has been donated to the parish and is now in place at the San Donato shrine in the upper church. Each vigil light will stay illuminated for a couple of hours in honor of the particular prayer request made by each person. A donation is offered for each candle. Vigil light candles were very popular in the past, but due to fire hazard, many were discarded for safety reasons. The new electronic candles have been available for a number of years and give the appearances of the real wax candles when illuminated.

Saint Columbkille Parish Grand Annual Collection…
Our annual collection will be held the weekend of November 2/3. The week before the collection, you will receive a letter and envelope in the mail detailing the need for the collection along with a summary of income and expenses for last fiscal year and the budget for this fiscal year. This collection is the largest single income producer for our parish each year and is essential to the financial health of the parish.

Come One! Come All!… Parish Pot Luck Supper, Saturday, October 5, 5:30 pm in the newly renovated school hall. What can you bring to the Table? This weekend and next volunteers will have sign up sheets at the back of the church for you to sign up to bring something or to set up at 3:00 or clean up after the supper. We often complain that we don’t get to know our neighbors anymore. This is your chance to get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ. Don’t pass up the opportunity!

Save the Date… Parish pot Luck Supper, Saturday, October 5, 5:30 pm in the newly renovated school hall. Details to follow in next week’s bulletin.

Alert!!!!!!… Some parishioners are still receiving text messages purported to be from me, Fr. Richard W. Fitzgerald, asking for purchase of “Google cards” for my use. It is a scam, and not a message from me. Do not respond if you get such a message.

Alert!!!!!!… Some parishioners are still receiving text messages purported to be from me, Fr. Richard W. Fitzgerald, asking for purchase of “Google cards” for my use. It is a scam, and not a message from me. Do not respond if you get such a message.

Archdiocese Catholic Appeal Goal reached… Due to a recent donation, we have reached 100% of our Catholic Appeal goal. This means that at the end of the year, we will receive a rebate from the Archdiocese amounting to several thousand dollars. Thank you to all who have contributed to the Appeal.

Alert!!!!!!… Some parishioners are still receiving text messages purported to be from me, Fr. Richard W. Fitzgerald, asking for purchase of “Google cards” for my use. It is a scam, and not a message from me. Do not respond if you get such a message.

During the summer months please do not forget to contribute to the financial support of the parish You may have noticed in the bulletin that our offertory collection over the past several weeks has been significantly lower than our weekly target of $7,000.00.. While in the summer our utility costs may be lower than in the winter, our ground and lawn maintenance costs are significantly higher. We need the help of all parishioners in order to keep up with the cost of running the parish.

You may have noticed the new kneelers at the Blessed Mother Altar in the upper church. They actually are not new but rather old beautifully crafted kneelers that have now been restored and refinished. There is also one near the large crucifix on the wall near the San Donato statue in the right wing of the church. The cost of the restoration has been donated in memory of Carmen and Donna Cence by the Cence family. Carmen and Donna were long time devoted parishioners at Saint Columbkille Parish. We are grateful to their family for this gift.

During the summer months please do not forget to contribute to the financial support of the parish. You may have noticed in the bulletin that our offertory collection over the past several weeks has been significantly lower than our weekly target of $7,000.00.. While in the summer our utility costs may be lower than in the winter, our ground and lawn maintenance costs are significantly higher. We need the help of all parishioners in order to keep up with the cost of running the parish.

Alert!!!!!! Some parishioners have received text messages purported to be from me, Fr. Richard W. Fitzgerald, asking for purchase of “Google cards” for my use. It is a scam, and not a message from me. Do not respond if you get such a message.

Deacon Matt was ordained a Transitional Deacon on Saturday morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. We congratulate him and wish him well as he continues his seminary field assignment at St. Col's this summer and on the weekends during the upcoming academic year. Deacon Matt will serve as Deacon with us for the first time on Sunday at the 5:00pm Mass.

Alert! Some parishioners have received text messages purported to be from me, Fr. Richard W. Fitzgerald, asking for purchase of "Google cards" for my use. It is a scam, and not a message from me. Do not respond if you get such a message.