May is the month of our Blessed Mother. Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers in our parish. Thank You to all who worked so hard to make the beautiful flowers for the women of the parish for Mother’s Day. Please join us for our school May Procession on Tue, May 16 at 10:15am on Leicester Street and ending on the field.

On February 26, the second collection is being taken up to help defray the costs incurred due to winter expenses. Winter expenses not only include plowing and heating bills, but also maintenance and repair of our church and rectory heating systems. On average, our gas bill is between $5,000.00 and $6,000.00 for each winter month.

So, as you can figure out, our regular weekly collection does not come near to covering the expenses. Please be as generous as you can to support this collection. Your support is greatly appreciated.

If there is one place in a kid’s world where imagination still thrives, it has to be sports. Listening to a group of boys at the playground, you can hear them compare themselves to the great basketball players or football players of today. The young players imitate the moves of the professionals, mimicking the stance, their style and their play. Boys have done it for years and probably for years to come.

As we celebrate Christmas 2016, may the memories and blessings of Christmas past remind us that Christ is always with us. He is Emmanuel. Christmas day not only calls us to look back on one great moment in history, it also challenges us to look forward to the hour when Christ will come again.

While Thanksgiving is a civic holiday, in a true sense it is also a Holy Day. In the course of a year, there are many situations that we face that are difficult and sometimes overwhelming. However, the challenge of the Christian life is to be a person of hope. To do so, we also must have an attitude of thanksgiving for the positive aspects of our lives. Saint Paul tells us “Always be thankful”. Therefore, being thankful is a part of being holy.

On Sunday, September 4, Pope Francis will canonize Mother Teresa of Calcutta at a Mass in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome. Her selfless dedication to the poorest of the world lives on in the religious order she founded, the Missionaries of Charity. Their ministry now is spread throughout the world, even in our own Archdiocese.

Thanks to All who contributed to the beautiful First Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated last Sunday by Fr. Tom Olson. The concelebrants, the lectors, the servers, the musicians all helped to make the Mass a truly faith-filled event. Thanks also to all who helped to make the reception following the Mass such a joyous occasion, especially the Catholic Daughters who set up, baked, served and cleaned-up. Also thanks to the young adults who helped with the set up.

Father Tom has chosen to celebrate his First Mass of Thanksgiving here at Saint Columbkille Church (his adopted parish) on this Sun, May 22 at the 5:00pm Mass. All are invited to attend the Mass and come to a light reception in the school dining hall at which time Father Tom will be available to give his “First Blessing” to anyone present. Please come and join us in this wonderful celebration!

This past week, in a letter dated April 21, 2016, Cardinal Sean O'Malley wrote to Deacon Tom Olson,

"It is with great joy and gratitude to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that I hereby call you to the Order of Presbyter. The ordination Mass will take place on Saturday, May 21, 2016, in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston, at nine o'clock in the morning. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly as you prepare to receive this Sacrament and to enter into the service of the people of God as a priest."

This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day and in so doing we honor all mothers both living and dead. We show our appreciation in many ways, recognizing that motherhood was given an exalted position when God himself chose to become a man through the “yes” of a woman, named Mary, from the town of Nazareth. Ever since that “yes” all mothers share not only in the physical care of their children but also in their spiritual care recognizing that motherhood brings about a “Child of God.” In honoring all mothers this weekend we also recognize all women who though not through physical generation, have still mothered nieces, nephews, students, neighbors, and others through their motherly instincts of love and caring. Happy Mother’s Day to all.