Parish News
What is the Origin of the Stations of the Cross? April 6, 2025
During Lent, the pious practice of the Way of the Cross is a common devotional. This very Catholic form of Liturgical worship - though not…Should I Contemplate or Meditate? YES! April 13, 2025
“God calls each person to an encounter (with Him) known as prayer.” (CCC 2567) This “mysterious encounter” is fundamental to our spiritual life. Two…Q’s from the Pews: How does a virtuous life lead to freedom? July 20, 2025
St. Thomas Aquinas listed four cardinal virtues: prudence (caution), temperance (balance), justice (fairness), and fortitude (perseverance). These virtues, espoused by ancient Greek philosophers, were explored…Q’s from the Pews: What is a Roman Catholic? August 3, 2025
The descriptor “Roman Catholic” is quite commonly used to describe Catholics in the Western world. However, you might not know that the Catholic Church does…Chag Pesach Sameach!! April 20, 2025
Happy Passover! Today is Easter so why would I wish you a Happy Passover in Hebrew? Both the Eastern and Western Churches initially referred to…Q’s from the Pews: Documents of Vatican II (Snippets –Vol 1/9): August 10, 2025
July 28th began our formal study of the Documents of Vatican II suggested by Pope Francis. Since many of you cannot attend the formal classes,…
Rest With the Lord, Francis!
This week we laid to rest Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, who was the 266th successor of Peter, Vicar of Christ, Bishop of Rome,…Q’s from the Pews: Documents of Vatican II (Snippets –Vol 2/9): August 17, 2025
Volume II: Lumen Gentium or LG (translated as: Light to the Nations) was the first document worked on, but the second published. This document, along…Conclave… Not the Movie! May 4, 2025
The recent fictitious movie “Conclave” does little justice to the actual working of a Papal Conclave. I thought a brief explanation may be of…
Q’s from the Pews: Documents of Vatican II: August 24, 2025
(Snippets –Vol 4/9) Sacrosanctum Concilium: The Constitution on the Liturgy has four goals: “(1) to impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian life of…Q’s from the Pews: Documents of Vatican II (Snippets –Vol 4/9): September 1, 2025
Dei Verbum (DV), the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, “(sets) forth authentic doctrine on divine revelation and how it is handed on.”…Who is Saul / Paul? May 11, 2025
Historical and archeologic records have shown a large Jewish population living in the region of Cilicia (Turkey) in the 1st century AD. The capital of…Q’s from the Pews: Vol (5/9) What is the focus of Gaudium et Spes? September 8, 2025
Gaudium et Spes (Joys and Hopes) begins: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those…Where’s the Joy? May 18, 2025
Remember the iconic fast-food ad Where’s the BEEF? This week’s question is Where’s the JOY? I was asked why we seem to concentrate more on suffering than God’s mercy…What are Religious Orders? June 1, 2025
Pope Leo XIV is the 35th person from a religious order elected to the Chair of Peter. Though you likely have heard the names of…Q’s from the Pews, Vol (6/9) What is the Apostolate of the Laity?
Apostolicam Actuositatem defines the “apostolic activity of the people of God.” This decree of Vatican II, known as the Apostolate of the Laity, calls us…Get to Know the Augustinian Order – June 8, 2025
Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian. The Rule of St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the earliest guides for religious life, was written about 400…Q’s from the Pews, Vol (7/9): Documents of Vatican II (Vol 7/9) How should we relate to non-Catholic Christians? September 21, 2025
Unitatis Redintegratio (the decree on ecumenism, UR) addresses the divisions that have developed within Christianity. UR notes that anyone validly baptized under the formula prescribed…Q’s from the Pews, Vol 8/9: Documents of Vatican II: September 28, 2025
What is our missionary task in the world? The Second Vatican Council’s decree Ad Gentes (“To the Nations”) reminds us that the entire Church is called to…Pope Leo XIII and Catholic Social Teaching: June 15, 2025
Modern Catholic Social Teaching began in 1891 with Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (translated as: Of New Things). Written as the Industrial revolution was…
Flame of Love Rosary, Confession and Adoration
On Tuesday evenings from 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m., we have adoration, confessions (when Father Mowery is available), and the Flame of Love Rosary. This is a…
It is time to update our Parish Census
It is time to update our Parish Census: We are asking for a few minutes of your time to review the data we have on you…Q’s from the Pews, Vol 9/9: Documents of Vatican II
What Is the Church’s View on Other Religions and Religious Freedom? The Second Vatican Council’s declaration Dignitatis Humanae (The Dignity of the Human Person, DG)…The Council of Nicaea: June 23, 2025
“I Believe in one God...” are the opening words of the Profession of Faith or Nicene Creed. June 19, 2025 marked the 1700th anniversary of…What is a Dean in the Church? June 29, 2025
The structure of the institution of the Catholic Church has evolved in response to a changing world and the growth of the Church (“the evolving…Lent 2026: Exploring Your Spiritual Life
Mondays 8:30AM, repeated 6:30 PM Register Here Presented by James Gregory, MATHEM Mondays 08:30 - 10:00 am and 6:30 –8:00 pm Feb 16 thru March…Q’s from the Pews, What is the Universal Church, a particular church and a Parish?
The word church, derived from the Greek ecclesia, literally means “an assembly gathering.” However, it has come to be applied to many things: groups of…Leo XIV’s Christocentric View: July 6, 2025
In recent comments to Italy’s Bishops, Pope Leo XIV affirmed his Christ-centered (Christocentric) view of the Church in the world. This follows the theme of…Weather-Related Decisions Concerning Mass Attendance
Regarding our weather projections for Sunday-Masses at St. Columba will occur regardless of weather, but given the forecast, we recommend that parishioners attend Saturday, January…Q’s from the Pews: Does belief in evolution contradict creation? November 2, 2025
Genesis describes the creation of the world as occurring over seven days. The Hebrew word yom, translated as “day,” can refer to a 24-hour period…Q’s from the Pews: What Does ‘Preferential Option for the Poor’ mean? November 9, 2025
On October 4, 2025, Pope Leo XIV issued his first Apostolic Exhortation titled Delexi Te (“I have loved you”). In completing this document, Pope Leo…
Our Catholic in Recovery Group meets Tuesday evenings at 5:30
Our own Catholic in RecoveryGroup meets, open to everyone, on Tuesday evenings in the Geis Room upstairs in the parish center. Catholic in Recovery serves…Vatican II’s Christocentric View: July 13, 2025
Last week’s article explored Pope Leo’s commitment to a Christocentric Church, a central theme of Vatican II. In declaring the Jubilee of 2025, Pope Francis…Q’s from the Pews: What actually happens during the consecration?November 16, 2025
The consecration of the host and wine is one of the Church’s greatest mysteries. In this sacred moment, the bread and wine— “fruits of the…Raffle tickets for sale for a vacation in the Outer Banks!
First prize is a vacation (August 2-9, 2026) at the Outer Banks, NC, with accommodations for 8 Second prize is $500 Tickets are $50 The…Q’s from the Pews: What are the 3 ways that a person may be baptized? November 23, 2025
The Church recognizes three ways a person may be baptized: baptism of water, baptism of desire, and baptism of blood. The sacrament of baptism is…Our Diocesan Men’s Conference (April 18) and Council of Catholic Women’s Convention (April 25) are coming up!
See our beyond the parish page for more information! https://saintcolumbachurch.org/beyond-our-parish-retreats-and-opportunities/Q: What is the difference between Catechism and Canon Law? December 14, 2025
Two major works emerged from Vatican II: the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and the revised Code of Canon Law. The Catechism presents the…Learn to write sacred icons!
You are warmly invited to join us for a special series on learning to write sacred icons—a unique time of prayer and art. Writing an…Q’s from the Pews: Why did Cardinal Dolan Retire? January 4 , 2025
In our last “Q’s from the Pews,” we talked about the difference between Canon Law and Catechism. The recent retirement of Cardinal Dolan, Archdiocese of…BINGO!!!March 28, 2026
Bingo! Tickets on sale in the parish office and after Mass This will be at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 28 at the Bloomsburg Firehall!…Q’s from the Pews: What is the Gift of Self? January 11, 2025
The Gift of Self is a foundational concept in Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. It shapes Christian marriage, personal relationships, the…Q’s from the Pews: What is the Catholic Challenge? January 25, 2026
Each month in the bulletin we suggest a “Catholic Challenge.” Scripture calls us to spread the Gospel by living it. As St. James puts it,…Q’s from the Pews: How can I be friends with God?
Pope Leo began his “catechesis on Vatican Council II,” on January 14 by reminding us that friendship is exactly what God wants. "No longer do…Q’s from the Pews: How does one become Catholic?
Full communion in the Catholic Church requires the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion. Someone who has received these three sacraments is Catholic.…Q’s from the Pews: Why do we need to Fast? February 15, 2026
The disciples of John the Baptist pose this question to Jesus: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” (Mt…Q’s from the Pews: What is the origin of purgatory? February 22, 2026
The word purgatory entered the language of the Catholic faith in the 12th century. Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris, wrote a four-volume book that became…Q’s from the Pews: Does the Catholic Church differentiate between a Catholic baptism and a non-Catholic baptism? March 1, 2026
Q’s from the Pews: Does the Catholic Church differentiate between a Catholic baptism and a non-Catholic baptism? Catholic baptism is only one of the three…Q’s from the Pews: How does inculturation spread the Gospel? March 8, 2026
When Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), He sent His followers into cultures very different from their own. These nations…