St. Columba Parish

Dear St. Columba Family:                                   ,   
         The Church has just started the season traditionally known as ordinary time. It is the longest Church season of the year spanning 34 of the 52 weeks. It may seem that this time of the Church calendar is called ordinary because it highlights and recounts the ministry and teachings of Jesus as opposed to the more well-known elements of his birth, passion, death, and resurrection. This, however, is not the case. We call this time of the year ordinary because each week is designated by a number, and the word ordinary comes from the word ordinal which simply refers to the numbering of things. If you think about it, nothing in the life of a disciple is just to be ordinary. We are meant to be different, as Jesus himself says in the Sermon on the Mount, where we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The life of a disciple should be transformative, something that influences and impacts every aspect of our lives. Pope St. John Paul II said that life with Christ is a wonderful adventure. We are meant to live differently, and to see the world more with the eyes of Christ with each passing day. If we take up this challenge and seek to embrace the call of the gospel then our lives, regardless of the season of the year, will be anything but ordinary.
Fr. Chris
                  
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*  PLEASE NOTE:.If there is an EMERGENCY and you need a priest, please call: 
                845-772-0717
*  For those of you who are unable to come to church, the Sunday Mass is live streamed on the YouTube channel. In order to receive updates and notifications, please subscribe to our channel located on St. Columba’s web-site. 

     
*  Our NEW guidelines for attendance at           the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, effective as of December 18th, 2021:   
     With the resurgence of the Covid-19 virus and the announcement of New York State that many of the PREVIOUS mandates that had been in place to "control" the spread of the dreadful disease have now been reinstated and the Archdiocese of New York has announced that our churches will NOW CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THOSE NEW POLICIES.  
     Consequently, St. Columba's new guidelines to be followed when attending Mass are:

• Everyone is invited to enter the church and to attend all services.  However, ALL attendees MUST wear a mask even if you have been vacinated.

• Continue to refrain from physical contact except for communion.

• For distribution of Holy Communion, the priest as well as Eucharistic Ministers will continue to wear their masks.

• Collections of your weekly offerings will continue to, as previously done, taken up by the ushers.  

• But, happily, your Pastor, or priest offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will walk down the isle after Mass wearing a mask  to greet you as you exit the church.