The Catholic Community of Northern Columbia County

Information for families of children receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time:

The Sacrament of Reconciliation for children receiving the Sacrament for the first time and their families -

Saturday, February 5 following the 4 pm Mass at St. John the Baptist
Sunday, February 13 following the 9:15 am Mass at St. James

Families with young people in grades K – 8

Family formation packet pickup:

February

Tuesday, February 1 - 7:30 am to 2 pm
Wednesday, February 2 – noon to 6 pm
Thursday, February 3 – 7:30 am to 2 pm

March

Tuesday, March 1 - 7:30 am to 2 pm
Wednesday, March 2 – noon to 6 pm
Thursday, March 3 – 7:30 am to 2 pm

April

Tuesday, March 29 - 7:30 am to 2 pm
Wednesday, March 30 – noon to 6 pm
Thursday, March 31 – 7:30 am to 2 pm

Families with young people in High School

Next gatherings:

February 6 Mass at 5:30 followed by light supper, and family formation at St. James.
March 6 Reconciliation for young people in High School and their families. 4 to 7:30 pm. Details at the February 6th gathering.
March 20 Mass at 5:30 followed by light supper, and family formation at St. Joseph.

SOUPER BOWL COLLECTION by Confirmation Candidates

Confirmation candidates will be collecting at the doors of all the CCNCC churches during the weekend of February 12 and 13. The funds collected will help our candidates with their service projects during the next few months. “Souper Bowl” is a nationwide initiative to provide meals to the food insecure that takes place on Super Bowl weekend each year. Our candidates and their families will be providing food to the Joseph Outreach Van, Joseph House Shelter, and Sidewalk Warriors.

The Sacrament of Confirmation for all young people in Columbia County will be celebrated by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger on Sunday, May 22, at 3 pm at St. James Church in Chatham.

Questions? Please contact Ruth Ellen Berninger by email or call (518) 758-1828.

Scouting is Youth Ministry

The January 25th edition of our Diocesan newspaper, The Evangelist, features an article entitled “Scouting is Youth Ministry” written by Mark Wilson, coordinator for Cub Scout awards for the Diocesan Committee on Scouting and member of St. John the Baptist Church. Mark is an Eagle Scout, a longtime

catechist, and presently serves as a Confirmation preparation leader and lector. Also included in the article is Grace Fay, a lifetime Girl Scout, former catechist, retreat leader, and member of St. John the Baptist. Both Mark and Grace continue to serve in a leadership capacity in youth ministry in Scouting, and both are recipients of the Bronze Pelican award, given to those with a commitment to religious awards. This is the link to the complete article: https://evangelist.org/Content/Default/Homepage-Rotator/Article/SCOUTING-IS-YOUTH-MINISTRY-/-3/141/29538?s=1

This year’s annual Scout Retreat will be held at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville on May 14. Please watch the bulletin for more information.