The Catholic Community of Northern Columbia County

Please join us in welcoming Alison Jansen, who has just been appointed the CCNCC’s new Director of Music Ministry. She previously spent 2 years as a parish musician in rural Washington state. As well as performing on keyboard instruments and leading the congregation in song, she is an avid woodwind player. She has been actively teaching in public and private schools in NC, GA, and WA for the past 20 years. 

Alison is very happy to have returned to NY after a long absence, along with her husband Dan, their cats Gemma and Lord John, and their dog Dobby. She is excited to have joined such a welcoming and vibrant Catholic community here in Columbia county. She looks forward to growing the current music program, and welcoming all who wish to raise their voices in song to join her. Please stop by after Mass and give her a warm welcome or email her at musicdirector@ccnccparishes.org .

As announced last weekend, the ministers of Holy Communion at mass will no longer be required to wear masks. They will continue to sanitize their hands before beginning distribution.

Also mentioned last week, the distribution of the Precious Blood of Jesus will resume at the masses on Pentecost.  Please note that receiving from the cup is not mandatory and you should not feel obligated to receive from it, just because it is being offered.

Lastly, we ask those of you who might have a cold, flu or worse to please keep a mask on and avoid shaking anyone’s hands (except for your immediate family). 

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping us all safe and healthy.

Nine adult members of our tri-parish family were formally welcomed into the Catholic faith at our recent Easter Vigil service on  Saturday, April 8th at the  Church of St. Joseph in Stuyvesant Falls. Samantha, Elda, Alberto, Alejandro, Itzel, Maria, Diana, Joselin, and Roberto, accompanied by their sponsors, received the sacraments at this beautiful Easter Vigil Mass.

What is RCIA? The RCIA, which stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, is a process through which non-baptized men and women enter the Catholic Church. It includes several stages marked by study, prayer, and rites at Mass. If you or someone you know is discerning whether to become a Catholic or would like to “catch up” on your sacraments, please email Ruth Ellen Berninger or Roxana Moran (by clicking on their names) for more information.

Please join us in congratulating them and welcoming each of them into our Catholic faith family!

On Saturday, April 15 our Confirmation candidates along with others from Columbia and Greene counties, spent a day on retreat at St. Mary’s Academy in Hudson. The following day, April 16, 18 of our young people received the Sacrament from Bishop Edward Scharfenberger at Holy Trinity Parish. Congratulations to Christian A, Gavin, William, Addison, Olivia H, Sophia, Rose, Holly, Sasha, Christian L, James, Olivia M, Daisy, Blaise, John, Samuel, Lauren, and Taylor. May God bless them and their families as they go forth with
increased grace to serve God and others. 

A video of the ceremony is available at St Mary's-Hudson-Mass for the Conferral of Confirmation April 2023 - YouTube

A tri-parish choir is being formed to provide choral music for the liturgies of Holy Week. If you like to sing and can carry a tune please
volunteer your time and energy to this Lenten effort. Rehearsals will be on three Wednesdays in March - 15, 22, and 29, 7pm - 9pm. This choir will sing at all three parish churches on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Please call the parish office at (518) 758-9401 or email to sign up.

As you know, this past Wednesday we had the opportunity to receive ashes as the Holy Season of Lent started.  There are three disciplines to this season: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. This week, I’d like to focus in on the prayer aspect of Lent. 

In our Family Faith Formation sessions this school year, we have been learning about the different types of prayer.  I’d like to point out some of them and perhaps some others that are available in our three churches this Lent.  They include Praying the Rosary with others, Sitting in Silent Adoration of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, walking the Stations of the Cross with others in our community, spending six minutes a day reading and praying with the reflections in the Little Black Book, Bible Study, Daily Mass (Monday evenings, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings), as well as other types of prayer. Please note that the Stations of the Cross are offered in English and in Spanish.  Please see inside for the times and locations when we will pray together in English, Spanish or when there will be bilingual services or masses. 

In the bulletin for the next two weeks, we’ll read about different ways of fasting and the discipline of almsgiving. 

Perhaps you may want to set a reminder sometime during the day to pray for the troubled areas of our world, all the intentions in our books of prayer requests in our three churches and for each other in the CCNCC.  May it be a prayerful and fruitful Lent for us all! 

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Como saben, este pasado miércoles tuvimos la oportunidad de recibir cenizas al iniciarse el Tiempo Santo de Cuaresma. Hay tres disciplinas en esta temporada: orar, ayunar y dar limosna. Esta semana, me gustaría centrarme en el aspecto de oración de la Cuaresma.

En nuestras sesiones de Formación de Fe Familiar este año escolar, hemos estado aprendiendo sobre los diferentes tipos de oración. Me gustaría señalar algunos de ellos y quizás algunos otros que están disponibles en nuestras tres iglesias esta Cuaresma. Incluyen Rezar el Rosario con otros, Sentarse en Adoración Silenciosa de la Presencia Real de Jesús en el Santísimo Sacramento, caminar las Estaciones de la Cruz con otros en nuestra comunidad, pasar seis minutos al día leyendo y orando con los reflejos en el Little Black. Libro, Estudio Bíblico, Misa diaria (lunes por la noche, miércoles, jueves y viernes por la mañana), así como otros tipos de oración. Tenga en cuenta que las Estaciones de la Cruz se ofrecen en inglés y en español. Consulte el interior para conocer los horarios y lugares en los que oraremos juntos en inglés, español o cuando habrá servicios o misas bilingües.

En el boletín de las próximas dos semanas, leeremos sobre diferentes formas de ayunar y la disciplina de la limosna.

Tal vez desee establecer un recordatorio en algún momento durante el día para orar por las áreas problemáticas de nuestro mundo, todas las intenciones en nuestros libros de peticiones de oración en nuestras tres iglesias y unos por otros en el CCNCC. ¡Que sea una Cuaresma orante y fructífera para todos nosotros!

Friday, January 27, 2023

As you may know, there was a young man, Tyre Nichols who died after an incident with the police in Memphis Tennessee.  The video of the actions of both the young man and the police officers involved will be released tonight at 6 pm (Central Time), 7 pm (Eastern Time) and from what I’ve read, it is very graphic.  Let us pray for the soul of the Tyre and for those who mourn his loss.  

Tyre's mother, Row Vaughn Wells, called the video “horrific” and echoed the police chief, saying: “I want each and every one of you to protest in peace. I don’t want us burning up our cities, tearing up the streets, because that's not what my son stood for." 

May I ask that around 7 pm you pause and pray for peace and calm with all protestors.  While there are many different prayers and ways to choose from, I am suggesting all of us in the CCNCC to pray the words of the “Prayer of St. Francis” listed below. 

Thank you and God bless, 

Fr. Steve 

Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Oración por la paz (San Francisco de Asís)

Señor, haz de mí un instrumento de tu paz.
Que allá donde hay odio, yo ponga el amor.
Que allá donde hay ofensa, yo ponga el perdón.
Que allá donde hay discordia, yo ponga la unión.
Que allá donde hay error, yo ponga la verdad.
Que allá donde hay duda, yo ponga la Fe.
Que allá donde desesperación, yo ponga la esperanza.
Que allá donde hay tinieblas, yo ponga la luz.
Que allá donde hay tristeza, yo ponga la alegría.

Maestro, que yo no busque tanto ser consolado, cuanto consolar,
ser comprendido, cuanto comprender,
ser amado, cuanto amar.
Porque es dándose como se recibe,
es olvidándose de sí mismo como uno se encuentra a sí mismo,
es perdonando, como se es perdonado,
es muriendo como se resucita a la vida eterna.
Amén.

Liturgies and Church Preparation

Thank you to all who helped make our Christmas Eve and Day liturgies as special as they were. There were many who helped prepare our three churches, including the volunteers who cleaned and decorated each church. Special appreciation to those who shared their time and talents as musicians, lectors, ushers, and Eucharistic Ministers. sacristans and welcome table ministers, greeters, stewards, and those who helped serve behind the scenes in any way! Gracias to those who helped at the bilingual or Spanish masses. A great shout out to Fr. Gary, Pastor Emeritus of St. James for leading us in prayer on Christmas Eve! We also appreciate all those who helped with the worship aids and labeling the book(lets) given out to all who came to church on Christmas Eve or Day. Last but not least, thank you to all the staff of the CCNCC, Debbie, Ruth Ellen, Beth, Peggy, Barbara, Dave, and Larry. We couldn’t do it without you! Thank you all! I’m sure all of our visitors and mass participants were pleased with how welcome you all made them feel!

Liturgias y Preparación de la Iglesia

Gracias a todos los que ayudaron a que nuestras liturgias de Nochebuena y Día de Navidad fueran tan especiales como lo fueron. Hubo muchos que ayudaron a preparar nuestras tres iglesias, incluidos los voluntarios que limpiaron y decoraron cada iglesia. Agradecimiento especial a aquellos que compartieron su tiempo y talento como músicos, lectores, ujieres y Ministros Eucarísticos. ¡sacristanes y ministros de mesa de bienvenida, saludadores, mayordomos y aquellos que ayudaron a servir detrás de escena de cualquier manera! Gracias a los que ayudaron en las misas bilingües o en español. Un gran saludo al P. ¡Gary, Pastor Emérito de St. James por guiarnos en oración en la víspera de Navidad! También agradecemos a todos los que ayudaron con las ayudas de adoración y etiquetando los libros que se entregaron a todos los que asistieron a la iglesia en la víspera o el día de Navidad. Por último, pero no menos importante, gracias a todo el personal de CCNCC, Debbie, Ruth Ellen, Beth, Peggy, Barbara, Dave y Larry. ¡No podríamos hacerlo sin ti! ¡Gracias a todos! ¡Estoy seguro de que todos nuestros visitantes y participantes masivos quedaron complacidos con la bienvenida que les hicieron sentir! 

Christmas and New Year’s present an opportunity to share the many blessings we have received. Whether it is time, treasure or
talent, each of us has gifts we can bring to others in our churches and broader communities.

Please consider how you might volunteer this coming year with one of the many groups and ministries at our Catholic Community
of Northern Columbia County parishes. If you see a need in our community that is not being met, please contact Fr. Steve, anyone
in our office, and/or your parish trustees to discuss further. Fuller descriptions of these ministries are also available on our website,
ccnccparishes.org. These can be wonderful ways to live the Gospel by serving others while making new friends in our tri-parish
community.

To get involved, please contact your parish office, who will put you in touch with each ministry or committee contact listed below.
This list is a work in progress, so if your name or committee is missing, please email sjofficeassistant@gmail.com and we will update
our database.

Please come and share the gift of YOU in 2023!

We invite you to consider making a donation towards Christmas Flowers in memory of a loved one this Advent. Please write the name of your loved one(s) on one of the “Christmas Flower Offering” envelopes that will be available n our three churches and return it in the collection basket or mail it to your parish office. We will remember their names in all masses during the Christmas Season.