“Give Thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever.” Psalms 136.1

As we gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving, our hearts are filled with gratitude for each one of you in our parish family. This is a time to pause and reflect on all the blessings God has graciously bestowed upon us here at St. Brigid of Kildare.

Take this time to give thanks for all God has given you; the gift of life, the love of family and friends, and the strength we find in our faith.

We recognize that Thanksgiving is not only a time to reflect on the good in our lives, but also to remember those in need. Let us open our hearts to those who are struggling in body, mind, or spirit and offer our prayers, our time, and our resources to help them.

This is the time to thank you all. May God bless you abundantly and may His peace be with you and your loved ones.  We wish you all a Blessed Thanksgiving. 

Looking for ways to get involved and help where you are most needed? Below is a list of upcoming volunteer opportunities within our parish where all are welcome!

(PGC compliance needed where noted)

• Columbus Catholic Men’s Conference - Volunteers Needed
• St. Brigid is the host parish for this conference this year and next. We will need more than 100 men from our parish to volunteering on Saturday, February 22 for about 1-2 hours, as well as some to help with planning.
• To Help: Contact Dave Hritzak at davehritzak@gmail.com.

• High School Youth Ministry - Christmas Movie Night Volunteers - Dec 15
• Duties: The SBK HYSM program is looking for 2-3 PGC compliant adults to help set up for a Christmas movie night from 7:00-9:00 in Enke Hall
• To Help: Email Ellie Hanson at ehanson@stbrigidofkildare.org or 614-718-5832

If you have parish volunteer needs you’d like added to this list, contact Allie Wing at mrs.wing@stbrigid-school.org.

Below are the many ways St. Brigid of Kildare Parish will be celebrating the Advent season. Click the link on the bottom for dates, details, and more information on each of these activities.

For a one page printable summary of these activities, click here.



• Sunday Evening Prayer & Reconciliation Service
• Parish Rosary
• Taize Prayer
• Mom to Mom Advent Series
• Sisters in Christ Advent Series
• HSYM Advent Youth Group
• HSYM Advent Movie
• HSYM Advent Bible Study
• St. Brigid of Kildare School Lessons & Carols
• Religious Education "Unwrapping the Gift"
• Giving Tree
• Project Magi
• Advent Eucharistic Adoration
• Cookies with Santa
• Christmas Cookie Exchange
• Holy Days of Obligation
• Christmas Mass Times

St. Brigid of Kildare Parish is happy to welcome Brad Marzullo as our new Safe Environment Coordinator. Brad brings a wealth of professional experience as he has worked for Child Protective Services, in higher education as a Residence Life Director, and as a National Sales Manager. Brad also spent eight years in the Army National Guard where he earned the rank of Sergeant. Brad holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and administration and a bachelor’s degree in social work. He also has completed training in Child Protective Services, including Protecting Children trainings and certifications, as well as leadership courses from Army Sergeant School.

Brad and his family recently moved to the Dublin area in 2021. He and his wife Alexis have two daughters, Taylor (first grade at St. Brigid of Kildare School) and Riley, and are currently preparing to welcome their third daughter in March 2025. 

Brad spent time working and volunteering in youth ministry in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee while he lived there. He has also been an active volunteer in St. Brigid of Kildare School including the school musical and recess volunteer, and was previously a part of our parish Religious Education program. 

Brad says “I’m looking forward to being a contributing member to this fantastic community and providing a process for St. Brigid that ensures all community members feel safe and protected while attending or volunteering at parish events.”

Brad began his new role on November 11 and can be reached at bmarzullo@stbrigidofkildare.org or (614) 761-3734 ext 249.

St. Brigid of Kildare Parish is happy to welcome Parker Groce as our Evening Support Staff, where she will ensure the building and rooms are ready for evening events, and that safe environment policies are being followed throughout campus. She will be on campus Sundays through Thursdays from 3 PM to 9 PM and is available to assist with committee meeting needs. 

Parker has spent many years working and volunteering at St. Brigid of Kildare Parish, including assisting with the former live-streaming of Masses, as well as monitoring sound levels during Mass. Parker also served as a volunteer SPiCE aide in the religious education classes when she was in high school. 

Parker says “I’m looking most forward to being a part of the amazing community here at St. Brigid. All of the staff and parishioners are wonderful and I look forward to working with this community!”

Parker began her new role on October 27 and can be reached at pgroce@stbrigidofkildare.org or 614-687-0250 (the evening support phone line).

Once again the call went out for volunteers and our parish responded in force. A training and retraining session was held recently for Ushers where thirteen parishioners came forward to serve. We also had a large number of current Ushers attend to get a “refresher” on their role with helping parishioners feel welcome when attending Mass. 

Please welcome Mark Laux, Jeff Cygan, Jacquie Susie, Matt Hollis, Craig Dziewiatkowski, Brian Weyer, Steve Peishel, Joane Less, Mike Martin, Bryant Kiedrowski, Jacob Ziegler, Brandon Ziegler and Ray Jasniecki as new Ushers (pictured). You may see them helping people find a spot in a pew, handing out bulletins and welcoming people.

A special thank you goes out to George Gillespie, Dianne Schmeling, Joe Falk and Joanie Roma. They are the amazing people behind the scenes who keep helping train our new volunteers and come through time and time again.

A training session was held recently for Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist where thirty Parishioners came forward to serve.

Please welcome Vlad Belo, Jim Brown, Shannon Burke, Kathleen Cianca, Gracie Dziewiatkowski, Lauretta Godbout, Julie Grener, Peigi Hanson, Nichole Hartranft, Al Herold, Brooke Heyob, Jena Kish, Kate Koren, Sean Lansing, Christe Le, Rick Lombardi, Peggy Lombardi, Beth Marsh, Tim Marsh, Kim Martin, Kelly Norton, Meredith O’Brien, Cara Oconnor, Myra Rozario, Rob Schafer, Steve Schlies, Daniel Schneider, Stephanie Stephenson, Alexandra Tomas and Luis Viso as Eucharistic Ministers. You may see them serving Communion at an upcoming Mass or assisting with distribution to those parishioners in assisted living facilities.

Additional training sessions will be announced for early 2025. If you have been contemplating helping as a Lector, Usher or Eucharistic Minister your opportunity may be coming soon.

Again thank you to all our fabulous volunteers who help with every Mass!

The application for new students for the 2025-26 school year opened on Friday, November 15. The on-time deadline for new families to apply is Friday, January 24, 2025 at midnight.

If you have a new student applying to the school, please complete the new student application at the link below. (If you have a currently enrolled St. Brigid preschool student wishing to move on to Kindergarten, you will fill out a re-enrollment packet beginning January 10th.) Completing this re-enrollment packet for Kindergarten will place you in the general queue for review/acceptance along with all other Kindergarten applicants. Parents will be notified via email of acceptance/wait list status beginning or shortly after Friday, January 31, 2025.

Receive a tax credit on your Ohio taxes while helping a family receive a Catholic education. Through the Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund, Ohio taxpayers may donate to a K-12 Catholic school to be used for tuition scholarships based on financial need. The donor then receives a dollar-for-dollar non-refundable tax credit on their Ohio state tax return up to $750 ($1,500 if married and filing jointly). 

This program helps make Catholic education accessible and affordable while giving donors the power to put their tax dollars to work to lead children to an encounter with Christ.

GIVE ONLINE at at the link below.

(Select “St. Brigid of Kildare” under “School Designation” dropdown for the gift to go toward a St. Brigid student’s tuition.)

GIVE BY CHECK made out to: Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund and mail to: Office of Catholic Schools, 197 East Gay St., Columbus, OH 43215 (Note “St. Brigid of Kildare” on check to designate dollars to our school.)

You will receive a mailed receipt from the Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund. Keep that receipt and submit when filing your 2024 Ohio taxes.

Emmaus Rd Mailing Error

This past week we sent out a mailing for the Emmaus Rd program. Due to an error in the database at the printer there were some issues with the address and mailing name being switched. We have identified and corrected this problem. We apologize to all those impacted (it was only a specific group in the alphabet). Please be assured that your information is correct in our St. Brigid of Kildare records, and it was a later clerical mistake that caused the issue with the mailing. No personal data was shared or impacted by this. The information in the letter about the Emmaus Rd Program is correct. Please consider taking advantage of this amazing program to provide scholarships to our Elementary School students while receiving a tax credit on your Ohio taxes. We appreciate your understanding and as always, your overwhelming support.

Thank you for your generosity in donating to the recent drives sponsored by the Social Action Committee!

J.O.I.N was the beneficiary of the Leftover Halloween Candy Drive and was pleased to be able to distribute candy to families who may not be able to provide Halloween to their children.

During the recent Thanksgiving food collection, St. Brigid contributed approximately 200 pounds of boxed potatoes, stuffing and gravy, and more than 300 full Thanksgiving meals which included $7,525 in gifts cards and monetary donations. These meals are distributed to eligible families in the month of November at the Dublin Food Pantry. 

In addition to the parishioners, we would like to thank Kim VanHuffel for again setting up the signup genius, the Knights of Columbus for helping with the collection at the pantry and the parishioners who helped us with the weekend collection at Hendrick Hall.

--- Social Action Committee

The Giving Tree Project has been a parish tradition and demonstration of generosity for many years. Last year, over 600 gifts and >$10,000 in donations were provided by your generosity, making a significant difference in the lives of others.

How you can participate:

• Choose from a list of gifts on the Giving Tree SignUpGenius here.
• Make a monetary donation online through this form or by check to the Parish Office.

Gifts may be dropped off at the Kelty Library in Hendricks Hall the weekends of Nov 23-24 and Nov 30-Dec 1.

Please contact Susan Corcoran at szcorcoran@gmail.com or 614-832-2762; or Kathy Windau at kwindau@columbus.rr.com or 614-499-1877 if you have any questions.

To learn more about the organizations the Giving Tree supports, click here.

Join Mom to Mom this Advent as we discover Rejoice, Advent Meditations with the Holy Family by Father Mark Toups! 

Rejoice! Advent Meditations with the Holy Family is a prayer resource with daily meditations that will enrich your Advent by inviting you to experience the first Advent with Joseph and Mary, as they await the birth of their son, the Savior of the world. Together with the guided meditation videos, this journal will help you to see the marriage of Mary and Joseph in a new light. You will ponder what was in their hearts and minds as they awaited the birth of Jesus—and you will be invited to reflect on and deepen your own relationships with others. Rejoice! will help you open your heart to the peace and joy of the Holy Family as you prepare for the coming of Jesus this Christmas.

12/4/2024 Advent Week One: Holy Love

Rejoice! Advent Meditations with the Holy Family by Father Mark Toups

12/11/2024 Advent Week Two: Joseph's Love

Rejoice! Advent Meditations with the Holy Family by Father Mark Toups

12/18/2024 Advent Week Three: Mary's Love; Advent Week Four: Emmanuel

Rejoice! Advent Meditations with the Holy Family by Father Mark Toups

Mom to Mom is a vibrant, faith sharing group focused on motherhood, spirituality, and Catholic parenting. Whether you’re a rookie or veteran, join us to support, share and gain wisdom from each other.

Meetings: Wednesdays 

Time: 9:45-11 am                                                                                  

Location: Church Basement

Child Care Sign up: Here

Questions Reach out to Sara Norton Nortonsarae@gmail.com or Kerri Wilke kerriwilke@gmail.com .

St. Brigid Parish is the Host Parish of the Annual Columbus Catholic Men's Conference

We need over 120 volunteers for this event to run successfully!

This Conference is regarded as one of the Largest and Best Gatherings of Men of Faith in the Nation.

This One-Day event draws 3,000 men, and St. Brigid is responsible to make everything run smoothly.

Please consider offering your time and talents to make this a success:

• Build your faith with inspiring speakers, our Bishop, sacraments, adoration, and reconciliation
• Get involved and meet other men from the parish, ministries, and the diocese
• Build your faith offering 1-2 hours of your time as a gift of charity and out of love!

Contact Dave Hritzak with any questions, (614) 670-2122, DaveHritzak@gmail.com.

We are excited to hold our 18th annual Corks for a Cause Silent Auction and Wine Tasting for SPiCE on Saturday, March 1, 2025.

We will hold our next planning meeting on Wednesday, December 18th at 12 PM in Hendricks Hall.

Children are welcome if babysitting is a challenge. If you'd like to learn more about the event, how you can help, or share your ideas please join us for one or both of these meetings!

RSVP to Sarah Moore at smoore@stbrigidofkildare.org.

We would like to invite you to join one of our Adult

Faith Formation groups to learn more about our

Catholic faith, to meet more people from our

community, and to enliven your spirit and become closer to God.

Contact Kim VanHuffel for more information at

kvanhuffel@stbrigidofkildare.org.

Click the flyer below to learn about the many ways to join Adult Faith Formation.

The Wild Goose study is about awakening in our hearts God’s love and transforming power through the work of the Holy Spirit, led by Fr. Dave Pivonka.

This program will be broken into two seven-week sessions:

January 15/16 --February 26/27

BREAK FOR LENT

April 23/24 -- June 4/5

Join us Wednesdays from 7-8:30 pm or Thursdays from 10:30-noon

For more information, contact Kim VanHuffel at kvanhuffel@stbrigidofkildare.org

To register, click the link below.

Religious Education's Family of Faith program opened with our annual Open House on Monday, September 9th. We enjoyed Little Ladies Soft Serve ice cream, Rime Time popsicles, and went on tours of the school and Hendricks Hall. It was so fun to catch up with our returning families and welcome nearly 100 new families this year!

The following week we gathered in church for Exposition with Worship and Praise to start the year off right. Adoration, singing, and prayer helped us to focus on our ever-present goals of serving our Lord and learning about our Faith! Since then, we have been consistently in our rotation of Small Group Lessons, Family Activities, and Family Service Projects. This mix of traditional classroom education along with hands-on activities for the entire family has enriched our program and strengthened our relationships with each other.

Also, Sacrament preparation is already underway for our First Communion and Confirmation students! On November 2 we had a full-day Confirmation Retreat led by our new High School Youth Minister, Ellie Hanson. Candidates enjoyed games, witness talks, prayer, meditation, and getting to know each other as they embark on this journey to receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Our students making their First Communion this year are already halfway through classes preparing them to make their First Reconciliation on December 7. Next up is our Family Advent Event, “Unwrapping the Gift” to be held on December 16. Please see the flyer in this Common Threads issue for more information!

The Religious Education Office wishes everyone a blessed and happy Thanksgiving holiday! 

Hi there, St. Brigid of Kildare! We have been having a great month with high school youth ministry!

This past month, we had some amazing food like Buffalo Wild Wings and Jimmy John’s for dinner and played awesome games like trivia, a couch game, and a song game. We dove into the topics “How Do I Be Jesus on Election Day?,” “Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?” and “How to Build Habits of Gratitude.” We also went as a youth group to see the movie “Radiating Joy,” a story about Servant of God Michelle Duppong becoming a saint!

Also, HERE (HSYM '24-'25 CONTENT) is all of our content so far this year, including resource guides and recordings of our talks!

We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to walk with our parish’s high school teens as they enter into deeper relationship with our Lord. Please know of our prayers for you, and please pray for us!

Tuesday, December 17th at 7PM | Hendricks Hall 

Come for the Christmas cookies; stay for the community!

A few Cookie Exchange Rules:

• All participants should bring (3) dozen of their favorite cookies in exchange for (3) dozen cookies. 
• All cookies should be packaged in quantities of 6. 
• All cookies must be homemade (or purchased from a bakery; not a grocery store). 
• You can bring the cookies with you on December 17th. We will help display all cookies prior to the exchange. 
• You are encouraged (but not required) to bring copies of your recipe with you to share. 

We will have light hor d'oeuvres and holiday drinks for you to enjoy as you mingle. 

Christmas attire is encouraged. 

For questions, contact Amie Lopez, parish life coordinator, at aslopez@stbrigidofkildare.org.

Thursday, December 19th | 4:30 - 5:30 PM or 6:00 - 7:00PM

Get in the Christmas Spirit at Cookies with Santa. Featuring elf games, pictures with Santa, letters to the baby Jesus, cookies and more!

Santa will be available for photos. We will not have a professional photographer this year. Instead we encourage moms and dads to take their own photos with Santa. 

Each child will receive two cookies to frost and decorate. Take home bags will be available. 

All children must be accompanied by an adult. Each session is limited to 100 children. 

$12 per child. Pre-registration is required.

Registration will open at 10 PM on December 1, 2024 via the parish website www.stbrigidofkildare.org. Please search "Cookies with Santa"

For questions or to volunteer, contact Amie Lopez, parish life coordinator, at aslopez@stbrigidofkildare.org.

You are invited to spend time in the presence of God on Friday, December 6th for First Friday Eucharistic Adoration following the 9:00AM Mass and concluding at 4:00PM with Benediction.

Regular adorers of the Eucharist say Adoration is a good way to prepare for Christ’s return. Just as Advent is in a sense waiting for the Lord’s return, adorers sit and wait with God. Advent can be a very busy time, but the time in Adoration requires us to be quiet and still.

As you prepare for Christ’s birth this Christmas and his second coming, Jesus invites you to set aside your to-do list and come spend time with him. All are welcome, including families with children. If you wish to sign up for an hour, please visit our webpage here or email Shelly Cocumelli at rocks1dad@aol.com.

Join us in Hendricks Hall after the 9 AM Mass for a Sunday Social!

Enjoy food and drinks and visit with other parishioners.

The weekend of January 4-5, 2025, the Social Action Committee will be collecting new & gently used outerwear and blankets to provide for homeless and low income individuals and families in central Ohio. Donations will be distributed among the following organizations:

• Bishop Griffin Resource Center
• StarHouse (shelter for homeless youth)
• Gladden House
• St Vincent dePaul
• Holy Family Soup Kitchen

In addition to winter clothing, we are asking for flashlights (& batteries), candles (& matches), can openers, toiletries, women’s hygiene products, toilet paper, formula and diapers. 

Volunteers will be in Hendricks Hall before and after all Masses to collect donations. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. For additional information, please contact Jean Zhou at jeanzhouwu@gmail.com.

Save the date!

St. Brigid Women's Retreat

April 25-27, 2025

Maria Stein

For more information about the Women's Retreat, visit https://stbrigidofkildare.org/womens-retreat-2025/.

Pray for Priests

Join Our Lady of Peace parish in praying for a different priest or seminarian of our diocese every day of the month. The calendar for November can be found at Pray for Priests - 11.24.pdf (ecatholic.com).

St. John Chrysostom’s Annual Christmas Cookie Sale

St. John Chrysostom (5858 Cleveland Ave. Columbus, OH) is holding their annual Christmas Cookie Sale on Saturday, December 14th from 10:00am until 2:00pm. Items available for pre-order include: Trays of more than 6 dozen assorted cookies for $55ea; Nut & Poppyseed rolls (sold frozen) for $17ea; Baklava in an 8”x8” pan for $30ea; and Gourmet Pirohi for $7/pkg. Pirohi fillings are – Potato/Cheese, Sauerkraut, Sweet Cheese and Whole Prune, these are sold frozen in pkgs of one dozen per filling.

Please see attached flyer for ordering details. 

Find a Melchizedek Project Near You

The Melchizedek Project is a spiritual discernment group that helps high school and college-aged men consider a vocation to the Priesthood. All participants will enjoy a free meal at each meeting and a discussion on vocation discernment. Click here to find an event near you!