We are Kirt and Julie McAlpine and we are honored to serve as your Honorary Chairs for the 19th annual Columb’s Ceili.  We have been parishioners of St. Columbkille Parish for 17 years and have four daughters:  Maggie, a freshman at Marian, and Kate, Libby and Jo who are currently attending St. Columbkille School as 7th, 6th and 5th graders respectively.  We feel blessed to be raising our daughters in this hardworking, faith filled and supportive parish community.

We have been humbled, this past year, in witnessing the multitude of sacrifices and contributions so many individuals have made in order to ensure tonight’s success.  We want to thank the dedicated team of committee chairs and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to make tonight a fun, faith filled and profitable evening. Thank you to Father Dave and Father Tom for their spiritual guidance and leadership throughout this past year.  Finally, thank you to all of you for your attendance here tonight to enjoy a night of faith, fellowship and fundraising in support of St. Columbkille Parish and School. We appreciate you and your generosity!

Congratulations to the 2019 Spirit of Saint Columbkille Award Recipients, Katie & Scot Rainbolt and Angie & Scott Eidem.  Your service to the Saint Columbkille Parish and community are shining examples of stewardship that is inspiring to us all.  Thank You!

Enjoy your evening and may God bless you all.

Kirt & Julie

Scott & Angie Eidem & Family

Scott and Angie grew up in Nebraska and were married in 1996. One week before they were married, Scott began his career as a Navy submarine officer.  They enjoyed several duty stations along the East coast and their oldest son, Austin, was born in North Charleston, South Carolina. In 2000, an opportunity to be stationed at Offutt Air Force Base came along, and the couple was quick to say yes as this was an opportunity to come home to Nebraska. Their daughter, Elizabeth, was born three days after moving to Papillion and was their first to be baptized at Saint Columbkille. They were happy to be back in Nebraska and have roots in a wonderful parish and community, so the decision was made to make Papillion their permanent home and they haven’t looked back. The family grew as they welcomed their sons Evan and Alec a few years later.  All four children have attended Saint Columbkille School where Alec is currently in seventh grade. Their family grew over the summer when Austin married Kristin Arens.

Scott and Angie, as well as their children, have been involved with various ministries throughout the parish and school that have made an impact on their lives. Some of their favorites include altar serving, delivering Thanksgiving Meals, Teen Faith in Action, and Wednesday nights at Youth Group with Nicole Cook and their treasured small group leaders. Scott and Angie have enjoyed serving on various boards as well as delivering the Eucharist to the home bound, packing people into Turkey Bingo while pushing fire code limits, making popcorn for the Athletics concession stands, decorating the church for Christmas and Easter, working with the Ceili committee, volunteering at the school, and making a cake large enough to feed the entire staff and student body for the school’s 100th anniversary.  One important detail to notice is that they were not alone while serving these various ministries. Currently, Scott works with others by serving on the Educational Trust Board and is an EMHC.  Angie is serving on the School Advisory Council and spends most of her time with Mater Filius, a pro-life maternity home supporting women and their children who have no financial, spiritual or emotional support. They are both active in Alpha at Saint Columbkille. 

Just as Nebraska has been their physical home, Saint Columbkille Parish has been their spiritual home.  Scott and Angie have made wonderful friends throughout the years, and a majority have been made while serving the parish and community.  They are grateful for all those who have blessed their lives and look forward to the future at Saint Columbkille Parish and School.

Scot and Katie Rainbolt

Scot and Katie Rainbolt have been members of St. Columbkille for 41 years.  They met at Drake University in Des Moines and were married June 14, 1975 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Grinnell, Iowa.   They moved to Omaha where Scot entered graduate school at UNL Med Center and Katie got a job teaching physical education and coaching at Gross Catholic.  

After graduate school, Scot began a career as a science teacher and coach at Millard South. The couple moved to LaVista and joined St. Columbkille Parish in December of 1978. Moving with them was their newborn son, John Michael. The family eventually grew to five with the addition of Andrew and Patrick, all of whom are graduates of St. Columbkille and Gross Catholic High School.

Katie was able to take some time off from teaching when the boys were young, but St. Columbkille principal Bob Voboril drew her back to teaching with a part time PE job offer.  This job grew to full time and an Athletic Director position overseeing intramural and competitive sports. Many a Saturday and Sunday would find Mrs. Rainbolt in the gym supervising teams, coaches, officials, and concession volunteers. Her continuing contribution to parish life includes being a Sacristant, an EMHC, and an Alpha Team Helper.

Scot is a convert, joining the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil in 1984.  His involvement in the parish ranges from music ministry, EMHC, various indoor painting projects, to landscape maintenance. His latest contributions to the parish include being a Cloister Retreat Ambassador and an Alpha Team Host.

The Rainbolts have been involved in many parish fundraising campaigns, starting with the 1982 campaign to raise money for the current church building, and continuing into last years fund raising for the new parish center and gym.

Saint Columbkille is a second home for Scot and Katie.  They arrived in the Omaha area with no relatives nearby, but they found a family at Saint Columbkille.