Dear Parishioners and Guests for Christmas and to those in the Blogosphere:
The Lord be with you! And with your spirit!
This is the new language of the Liturgy for Catholics which you now hear at all the Masses. The most recent change was instituted the First Sunday of Advent 2011.
At St. Timothy Church, we were privileged to have Bishop Frederick Campbell with us for the first use of the new English form of the Mass on the occasion of the Opening of our Parish Golden Jubilee, at the Saturday evening Mass, November 26th. Now we are living in this special time of reminiscing and celebrating. The parish observance will continue throughout 2012. Our School will celebrate its Jubilee 2013-2014.
We are happy to have all of you with us as we experience our Jubilee Christmas. Your presence is a reminder to us that God is with us and that Salvation is for all. We hope you will feel at home at St. Timothy Church and know that we keep you in our prayers throughout the year. We invite you to a greater involvement in the life of our Parish and School. We have come a long way in our 50 years as a Parish and we can go further if we work together.
Blessings to you and your family for the Christmas Season and for the New Year!
Rev. Timothy M. Hayes, Pastor
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:14-17)
St. Paul’s Letters to St. Timothy are an invitation to all to discover what God can accomplish in a Christian Community when there is cooperation with His grace. In these verses, Paul reminds Timothy of the centrality of the Word of God in the life of the Christian. The Sacred Scriptures (in this case, the Jewish Scriptures) are available to assist in the proclamation of Christ and for exhortation to a holy way of life in accord with God’s call.
We who have both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Gospels, Paul’s Letters and all the other texts of the New Testament must be ever aware of the riches shared with us through the Bible. God has breathed His Word into the sacred texts in order to train us in the Way of the Gospel. “The Word became man and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)
The new version of the English Mass serves to help us see the connection of the whole Mass with Sacred Scripture. Every prayer is an outgrowth of Scripture. Many of the prayers in the new form can easily be recognized as a living use of the texts on our lips in the act of worship. We have been equipped by the Scriptures we read and prayer every good work that has been entrusted to us by God.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
A Word from Your Pastor December 18
Dear Parishioners:
Christmas is coming! We have a full four weeks of Advent this year with Christmas on a Sunday. Let this be to your advantage. Live the time of anticipation and waiting to the full. Open your heart to the Lord and invite Him to make use of you and your family to reveal His Presence in the world. Take the time to think about the Reason for the Season. Read the accounts of Jesus’ Birth from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as if you have never heard the Story before. Make plans to enter fully into Christmas next weekend.
Heartfelt thanks to all who participated in last week’s Penance Service. We had a good crop of sinners for the eight priests who worked with them. It was obvious that grace and mercy were flowing. Confession is good for the soul. It clears the spiritual pores and allows baptismal grace to do its work in us. I was truly a proud Pastor as I saw how many came, how many approached the Sacrament, and especially how many stayed to pray with and for their brothers and sisters until the prayer of thanksgiving and the final blessing. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” was sung with gusto.
I have one more favor to ask for the Season: Please fill up all the Masses of Christmas, especially those on Christmas Day. Many have the custom of participating in the first Vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m., and then the number of attendees dwindles as the Mass times go on: 7:00 p.m. Vigil, 10:00 p.m. “Midnight” Mass, and 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Christmas morning. This year, we need the strong voices of our usual weekly Mass-goers to assist our annual guests with the new English responses. If you plan to attend the Vigil Mass, come again to at least one of the other Masses. For Christmas, you are able to receive Holy Communion again at a second Mass.
There are four distinct Masses of Christmas: the Vigil, Midnight, Dawn and Day, each with different prayers and readings. The Incarnation is celebrated by the Church’s Liturgy in high style. It is truly worthwhile to experience all that the Church has to offer at this special time. Let’s join the effort to put Christ and Mass back in Christ-mas.
Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, persecutions that I endured. Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me. In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. (II Timothy 3:10-13)
St. Paul is not afraid to admit the struggles he experiences in his witness to Christ. He recalls them with emotion, but not with self-pity. Rather, he is able to see the action of the Lord in delivering him “from all these things.” He sees clearly, and reminds St. Timothy, that all who want to follow the Lord will have the same experience. There are two ways: the way of those who seek to follow Christ, and the way of the wicked.
Our life as a Parish Family is meant to be a living witness of the “teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance,” that Paul and Timothy put into practice. When we undergo hardships, especially the persecutions and suffering that come from our efforts to put our Faith into practice, we are in good company. We can be sure that we are on the right track when we experience such struggles and we can put our trust in the God Who calls us.
CHRISTMAS MASSES AT ST. TIMOTHY CHURCH, COLUMBUS
Christmas Eve – December 24
5:00 & 7:00 p.m., Vigil Mass: Family Unity
10:00 p.m., Solemn Mass at Night: Light in Darkness
Christmas Day – December 25
8:00 a.m., Christmas Mass at Dawn: Let us go to Bethlehem
10:00 a.m., Christmas Day Mass: The Word Made Flesh
Note: No 12:00 p.m. Mass for Sunday, December 25, 2011
Feast of the Holy Family, Friday, December 30
9:00 a.m., Family Blessing after Mass
Solemnity of Mary, January 1, 2012
Usual weekend Schedule: Saturday, 5:00 p.m.;
Sunday, 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Christmas is coming! We have a full four weeks of Advent this year with Christmas on a Sunday. Let this be to your advantage. Live the time of anticipation and waiting to the full. Open your heart to the Lord and invite Him to make use of you and your family to reveal His Presence in the world. Take the time to think about the Reason for the Season. Read the accounts of Jesus’ Birth from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as if you have never heard the Story before. Make plans to enter fully into Christmas next weekend.
Heartfelt thanks to all who participated in last week’s Penance Service. We had a good crop of sinners for the eight priests who worked with them. It was obvious that grace and mercy were flowing. Confession is good for the soul. It clears the spiritual pores and allows baptismal grace to do its work in us. I was truly a proud Pastor as I saw how many came, how many approached the Sacrament, and especially how many stayed to pray with and for their brothers and sisters until the prayer of thanksgiving and the final blessing. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” was sung with gusto.
I have one more favor to ask for the Season: Please fill up all the Masses of Christmas, especially those on Christmas Day. Many have the custom of participating in the first Vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m., and then the number of attendees dwindles as the Mass times go on: 7:00 p.m. Vigil, 10:00 p.m. “Midnight” Mass, and 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Christmas morning. This year, we need the strong voices of our usual weekly Mass-goers to assist our annual guests with the new English responses. If you plan to attend the Vigil Mass, come again to at least one of the other Masses. For Christmas, you are able to receive Holy Communion again at a second Mass.
There are four distinct Masses of Christmas: the Vigil, Midnight, Dawn and Day, each with different prayers and readings. The Incarnation is celebrated by the Church’s Liturgy in high style. It is truly worthwhile to experience all that the Church has to offer at this special time. Let’s join the effort to put Christ and Mass back in Christ-mas.
Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, persecutions that I endured. Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me. In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. (II Timothy 3:10-13)
St. Paul is not afraid to admit the struggles he experiences in his witness to Christ. He recalls them with emotion, but not with self-pity. Rather, he is able to see the action of the Lord in delivering him “from all these things.” He sees clearly, and reminds St. Timothy, that all who want to follow the Lord will have the same experience. There are two ways: the way of those who seek to follow Christ, and the way of the wicked.
Our life as a Parish Family is meant to be a living witness of the “teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance,” that Paul and Timothy put into practice. When we undergo hardships, especially the persecutions and suffering that come from our efforts to put our Faith into practice, we are in good company. We can be sure that we are on the right track when we experience such struggles and we can put our trust in the God Who calls us.
CHRISTMAS MASSES AT ST. TIMOTHY CHURCH, COLUMBUS
Christmas Eve – December 24
5:00 & 7:00 p.m., Vigil Mass: Family Unity
10:00 p.m., Solemn Mass at Night: Light in Darkness
Christmas Day – December 25
8:00 a.m., Christmas Mass at Dawn: Let us go to Bethlehem
10:00 a.m., Christmas Day Mass: The Word Made Flesh
Note: No 12:00 p.m. Mass for Sunday, December 25, 2011
Feast of the Holy Family, Friday, December 30
9:00 a.m., Family Blessing after Mass
Solemnity of Mary, January 1, 2012
Usual weekend Schedule: Saturday, 5:00 p.m.;
Sunday, 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
A Word from Your Pastor December 11
Dear Parishioners:
The readings of Advent are so rich! If we would only allow our hearts to be open to their message and to respond with the kind of Faith that witnesses to the Truth of God-with-us!
Can you hear St. Paul’s words to the Thessalonians as addressed to you personally?
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The One Who calls you is faithful,
and He will also accomplish it.
(I Thessalonians 5:23-24)
This past week, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which reminds us that God can get to the basic goodness that is in our human nature and allow it to shine forth. This coming week, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which reminds us that Heaven is concerned with our land and the Faith of little ones. Soon we will enter more profoundly into the Mystery of the Incarnation, the wondrous Gift of Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God Who takes our human nature to Himself.
Our Parish will experience the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week through a Penance Service on Wednesday, December 14. Now is the time to allow the Spirit of God to give you the Peace that only God can give. Will you embrace the holiness that is yours by right through your Baptism? Will you allow Jesus Christ to touch you with His Healing Mercy so that you may entirely, spirit, soul and body, become free from sin by the grace of the Sacramental Absolution available to you through Confession?
God is Faithful. He proves this again and again. He can make us faithful as well, but only if we respond to the invitation to grace. God is faithful to what He promises. He has said it and He will do it. Will you allow Him to do what only He can do?
We will have several priests with very compassionate hearts available to offer you the Mercy of God at the Penance Service on Wednesday. Please come and bring your friends and enemies. Children, bring your parents and grandparents. Promise them you will clean your room if they clean theirs!
Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them.
For some of these slip into homes and make captives of women weighed down by sins, led by various desires, always trying to learn but never able to reach a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so they also oppose the truth--people of depraved mind, unqualified in the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all, as it was with those two. (II Timothy 3:1-9)
The “last days” began with the Incarnation and especially with the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. St. Paul reminds St. Timothy and his community that the struggles in the pagan world and the persecutions they are experiencing are all part of the terror of the last days. But something is more terrible than these outside troubles: sin that comes from a selfish and self-centered heart does more damage to souls than anything else
Paul’s list of attitudes and behaviors present in the last days makes a good “examination of conscience” for all of us: Are we “self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to our parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” and do we “make a pretense of religion but deny its power”? Can we see ourselves in those who opposed Moses, when he came to deliver his people from bondage in Egypt?
Sin is defeated by Faith. Putting Faith in God means being willing to be led to knowledge of Truth. The truth of ourselves as sinners in need of God’s Mercy is the most basic Truth of all.
The readings of Advent are so rich! If we would only allow our hearts to be open to their message and to respond with the kind of Faith that witnesses to the Truth of God-with-us!
Can you hear St. Paul’s words to the Thessalonians as addressed to you personally?
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The One Who calls you is faithful,
and He will also accomplish it.
(I Thessalonians 5:23-24)
This past week, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which reminds us that God can get to the basic goodness that is in our human nature and allow it to shine forth. This coming week, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which reminds us that Heaven is concerned with our land and the Faith of little ones. Soon we will enter more profoundly into the Mystery of the Incarnation, the wondrous Gift of Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God Who takes our human nature to Himself.
Our Parish will experience the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week through a Penance Service on Wednesday, December 14. Now is the time to allow the Spirit of God to give you the Peace that only God can give. Will you embrace the holiness that is yours by right through your Baptism? Will you allow Jesus Christ to touch you with His Healing Mercy so that you may entirely, spirit, soul and body, become free from sin by the grace of the Sacramental Absolution available to you through Confession?
God is Faithful. He proves this again and again. He can make us faithful as well, but only if we respond to the invitation to grace. God is faithful to what He promises. He has said it and He will do it. Will you allow Him to do what only He can do?
We will have several priests with very compassionate hearts available to offer you the Mercy of God at the Penance Service on Wednesday. Please come and bring your friends and enemies. Children, bring your parents and grandparents. Promise them you will clean your room if they clean theirs!
Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them.
For some of these slip into homes and make captives of women weighed down by sins, led by various desires, always trying to learn but never able to reach a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so they also oppose the truth--people of depraved mind, unqualified in the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all, as it was with those two. (II Timothy 3:1-9)
The “last days” began with the Incarnation and especially with the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. St. Paul reminds St. Timothy and his community that the struggles in the pagan world and the persecutions they are experiencing are all part of the terror of the last days. But something is more terrible than these outside troubles: sin that comes from a selfish and self-centered heart does more damage to souls than anything else
Paul’s list of attitudes and behaviors present in the last days makes a good “examination of conscience” for all of us: Are we “self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to our parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” and do we “make a pretense of religion but deny its power”? Can we see ourselves in those who opposed Moses, when he came to deliver his people from bondage in Egypt?
Sin is defeated by Faith. Putting Faith in God means being willing to be led to knowledge of Truth. The truth of ourselves as sinners in need of God’s Mercy is the most basic Truth of all.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Word from Your Pastor December 4
A Word from Your Pastor
Dear Parishioners:
We have arrived! Our Golden Jubilee has been the occasion for many wonderful encounters and announcements. The gathering last weekend was truly an experience that revealed the wonder of what God can do with willing hearts. Thanks go out to all who were part of the celebration and we look forward to all that will go on as the year unfolds.
One of the best bits of news that we were able to share last weekend is the fact that we have completed repayment of our Loan from the Diocesan Parish Aid Fund for our new facility and the upgrades to the church that took place in 2000. The “tearing up of our mortgage” (not a burning because it took place indoors!) allowed us to acknowledge that the Parish no longer owes an outside debt. In our 50th Year, “we owe nothing to anyone except the debt of Love.” The largest amount that we owed the Diocese at any one time was One Million, Nine Hundred, Sixty-Four Thousand, Five Hundred, Ninety One Dollars & 33 cents. As of September 30, 2011, we no longer have a loan from the Diocese.
A Large Check displays the largest amount of our Parish Debt
A Certificate from the Diocese of Columbus, signed by the Bishop
and by the Diocesan Director of Finance, acknowledges we are Paid in Full
The repayment of the debt was made possible this Fall by two major donations, one in the form of a challenge gift, along with the monthly Campaign envelopes, that covered the remaining principal. We still “owe ourselves” the funds that were used from “parish coffers” (the weekly stewardship collection and parish reserves) to cover the interest. So the campaign continues “in house” and the funds still being collected on the pledges made are still needed. As was mentioned, we still have some projects of building improvement that incoming funds will be used for. But the wonderful news we can delight in is that the mortgage is ended and for the second time in our parish history, we are free of outside obligations. Heartfelt thanks to all the benefactors who have made this possible. Special kudos are due to Msgr. John Johnson who saw to the most recent debt retirement efforts. May God bless him and all involved in the Campaign for St. Timothy!
Congratulations are also due to the People of St. Timothy Parish for their transition to the new Roman Missal and the new form of English used in our Liturgy. Bishop Campbell himself went on record in the Columbus Dispatch telling the world that we were well prepared. The enthusiastic “And with your Spirit” that met his Apostolic Greeting “Peace be with you” was a sign that we are where we need to be. In time, we will be as familiar with the new form as we have been with the one we have been using. Blessings to all of you!
Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
In a large household there are vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for lofty and others for humble use. If anyone cleanses himself of these things, he will be a vessel for lofty use, dedicated, beneficial to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So turn from youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with purity of heart. Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels. A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will. (II Timothy 2:20-26)
The call to be mature is given to all who seek to grow in Faith. St. Paul addresses Timothy and his community with the charge to set aside youthful ways of acting and to put into practice the virtues that go along with the Life in Christ: righteousness, faith, love, and peace. We are to be among those who call on the Lord in purity of heart. This reminder is fitting for our community as well as we enter into a new phase of our life as a Parish. We are a people of welcome, faithfulness, and service. This can deepen if we set our sights on the Truth that comes from God and the teachings of our Church.
Dear Parishioners:
We have arrived! Our Golden Jubilee has been the occasion for many wonderful encounters and announcements. The gathering last weekend was truly an experience that revealed the wonder of what God can do with willing hearts. Thanks go out to all who were part of the celebration and we look forward to all that will go on as the year unfolds.
One of the best bits of news that we were able to share last weekend is the fact that we have completed repayment of our Loan from the Diocesan Parish Aid Fund for our new facility and the upgrades to the church that took place in 2000. The “tearing up of our mortgage” (not a burning because it took place indoors!) allowed us to acknowledge that the Parish no longer owes an outside debt. In our 50th Year, “we owe nothing to anyone except the debt of Love.” The largest amount that we owed the Diocese at any one time was One Million, Nine Hundred, Sixty-Four Thousand, Five Hundred, Ninety One Dollars & 33 cents. As of September 30, 2011, we no longer have a loan from the Diocese.
A Large Check displays the largest amount of our Parish Debt
A Certificate from the Diocese of Columbus, signed by the Bishop
and by the Diocesan Director of Finance, acknowledges we are Paid in Full
The repayment of the debt was made possible this Fall by two major donations, one in the form of a challenge gift, along with the monthly Campaign envelopes, that covered the remaining principal. We still “owe ourselves” the funds that were used from “parish coffers” (the weekly stewardship collection and parish reserves) to cover the interest. So the campaign continues “in house” and the funds still being collected on the pledges made are still needed. As was mentioned, we still have some projects of building improvement that incoming funds will be used for. But the wonderful news we can delight in is that the mortgage is ended and for the second time in our parish history, we are free of outside obligations. Heartfelt thanks to all the benefactors who have made this possible. Special kudos are due to Msgr. John Johnson who saw to the most recent debt retirement efforts. May God bless him and all involved in the Campaign for St. Timothy!
Congratulations are also due to the People of St. Timothy Parish for their transition to the new Roman Missal and the new form of English used in our Liturgy. Bishop Campbell himself went on record in the Columbus Dispatch telling the world that we were well prepared. The enthusiastic “And with your Spirit” that met his Apostolic Greeting “Peace be with you” was a sign that we are where we need to be. In time, we will be as familiar with the new form as we have been with the one we have been using. Blessings to all of you!
Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
In a large household there are vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for lofty and others for humble use. If anyone cleanses himself of these things, he will be a vessel for lofty use, dedicated, beneficial to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So turn from youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with purity of heart. Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels. A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will. (II Timothy 2:20-26)
The call to be mature is given to all who seek to grow in Faith. St. Paul addresses Timothy and his community with the charge to set aside youthful ways of acting and to put into practice the virtues that go along with the Life in Christ: righteousness, faith, love, and peace. We are to be among those who call on the Lord in purity of heart. This reminder is fitting for our community as well as we enter into a new phase of our life as a Parish. We are a people of welcome, faithfulness, and service. This can deepen if we set our sights on the Truth that comes from God and the teachings of our Church.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)