A Word from Your Pastor November 17

Dear Parishioners:

All good things come to an end. This is true for us in every aspect of our life - except the reality of Life itself.  Our earthly life is destined to open up to a new life in Eternity.  As people of Faith, we are called to face this “ultimate truth” with confidence and trust in the Living God, Who has promised to share with us His own Life.  The readings of these latter days of the year call us to keep our end in mind: “Lo, the Day is coming!”  Jesus calls us to perseverance in Faith.  It is by an intentional commitment to the Lord and a free choice to cooperate with His grace that we will be able to endure whatever is in prospect.

Our parish family has always managed to come together to support one another when times are difficult.  It has been heartening to see the support that the Steller family have had from the St. Timothy community in these past couple of weeks.  Many other such examples can be given.  Folks are drawn to us because of a sense of welcome and the family atmosphere.  We have been blessed by this through our history.

Nonetheless, we need to hear and respond to the call of the Gospel to be ready to face together other hardships that are inevitable.  Our community must learn to welcome both the new generations and those who are new to our family.  The enthusiasm and zeal that have been shown in the past must become patient endurance.  We must hold fast to the Faith by a living practice that grasps the inner meaning of God’s Word and the Sacramental Life we share.  The world is in darkness, but in Jesus Christ, we walk together in the Light.  “The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.”

The Collect for this weekend sums up the perspective we must take nicely:

Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God,

the constant gladness of being devoted to You,

for it is full and lasting happiness

to serve with constancy the Author of all that is good.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You

in the Unity of the Holy Spirit,

One God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

A Word from Your Pastor November 10

Dear Parishioners:

This week, I had the privilege of hosting five priests from around the United States who are affiliated with the Focolare Movement.  My annual retreat after Easter has been spent with this group over the past several years.  In the fall, we have the custom of traveling to one another’s parishes.  This allows us to get to know each other better and to support one another in our ministry.  I especially enjoyed having the priests at St. Timothy on Wednesday to join in the celebration of the all-School Mass and to meet the folks I work with every day.  It was a very rich experience for all of us.  The children and staff of the School and Parish Office were very welcoming.  I was so proud of you all!

The priests who visited were: Fr. Darryl D’Sousa, Fr. Peter Iorio, Fr. Stanislao Esposito, Fr. Clint Ressler, and Fr. Marian Babjak, who joined us after Mass.

Please keep us all in your prayers and be sure that we are praying for you as well.

A Word from Your Pastor November 3

Dear Parishioners:

November begins with the days of remembrance of the Communion of Saints.  We are the Church, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, sons and daughters of the Living God, empowered by the Spirit to live lives of holiness on a journey to the Kingdom.  We who live in hope of Eternal Life share a Communion of Life and Grace already with those who have gone before us, the Saints in Glory and the Holy Souls undergoing the final purification to enter into the Kingdom.

All Saints’ Day reminds us that there is a cloud of witnesses spurring us on to share the victory.  All Souls’ Day reminds us that we must continue to offer prayers and sacrifice for loved ones in Purgatory.  Each encounter with other members of the Church who are still on the journey of Faith reminds us that as followers of Jesus Christ we are entrusted to one another.  May we continue to seek Union with God and with all through Faith, Hope and Love.  Responding to the universal call to holiness, may we one day share the glory for which we are destined in Jesus Christ.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the first findings of our annual October Count.  I am happy to report that there was an increase in the numbers the last two weeks of the month.  We are still down from last year. Last year, we had an average of 537 persons at Sunday Masses each weekend.  This year, the average is 510.  This is down from 900 in 2008 and 1059 in 2000. Conversation with the other pastors of our Deanery suggests that nearly all parishes have had a decrease.  Our parish database, which may or may not be complete, indicates that we have around 600 households registered in the parish.

Numbers never tell the whole story.  However, we do have a responsibility to bring the Good News to the whole world.  Our task is to work together to find the best way to share it with the portion of the world entrusted to us: those who have chosen to throw in their lot with us by registering in the parish and those who live within our parish boundaries, whoever they may be.  All are candidates for unity.  May we be one in the Spirit and one in the Lord!

Stewardship Notes: Disciples as Stewards

Let us begin with being a disciple—a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. As members of the Church, Jesus calls us to be disciples. This has astonishing implications:

§  Mature disciples make a conscious decision to follow Jesus, no matter what the cost.

§  Christian disciples experience conversion—life-shaping changes of mind and heart—and commit their very selves to the Lord. 

§  Christian stewards respond in a particular way to the call to be a disciple. Stewardship has the   power to shape and mold our understanding of our lives and the way in which we live.

Jesus' disciples and Christian stewards recognize God as the origin of life, giver of freedom, and source of all things. We are grateful for the gifts we have received and are eager to use them to show our love for God and for one another. We look to the life and teaching of Jesus for guidance in living as Christian stewards.

 http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/stewardship/

Focolare Word of Life for November 2019

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”  Romans 12:15

http://www.focolare.org/en/news/category/parola-di-vita/

A Word from Your Pastor October 27

Dear Parishioners:

In this bulletin, we publish our Fiscal Report for 2018-2019.  As you can tell, the Lord has provided for our needs for yet another year.  Please take the time to review it.  It becomes clear that the Lord works through generous hearts who are willing to share their resources with their brothers and sisters.

It may be helpful just to offer a couple of notes at this time.  A parish is a particular group of Christian Faithful who are entrusted to one another and who receive the responsibility to attend to the pastoral care of a territory or a group of people.  We have been given the task of attending to the needs of those who live in our parish boundaries and those who choose to ally themselves with us as official members of our parish.

Genesis reveals that God has made human beings stewards in His stead, responsible for taking care of the rest of creation.  The Catholic Church provides guidance as to what it means to be a steward.  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has written about this topic.  It may be helpful to offer some insights from the U.S. Bishops’ pastoral letter on Stewardship.

"As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Pt 4:10).

What identifies a steward? Safeguarding material and human resources and using them responsibly are one answer; so is generous giving of time, talent, and treasure.  But being a Christian steward means more. As Christian stewards, we receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.

http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/stewardship/index.cfm

Stewardship includes a response on our part that comes from both Justice and Charity.  Our contribution to the needs of the parish to which we belong is a matter of justice.  When our community reaches beyond itself to the needs of others or to attend to the needs of those among us who do not have the resources they require, then we are responding in charity. 

Some confuse this, thinking it is a charity merely to put something into the collection basket.  Only the second collection is direct charity.  Up to a certain point, what we contribute to the first collection, either at Mass or through online contributions, is what we owe one another in justice.  It is like paying our mortgage or paying for utilities; it is part of being a member of a family.  We are truly grateful to all who meet their responsibility in this regard.  We are also grateful to and we rely upon those who reach beyond their due to help cover what other members are not able to.  Offering an annual report is an effort to be transparent about these matters.

Sincere thanks to all who fulfill the demands of justice and charity.  A gentle reminder and challenge to all of us to ensure that we respond to the Lord’s call to be generous with this world’s goods in order to build up our treasure in Heaven.