Second-to-last homily at weekend Masses - July 5, 2020 Independence Weekend

I give praise to You, Father, for all that you have taught us in the past 12 years.

I give thanks to you for all we have been together.  I entrust to you the ministry that will continue now without me.

Next weekend, I will give my last word.  This weekend, taking my cue from Jesus in the Scripture and from the American Feast we celebrate at this time, I offer three simple reminders.  I will trust to the Holy Spirit to move your hearts to fill in whatever may be needed.

First: Realize that you are experiencing the fruit of others’ labors.  What we have received and all that we have as a parish community was given to us, handed on by the generations before us.  As Pastor, it has fallen to me to bury many of the First Generation of our Parish.  I have learned from them and from others what they did to establish the parish and the school and many of the challenges that they experienced along the way.

To you I say: cherish what you have received.  Don’t take it for granted.  It was won by a price, the cost of blood, sweat and tears.  Don’t allow it to be lost to the generations to come because of indifference or ingratitude.  We have done much to preserve and fix up what has been inherited by way of buildings.  Continue to do this.  Beautify the property and make it better for the needs of the community that lives here.  Make it truly a place of welcome.

Second: Know that you have only the present moment.  Since I am departing, I am realizing all too well what more I could have accomplished if more time were given or if I had made better use of all the time allotted to me.  Live in the present moment; it is there that you will find Jesus.  He is to be found in your neighbor.  You must be a means of healing and peace.

To you I say: stop measuring the time you give to God as if you can spend it better elsewhere; be sure to give time to your family and friends while you have them.  Our children grow up all too quickly.  Be sure that you are not just keeping them busy with too many activities that are not really shared.  Spend real, quality time with them, cultivating their spirits by sharing Faith and prayer.

Third: Realize that there are generations to come who need to have a heritage, just as we do. 

To you I say:  Begin now to prepare for what they need.  I charge you to move forward with the effort to give space and time to Catechesis following the method of the Good Shepherd.  This is a treasure that must not be squandered.  It may have been that we were not ready for it a few years ago, but you must pursue this opportunity before it passes you by.  Our children who have been exposed to this approach rejoice in their Faith with real practical knowledge about where it comes from.  Please keep them and those yet to come in mind as you make plans with a new shepherd.  Timothy had St. Paul, his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, to train him in the ways of Faith.  Be a grandparent to the children yet to come and build them a place of their own where they can grow in Faith as Timothy did.

If you live by the Spirit, then St. Timothy Church will truly live.  Please keep going!

A Word from Your Pastor July 5 - Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:

Next weekend will be my last here at St. Timothy Church as your Pastor.  I want to express a simple word of gratitude to all of you for the privilege of walking with you through these years.  As I have shared often, you had a part as a parish in my formation, giving me a boost when I needed it most in my seminary days.  You have continued to teach me how God works among His people.  I have grown as a priest and as a human being because of my time with you.  I have also learned to appreciate so much more our patron St. Timothy.  His ministry as a disciple of the Lord proclaiming the Gospel has enriched me in so many ways.  I will continue to bear the name proudly and I will always remember that we are one under his mantle, because you too bear the name of Timothy.  May we live up to the name and honor God throughout our lives!  To the King of Ages, the Immortal, the Invisible, the Only God be honor and glory forever and ever!

Your new pastor, who will arrive July 14, is Fr. David Poliafico [POH-liff-ih-co] – he prefers to be called “Fr. David”- has a name that means “God’s beloved.”  So I am sure that together you will continue to discover and live in God’s Love.  Please receive Fr. David warmly and make a point to work with him as you chart your course together.  It is a very strange time for all of us and nothing is normal.  Help your new pastor to be a loving shepherd by loving Him for the sake of Christ, Who has sent him here to you and chosen him to be your pastor.

As we say our farewell next weekend, I am sure it will be an “arrivederci,” that is, “until we meet again.”  God’s blessings to you all!

A Word from Your Pastor June 28 - Post Exile Coronavirus time

Dear Parishioners:

The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is celebrated June 29.  In some countries of the world, this is a Holy Day of Obligation.  It represents the connection of the Particular Churches (dioceses and archdioceses) to the Universal Church under the responsibility of the Pope, the successor to St. Peter.  It is a reminder to all of us that we are not meant to walk alone.

Jesus “rehabilitated” St. Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, inviting him to make his threefold profession of Love for the Lord after his threefold denial.  The charge given to St. Peter was “Feed my sheep.”  Jesus shared His role as the Good Shepherd with Peter, inviting him to conversion and to the responsibility of strengthening his brothers in the ministry.

We must pray for the Holy Father, so that he may do what he is called to do in his ministry as universal shepherd.  The vision Pope Francis has been communicating to the Church since the moment of his election as Bishop of Rome is one that continuously reaches out to those who are marginalized.  Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, he is reminding the leaders that the poor must be kept in mind as all decisions are made.  It is always the poor who show whether we are living up to the call to Love.

The early Christian community was acknowledged as being something very special: “See how they love one another!”  There were no poor among them, because all who lived “the Way” shared what they owned and never called anything their own.  The common good was always in sight.

Our call today is to stay one in mind and heart.  If you find yourself in the pattern of thinking that always differentiates between “we” and “they” or “us” and “them,” then you need to open your mind and heart to the fact that God intends for all of us to be “one,” that is, “one” with Him and with one another.  The devil seeks to divide.  When our minds accept this sense of division as a primary way of thinking about the world, we are already lost.

The “Peter’s Pence” collection is made annually on the weekend before the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.  It allows Pope Francis to be generous to the poor throughout the world in the name of the whole Church.  Please be generous!

A Word from Your Pastor June 21 - Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:

Monday, June 22, will mark my 35th Anniversary of Ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese of Columbus.  I am truly grateful to God for this gift.  These years have passed by so quickly.  When I take the course of my life in a quick glance, I am in awe of all that God has permitted me to experience in this time.  It is humbling to realize that what I remember happening has really happened to me. 

Another simple realization is that I have spent a full third of my priesthood here at St. Timothy Church.    These past 12 years have zoomed by and taught me so much about God’s ways among His People.

A second third was spent in Newark, at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, my first pastorat.  The first third had me in a variety of ministerial experiences: Parish life (St. Mary, Lancaster; St. Brendan, Hilliard; and St. Joan of Arc, Powell), Teaching (the Catholic elementary schools where I have served, Fisher Catholic High School in Lancaster, the Pontifical College Josephinum Seminary, and the School for the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Columbus), Vocations Ministry for several years; and one year of study to complete a License in Biblical Theology.  Through all of this, I have been amazed and humbled at the Providence of God, Who hears the cry of our hearts.

My prayer is that the next “phase” of my life will allow me to continue to grow in knowledge and Love of God and in my capacity to respond to His Will in my life.  As Dag Hammarskjöld, the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the 1950’s, said in his private journal called Markings, “For all that has been, Thanks. To all that shall be, Yes.”

My prayer for St. Timothy Parish is that you will continue to grow as a community of Love, united in mind and heart, ready to go where the Good Shepherd leads you.

Know that you will remain in my prayers as I continue my journey in the priesthood.

Pray for the members of our parish who are pursuing God’s Call in their lives, especially Deacon Jonathan Smith, ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Arlington, on June 13, and for Brandon Cullinan, who will be starting his Senior year in College at the Josephinum, a seminarian for the Diocese of Columbus.  May these young men be joyful servants of the Lord and may there be many who follow their example.

News about Deacon Jonathan Smith, of St. Timothy Parish

Deacon Jonathan Smith gave his first homily at the Basilica of Saint Mary on June 14, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. Smith was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Michael Burbidge on June 13 at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Arlington.

“Today we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ truly present in the Eucharist,” Smith said during his homily. “I think this feast hits closer to home this year since many of us were unable to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist for so long. As much as we were longing to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, Jesus has been longing to be received by us so much more.”

You can watch his first homily as a Deacon here:      https://youtu.be/-hFSAI5N6jE.

Congratulations to Deacon Jonathan, to his parents Mike and Mary Smith, and to all his family.  We are proud of you for your example and witness of a joyful response to the Lord’s call.

A Word from Your Pastor June 14 - Corpus Christi Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:

One month from today will be the time for the transfer of priests across the Diocese of Columbus.  July 14, 2020, we suggest you plan to stay off the major highways! 

It is hard for me to believe that we are coming to the time when I will be saying goodbye to St. Timothy Parish and to ministry in the City of Columbus.  Most of you have heard the news by now that my new assignment will be to serve as Pastor for a cluster of parishes in Chillicothe and Waverly, Ohio, in the southern portion of the Diocese of Columbus.

Two pastors are moving out and their parishes are being clustered together in the city of Chillicothe: St. Mary and St. Peter.  A third parish, Waverly St. Mary Queen of the Missions, is already associated with St. Peter parish.  This will be a new adventure for me in many ways.  I have been to this part of the diocese before but have never served there.  If you have traveled there, you know that it is a beautiful part of Ohio.

At the present time, my “daily routine” involves doing whatever is necessary here at St. Timothy and between events trying to begin the hassle of packing.  That is not an easy thing to do.  I have 35 years of priestly ministry under my belt and the collection of “stuff” that has come to me during this time is quite a bit.  The challenge for me not that I “own” so much; I really don’t.  It is, rather, that I have small trinkets and pictures and pages that remind me of the people I have come to know through the years.  A book, a picture, even at times a small scrap of paper with a note on it reminds me of a person or a situation that I encountered along the journey.  If you are a part of my life today, you remain in my heart forever.

I want you to know that I carry many things in my heart from these years at St. Timothy.  We have experienced so much during these years together.  As we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, let me remind you that you are and will be with me forever whenever I celebrate the Eucharist.  Please continue to remember me when you are present at the Altar of the Lord.

A Word from Your Pastor June 7 - Most Holy Trinity Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:



12 years ago, when I arrived at St. Timothy Church, the Parish Festival was in full swing.  My first weekend here, I celebrated 5 Masses and met everybody on the green.  That year, I started an annual custom of taking pictures at the Festival and sharing them by way of Shutterfly.  Many years, those pictures were used in order to bring to mind just how things had been set up the year before.  I was looking forward to being present for my 13^th Festival the last weekend I will be at St. Timothy.



Just this past week, the Parish Finance Council made the formal decision to cancel this year’s Festival on the Green, just as everyone else has had to do.  That will mean that my final weekend, July 11-12, will be quiet on the green and I will miss seeing the annual miracle of cleanup.  It will also mean that the parish and school community will have to work twice as hard to come up with creative and safe ways to raise the $50,000 targeted by the Festival each year to keep the annual budget in the black.  I am confident that you will come together to fill in the gaps as you always have in the past.



If you want to see the past Festivals, you can still check out my collection of pictures on Shutterfly.  It is wonderful to see all the happy faces.  Make plans now to be present for Festival 2021 next July.



Here is the link for pictures of Festivals Past: https://sttimothyfestivals.shutterfly.com/

A Word from Your Pastor May 31 - Pentecost Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:

Welcome home!  As we once again gather to experience the Lord’s Presence among us, we celebrate the Gift of the Holy Spirit Who forms us as the Body of Christ.  It is a great joy to be with one another in our church, even though it is under strange conditions. 

The Holy Spirit is the Gift of God to the disciples of Jesus.  We open our hearts to receive that Gift, the very Breath of God, that grants to us an experience of the New Life given to us through Jesus Christ.  Empowered by the Spirit, we join the first generation of Christians and every generation of the People of God in the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Spirit came as Wind and Flame and prompted the Apostles to speak in a way that allowed everyone to understand what was being offered.  The same Spirit now opens us to new opportunities for bold proclamation.

This weekend, we celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation for those who have journeyed by way of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults to full communion in the Catholic Church.  Two who were baptized as Catholic complete their initiation by Confirmation and Holy Communion: Matt Blinn and Dave Pompi.  Two make a Profession of Faith become Catholics as they also receive Confirmation and Holy Communion: Betsy Pompi and Camie Tibbs.

The journeys of these members of our community have the marks of God’s Providence.  It is a real moment of delight for all of us as we return to public practice of the Sacramental Life of the Church.  May we allow this experience and the Gift of the Spirit to deepen our commitment to Christ and His Church.