A Word from Your Pastor
Dear Parishioners:
Happy Feast of the Holy Family! Thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord, coming to Church two days in a row to celebrate Christmas and the Holy Family of Nazareth. I realize that it is a challenge to do such a thing, but as you see, it is truly worth the effort. God blesses us when we respond to His requirements. The readings of Holy Family Sunday remind us that God chose to take on the whole reality of human life. The little things and the big things that are part of family experiences are not foreign to God. In His great love for us, He gave us an example of a family that experiences all the joys and the struggles that every family knows. The Love of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth is proof that God’s own Love “fits” into our humanity. We can be “stretched” by grace to open to all that Heaven can offer.
Our recent custom has been to offer blessings of families individually at the end of Mass. The family is the Domestic Church, that is, the Church alive in the home. It is the fundamental building block of human society. It is the very place where God chooses to dwell, pitching His tent among us. Receive your blessing and carry it home and out to all you meet.
As we come to the end of the calendar year, all are invited to open their hearts to God with a generosity of Time, Talent and Treasure. Make a resolution to put God first in your life and in the life of your family. Teach your children to be generous by your own sacrificial giving of what God has given you. Give Him your first and your best, and He will certainly return the favor.
The Year of Prayer: Collect of the Feast of the Holy Family
Let us pray
[for peace in our families]
Father,
help us to live as the Holy Family,
united in respect and love.
Bring us to the joy and peace of your eternal home.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
A Word from Your Pastor December 25 Christmas
Dear Parishioners and Guests for Christmas:
We are happy to celebrate with you the Good News that Christ the Lord is born for us. Your presence with us is a living sign to the world that Jesus is active in the hearts and lives of all who are open to receive Him.
God is gracious and loving and He has given us His Son Jesus as one of us to make known Who He Is. The world is certainly in difficulty in so many ways, but even more certain is that God is on our side. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
This year, we want to put out a special call to members and former members of the St. Timothy Community to be part of our celebration of the Golden Jubilee of our Parish in 2011-2012, and of our School in 2013-2014. Search among your treasury of pictures and of memories of all that has happened in these many years. We would be delighted to hear from you and to see what you find. One hope is to capture the stories from those who were there in the beginning.
Our first formal event will be a Mass with Bishop Frederick F. Campbell at St. Timothy Church on November 26, 2011 at the 5 p.m. Vigil Mass. Make plans to be part of this historic event.
May God bless you and many 2011 bring many graces to you an all you love!
We are happy to celebrate with you the Good News that Christ the Lord is born for us. Your presence with us is a living sign to the world that Jesus is active in the hearts and lives of all who are open to receive Him.
God is gracious and loving and He has given us His Son Jesus as one of us to make known Who He Is. The world is certainly in difficulty in so many ways, but even more certain is that God is on our side. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
This year, we want to put out a special call to members and former members of the St. Timothy Community to be part of our celebration of the Golden Jubilee of our Parish in 2011-2012, and of our School in 2013-2014. Search among your treasury of pictures and of memories of all that has happened in these many years. We would be delighted to hear from you and to see what you find. One hope is to capture the stories from those who were there in the beginning.
Our first formal event will be a Mass with Bishop Frederick F. Campbell at St. Timothy Church on November 26, 2011 at the 5 p.m. Vigil Mass. Make plans to be part of this historic event.
May God bless you and many 2011 bring many graces to you an all you love!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
A Word from Your Pastor December 19
Dear Parishioners:
I have become a grand-uncle! My niece, my sister’s daughter, Amanda Maurer, has adopted a little girl whom she has cared for since the baby was four days old. So my family has formally and officially welcomed Rebecca Justice Maurer, “Becca” to our clan. She is named for my sister Rebecca Lynn who died at the age of three. It was truly a wonderful family experience to be present for the court hearing on Tuesday, December 14, 2010. At 9:15 a.m., the Magistrate made the formal declaration. Becca was in good form delighting in little gifts presented on the occasion. I think we surprised the lawyer, the magistrate, and the adoption case worker with the support that was offered by all who were there – Becca’s new grandparents, great grandparents, uncle and grand uncles, all sitting quietly in the back of the room as Amanda and the Case worker answered the lawyer’s and the magistrates questions. We all clapped as the decree was made and the new family relationship was legally formed for all time.
It was truly interesting to hear the questions concerning the acceptance of the child “as she is” into a relationship of belonging and responsibility. All who have become parents know that there are always unexpected challenges. The assent which our parents have made on our behalf is a gift, whether we are born into our families or we have been brought into them by civil actions and social conventions.
Becca Justice Maurer
As you have heard me say before – family is what it’s all about. We are all adopted into God’s family, brothers and sisters to Jesus, the Father’s only-begotten Son. As we celebrate the Gift of the Incarnation, let us open our hearts to Christ and to all His family. May Christmas free us to belong to our God and to one another!
We welcome all our guests and friends who come to be with us for the Christmas holidays. Be sure to invite all who come to see you to visit St. Timothy Church too. One of our best gifts is the gift of being a welcoming community. Let’s live up to our claim to fame!
The Year of Prayer: Advent IV Collect
Pour forth thy power, O Lord, and come:
Assist us by that mighty power,
so that by thy grace and merciful kindness
we may swiftly receive the salvation that our sins impede:
Who livest and reignest with thee
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
ever one God, world without end. Amen.
I have become a grand-uncle! My niece, my sister’s daughter, Amanda Maurer, has adopted a little girl whom she has cared for since the baby was four days old. So my family has formally and officially welcomed Rebecca Justice Maurer, “Becca” to our clan. She is named for my sister Rebecca Lynn who died at the age of three. It was truly a wonderful family experience to be present for the court hearing on Tuesday, December 14, 2010. At 9:15 a.m., the Magistrate made the formal declaration. Becca was in good form delighting in little gifts presented on the occasion. I think we surprised the lawyer, the magistrate, and the adoption case worker with the support that was offered by all who were there – Becca’s new grandparents, great grandparents, uncle and grand uncles, all sitting quietly in the back of the room as Amanda and the Case worker answered the lawyer’s and the magistrates questions. We all clapped as the decree was made and the new family relationship was legally formed for all time.
It was truly interesting to hear the questions concerning the acceptance of the child “as she is” into a relationship of belonging and responsibility. All who have become parents know that there are always unexpected challenges. The assent which our parents have made on our behalf is a gift, whether we are born into our families or we have been brought into them by civil actions and social conventions.
As you have heard me say before – family is what it’s all about. We are all adopted into God’s family, brothers and sisters to Jesus, the Father’s only-begotten Son. As we celebrate the Gift of the Incarnation, let us open our hearts to Christ and to all His family. May Christmas free us to belong to our God and to one another!
We welcome all our guests and friends who come to be with us for the Christmas holidays. Be sure to invite all who come to see you to visit St. Timothy Church too. One of our best gifts is the gift of being a welcoming community. Let’s live up to our claim to fame!
The Year of Prayer: Advent IV Collect
Pour forth thy power, O Lord, and come:
Assist us by that mighty power,
so that by thy grace and merciful kindness
we may swiftly receive the salvation that our sins impede:
Who livest and reignest with thee
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A Word from Your Pastor December 12
Dear Parishioners:
We are now halfway through Advent. With the third week of Advent, we observe Gaudete Sunday – Rejoice! As I often tell children, this is the moment of a journey (to Grandma’s house, for example) when we realize we are going to make it. Just around the corner is the place of welcome where we can expect wonderful things – cookies in the cookie jar, delicious meals, and desserts (something new and different!) and the kinds of hugs that tell us we are special. We rejoice that God has chosen to come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ. He took on our human nature and forever re-directed the purpose of our very existence even in this world. Who we are is revealed to us in the Baby born in Bethlehem and laid to rest in the manger.
I want to thank all who participated in the Advent Penance Service this week. It is a truly a gift to be able to celebrate God’s Mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I hope every member of our parish family has had the opportunity to approach this awesome sign of God’s Living Presence in His Church. If not, recall that every Saturday at 4 p.m. the Sacrament is available. Be sure to give Jesus room to work on you this Christmas by cleaning your inner house! It is a gift to yourself and to the world, because it allows the Lord of Glory to be born anew in your own heart.
We are part of the Birth of Jesus. It is not simply an event of past history; rather, it is an event occurring in our history now. God has become one of us and His embrace of human nature continues the more we cooperate with grace. Don’t allow the current culture to keep you from the spiritual experience of Advent.
The Year of Prayer: Advent III Collect
We beseech thee to listen to our prayers, O Lord,
and by the grace of thy coming enlighten our darkened minds:
Thou who livest and reignest with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
May be said while lighting the third advent candle
We are now halfway through Advent. With the third week of Advent, we observe Gaudete Sunday – Rejoice! As I often tell children, this is the moment of a journey (to Grandma’s house, for example) when we realize we are going to make it. Just around the corner is the place of welcome where we can expect wonderful things – cookies in the cookie jar, delicious meals, and desserts (something new and different!) and the kinds of hugs that tell us we are special. We rejoice that God has chosen to come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ. He took on our human nature and forever re-directed the purpose of our very existence even in this world. Who we are is revealed to us in the Baby born in Bethlehem and laid to rest in the manger.
I want to thank all who participated in the Advent Penance Service this week. It is a truly a gift to be able to celebrate God’s Mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I hope every member of our parish family has had the opportunity to approach this awesome sign of God’s Living Presence in His Church. If not, recall that every Saturday at 4 p.m. the Sacrament is available. Be sure to give Jesus room to work on you this Christmas by cleaning your inner house! It is a gift to yourself and to the world, because it allows the Lord of Glory to be born anew in your own heart.
We are part of the Birth of Jesus. It is not simply an event of past history; rather, it is an event occurring in our history now. God has become one of us and His embrace of human nature continues the more we cooperate with grace. Don’t allow the current culture to keep you from the spiritual experience of Advent.
The Year of Prayer: Advent III Collect
We beseech thee to listen to our prayers, O Lord,
and by the grace of thy coming enlighten our darkened minds:
Thou who livest and reignest with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
May be said while lighting the third advent candle
Sunday, December 5, 2010
A Word from Your Pastor December 5
Dear Parishioners:
As you are aware, I host my family every Thanksgiving. This custom in our family began in 1988, when I realized that the place where I was living was bigger than my family home and would accommodate everyone who would be coming. I volunteered one year, and it has happened every year since except one when I was away for studies. (That year, I heard, “it did not seem like Thanksgiving.”) This year, we had only 28 for the meal, with a few others coming in later in the day. Many ask whether I cook also. Yes, I am happy to say, I cook two turkeys and I stuff them myself. They get started at Midnight the previous night, just the way Grandma used to do it. The whole house has a wonderful smell of baking turkey. Others bring in their specialties. One brother does a deep-fried turkey, another brings gnocchi and roles, Mom and my sister do the potatoes, an aunt does desserts, and others bring in something for all to enjoy. We have a Mass together and then set out the fixings. After the meal, a brother gets the cleaning crew going and then I settle in to make turkey soup while everyone does their thing – watching a ball game, playing cards, visiting and catching up. A cousin who is a chiropractor even brings his table and sets everyone straight for the next year.
It is all family. And I love it. I wish everyone could experience it this way. I share all this just to let you know that it is possible. We are a Parish Family and we can be there for one another at a depth that no one else who has not experienced it can imagine. May we grow in our ability to do this through the Season of Advent and the years ahead.
Please plan to participate in our Advent Penance Service this Thursday evening. We will have many priests present to offer you the healing touch of the Lord’s Mercy and Forgiveness.
The Year of Prayer: Advent II Collect
Stir up our hearts, O Lord,
to prepare the paths of thine Only-begotten Son:
that we may worthily serve thee
with hearts purified by His coming:
Who livest and reignest with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
ever one God, world without end. Amen.
(May be said while lighting the second Advent Candle)
As you are aware, I host my family every Thanksgiving. This custom in our family began in 1988, when I realized that the place where I was living was bigger than my family home and would accommodate everyone who would be coming. I volunteered one year, and it has happened every year since except one when I was away for studies. (That year, I heard, “it did not seem like Thanksgiving.”) This year, we had only 28 for the meal, with a few others coming in later in the day. Many ask whether I cook also. Yes, I am happy to say, I cook two turkeys and I stuff them myself. They get started at Midnight the previous night, just the way Grandma used to do it. The whole house has a wonderful smell of baking turkey. Others bring in their specialties. One brother does a deep-fried turkey, another brings gnocchi and roles, Mom and my sister do the potatoes, an aunt does desserts, and others bring in something for all to enjoy. We have a Mass together and then set out the fixings. After the meal, a brother gets the cleaning crew going and then I settle in to make turkey soup while everyone does their thing – watching a ball game, playing cards, visiting and catching up. A cousin who is a chiropractor even brings his table and sets everyone straight for the next year.
It is all family. And I love it. I wish everyone could experience it this way. I share all this just to let you know that it is possible. We are a Parish Family and we can be there for one another at a depth that no one else who has not experienced it can imagine. May we grow in our ability to do this through the Season of Advent and the years ahead.
Please plan to participate in our Advent Penance Service this Thursday evening. We will have many priests present to offer you the healing touch of the Lord’s Mercy and Forgiveness.
28 at table for Fr. Tim’s Family Thanksgiving
The Year of Prayer: Advent II Collect
Stir up our hearts, O Lord,
to prepare the paths of thine Only-begotten Son:
that we may worthily serve thee
with hearts purified by His coming:
Who livest and reignest with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
ever one God, world without end. Amen.
(May be said while lighting the second Advent Candle)
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