A Word from Your Pastor August 7

One of the things I enjoy doing when I have “spare time” is to work on my family’s genealogy. It has been a while since I have had a sustained opportunity to work on this project, but through the years, I have managed to discover some interesting details concerning my family history. I have also met relatives literally all over the world and made friends with lots of cousins.

This weekend, I am away for a family reunion on my mother’s side of the family, the Keeley clan, all of whom are descended from one Irish ancestor named Lawrence Keeley. This custom of a family reunion for this clan started when a distant branch decided to send out invitations beyond their own branch. Now, we have a reunion every two or three years in a different part of the country. We started in Illinois, where Lawrence and his first wife settled in the 1860’s. From there, it has gone from coast to coast. We have had gatherings at Virginia Beach, in the state of Washington, at Colorado Springs, and at Gettysburg. One year, I hosted with my family in Newark, Ohio. This year, my brother and sister-in-law who live near Jacksonville, Florida, are hosting in St. Augustine.

As St. Timothy Parish arranges its Jubilee, now is the time to invite the family and friends who have gone out from here back for a visit. Why not make plans for your own clan to have a reunion sometime during our time of Jubilee? Invite them to share Mass with the parish and to have a family blessing. Bring them in for one of the great events of the Parish family – the Festival, the Dinner Auction, the Spaghetti Dinner, or any other event you can think of. So often, families gather only for funerals and comment that they should do this for a happy occasion. Let our Jubilee be your happy occasion.

This weekend, I am happy to welcome (in my absence) Fr. Paul Noble, the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Columbus. He is preaching at all the Masses to invite our younger members and the parish at large to realize that God’s Call is addressed to all of us. In particular, he is inviting St. Timothy Parish to promote awareness of the call to priestly ministry in the Diocese of Columbus. Can we offer him a prospect or two in gratitude for the more than 30 priests who have served our parish in the five decades of our existence?