A Word from Your Pastor - February 24

Dear Parishioners:

Lent came up quickly this year, so perhaps you have not had an opportunity to make plans for it.  This is a reminder that we are still toward its beginning, so it is not too late to jump in.  I will offer some reflections over the next few weeks concerning the three practices of Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.  This week, we will look at Prayer.

What are you doing in the way of Prayer?  This Year of Faith offers an invitation to pray for a deepening of knowledge and understanding of Faith.  Are you reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church?  Remember that a small selection of this is read each weekend before Mass.  It is also published weekly in the bulletin with a Comment and some questions to be considered.

In the Parish, we have also been emphasizing the need to grow in an experience of Prayer in the Family.  Do you pray with and for your spouse?  Do you pray with and for your children?

What family traditions of Prayer would you be able to identify as your Family Prayer?  Do you pray the Rosary as a family?  Do you pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet?  Do you read Scripture together?  Have you ever brought your family to spend time in Adoration of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?  Do you have a time for each member of the family to offer petitions to be prayed for by the family?  Have you come as a family to the Stations of the Cross?  Is Prayer an obvious priority for your family?

Can you identify your own favorite prayers?  What prayers have you memorized?  Do you have any particular Saints that enrich your understanding and practice of prayer?  What spiritualities have nurtured your prayer?

How do you understand prayer?  St. Therese of Lisieux said “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” St. Teresa of Avila describes “Mental Prayer” as “nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him Who we know loves us."  According to St. John Damascene, “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.”

Prayer takes many forms: vocal prayer, meditation, contemplation, Liturgy.  There are memorized prayers and spontaneous prayers.   Prayer can be prayer of Adoration or Praise, prayer of Contrition or Sorrow, Thanksgiving, or Supplication or Petition.  We give God Glory and Honor.  We express our need for forgiveness.  We offer our gratitude.  We beg for our needs and the needs of the world.  We pray as individuals or in community.  Don’t be surprised if God shares with you and your family the “duty” of taking on someone or some need as a special burden in prayer.  Prayer shared is powerful.

Our intention as a parish this year concerns Prayer:  “We pray that St. Timothy Families learn to practice the Faith together by praying for the needs of the world together.  Each family is invited also to consider a family intention and to pray for that intention through the year and to bring it with them in their prayer at Mass every Sunday.”

 

Prayer is always meant to come from the heart.  Oremus! Let us pray!

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

 We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

There will be no further Revelation

66 “The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Dei Verbum 4; cf. 1 Timothy 6:14; Titus 2:13.) Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.

67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called “private” revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.

Christian faith cannot accept “revelations” that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such “revelations.”

Comment: The Catholic Church is the guardian of the Revelation that has been given to human beings through Jesus Christ.  Any message that purports to be from God that ignores Christ or claims to move beyond Him is not to be trusted.  There can be no new revelation that does not correspond to the Truth revealed in Jesus Christ.  God does guide us through His Spirit and the Magisterium, the living teaching authority of the Church, to an ever more profound understanding of the Mystery revealed in Christ.  How does this awareness influence your efforts to discern the truth in the midst of the many claims to so-called knowledge and truth in the world today?

 

 

The Sisters of St. Michael Parish gave a wonderful presentation to the Women’s Club Prayer Breakfast last weekend.  Ask those who attended what they learned about virtue.

 

Mass in Honor of Pope Benedict XVI

Bishop Frederick Campbell will celebrate a Mass in honor of Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday, February 27, 5:15 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral. All are invited to attend this Mass to honor the Holy Father and to show our gratitude for his contribution to our spiritual lives and pray for his health and well-being in upcoming retirement.

 

A Survey of Spiritual Needs: A Lenten Opportunity

What helps you to know God’s love in your life?

What helps you grow in relationship with God and others?

Please share your thoughts with us by participating in an exciting survey opportunity. This survey is being shared with Catholics throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. It is available in both English and Spanish, and will take less than 15 minutes to complete. Your responses will be anonymous; however, you will be given the opportunity to share your response to one question on the survey, as a way of helping others learn from, and be inspired by, your experience. Through your participation, our parish and parish leaders everywhere will learn about what helps us all to grow closer to God with faith that shapes our daily lives.

St. Timothy Church will participate in the survey from Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013, until March 19, 2013, the Feast of Saint Joseph.  Please offer your own input by going to this web address:  www.surveymonkey.com/s/spiritualneeds.  Be sure to identify St. Timothy Church, Columbus, as your parish.

A Word from Your Pastor - February 17

Dear Parishioners:

 

The big news this week was the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI that he will resign the Office of the Papacy as of February 28, 2013, at 8 p.m. Rome Time.  For the first time in centuries, we will lose a Pope not by death, but by the act of the Pope himself stepping down from the Office.   The reason for this action is the Pope’s love for the Church and his personal acknowledgement that the duties of the Office are beyond his strength.  For eight years, since his election April 19, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI has kept up a grueling schedule that would wear out many people younger than he is.  Now, in full freedom, he is choosing to step aside so that the work of the Church may continue.  This is an act of courage and humility.  It is an act, also, that indicates the simple truth that service in the Church is not about power and control.

 

Pope Benedict’s motto is “Cooperatores Veritatis,” that is, “Co-workers with the Truth.”  (3 John 8)  A hallmark of his ministry has been sharing the Truth in Love, witnessing to the Gospel in a world that has grown cold to its Message of Life.  So it is better to take him at his word, trusting that the real reason for his choice to step down from the papacy is what he has told us himself: “in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”  He accepted the ministry when he was elected Pope, even as he prayed to the Lord to give the task to a younger man; now, having prayed before the God Who called him to this service, he is stepping aside for the Church to continue to move forward in her mission.

 

As we journey through this Lent, let’s pray with and for Pope Benedict as he sets aside his role and enters into a time of prayer and reflection.  Let’s pray also for those entrusted by the Church with the responsibility of electing his successor, and for the man God Himself has chosen to shepherd His Church as Easter arrives.

 

Message from Pope Benedict XVI

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As you know, I have decided – thank you for your kindness – to renounce the ministry which the Lord entrusted to me on 19 April 2005. I have done this in full freedom for the good of the Church, after much prayer and having examined my conscience before God, knowing full well the seriousness of this act, but also realizing that I am no longer able to carry out the Petrine ministry with the strength which it demands. I am strengthened and reassured by the certainty that the Church is Christ’s, who will never leave her without his guidance and care. I thank all of you for the love and for the prayers with which you have accompanied me. Thank you; in these days which have not been easy for me, I have felt almost physically the power of prayer – your prayers – which the love of the Church has given me. Continue to pray for me, for the Church and for the future Pope. The Lord will guide us.  -- Benedict XVI, General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall; Wednesday, 13 February 2013.

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

  

III. Christ Jesus — “Mediator and Fullness of All Revelation”  (Dei Verbum 2.)

God has said everything in his Word

65 “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.”  (Hebrews 1:1-2.) Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father’s one, perfect, and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2:

In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word—and he has no more to say... because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty.  (St. John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, 2, 22, 3-5 in the Liturgy of the Hours, Office of Readings Advent, week 2, Monday.)

Comment: The realization that God has said everything to us through Jesus His Son gives us confidence that God is truly with us in this world.  Despite all the difficulties and struggles we face, we can be sure that God will not abandon us.  How does this knowledge influence your own understanding of the Faith?  Can you see that Jesus really is the answer to every question?

 

A Survey of Spiritual Needs: A Lenten Opportunity

What helps you to know God’s love in your life?
What helps you grow in relationship with God and others?

Please share your thoughts with us by participating in an exciting survey opportunity. This survey is being shared with Catholics throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. It is available in both English and Spanish, and will take less than 15 minutes to complete. Your responses will be anonymous, however, you will be given the opportunity to share your response to one question on the survey, as a way of helping others learn from, and be inspired by, your experience. Through your participation, our parish and parish leaders everywhere will learn about what helps us all to grow closer to God with faith that shapes our daily lives.

St. Timothy Church will participate in the survey from Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013, until March 19, 2013, the Feast of Saint Joseph. Please offer your own input by going to this web address: www.surveymonkey.com/s/spiritualneeds. Be sure to identify St. Timothy Church, Columbus, as your parish.

An invitation to Prayer: A Monthly Holy Hour
Beginning on February 17, 7-8 pm the Knights of Columbus and GIFT are sponsoring a monthly Holy Hour, 7-8 pm. Evening Prayer will be recited as group with brief readings and meditation. Benediction will conclude the Hour. The Bishop has asked us to voluntarily commit to praying a Holy Hour once a month during this Year of Faith. Please make the commitment to personally join us and invite others to come with you. Between 6-7 p.m. a hot dish and drinks will be available for those wishing to come early and share in hospitality before the Holy Hour. All members of the parish are invited and all are welcome.

“Your faith will help you realize that it is Jesus Himself Who is present in the Blessed Sacrament, waiting for you and calling you to spend one special specific hour with Him each week.” -- Blessed Pope John Paul II

An invitation to Almsgiving: 40 Cans for Lent
Knights of Columbus council 14345 will be sponsoring a food drive to benefit the St. James the Less food pantry. “40 cans for Lent'” will assist the St. Vincent de Paul societies of St. Timothy's and St. James' in their mission to the poor. We ask each parish family to consider a Lenten sacrifice of one can per family per day of Lent. The food pantry currently has need of hearty soups, (and although not techically in a can) peanut butter, and macaroni and cheese. If a family prefers to make a cash donation rather than canned goods you may place an envelope marked 'food pantry' in the collection basket.

 

 

A Word from Your Pastor -- February 10

 

Dear Parishioners:

Over the past few weeks, I have delivered a “State of the Union” address to St. Timothy Parish on the occasion of our observance of the Patronal Feast of our Parish, the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus on January 26^th.  In order to be sure everyone had an opportunity to hear my reflections, I included them in my homilies over the course of two weekends to cover all the Masses.  Just in case you missed those weekends, I want to summarize what I see as our priorities this year.  Now that we have celebrated our Parish Golden Jubilee, we need to look toward the future.

As Pastor, I have a few things to say.  We are now in the Year of Faith.  We need to continue to deepen our understanding of the Faith and especially our public practice of the Faith so as to be a clear witness in a world that is all but deaf to it.  We live in a culture and nation that often denies the Truth of Eternity and that fails to show respect for the Dignity of the Human Person at ever stage of life.  It is our duty to live as a sign to the world that the Gospel is true.

As we live out the Year of Faith, I want to offer three suggestions about our agenda for the year: 

• First, we need to devote some attention together to Stewardship in our Parish.  Every individual and every family has something to contribute to the community.  Are you aware of your contribution in the Life of the Spirit? 
• Second, we have been invited by the Church of our time to enter into a New Evangelization.  Our lives must lead others to Jesus.  How does this impact how you set your priorities?      
• Third, our families need to be one in the practice of the Faith.  Does your family witness as a family that you believe in Christ and His Church?

Stewardship, the New Evangelization, and Family Prayer are our priorities as a Parish Community this year.  How will you choose to participate in our efforts to address these and to make them your own?

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

God forms his people Israel    62 After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Savior.   (Cf. Dei Verbum 3.)

63 Israel is the priestly people of God, “called by the name of the LORD,” and “the first to hear the word of God,”  (Deuteronomy 28:10; Roman Missal, Good Friday, General Intercession VI; see also Exodus 19:6..) the people of “elder brethren” in the faith of Abraham.

64 Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts.  (Cf. Isaiah 2:2-4; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 10:16.) The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations.  (Cf. Ezekiel 36; Isaiah 49:5-6; 53:11.) Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith, and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel’s salvation. The purest figure among them is Mary.  (Cf. Zephaniah 2:3; Luke 1:38.)

Comment:  God’s action among the People of Israel is a paradigm for His action among all human beings.  He has a plan for the whole of humanity.  This plan starts with individuals, then families and tribes, then one nation, one people, then all nations and peoples.  How do you and your family respond to the promise of salvation?

 

A Survey of Spiritual Needs: A Lenten Opportunity

What helps you to know God’s love in your life?

What helps you grow in relationship with God and others?

Please share your thoughts with us by participating in an exciting survey opportunity. This survey is being shared with Catholics throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. It is available in both English and Spanish, and will take less than 15 minutes to complete. Your responses will be anonymous, however, you will be given the opportunity to share your response to one question on the survey, as a way of helping others learn from, and be inspired by, your experience. Through your participation, our parish and parish leaders everywhere will learn about what helps us all to grow closer to God with faith that shapes our daily lives.

St. Timothy Church will participate in the survey from Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013, until March 19, 2013, the Feast of Saint Joseph.  Please offer your own input by going to this web address:  www.surveymonkey.com/s/spiritualneeds.  Be sure to identify St. Timothy Church, Columbus, as your parish.

 

Lenten Regulations – Lent arrives this week!

 

Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent by all Catholics of the age of 14 years and older. Fasting is observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics 18-59 years of age. Those bound by this rule may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted as necessary to maintain strength according to one’s needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.

“Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Christ and be fed by His saving word. Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God.”---Pope Benedict XVI (Message for Lent 2009)

Masses for Ash Wednesday will be at 9 a.m. (the School Mass) and 6 p.m.  Distribution of Ashes will take place during Mass.

An invitation to Prayer: A Monthly Holy Hour

Beginning on February 17, 7-8 pm the Knights of Columbus and GIFT are sponsoring a monthly Holy Hour, 7-8 pm. Evening Prayer will be recited as group with brief readings and meditation. Benediction will conclude the Hour. The Bishop has asked us to voluntarily commit to praying a Holy Hour once a month during this Year of Faith. Please make the commitment to personally join us and invite others to come with you. Between 6-7 p.m. a hot dish and drinks will be available for those wishing to come early and share in hospitality before the Holy Hour. All members of the parish are invited and all are welcome.

“Your faith will help you realize that it is Jesus Himself Who is present in the Blessed Sacrament, waiting for you and calling you to spend one special specific hour with Him each week.” -- Blessed Pope John Paul II

An invitation to Almsgiving:  40 Cans for Lent

Knights of Columbus council 14345 will be sponsoring a food drive to benefit the St. James the Less food pantry. “40 cans for Lent'” will assist the St. Vincent de Paul societies of St. Timothy's and St. James' in their mission to the poor. We ask each parish family to consider a Lenten sacrifice of one can per family per day of Lent. The food pantry currently has need of hearty soups, (and although not techically in a can) peanut butter, and macaroni and cheese. If a family prefers to make a cash donation rather than canned goods you may place an envelope marked 'food pantry' in the collection basket.

The St. Timothy Community United in Prayer

On the Feast of St. Timothy, each year, members of the St. Timothy community – Church and School – are invited to join together to pray for a particular intention.  Our intention for this year is: 

We pray that St. Timothy Families learn to practice the Faith together by praying for the needs of the world together. 

Each family is invited also to consider a family intention and to pray for that intention through the year and to bring it with them in their prayer at Mass every Sunday.

 

 

A Word from Your Pastor February 3

Dear Parishioners:

Once again we welcome Bishop Frederick F. Campbell to St. Timothy Church this weekend for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Our 8^th Grade Class has been working to prepare themselves to receive this Sacrament and the Gift of the Holy Spirit and we are proud of them for taking this step in life with God and His Church.   This Sacrament offers a source of grace for the whole parish community.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Rite of Confirmation:

1299 In the Roman Rite the bishop extends his hands over the whole group of the confirmands. Since the time of the apostles this gesture has signified the gift of the Spirit. The bishop invokes the outpouring of the Spirit in these words:

 

All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by water and the Holy Spirit
you freed your sons and daughters from sin
and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them
to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of right judgment and courage,
the spirit of knowledge and reverence.
Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

1320 The essential rite of Confirmation is anointing the forehead of the baptized with sacred chrism (in the East other sense-organs as well), together with the laying on of the minister’s hand and the words: “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit” in the Roman rite, or: “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” in the Byzantine rite.

 

This Sacrament serves to strengthen Faith and to enable us to serve as a witness of the Gospel.  When we respond to the Gift of the Spirit and put to use the Spirit’s Gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord, we open our world ever more to the Kingdom of God.  May all of us be truly faithful to the Spirit Who dwells within us!

 

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

God chooses Abraham            59 In order to gather together scattered humanity God calls Abram from his country, his kindred, and his father’s house,  (Genesis 12:1.) and makes him Abraham, that is, “the father of a multitude of nations.” “In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”  (Genesis 17:5; 12:3 (LXX); cf. Galatians  3:8.)
60 The people descended from Abraham would be the trustees of the promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the Church.  (Cf. Romans 11:28; John 11:52; 10:16.) They would be the root onto which the Gentiles would be grafted, once they came to believe.  (Cf. Romans 11:17-18, 24.)
61 The patriarchs, prophets, and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church’s liturgical traditions.

Comment:  Abraham represents three peoples in the world today:  Jews, Christians and Moslems.  Our hope of finding a way to peace and cooperation is that we have the same Father in Faith.  How does this awareness influence your approach to the conflicts present in the world today?

The Catechism offers a summary concerning the Sacrament of Confirmation that our 8^th Graders are receiving today:

 

IN BRIEF

1315 “Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17).

1316 Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds.

1317 Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian’s soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one’s life.

1318 In the East this sacrament is administered immediately after Baptism and is followed by participation in the Eucharist; this tradition highlights the unity of the three sacraments of Christian initiation. In the Latin Church this sacrament is administered when the age of reason has been reached, and its celebration is ordinarily reserved to the bishop, thus signifying that this sacrament strengthens the ecclesial bond.

1319 A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs.

1320 The essential rite of Confirmation is anointing the forehead of the baptized with sacred chrism (in the East other sense-organs as well), together with the laying on of the minister’s hand and the words: “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”  in the Roman rite, or: “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” in the Byzantine rite.

This Week in Our History:  February 3-10

Note:  This project was started in February 2012; with this week’s edition, we have now completed a full year of review of our past 50 years. 

Special Thanks to Mary Ballantyne, who has studied our bulletins of the past years and brought the history forward for us to celebrate.  Thanks too to all who have lived this history who are still among us.  Let’s commit to a bright future built on glorious past!

1963:   After discussion with the Bishop it has been decided to postpone the formal blessing and dedication of the church until May 12^th.  This will give us more time to prepare the building and also to do some work on the exterior.  The Bishop has given permission to use the church as soon as it is ready, which we hope to be the 3^rd of March.

Tonight is the monthly Men’s Club meeting in the Parish Hall.  Outstanding program for the evening includes a short business meeting and a long social hour.                                                             

1965:   There have been some inquiries why we don’t publish the names of newly baptized babies.  With this issue of the bulletin we will, if there is room; last Sunday there were five babies from the parish baptized, almost like a new Pentecost.  Congratulations to – Mr. & Mrs. Michael Dorrian, son Joseph; Mr. & Mrs. Lyle Hamilton, son Stephen; Mr. & Mrs. Jon Hogenkamp, son James; Mr. & Mrs. Frank Mangini, son Scott; Mr. & Mrs. John Schafer, daughter Susan

Sargent Shriver will speak on the Peace Corps at 4:00 pm Monday in the Ohio Union, Ohio State Campus

1967:   Liturgical Note:  You are asked to sit, stand and kneel during Mass without being directed to do so by the commentator.  If there is considerable delay, the commentator may remind you by a gesture.

This Sunday is Catholic Times Sunday:  All are asked to renew their subscription to the Catholic Times…This is the only Catholic publication you are asked to buy.  The Catholic Times is necessary to keep abreast of religious news in the world and in our own diocese.  Our Most Reverend Bishop wants this wonderful Catholic press in your home for your reading.  We glut our mailboxes with numerous secular publications; surely we could allow one Catholic printing in our homes.

1969:   Dennis and Ann Kelly, members of this parish, are working for PAVLA (Papal Volunteers) in Lima, Peru, teaching and making their contribution to PAVLA.  Anyone wishing to help them can make a contribution to St. Timothy and we will send it to them through the Diocesan Propagation of the Faith office.

Lenten “Discuss In” – During the past several years, a great many Catholics have begun to feel like strangers in their own home.  The unchanging church in which we built our beliefs and values has been creating as many headlines as party politics.  The concern and anguish of many Catholics is very real.  Gain more understanding this Lent by joining a “Discuss In” here at St. Timothy’s on Sunday morning during Lent.

1974:   CCD:  Congratulations to the many who have attended regularly and are taking an active part in the program.  To those whose attendance fluctuates: we cannot be expected to provide an adequate religious education program in our parish without your consistent cooperation.  Please join us each Sunday morning.

1976:   St. Timothy Women’s Club will be getting together regularly for an old fashioned “Quilting Bee” - - timely in this bicentennial year.  Hopefully, the quilt will be finished in time for auction at the festival.

1977:   Pledge Drive Report:  Bad news!!...As a result of the pledge drive (which was disappointing), the planned decorating of the Church has been postponed and the Board of Education will be asked to re-evaluate their recommendation of December that the school will continue next year as is.

Women’s Retreat at the Shrine Center for Renewal, Feb. 25-27.   Fr. Thomas Shonebarger will be the retreat master.  Call Lea Guarasci.

1980:   From the Pastor’s Desk

I’m very proud of the people of St. Timothy Parish.  You should feel the same pride about being part of the parish.  In the last two years, you have gotten the parish back on a good financial footing, the school is practically at full enrollment, we have a new organ, the church has been painted and the sanctuary remodeled.  The choir is singing beautiful, and there seems to be a great spirit of cooperation.  God has blessed us.

Those things are chiefly external matters, but I believe they reflect the faith which is in your hearts.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to be your pastor.

1982:   We ask your prayers for Mary Edgington, a member of our parish who died and was buried from the parish church this past week.  May she rest in peace.

1990:   Please remember in your prayers Jack Stock who died this past week.

1993:   Sale of the parish bus, a motion before Parish Council, will be voted on in the February meeting.  Poor reliability, upkeep and insurance costs, and lack of drivers is the rationale…Parish Council wishes to advise parishioners of this motion.

1997:   We welcome Fr. Joseph Jerebeck who has come to live and work with us at St. Timothy.  Father is retired but in good health and will be doing many Pastoral activities for our Parish.

1998:    Thanks to a generous bequest of Judy Besst, the Men’s Club will purchase varsity volleyball and softball equipment.

2006:   Update on Fr. Tom Shonebarger

Fr. Tom is convalescing comfortably at Mohun Health Care Center.  He is scheduled for dialysis Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and is able to hold conversation with his family.   The family appreciates your prayers and concern but still suggests no visitation at this point.

2007:    From the Pastor’s Desk

Marion Smithberger from St. Peter Parish, who is preparing for ordination as a permanent deacon, will be joining our staff to serve as an intern.  I’ll be meeting with him and his wife Carol later this week to discuss his areas of involvement.  He is very excited about working with us; and I am very excited that the diocese chose to send him here as part of his training.

2008:   Remember in your prayers, Margaret Flesher and Rita Burk, who died this past week.  May they rest in peace.

2010:   A Word from Your Pastor

For the next 10 days I will be journeying in the Holy Land, with a group of 40 or so pilgrims, led by Mary’s Pilgrim’s, with Judy and Larry Lorms as our guides.  Several members of the parish will be part of the journey.  I invite you to keep all of us in your prayers…Know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers throughout the journey.

2011:   A Word from Your Pastor

…Members of the parish are meeting monthly for a webinar to learn about Stewardship, the response to God’s generosity and the call to share who we are and all we are with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.  The Spring Gala Dinner/Auction is being organized. Festival teams are being set in motion.  Alumni are working to form a network of connection with friends through the years.  And, plans for our Golden Jubilee in November are beginning to take shape.

The Rosary Prayer Garden will add a wonderful spiritual atmosphere outside the church.  The idea of an outdoor path in the woods with Stations of the Cross has been mentioned even as our Scouts make it passable.

What are your thoughts about our community life?  How are you and your family involved in things that build you up spiritually?

 

The Year of Prayer:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful.

--And kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.

--And You will renew the face of the earth