Consecration to the Sacred Heart and Consecration to Jesus Christ the King, Our Good Shepherd

Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

by Pope Leo XIII (Annum Sacrum, May 1899)

 

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before You. We are Yours, and Yours we wish to be. But, to be more surely united with You, behold, each of us freely consecrates himself or herself today to Your Most Sacred Heart.

Many, indeed, have never known You. Many, too, despising Your precepts, have rejected You. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Your Sacred Heart.

Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken You, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned You. Grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house.

Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd. 

Grant, O Lord, to Your Church, assurance of freedom and immunity from harm. Give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: "Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation--to it be glory and honor forever!" Amen.

Consecration of St. Timothy Church to Christ the King, our Good Shepherd

As we conclude this Year of Faith, Lord Jesus, we consecrate to You all the members of St. Timothy Church, all our families, and all those we love. 
We give thanks for the fidelity of those who have gone before us in the ways of Faith, as we have walked together as a parish across half a century, and now we commit ourselves and all we have and are to continue in the journey of Faith that lies ahead of us, until that Day when You come in glory with salvation for all Your People.  We claim You as our Lord and King, and as the Savior for each one of us and for all who freely respond to the grace of Your Spirit.  We hear Your voice and acknowledge You as our Good Shepherd, and we choose to follow you as You lead us home to Your Kingdom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Claim us anew as Your Flock and form us as Your disciples, teaching us how to draw others into Your Kingdom.  We make our prayer in Your Name, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.  Amen.

A Word from Your Pastor - November 24

Dear Parishioners:

With the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the Year of Faith reaches its culmination.  We have lived an entire year and more looking at the gift of our Catholic Faith and hearing the invitation to respond to the Lord’s Call.  What will remain after this year?  It is up to each individual and each family to ensure that the efforts of the past year bear fruit in action.

As a parish, we have had many initiatives that assist us to grow in Faith.  Not the least of these has been the reading of a portion of the Catechism of the Catholic Church at each weekend Mass throughout the year.  The commentators have led us in a journey through 184 points on our Faith, 55 pages of 299 on the Creed.  The small Catechism we have in our pews has 756 total pages including 2865 points, covering the Creed, the Sacraments, the Moral Life and the Life of Prayer.  So all of us have a long way to go before we can say we have covered all the most important points of our Faith.  We have made a good beginning.  The final points offered this weekend are a summary “in brief” of what it means to respond to God in Faith.

Now is the time for every member of our parish and each family to consider how to continue to grow in Faith.  Men, will you commit to be leaders in your family and in the wider community, showing us how to be brave and bold in our proclamation of Faith?  Women, will you commit to share your heart with the Lord and and teach us how to Love as God loves?  Children, will you continue to share with us your zeal and enthusiasm for Life and to lead us to a confident Hope in God’s Mercy?  Can we all agree to keep growing together in our commitment to Jesus Christ as the King of the Universe, as our Universal Lord and Savior?

Have a look at one parishioner’s journey with the New Evangelization Club from the Josephinum who are visiting the neighborhoods of our parish included as “A Word from the Flock” in this week’s bulletin.  Consider who is waiting to hear your personal invitation to Faith.

This weekend, we have our Ministry Fair, where the various groups active in our Parish and School invite us all to participate.  Please take the opportunity to respond to the call of your brothers and sisters as they work to build up the Kingdom.

Let each soul stand before the Lord and renew the commitment to live as a disciple.  Choose to stand with the Church, in union with Pope Francis and all who lead us along the path of Truth.  Respond to the call to share Faith with those who have wandered away and those who have never come to know Jesus as He truly Is, the King of the Universe and Savior Who offers all the Kingdom God has prepared for us since the foundation of the world.

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

We conclude our journey through the Year of Faith of Faith with the Masses of this weekend.  We will not be reading through the Catechism as we have, but from time to time will continue to offer some matters for reflection that will allow us to deepen our understanding of the Faith.

CHAPTER THREE: MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD 

ARTICLE 2   WE BELIEVE                        IN BRIEF

176 Faith is a personal adherence of the whole man to God who reveals himself. It involves an assent of the intellect and will to the self-revelation God has made through his deeds and words.

177 “To believe” has thus a twofold reference: to the person and to the truth: to the truth, by trust in the person who bears witness to it.

178 We must believe in no one but God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

179 Faith is a supernatural gift from God. In order to believe, man needs the interior helps of the Holy Spirit.

180 “Believing” is a human act, conscious and free, corresponding to the dignity of the human person.

181 “Believing” is an ecclesial act. The Church’s faith precedes, engenders, supports, and nourishes our faith. The Church is the mother of all believers. “No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother” (St. Cyprian, De unit. 6: PL 4, 519).

182 We believe all “that which is contained in the word of God, written or handed down, and which the Church proposes for belief as divinely revealed” (Paul VI, CPG, § 20).

183 Faith is necessary for salvation. The Lord himself affirms: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:16).

184 “Faith is a foretaste of the knowledge that will make us blessed in the life to come” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Comp. theol. 1, 2).

Comment:  As we close the Year of Faith, we invite you to continue to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church for yourself.  As a souvenir of the year, each family is welcome to take a copy of the Catechism and a Bible from the church pews after Mass.  It is time to renew these for use in the church, so you and your family can make use of one that has been read by your fellow parishioners through the years. 

Focolare Word of Life for November 2013: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32)

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

 

 

The New Evangelization at St. Timothy Parish

Our Seminarian interns, Stephen Vaccaro and Alex Pacelli, are making the rounds of parish groups to share their mission for the year at St. Timothy Church.  They have visited with the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Youth Group and with the Home and School association.  They have now had two Door-to-door missions with Seminarians of the PCJ New Evangelization Club and members of our Parish this year.  Two more will be planned in the Spring semester.

Upcoming events including the Seminarian interns for the first semester are as follows: 

Nov. 24th - Youth Group

Dec. 5th - Planning day at the parish

Anyone who wants to tag along or participate in some way can contact Stephen Vaccaro at smv4h@virginia.edu. The hope/plan is to create our own Evangelization Club to learn about the process of evangelization and to create opportunities for members of our parish to respond to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization – new in its ardor and new in its methods.

A Word from Your Pastor - November 17

Dear Parishioners:

Last weekend, once again, we had the experience in our parish of a “double-header” of Grace.  Our Second Graders and their families came to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  The little ones receive two Sacraments for the first time this year – Reconciliation and Holy Communion.  They are being invited to a life that includes commitment and renewal in preparation to the wonderful gift of Eternal Life.  The Sacraments are a foretaste of the glory God has in store for us.

The second Grace was the continuation of the New Evangelization Team’s project of visiting each household within our parish boundaries.  We had our Seminarian interns and their friends and a few parishioners participating in the effort this time.  Of special note were parishioners in church praying for the teams as they went out and the work of our Youth Group to supply lunches for the Evangelizers.  The hope is that many more will hear the call to take the Gospel to the neighborhood in a personal and practical way.

God is inviting us to live the Gospel now.  Our life is meant to be a Sacramental life, that is, a life that includes experiences of the Sacraments and a life that serves to make God known to others.  We are chosen by God to let others know that He chooses them too.

The promise of Eternity holds out before us a challenge that stretches us beyond our comfort zone into a living relationship with God.  A commitment is required of us: we must believe with our whole person, body, mind and spirit, heart and soul.  A willingness to die for the Faith and to live for it in a world that rejects God is also asked of us.

The greatest challenge is the charge to share the Faith in such a way that our children become believers through our words and our example.  Actions and witness speak louder than the words.  To say “I believe” is necessary.  But our Faith means nothing to anyone unless we live it with a heart that is fully engaged.

This past week, both Fr. Bill and I were away for a Retreat.  This is a special time of grace where we can spend time with the Lord and with our brother priests to renew our own priestly commitment.  Have you ever taken the opportunity to experience a Retreat for yourself?  Perhaps the Lord is calling you to deepen your relationship with Him by such a time of grace.  As you make plans for your holidays and for the new year ahead of us, why not consider a vacation spent with the Lord?

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.

CHAPTER THREE    MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 2          WE BELIEVE      III. Only One Faith

172 Through the centuries, in so many languages, cultures, peoples, and nations, the Church has constantly confessed this one faith, received from the one Lord, transmitted by one Baptism, and grounded in the conviction that all people have only one God and Father.  (Cf. Ephesians 4:4-6.) St. Irenaeus of Lyons, a witness of this faith, declared:

173 “Indeed, the Church, though scattered throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, having received the faith from the apostles and their disciples... guards [this preaching and faith] with care, as dwelling in but a single house, and similarly believes as if having but one soul and a single heart, and preaches, teaches, and hands on this faith with a unanimous voice, as if possessing only one mouth.” (St. Irenaeus 1, 10, 1-2.)

174 “For though languages differ throughout the world, the content of the Tradition is one and the same. The Churches established in Germany have no other faith or Tradition, nor do those of the Iberians, nor those of the Celts, nor those of the East, of Egypt, of Libya, nor those established at the center of the world....”  (St. Irenaeus 1, 10, 1-2.) The Church’s message “is true and solid, in which one and the same way of salvation appears throughout the whole world.” (St. Irenaeus 5, 20, 1.)

175 “We guard with care the faith that we have received from the Church, for without ceasing, under the action of God’s Spirit, this deposit of great price, as if in an excellent vessel, is constantly being renewed and causes the very vessel that contains it to be renewed.” (St. Irenaeus 3, 24, 1.)

Comment:  Faith forms us as a family that transcends all the differences among us in language, culture, way of life and age.  We are made one with each other by the grace of God.  Faith informs culture and it must be cultivated.  How does your family promote a culture of Faith in your home? 

Focolare Word of Life for November 2013: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32)

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

The New Evangelization at St. Timothy Parish

 

New Evangelization Team November 9th

Our Seminarian interns, Stephen Vaccaro and Alex Pacelli, are making the rounds of parish groups to share their mission for the year at St. Timothy Church.  They have visited with the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Youth Group and with the Home and School association.  They have now had two Door-to-door missions with Seminarians of the PCJ New Evangelization Club and members of our Parish this year.  Two more will be planned in the Spring semester.

 

We thank all of you who participated last weekend in any way, and especially the families who welcomed the Seminarians into their homes when they came to visit.  They were very excited upon their return.

Remaining events including the Seminarian interns for the first semester are as follows: 

Nov. 17th - Youth Group

Nov. 24th - Youth Group
Dec. 5th - Planning day at the parish

Anyone who wants to tag along or participate in some way can contact Stephen Vaccaro at smv4h@virginia.edu. The hope/plan is to create our own Evangelization Club to learn about the process of evangelization and to create opportunities for members of our parish to respond to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization – new in its ardor and new in its methods.

A Word from Your Pastor - November 10

Dear Parishioners:

 

This week, our children’s School Mass included a Memorial Celebration for Alba Coletta, who is related to the Guarasci family in our parish.  A number of family members chose to have their celebration of their favorite aunt with our usual children’s Mass.  It proved to be a wonderful encounter with the Communion of Saints.  Alba’s Italian heritage and her zest for life were a great starting point for a recollection of the meaning of the recent observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day and the call to Evangelization that the Church is receiving in our time.

 

One of the nephews spoke about his aunt Alba and a motto she had for her life, which came from a song by Guy Lombardo: “Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later than You Think.”

 

You work and work for years and years, you're always on the go
You never take a minute off, too busy makin' dough
Someday you say, you'll have your fun, when you're a millionaire
Imagine all the fun you'll have in your old rockin' chair

 

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink
The years go by, as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

 

You're gonna take that ocean trip, no matter come what may
You've got your reservations made, but you just can't get away
Next year for sure, you'll see the world, you'll really get around
But how far can you travel when you're six feet underground?

 

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink
The years go by, as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

 

God has entrusted us to one another.  We are called to see every other human being as brother or sister, invited to be one with us on our journey to the Kingdom.  We are called to go deeper with one another in sharing our Faith and the delights of this world that open us to an understanding of the Kingdom.  We are called to spread the Word of God by our lives, and to share the invitation to the Kingdom with everyone we encounter – especially those who have wandered away from us and those who have never heard about Jesus in a way they can truly understand.  The message of Guy Lombardo’s song is that we need to pay attention to the present moment and to respond to what is right in front of us.

 

This weekend, some of our parishioners have participated in the New Evangelization in a practical way, working with our Seminarian Interns to take the Gospel to the streets of our neighborhood.  Like the disciples of old, they go out two-by-two to speak about the Kingdom and the call of Jesus.  How are you sharing in this venture?  Are you truly enjoying yourself and working for something that will last?

 

 

 

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.

 

CHAPTER THREE    MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 2          WE BELIEVE      II. The Language of Faith

170 We do not believe in formulas, but in those realities they express, which faith allows us to touch. “The believer’s act [of faith] does not terminate in the propositions, but in the realities [which they express].”  (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, 1, 2, ad 2.) All the same, we do approach these realities with the help of formulations of the faith which permit us to express the faith and to hand it on, to celebrate it in community, to assimilate and live on it more and more.

171 The Church, “the pillar and bulwark of the truth,” faithfully guards “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” She guards the memory of Christ’s words; it is she who from generation to generation hands on the apostles’ confession of faith.  (1 Timothy 3:15; Jude 3.) As a mother who teaches her children to speak and so to understand and communicate, the Church our Mother teaches us the language of faith in order to introduce us to the understanding and the life of faith.

Comment:  As human beings, we need to have an understanding of what we believe.  For this reason, our Faith is expressed in formulas and propositions, statements that have a clear and precise meaning.  Our Faith in not in these statements themselves, but rather in what they point to, the realities that are communicated to us through Revelation.  We put our trust in God and in His Church and we believe what we have been taught.  Are you conscious of your own act of Faith?  What gives you confidence that you will hold to the truth of Faith?

 

Focolare Word of Life for November 2013: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32)

 

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

The New Evangelization at St. Timothy Parish

Our Seminarian interns, Stephen Vaccaro and Alex Pacelli, are making the rounds of parish groups to share their mission for the year at St. Timothy Church.  They have visited with the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Youth Group and with the Home and School association.  Saturday October 12th  and Saturday November 9th the Door-to-door missions with Seminarians of the PCJ New Evangelization Club  and St. Timothy Parishioners took place in the neighborhoods near the church.  Two other dates will be set for the Spring semester of 2014.

Upcoming events including the Seminarian interns for the first semester are as follows: 

Nov. 14th – School Visit

Nov. 17th - Youth Group
Nov. 24th - Youth Group
Dec. 5th - Planning day at the parish

Anyone who wants to tag along or participate in some way can contact Stephen Vaccaro at smv4h@virginia.edu. The hope/plan is to create our own Evangelization Club to learn about the process of evangelization and to create opportunities for members of our parish to respond to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization – new in its ardor and new in its methods.

 

A Word from Your Pastor - November 3

Dear Parishioners:

In every age, the Church needs to renew her witness of the Gospel.  This weekend, the seminarian interns assigned to us from the Josephinum are sharing information about their work with the New Evangelization.  The Seminary has invited us to collaborate with them by taking the Gospel door-to-door, giving the Church a personal face to those who live in our neighborhood.  Many who live nearby may know that we are here, but they do not know us personally or much about us.  This intentional effort to reach out is in response to the Church’s call in the present era, especially highlighted by Pope Francis, to “go to the outskirts,” that is, to address ourselves to the marginalized.

Every family has members who have little to no contact with the Church.  Many families that have had long and faithful histories of connection to their parish community watch the younger generations drift away.  Sometimes, this happens due to the negative witness of members of the Church, and for this we must repent and change our ways.  More often, it occurs simple due to neglect.  Now is the time to invite a new look at what the Church has to offer.  Our witness is to Jesus Christ.

God knows us and He has established a Church that meets our needs.  God destines us to share in the very Life of the Trinity and the Church is meant to be a Communion of Love, a Community of Believers united as one in mind and heart.  God’s call and invitation have gone out.  Our response personally and practically is needed for His plan for us to unfold.

The life of the Church, through the Sacraments, brings us to a right relationship with God and gives us a taste of the glory God has in store for us.

This past week, we have recalled our part in the Communion of Saints.  With the Feast of All Saints, we set our sights on our brothers and sisters who have been admitted into the Kingdom and who pray for us, spurring us on to Victory in Christ.  All Souls Day brought to mind all our beloved dead who are in need of the touch of God’s Mercy in order to enter the Kingdom.  Our own role as the Church on the March is in view as we worship God and as we seek to invite others into a living relationship with Him. 

Who is awaiting your invitation to share the life of the Saints?

 

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.

CHAPTER THREE    MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 2        WE BELIEVE

I. “Lord, Look upon the Faith of Your Church”

168 It is the Church that believes first, and so bears, nourishes, and sustains my faith. Everywhere, it is the Church that first confesses the Lord: “Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you.” as we sing in the hymn “Te Deum”; with her and in her, we are won over and brought to confess: “I believe,” “We believe.” It is through the Church that we receive faith and new life in Christ by Baptism. In the Rituale Romanum, the minister of Baptism asks the catechumen: “What do you ask of God’s Church?” And the answer is: “Faith.” “What does faith offer you?” “Eternal life.” (Roman Ritual, Rite of baptism of adults)

169 Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother: “We believe the Church as the mother of our new birth, and not in the Church as if she were the author of our salvation.”  (Faustus of Riez, De Spiritu Sancto 1, 2.) Because she is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith.

Comment:  Some try to create a false dichotomy between Faith in Jesus and Faith in the Church.  In truth, we cannot say we believe in Jesus if we do not accept His teaching in and through His Church.  The Scriptures reveal the Church as Christ’s own and her members are members of Christ because they are members of His Church.  How do you respond to the awareness that you belong to Christ in and through the Church?

Focolare Word of Life for November 2013: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32)

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

 

The New Evangelization at St. Timothy Parish

Our Seminarian interns, Stephen Vaccaro and Alex Pacelli, are making the rounds of parish groups to share their mission for the year at St. Timothy Church.  They have visited with the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Youth Group, the Home and School association, and the Men’s Club.  Saturday October 12th was the first Door-to-door mission with Seminarians of the PCJ New Evangelization Club for this year.

Upcoming events including the Seminarian interns for the first semester are as follows: 

This weekend the seminarians are speaking at the Masses of Sunday morning to promote the November 9th Mission and to invite parishioners of St. Timothy Church to take part.

Nov. 8th - Meeting to teach parishioners about going door-to-door

Nov. 9th - Door-to-door mission

Nov. 14th – School Visit

Nov. 17th - Youth Group

Nov. 24th - Youth Group

Dec. 5th - Planning day at the parish

Anyone who wants to tag along or participate in some way can contact Stephen Vaccaro at smv4h@virginia.edu. The hope/plan is to create our own Evangelization Club to learn about the process of evangelization and to create opportunities for members of our parish to respond to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization – new in its ardor and new in its methods.