A Word from Your Pastor - February 15

Dear Parishioners:

Lent is coming!  This Wednesday, we will enter into a time of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.  It is meant to be a time of opening our hearts more and more to God’s grace so that we surrender to His action in our lives.

I invite you to decide to live the best Lent ever this year.  Choose as an individual and as a family to center all your activities on your relationship with Jesus. 

Pray.  Pick up the Rosary.  Do a Divine Mercy Chaplet.  Read the Bible.  Memorize prayers of your favorite Saint.  Attend Stations of the Cross with your family.  Spend time on Wednesday for Adoration.  Go to a daily Mass once a week as well as Sunday Mass.

Fast.  Go ahead and give up chocolate or some other favorite food this year.  Turn off the television or your favorite gadget.  Change how you respond to daily frustrations.  Open your mind and heart to a different way of thinking.

Give Alms.  Increase your stewardship for the Season of Lent.  Pick a new charity that needs your support.  Spend time with someone who would be lifted up by your presence.  Give of yourself in a way that costs you personally.

Ask the Lord to make known to you how to live this Lent.

Catholic Lenten Regulations

1) Abstinence on all the Fridays of Lent, and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

• No meat may be eaten on days of abstinence.
• Catholics 14 years and older are bound to abstain from meat. Invalids, pregnant and nursing mothers are exempt.

2) Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

• Fasting means having only one full meal to maintain one's strength. Two smaller, meatless and penitential meals are permitted according to one's needs, but they should not together equal the one full meal. Eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.
• Catholics from age 18 through age 59 are bound to fast. Again, invalids, pregnant and nursing mothers are exempt.

A Word from Your Pastor - February 8

Dear Parishioners:

This past week I was present at the deathbed of Msgr. Thomas Bender, a priest of the Diocese of Columbus.  He had asked me to serve as his Power of Attorney and other roles in case of need.  He was the last Pastor I had as Associate Pastor, when I served at St. Joan of Arc Parish 1993-1995.  He was a gentle soul, a loving shepherd of his flock.  He helped me in my priesthood to see Parish as a Family.  It was truly a privilege to accompany him in this final journey.  May he rest in peace and may the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.  His funeral Mass will take place Wednesday, February 11, and I have been asked to preach the homily.  Please keep me in your prayers as I take up this responsibility.

Being present to “Father Tom” and being able to offer him the Sacramental touches that the Church supplies in preparation for death brought home to me several things.  First, the Catholic Church has something to offer that really does serve to “take us home” to God.  The prayers and the Sacraments are strength and consolation for those who receive them and for those who have the privilege to administer them.  Second, all the other matters that cause us distress in Time truly fade into the background when we keep Eternity in mind.  Third, the Lord is truly faithful to those who love Him.

A number of families in our parish are experiencing similar moments in the lives of loved ones.  Many have lost members of their families and some are now facing illnesses that will soon call them to the Kingdom.  We are invited to put our trust in the Good Shepherd Who will lead us to green pastures, both in Time and in Eternity.  We keep these members in our prayers and ask them to carry awareness of our needs to God as they go forth from this life.

If you have family members in need of the Sacraments, please let us know.  Anointing of the Sick is available at any time for those facing a serious illness, surgery, or the burdens of age.  The Last Anointing includes special prayers and an opportunity to renew Baptismal Vows.  Reconciliation as death approaches includes Absolution with the Apostolic Pardon, a special blessing at the end of life.  The formal “Last Rite” is the final reception of Eucharist, called Viaticum, “Food for the journey.”  Often priests offer those approaching death “the triple-A treatment”: Absolution, Apostolic Pardon and Anointing.

Don’t miss out on everything that the Church has to offer.  Catholics are truly blessed to know the love of the Good Shepherd so personally through these consoling Sacraments.  Every Mass we attend and every Hail Mary we pray throughout our lives is present in the hour of our death.

This Sunday, we welcome Bishop Campbell for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  May the Holy Spirit guide our newly confirmed and their families to live the Catholic Faith fully, as disciples of the Good Shepherd.  May their lives be a sign of the Joy of the Gospel and a witness to all of the truth of our Faith.

A Word from Your Pastor - February 1

A Word from Your Pastor

Dear Parishioners:

This week, I have just one short message, which was presented at the Parish Council Meeting this past week:

  “In the simplest terms possible, I have to say
 that I believe Jesus, the Good Shepherd,
is asking me as your Pastor to lead St. Timothy Parish
to place Catechesis at the center of our life as Parish and School,
and that the project we are engaged in comes not from me or anyone else
but from the Good Shepherd Himself. The timing is His, not ours.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will develop full plan
in concert with all who are interested in helping.
The Diocese of Columbus has given us approval to seek funding
and to begin to make more concrete plans;
they will guide us along to ensure that the project does not interfere
with all that a parish and a school must accomplish.”

We will plan to have Town Hall Meetings to discuss the plans for developing the St. Timothy Good Shepherd Catechetical Center on Wednesday, February 18, at 7:30 p.m. (following Ash Wednesday Mass) and Tuesday, February 24 at 6:00 p.m. (to be followed by 7 p.m. Mass.  All are invited to participate.

The areas that will need input are:

·        Prayer Team – Prayer Warriors

·        Public Relations, Communication and Announcements in support of building a consensus in the whole community of parish and school

·        Fundraising to cover the cost without interfering with operating funds

·        Reclamation of Space and Planning for Needed Storage

·        Construction and Outfitting of Atriums and other Rooms, developing the concrete project plan

All are invited to participate.  Where do you see yourself?  Who in the community has the skills and vision to address these needs?

Focolare Word of Life for February 2015

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7)

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