Dear Parishioners:
As Pastor and People, we have now
been together for seven years. The
Festival we experience this weekend has been my 8th with you, since
my first weekend in St. Timothy Parish was a Festival weekend in 2008. As always, I am amazed by two things: how
many folks come together to pull it off and how quickly evidence that every
free space on our property was filled with activity is cleared away. The Sunday following the Festival is so quiet
after the chaos of the half week before it opens! Our Festival is a season opener in our
neighborhood. Each year, numerous
individuals and groups gear up for this event, in our Parish and School and
beyond. Our hope is that it all serves
to bring us together so we can share the spirit of St. Timothy Church with
many. Thanks to all who have made the
St. Timothy Parish Festival the wonder it is.
This year, we are pleased that the St.
Timothy Women’s Club chose to host a “Welcome Table” in the vestibule of the
church. It is clear that a major theme
of the year to come is for us to work together to respond to our call to be a
Community of Welcome. Those who visit
are invited to join. Those among us who
have not yet felt welcome for whatever reason are invited to teach us how to be
more welcoming and to hear their voice.
Those who have experienced a sense of welcome are invited to deepen that
experience and to be ministers of hospitality and welcome for everyone who is
part of our life.
Pope Francis continually urges us to
go “to the peripheries,” to move beyond our comfort zone in order to be the disciples
of the Lord that we are as members of the Catholic Church. This does not mean only that we “go out” beyond
the doors of the church, but also that we open our eyes and hearts to see what
is right in front of us and to hear the cry of those who are with us but feel
left out. Can we learn to see with new
eyes and to hear with a greater compassion?
At our last Parish
Council Meeting, we discussed Proposed Agenda for 2015-2016:
- Deepening a response to the
call to be a Welcoming Parish:
the Weekend experience.
- Preparation for the visit of
Pope Francis to the
- Amazing Parish efforts –
including exploration of the Alpha
Program and common study of materials concerning discipleship at the
parish level. (Misc. programs and groups: That Man IsYou, Music Ministry,
Bereavement Team, Marriage Enrichment).
- Maintenance needs of the
Church and
Each of these efforts
will help us to grow in our acknowledgement of our responsibility to God, to
His Church and to the world. How will
you choose to be more responsive to the call to discipleship and welcome?
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