A Word from Your Pastor July 30

Dear Parishioners:

By now, you may have heard the news that I will be on Sabbatical beginning next week.  This has been something I have worked toward for nearly a decade, but the timing and possibilities have only now come together.  I have served as Pastor for more than 20 years of my priesthood, starting January 1, 1996, and continuing up to the present day.  In that time of ministry, I have learned much.  The greatest wisdom that has come to me, however, is that I need to keep learning. 

Every assignment I have experienced has served to teach me more about the richness of our Catholic Faith.  I look forward to continuing to learn as I strive to deepen my understanding of the charism of the Focolare Movement and their work on behalf of unity.

I have also discovered new aspects of myself in each situation where I have been sent to serve, as Associate Pastor, high school teacher, Vocations minister, Seminary professor, spiritual director, and Pastor.  The People of God in each place have brought out in me gifts that the Lord planted in my priesthood for our mutual growth in holiness.  This time of Sabbatical will allow me the opportunity to continue to learn and grow as well as to reflect more profoundly on the journey we have had together and what we can accomplish in the future.

The Summer months have been very busy.  As you can imagine, I have been working very diligently behind the scenes to ensure that everything that needed to be set for my time away is arranged – calendars, schedules, etc.  This has been quite a task!  I thank all those who have helped.  If I have missed anything, I know you will get along fine under the leadership of Msgr. Schlegel, who was my second-to-last Pastor in my time as Associate.

Last week, I took the opportunity to spend time learning about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd by taking the first year of training that is offered in the Diocese of Columbus.  As a result of this, I have a better understanding myself of the principles on which this program is based.  No doubt this will help us all to move ahead with our plans to follow the Good Shepherd where He leads us in the years ahead.

A Word from Your Pastor July 23

I am pleased to announce to you that Bishop Campbell has consented to allow me to experience a Sabbatical in order to renew and recharge over the next few months.  Each priest of the Diocese of Columbus is entitled to a time of three months for every ten years of service.  This June, I completed 32 years as a priest and for the first time have arranged for this Sabbatical time. 

Not to worry!  Although I have nine months stored up, I am only taking three of them at this time.  I will be leaving August 7 and will return November 22, just before Thanksgiving, which I always host for my family.  I will be participating in a special “School for Priests” sponsored by the Focolare Movement at Loppiano, a small town outside of Florence, Italy, known as a “Permanent Mariapolis,” one of the Focolare’s “Little Cities.”  

              http://www.focolare.org/en/news/2013/06/08/sacerdoti-quattro-mesi-a-loppiano/

My purpose for choosing this sabbatical is to learn more from the Focolare Movement about the way to practice Unity, so as to fulfill Jesus’ prayer “That all may be One.”  I hope to return to you with new zeal in order to walk with you more intentionally along the path to Unity for our parish and for the world.

The Administrator Pro Tem for this time will be Msgr. George Schlegel, who is known to most of you.  He has assisted on many occasions at St. Timothy.  One of my own experiences as Associate Pastor was with Msgr. Schlegel at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Powell (in 1993).  He has also worked with Fr. Bill Faustner when they were both assigned to St. Paul, Westerville, many years ago.  I am sure that I am leaving the parish in capable hands.

Over the past several months, I have worked to establish the various Fall calendars and schedules and to fill in details so that everything can flow smoothly in my absence.  Msgr. Schlegel is officially retired and he is taking up this responsibility out of the goodness of his heart.  We don’t want to overdo it!  So, I ask you to be sure to give him a warm St. Timothy welcome and to work together to ensure that all goes well.  Wherever there is a need, do offer your assistance.

Please pray for me and the other priests from all over the world who will be part of this experience.  I am very excited about it and thank God for the opportunity.  I will remember you in my prayers and look forward to returning to join you once again at Thanksgiving.

A Word from Your Pastor July 16

Dear Parishioners:

Our Festival on the Green is another proud moment in St. Timothy History.   We offer a thousand thanks to Festival Chair Joe Lorenz, Volunteer Co-ordinator Nicole Powell and to all who joined in as volunteers for the teamwork that brings it all together.  This is truly a “St. Timothy Moment.”  With all the preparation, execution and cleanup of the Festival that go on the week before and the week after the Festival, we have quite an enterprise.  We are truly grateful to all who have a hand in making St. Timothy Strong as a welcoming community.

As we rejoice in the fun that was experience this year and even now begin to prepare for next year (July 13-14, 2018), may we grow ever more in our capacity to draw others into an awareness of the joy of the life of disciples of Jesus Christ.  May we open our eyes and our hearts to discover where the Lord is leading us as a parish family.  All that we do together is meant to flow from our relationship with God in Christ.  We should all be ready to “give the reason for our hope.”

While energy and zeal for Community are fresh, be sure to put on your calendar the Fall Fest that will take place Friday, September 8.  This event for grown-ups will be a time to continue to build the bridges that enable us to work together toward our common goals.  We need one another more than ever.  September 8 is the Solemnity of the Birth of Mary.  May it also be a moment of rebirth for the St. Timothy family, Parish and School, that frees us to discover more and more how to live the Gospel and to follow Jesus as He leads us on the Way.

We also invite all who have shown zeal for the Festival to join us in our second experience of Alpha, which will begin Epiphany Sunday, January 7, 2018, and continue until Palm Sunday, March 25.  The first run this past year was such a community and Faith-building experience that we look forward to deepening its impact in the next year.  Alpha participants have expressed their delight in getting to know folks they have known for years at a more personal and spiritual depth.

A Word from Your Pastor July 9

Dear Parishioners:

The Festival on the Green is coming quickly!  This week we will put it all together so as to be ready to welcome hundreds of people to join us for food, fellowship and fun.  Folks from the neighborhood, alumni and friends from surrounding parishes all come together to taste our festival food, listen to music, talk and enjoy the variety of activities that make people laugh and smile.  It is a simple reminder that we can work together for others to experience joy in being human.

Even as we enter into “festival mode,” we can begin to allow the call of the New Evangelization to remind us that there is a deeper purpose to this effort and everything else we do as a community.  We are destined for Eternal Festivity.  The fun that we experience in time is nothing compared to what God has in store for those who love Him.  We are meant to engage the world not just for earthly enjoyments, but in order to advance the Kingdom of God.

We have a Parish Mission that is expressed often:

“United in the Body of Christ, we strive to promote the greater glory of God

through a spirit of welcome and willing service to our brothers and sisters.”

Each phrase chosen for this statement is important.  Unity is a hallmark of Christian community.  Common effort to do everything for the sake of God helps us to keep ourselves focused on our identity.  Welcome means reaching out to draw others in, not merely saying “hello” when they arrive.  Service in works of charity shows that we are in it not just for what we can get out of it.  And we acknowledge that we are all children of the same Father and that we are brothers and sisters to all we encounter because Jesus is our Brother.  The Spirit that fills us and animates our life together is the Spirit of Jesus.

So as we prepare to engage in yet another Festival on the Green, let’s open our hearts to the action of grace so that the Kingdom of God may grow in us.  Let’s plant seeds that will draw others into the garden of the Lord that promises a rich harvest.

A Word from Your Pastor July 2

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend, we welcome Fr. Aristarco Escobal of the Carmelite Missions for our Annual Mission Appeal.  This is part of the Diocese of Columbus Mission Co-op.  Every parish of the Diocese welcomes a Missionary to share the needs of Missions throughout the world.

Preparation for the Festival – July 14-15, 2017 – is the primary activity going on in the life of our Parish and School community these days.  Each year, we look forward toward the “premiere festival” in our neck of the woods and we brag about the Festival Pizza and the community of welcome that we experience.  We pray for good weather (no rain all week and weekend) so that the Green can be accommodating.  Families are asked to pick up an envelope of raffle tickets and to begin to sell them.  Signs are put up in our yards to let the neighbors know that the Festival is coming.  Sign-up for volunteers is available online and in the church vestibule.  Plans for desserts are being made.  Sponsors are sought out to cover expenses.  Lots of work is being done in the background to make this year’s Festival the best ever.  And, we are also keeping in mind next year’s Festival – July 13-14, 2018 – even as we do this year so that improvements can continue. 

If you want to see what we have done for the past several years, check out the pictures available online: https://sttimothyfestivals.shutterfly.com/.

You can volunteer for this year’s Festival at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0949afaa2fa75-2017.

Even as all the Festival activities are going on, there are a variety of other events you will see in the months ahead.  The usual effort to clean the School and to get things ready for the next School Year is well underway.  We are always happy to welcome back graduates of our School to assist the Maintenance staff in this effort.  This summer we thank Patrick and John Foley for their hard work.  Keep it up, guys!  You will go far.

Our H.S. Youth Group will put on a one-day Vacation Bible School on Sunday, July 23.  Stay tuned for further details.  Other activities are under consideration by youth leaders working with our summer intern Seminarian Gordon Mott.

After the Festival, we will be moving church to the Parish Center/Gym for two weeks, including the weekend of July 29-30, in order to replace the threadbare carpet.  New flooring under the pews and carpet in the aisles will be put in with the generous support of members of the parish who have donated for this purpose.  From July 24 to August 4, you will be able to come to church as usual, but your place will be different.  Who knows? Perhaps you will meet someone new.  The pews will be stored in the Cafeteria while the work in the church is going on.

You will also see new doors in the front of the church and eventually in the lower School building.  Work has already been done in the classrooms and gym putting in new lighting, panic bars, and other maintenance needs, including cleanup of the basement under the middle school, have been attended to thanks to the efforts of our Maintenance committee and parishioners who have been generous with their time.  Gutters and resealing of the parking lot are on the agenda.  All of these have been done through the contributions of parishioners and others who have made targeted financial gifts.  Thanks to all who have assisted!

A Word from Your Pastor June 25

Dear Parishioners:

This past week, I participated in the annual gathering of the alumni of my seminary, the North American College in Rome, which took place in Indianapolis.  Since this seminary serves all the dioceses of the United States its reunion is held all around the country.  I chose to attend this year because it was so close and in honor of a NAC classmate of mine from Indianapolis who died in 2014, Fr. Tom Murphy.

“The Murph,” as he was affectionately called, was a latecomer to a priestly vocation.  Before he entered the seminary, he was a soldier and later a lawyer and a legislator.  He was also a talented musician.  He entered the seminary at the age of 49 and was ordained as priest at the age of 53.  I always said that while the rest of us (in our 20’s or so) aged and matured in the seminary, Tom “younged.”  He grew more youthful as he entered more deeply into the studies for the priesthood.  Several years after our ordinations, at a college class reunion, I learned that one of my classmates from the Notre Dame class of 1981, Mary Murphy, was Tom’s niece.  What a small world!

One of the most moving parts of my time in Indianapolis was a visit to the grave of my classmate to pay my respects to him.  I found the cemetery and looked for Father Tom in the priests’ circle, but he was not there.  Wondering whether I had gone to the wrong cemetery, I checked in at the office and discovered that he was buried in a family plot.  Fr. Tom was buried in a grave near a large tombstone proudly displaying the name Murphy and surrounded by many other relatives.  As I prayed there, I thought of the years we spent together in Rome and all the other classmates who were with us, a few of whom have passed away since those years and others who are involved in various pursuits around the country.  A number of the Indianapolis priests I met remembered Father Tom with fondness as well.

Fr. Tom’s vocation story was always interesting:  He served as president to the Serra International, a lay organization that prays for Vocations.  He sold the product so well, he decided to buy it for himself.  His response and the almost thirty years he served as priest show that it is never too late to listen to the voice of the Lord and to respond to His call.

As I return to the parish for another weekend, I invite you to take time to remember those who have been part of your journey of Faith and what they have taught you.  Look around and see who may be waiting for your invitation – no matter what the age! – to serve the Lord in a life dedicated to His Church.  An be sure to listen to the voice of the Lord in your own heart.  What extraordinary things does the Lord want to do through you?

A Word from Your Pastor June 18 - Corpus Christi

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend, we welcome Father Dan Olvera, newly ordained for the Diocese of Columbus, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.  May he have many happy years in the Lord’s Vineyard.  This July, Fr. Dan will be starting his ministry as Parochial Vicar (Associate Pastor) in the Knox County Consortium (Mount Vernon, St. Vincent DePaul and Danville, St. Luke).

The Eucharist is the center of our life together.  Jesus invites us to receive Him into our lives through the gift of His Body and Blood offered to us through the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.  The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is an annual reminder of the power of this gift.  When we complete the Easter Season, we celebrate Pentecost.  The Feast of the Holy Trinity follows and then Corpus Christi.  From there, we also move to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This “flow” of liturgical celebration is meant to move us to a response.  God loves us.  He loves us concretely and personally.  He asks us to return His Love and so to share in His Life.  By the sharing of His Spirit and the intimacy of His Inner Life as a Unity of Three Divine Persons, God is opening us to the depths of His Being.  We can enter into this sharing only by a free response of Faith.

Catholics have a rich experience of this, but so often we miss it.  The Eucharist is our repeated Sacrament of Initiation.  When we fail to center our lives on the Eucharist, considering it as something “nice” or “optional,” we fail to grasp its power.

Every Eucharist we receive is present to us in the moment we encounter our Maker.  The act of accepting Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, into our persons by receiving the Eucharist is the highest gift we can give to God.  Jesus says, “Take and eat” and “Take and drink.”  When we obey His command, we are plunged into His Person and share in the very Life of God.

Often, Catholics who attend services celebrated in other Christian communities wonder why they are not able to receive their communion and why others who come to us do not have an “open invitation” to receive our Eucharist.  The reasons for this ultimately come down to the fact that we have a different understanding of what is happening.  The Mass is Jesus giving Himself to the Father and taking us with Him.  The Eucharist is our commitment to live this out, giving our own humanity to Jesus to allow Him to continue to thank the Father through the action of the Spirit in our lives.  This is no mere symbol.  It is a sign and there are symbolic actions that take place as we celebrate Mass, but it is Real.

The Eucharist is Jesus in His risen, glorified and ascended humanity.  The Eucharist is the Food that plunges us into the Paschal Mystery, the life, suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus.  The Eucharist is the taste of the Eternal Heavenly Banquet to which all are invited.  How can we fail to respond to such a gift with anything less than full commitment?

In order to deepen your understanding of the great Mystery of Eucharist, try this prayer which is recited in the Byzantine Liturgy before reception of Holy Communion:

O Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of Your mystical supper, O Son of God; for I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You:
Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Master, when You come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Holy One, when You come into Your kingdom.

May the partaking of Your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body. O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive, is truly Your most precious Body and Your life-giving Blood, which I pray, make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen.

O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
O God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
O Lord, forgive me, for I have sinned without number.

A Word from Your Pastor June 11 - Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Dear Parishioners:

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity follows upon Pentecost in the midst of Ordinary Time, reminding us that the Spirit leads us into an appreciation of God in the depths of His Being and to a realization that our relationship with God touches all Time.

God is One God, Eternal, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent.  In Essence, God is also a Community of Relationship among the Divine Persons of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  At the depths of Reality, there is a Relationship of Love, Exchange, Giving and Receiving and Returning in Fullness.  God is a Family and the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit reach out to human beings to incorporate us into the Reality of Divine Life.

When the Church seeks to share Faith, it is not a mere matter of teaching or helping us to understand doctrines and dogmas.  Rather, it is meant to draw us into the experience of Living Relationship with God.  We are invited, through Faith, to live Divine Life humanly.  We who are God’s creatures are drawn into a dynamic sharing of the very Being of God.

On Trinity Sunday, the Church celebrates something that can be known only through Revelation.  Faith embraces an intimacy with God that makes all the difference.  Human beings are made in the image and likeness of God and are destined by God to share Divine Life.  We pray as one Community of Faith, united in the Hope of Eternity and already experiencing the embrace of Love that is the very Life of God, Who IS Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit!  As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

A Word from Your Pastor June 4 - Pentecost

Dear Parishioners:

With Pentecost, the Easter Season comes to its close.  The Holy Spirit pours out the “Gifts of the Spirit”: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Piety, Fortitude and Fear of the Lord.  We are strengthened in Faith and in our power to be witnesses of the truth of the Gospel to all the world.

We also happen to be at the end of the academic year, having celebrated our 8^th Grade Graduation this week and watching our young people complete their days in High School and College.  These are happy and challenging times, when each generation is invited to take up the whole enterprise of human life.  It is natural to ask questions at these moments.  Who are we? What do we really believe?  What is worth our commitment?

God understands human nature better than any of us.  He invented it and in the Person of Jesus, He has lived it to the full.  God is with us on our journey through life and He has plans for us, plans full of Hope.

One aspect of God’s Plan for us is that we share in His Unity.  We are called to be one with God and one with each and every other human being.  Pentecost reverses Babel.  The nations that became divided through human selfishness and pride are brought back together by the Gospel.  As a community of believers, we are called to lead the way, to be one in mind and heart and ready to serve.

We offer words of congratulations to all who are involved in graduations – to the students, the teachers and administrators, and to their parents and families who make these accomplishments possible.  We also invite all to ask the Holy Spirit to guide them as they discover new pathways.  May we keep our priorities always in order: seek first God and His Kingdom and all the rest will be added.  Come, Holy Spirit!  Fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your Love.

A Word from Your Pastor May 28 - Solemnity of the Ascension

Dear Parishioners:

Memory is at the heart of our Catholic Faith.  Jesus’ words to His disciples at the Last Supper were “Do this in memory of Me.”  The understanding of memory in this context, however, refers to something deeper than what we forget when our human capacity for remembering fails us.  When God is part of the picture, memory can reach past, present and future.  Memory is where Hope resides.  We look to our relationship with God and discover that He is always there for us.  In Hope, we look toward the future and even beyond, toward Eternity, and discover that God is preparing a place for us.

The Mystery of the Ascension is the Mystery of Christ that tells us that our own human nature has a glorious destiny.  Jesus suffered and died and rose from the dead in our humanity.  In the Ascension, He took that glorified humanity into the very Life of God.  Once we have that “place,” the Holy Spirit is ours and is poured out on us in a new way as a residing Presence in us.  We have the firstfruits of our Eternal destiny when the Spirit is given a place in our lives.

“Come, Holy Spirit” is the prayer of these days from the Ascension until Pentecost.  We ask God to fulfill His promise and we resolve to be docile to the Spirit, to respond to His Presence in our lives.  Together with Mary and the Apostles, we pray for the fulfillment of the promise, that the Gift of the Spirit may be poured out on us anew and that we may make Christ known to the ends of the earth.

For us as Catholics, the Sacraments are the primary means for us to receive what God’s Spirit offers.  The Holy Spirit is active in all the Sacraments, effecting the Presence of Christ and making us new creatures in Christ.  Our human nature is undergoing a transformation.  This requires our willing cooperation.  Can you hear the voice of the Lord in your heart calling you to holiness?

A Word from Your Pastor May 21

Dear Parishioners:

“Cradle Catholics” are often surprised to discover that there is more to the Catholic Faith than they realize.  We all have a tendency to respond to things with an attitude of “been there, done that.”  If we grew up in the Church, attending a Catholic School or “C.C.D.  Classes” – Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (now known as “P.S.R.” Classes – Parish School of Religion), we can believe that we already understand everything there is to know about our Faith.  But the truth is quite different.  The teachings of our Church are a rich source of nourishment, if only we have the eyes to see it and the heart open to learn.

The Holy Spirit can open us to greater things than we ever imagined.  But we have to acknowledge our need for the Spirit and to be ready to respond to His promptings.  How do we prepare ourselves for this?  Prayer for the Gift of God in communion with the Apostles and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was the means of preparation of the first generation of Christians.  It is the same for us today.  “Come, Holy Spirit!” is the simplest form of prayer for this Gift.

The first Novena was the nine days of prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost.  This period of time, spent in the Upper Room where the Last Supper was held, was a special time of grace for the Apostles and for Mary.  What happened then was the preparation for all that would follow.  The Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus was known and relished for 40 days.  Then the Apostles prayed for the coming of the Paraclete, the Advocate and Consoler promised to them by the Risen Lord.

We will celebrate the Ascension next Sunday (moved from Thursday so that all may be able to be present for the Mass of the Ascension).  However, the Novena for Pentecost begins Friday, May 26, and concludes with the Vigil of Pentecost, Saturday, June 3.  Let us join in prayer that God may pour out His Spirit in abundance on our Parish and on the World.  May this be a time of grace for us and may our hearts be open to the Gift of God!

A Word from Your Pastor May 14 - Mother's Day

Dear Parishioners:

Mother’s Day in the month of May is one of those moments where cultural and religious celebrations can come together in a wonderful way.  There is a kind of integrity to the celebration that shows us that this world and the next are truly one.  God’s plan for us involves everyone.  Everyone has a mother.  And the Good News we have to share in the month of May is that everyone also has a Heavenly Mother, shared with us by Jesus at the very moment when He was accomplishing our salvation.

Today we honor and thank all those who have been motherly to us: our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, foster mothers, and motherly sources of wisdom throughout our lives.  We also honor and give praise to Mary, our Mother in the life of the Spirit, who leads us always to her Son Jesus, and who shows us how to respond to God’s call.  Most of all, we thank God, Who loves us through our mothers and fathers teaching us to be true to our call as His children, brothers and sisters of Jesus.

There is a special poignancy to this day for all those whose earthly mothers have died.  We remember them in a special way, asking God to continue to guide them through their moral influence and through their prayer in the Communion of Saints.

On this day, may we all make our mothers proud!

We offer congratulations, too, to all who are reaching times of accomplishment with the many baccalaureates, commencement ceremonies, graduations and the like.  You have worked for your goals and now you are ready for new adventures.  Whatever you may do, stay close to your Faith and don’t forget to text, tweet, Facebook, Snapchat, Facetime or otherwise write to your mother!

A Word from Your Pastor May 7

Dear Parishioners:

As the Easter Season moves along, we are invited to discover more and more the depth of meaning and the power of the Resurrection of Jesus.  The Risen Savior fills us with His own Spirit.  He invites us to share and live His own Divine Life.  He draws us into His way of existence.  On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, we meet Jesus as the Good Shepherd Who lays down His Life for His sheep.  We pray that we may hear His voice and respond to His call to serve.

Good Shepherd Sunday is also World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  On this day, I always remember my gratitude that the Lord called me to be a priest, letting me know very early in my life that this would be my call.  Often, I remind you, the people of St. Timothy Church, that you had a role in confirming that call when I experienced a summer internship here with Fr. Ted Thomas.  It was 34 years ago, the summer of 1983, when I was here; 33 years ago May 3^rd, I was ordained a deacon.  My time with you told me that the Lord really did want me to serve him as a priest.  That makes all the difference.

I invite you to look around and discover who among us has the signs of a call from God to this special life of service.  Suggest the idea to them and tell them that you are praying for them to know God’s will in their lives.  Open your own heart to hear the call of the Good Shepherd and to discover and renew your own commitment to be a missionary and servant in the Church so that one day all people may hear His voice.

Please continue to keep me and all those in priesthood and religious life in your prayers.  Know that I hold you in my heart and pray for you as well.  May the Good Shepherd form us as a loyal flock Who follow Him wherever He leads.

A Word from Your Pastor April 30

Dear Parishioners:

The Season of Easter unfolds the richness of the Resurrection of Jesus in our lives.  The Sacraments are the primary means for us where the power of the Resurrection is unleashed.  At Easter, the whole Christian Community is invited to renew our Baptismal Vows, even as new members are joined to us through the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.  It is fitting that in the Easter Season, we also regularly celebrate First Holy Communion for our Second Graders.  Our First Communion took place on Saturday.

As we experience new participants in the Sacred Mysteries, we are reminded of the great Gift that is ours through the Sacraments.  Their delight and zeal ought to lead us to a deeper appreciation for what we share.  “Communion in Sacred Things” is our taste of the Kingdom, the joy that will be ours when we enter into the Communion of Saints.  All are invited to reflect on the Sacraments and to renew commitment to live them fully so that others may come to know the Risen Lord.

In Jesus, God became one of us.  Through the Sacraments, we are incorporated into Christ and we live the Divine Life.  Jesus Christ makes Himself present to the world through us.  Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist and the other Sacraments empower us to bring Life to the world.

In many of the Sacraments, parents play a pivotal role in the lives of their children.  In Baptism, parents and godparents present the children and speak for them in professing their Baptismal Vows.  In First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, it is the parents who set the example of faithful response to practice of the Sacraments and who ensure that their children are ready.  At Confirmation, again, it is the family’s practice of the Faith through participation in Mass each weekend that ensures that their children are open to the action of the Spirit Who strengthens their Faith and empowers them to witness to Christ in the world.  It takes a village to raise a child.  It takes a family (the domestic church) in cooperation with a parish (the Church as Communion) to bring up the children in the ways of Faith, especially Sacramental living.

We welcome the Neophytes of our parish for 2017: Todd Robert Marti and members
of the Nuro-Gyina family – Celestina and Stephanie, and the twin infants Austin and Amy.

A Word from Your Pastor April 23 - Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday is a reminder to all of us that Easter has an abundance of Graces that God intends to shower upon us and on the whole world.  When we open to God’s Love, our hearts are expanded.  We receive and share in the personal Love God has for each one of us, and, if we are truly open, we begin to discover that God’s Love flows through us out to others.

When you belong to Jesus, you realize that you must begin to think like Jesus.  When you accept Jesus’ Revelation of Himself as the Son of God, you discover that as His brother or sister, you too are a child of God.  Mercy transforms us.  We see the world differently when we look at it through the eyes of Mercy.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we are called to spend time in the awareness of the power of Mercy to bring our world into conformity with God’s Plan.  Let us ask for Mercy.  Let us be merciful.  And let us completely trust that the Mercy of God will be poured out into the world through us.  “Jesus, I trust in You” is the simple prayer that invites the Mercy of God to calm our fears and to open to the abundance of Grace held in store for us.

The Sacramental Life is manifestly the conduit of Mercy.  Our Baptism and the Sacrament of Reconciliation allow grace to flow.  Confirmation fills us with the Spirit of Mercy.  Eucharist is the enduring Presence of the Lord of Mercy Whose suffering, death and Resurrection won our Redemption.  The Anointing of the Sick, which we celebrate today, offers healing and strength at the moment went we most know the need for Mercy.  Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony are living signs of the personal gift of Mercy through one another in the service of the Kingdom.

Let us open our hearts to Mercy and respond to the invitation of Divine Mercy Sunday to bring about a world that knows its salvation comes through Jesus Christ, our merciful Lord.

A Word from Your Pastor April 16 - Easter Sunday

Dear Parishioners:

A Blessed Easter to all!  Today we rejoice in the gift of the Resurrection and the New Life that Jesus offers us.  Alleluia springs forth and draws us into God’s own joy in the salvation Christ has won for us.  We gather together to acknowledge our Faith that in Jesus God has conquered death and offered us a remedy for sin.

There is a special message for us in the way the Church celebrates Easter.  For us, Easter is one day, three days that are four, a week and a day, a season of 50 days, and 52 days a year.  It is not a one-time reality. 

The one day for the celebration of Easter finds its place in the calendar by a complex formula: it is established as the first Sunday on or after the first full moon of the vernal, that is Spring, equinox.  This was set by the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.  So it is one day in the year that then tells us when other feasts will come.

Easter has a Triduum, a period of three days, that include four separate days in our way of measuring days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.  The count of three days is found by following the Jewish day from sunset to sunset.

The Solemnity of Easter is celebrated as an Octave, a week and a day, that culminates with Divine Mercy Sunday.

The Easter Season begins with Easter Sunday and goes to Pentecost – 50 days.

Finally, every Sunday is observed as a little Easter.  This is the reason that the Sundays of Lent are not counted in the 40 days assigned to Lent.

From this, we can begin to see just how important Easter is considered for us.  It is the beginning of the New Life God has promised.  In Easter time, we taste something of Eternity.  I invite you to live Easter to the full!

This week, I will be on retreat with the priests of the Focolare Movement.  Please keep us in your prayers.  Next weekend, we will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday with Anointing of the Sick at all Masses and with Adoration and the Divine Mercy Devotion following the Noon Mass.  All are welcome to share with us the boundless Mercy of the God Who raised Jesus from the dead.

A Word from Your Pastor April 9 - Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Dear Parishioners:

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord begins Holy Week.  The procession with palms  before Mass and the proclamation of the Passion of the Lord (this year from Matthew’s Gospel), we enter into our celebration of the great Love of God shown to us through Jesus.  We have journeyed through Lent and now we are plunged into the Paschal Mystery, the power of the Life, Suffering, Death and Resurrection of the Lord.  Participation in this week is such a gift. 

I pray that many of you will decide to live this week fully.  Don’t let it pass you by.

Plan to be with the whole Diocese of Columbus on Tuesday evening at the Chrism Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral.  The priests of the Diocese and the bishop renew our commitment to our responsibility as shepherds.  The bishop blesses the oils used for the Sacraments in the next year – the Oil of Catechumens, the Oil of the Sick and Sacred Chrism.

Holy Thursday reminds us of the Last Supper and includes the Washing of Feet and a Eucharistic Procession.  At St. Timothy, our First Communion class serves as an Honor Guard for the procession. Adoration follows until midnight.

Good Friday brings the Passion according to John, the Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion with hosts consecrated at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.  We also have Stations of the Cross and the Seven Last Words between Noon and 3 p.m., when the Lord breathed His last.

Holy Saturday will bring our Easter Egg Hunt in the morning and the Solemn Vigil of Easter in the evening, with celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist for new members of the Church.

Easter Sunday will be a day to welcome the many who rejoice with us that Jesus is Risen. 

With the events of the Easter Triduum – Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday – we begin the Easter Season, which will last 50 days until Pentecost.  The first week – the Octave of Easter – will culminate in the observance of Divine Mercy Sunday, a day of many graces for the Church and for the whole world.

As we enter into the wonderful liturgies of this week, may we open our hearts to the power of the Holy Spirit make us witnesses of the Gospel so that many may come to know Jesus through us.

* * * * * * *

Take note of the schedule for Holy Week and make plans to be part of these “High Holy Days” of our Catholic Faith: Events of Holy Week and Easter 2017Tuesday, April 11, Chrism Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral at 6 p.m.

Holy Thursday, April 13, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, at 7:30 p.m.,
followed by procession and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until Midnight

Good Friday, April 14 Stations and 7 Last Words at 12 p.m.
Good Friday Services at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Reading of the Passion, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion

Holy Saturday, April 15, Easter Vigil at 8:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 16 Easter Masses 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Divine Mercy Sunday: Anointing of the Sick at all Parish Masses,
Saturday 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Divine Mercy Devotion Sunday April 23 – 12-3 p.m.

A Word from Your Pastor April 2 - Fifth Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners:

Life and Resurrection in the face of this world’s limits are the themes of the fifth Sunday of Lent.  Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.  In our experience of this world, we discover that there is always an end limit.  Jesus makes known to us that He understands this reality for us, but that He is the way to a deeper experience of Reality, the Truth that Eternity beckons and promises New Life.

When we find ourselves closed in by suffering and death and by our own way of thinking about ourselves and about the world around us, the Spirit of Jesus promises to breathe newness into us.  Our graves are opened and we rise when we respond to the Lord’s Word as He calls us out of the tomb.  Freedom comes when we acknowledge that change is possible and that what seemed to be end limits are really the threshold to a new way of life.

Our parish has experienced something very powerful in the Alpha Program.  All who have participated are to be commended in their willingness to try something new.  The evening sessions on Sundays, the retreat day away, and the conversations that have opened up at the table and in the myriad of encounters Alpha has made possible have all served to remind us of the power of the Kerygma, that is, the Message of the Gospel.  We look forward to the new life that will come into our parish that flows from the encounter with Jesus and His Spirit that Alpha has offered.

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet.  Jesus tells us Himself that He is the Alpha and the Omega.  May the beginning we have made in Alpha continue on as our first session of the program comes to its close on Palm Sunday.

Events of Holy Week and Easter 2017 at St. Timothy Church
April 8-9, Palm Sunday Mass of the Passion of the Lord with procession at all Masses
Saturday 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Tuesday, April 11, Chrism Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral at 6 p.m.

Holy Thursday, April 13, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, at 7:30 p.m.,
followed by procession and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until Midnight

Good Friday, April 14 Stations and 7 Last Words at 12 p.m.
Good Friday Services at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Reading of the Passion, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion

Holy Saturday, April 15, Easter Vigil at 8:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 16 Easter Masses 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Divine Mercy Sunday: Anointing of the Sick at all Parish Masses,
Saturday 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Divine Mercy Devotion Sunday April 23 – 12-3 p.m.

A Word from Your Pastor March 26 - Fourth Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners:

The Fourth Sunday of Lent highlights the themes of Light and Blindness.  As our experience of more hours of daylight begins, we see more of the world illumined by the sun.  The same thing can happen as our eyes open to the power of Faith.  We live in a world that is closed in on itself and we are all part of a pervasive culture that tends to isolate us in our ways of thinking about ourselves and others.  It is an irony that science reveals clearly that we are part of an expanding universe, and our tendency seems to be rather to create limits.  God invites us to see.  He heals our blindness and asks us to be a source of light for others.  The Sacramental Life that we share is our primary means to open us and others to a living relationship with God that has a source of enlightenment available to us at all times.

The Sacrament of Confirmation strengthens our Faith within our hearts and emboldens us to share our Faith with those around us. If we call upon the power of the Holy Spirit and exercise the gifts He has given to us, we will be strong in our Faith.  This requires a commitment to follow where the Lord leads.  This life is a test, a preparation for our entry into the Life that lasts forever.

Now is the time to make plans for participation in the events of Holy Week and Easter.  Be sure to make plans to live that week differently – April 9-16.  I encourage you to make it the “head of your calendar” and to put into practice all the resolutions you have made to live the priorities that we are highlighting this year: Communication, The Sunday Mass, Hospitality and Welcome and Living the Sacramental Life as a Family.  How are you and your family responding to this call?  Do you see the Light?

A Word from Your Pastor March 19 - Third Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners:

The Holy Spirit is active among us.  In a short period of time, we have experienced our annual Confirmation for the 8^th Grade class and an amazing day of Retreat for those who have been part of the first Alpha program.  Many have expressed real excitement about what God is doing.  Our Parish Penance Service last week allowed not a few the touch of the Sacrament of Healing.  We are all given something when God works in the hearts of any of our members.  How is God touching your heart?

Lent is always a time to review and renew our commitment to what God asks of us.  This year, we are concentrating on how the Sacraments function among us.  Part of the Examination of Conscience that was used at our Penance service may be useful to you to consider this aspect of your Catholic life.  I invite you to take this to your personal prayer.

How am I living a truly Sacramental Life?

Am I cooperating with the Holy Spirit to become more like Jesus?

Is my life a clear witness of the truth revealed in Scripture and in the Sacraments of the Church?

Do I bring the light of the Gospel to those who are part of my life?

The Sacraments of Initiation are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist.

Do I conform my life to Christ through living in awareness of the power of the Sacraments I have received?  Am I faithful to my baptismal vows?  Do I exercise the Gifts of the Spirit?  Do I proclaim the Gospel?  Am I faithful to the Eucharist by receiving the Lord regularly and feeding the spiritually hungry?

Am I growing in Faith, Hope and Love by striving to put into practice the Gospel values?

Am I allowing the Spirit to lead me to a deeper relationship with Jesus and to open my heart more fully to God’s Will in my life?

The Sacraments of Healing are Penance, Anointing of the Sick.

Do I allow the Lord to heal me, bringing to Him my sins and my weakness?

Am I a means of healing for others?

Do I forgive and bring peace to others?

Do those who are sick find me as a true friend, bringing Christ to them and keeping them in touch with the Church’s ministry of comfort and healing?

The Sacraments of Service are Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders.

Do I live in true communion of life with those entrusted to me on the earthly journey?

Am I concerned about the spiritual wellbeing of others, as well as about their physical and emotional needs?

Am I faithful to my own state in life and to the relationships God has given me?

Do the Sacraments shape my mind and heart, drawing me more into a living relationship with the Lord?

As part of our observance of Pope Francis’ call to celebrate “24 Hours for the Lord” on March 24-25, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available.  If you missed the Penance Service or if you need another go at spiritual cleanup, you are most welcome.  The Spirit flows best when our spiritual pipes are open.  Come and let the Lord love you with His grace.

A Word from Your Pastor March 12 - Second Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners:

The Second Sunday of Lent highlights the Transfiguration of Jesus, revealing a hint of the glory God has in store for our human nature.  The Sacraments are an invitation to us to live this glory now.

The scene of the Transfiguration offers us a glimpse as to how God works in us.  He prepares us.  He gives us Himself in a very intimate encounter.  Then He invites us to live out and share with others what He has given us when the time is right.

The Sacrament of Confirmation follows just this pattern in our manner of its celebration in the life of our Parish.  Our youth – the 8^th grade class in our School and PSR – have a time of preparation that includes their 7^th grade year and more immediate preparation in the months before the Sacrament is given.  We have classes that are informational.  At the time same time, there are experiences that are “formational,” such as workshops and a retreat.  The wider community of their parents and the parish and school community also share in these.    The Bishop comes to celebrate the Sacrament.  Then, the newly confirmed are invited to take their place in the life of the whole community through service and exercise of the gifts they have received.

All of us who have received the Spirit as an indwelling Presence through Confirmation are called to continue to respond to the Spirit’s promptings.  We are interiorly transformed through the Gifts of the Spirit, deepening the Faith, Hope and Love that have been planted in us through Baptism.  We are sent forth to live the Paschal Mystery and to proclaim the salvation that is given to us in Jesus Christ.

How have you responded to the Gift of the Spirit?  Are you consciously making use of the Spirit’s Gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord?  Do you seek out ways to share the Gospel with others?  We are charged by the Great Commission to “go out to all the world.”  Who in the world is waiting for you?

Our Parish Lenten Penance Service will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. 
Come to share in the Lord’s Gift of Mercy.   Confession is good for the soul.

A Word from Your Pastor March 5 - First Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners:

Lent is a time of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.  It is a time of preparation for Easter.  We are invited to seek a conversion, a change of heart and mind, to open ourselves to the action of grace.  God’s Spirit is active, purifying us and freeing us to be who God calls us to be in Jesus Christ.

We discover that Prayer helps us to learn who we are, what God esteems and values in us, what He has made us to be.  We find that Fasting shows us how to enjoy what God gives us through our experience of His Creation in anticipation of the Kingdom.  We see that Almsgiving shows us how to go beyond our selfish wants and desires and to share God’s abundance, giving Him greater room to act in us with His own generosity.

This Lent, I invite you to consider these practices with a glance to three important aspects of our Catholic Faith: the Sacraments, our Mother Mary, and Saint Joseph.  Our School is focusing on the Sacraments this year.  2017 is the hundredth anniversary of Fatima.  And St. Joseph is the Universal Patron of the Church.  If we seek the Wisdom that each of these aspects of our Faith in our choice of how to pray, fast and give alms, we will find a very practical way to live and the witness of our Faith will be clear.

The First Sunday of Lent confronts us with Temptation.  Jesus overcomes the devil’s wiles my putting His Father’s Will first.  We can do the same.  When God is our ideal, and when we are guided by the Sacraments, by our Heavenly Mother, and by St. Joseph, we will grow in holiness and our life becomes a means by which God is made known to others.

A Word from Your Pastor February 26

Dear Parishioners:

We welcome Bishop Frederick F. Campbell to St. Timothy Church once again for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The successor to the Apostles who has been given to us in the Diocese of Columbus to safeguard the sacred deposit of Faith is coming to us to impart the Gift of the Holy Spirit to members of the next generation of Catholic Christians. 

This simple celebration puts us in contact with the living Tradition of the Church, the handing on of Faith and the outpouring of the Gifts of the Spirit to strengthen and sustain our witness to Jesus Christ.

As we pray for our Confirmation class, we also ought to seek a renewal of the Gift of the Spirit in our hearts.  The occasion of the offering of the Sacrament to a new generation is always a moment of invitation for us to commit ourselves again to the common life of the Spirit.  Each spark of the Spirit is capable of bringing God into the world.  Every heart that opens to Him and accepts the responsibility to witness His Love draws us closer to the Kingdom.

Come, Holy Spirit!

A Word from Your Pastor February 19

Dear Parishioners:

This week I am returning from an extended time of vacation – the longest I have taken all at once.  Since the bulletin is going to press before my return, I am writing in anticipation of the return.  No doubt I will have lots of stories to tell, and maybe even a few pictures to share.  Every experience of travel is an adventure.  This trip has been my sharing in one of my ordination classmate, Fr. Jeff Rimelspach’s dreams for his “bucket list,” – that is, what he wanted to do before he “kicks the bucket.”   It is really a privilege to do something with someone who approaches it with zeal, as a dream.

Our entering into the life of Grace with Jesus through the Sacraments is just this kind of experience.  It is an adventure that takes us into places we never dreamed of going.  I opens to us new horizons and new ways of seeing the world around us.

Have you entered with enthusiasm and zeal into what God has offered you through your Baptism?  What are the signs in your approach to Faith that this is so?  How do you share it?  What “souvenirs” of the journey are reminders to you of the fun of it?  Who is with you on the journey?  What do you plan to do as the Lord Jesus shares His “bucket list” with you?

Next weekend, we will experience the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation with our 8^th Grade class.  Please keep them in your prayers.  “Come, Holy Spirit” is the simplest prayer for the grace of this Sacrament.

A Word from Your Pastor February 12

Dear Parishioners:

The Baptismal Font of St. Timothy Parish is always flowing.  When I arrived here and discovered that it was so, I was especially delighted because I believe that this is a subtle way of teaching us how to think of our own Baptisms.

The simple truth is that once Baptism begins, it does not end.  We are baptized into Jesus Christ.  His Life begins to be lived in us as soon as we are touched by the Sacrament of Baptism.  Although we can “block” the flow of grace by sin, we cannot be “un-baptized.”  The Sacraments that follow after Baptism deepen the flow of grace and renew it when we go off track.  The Life that we enter into through Baptism never ends.  We share in God’s glory through the touch of the Sacraments in different ways, but it is always the flow of the grace that started in us at Baptism.  The Christ-Life in us becomes a source of grace for us and for the world through us.

How powerful God’s grace is in us!  If we only recognized the holiness to which we are called through the gift of Baptism!

Parents bear a great responsibility in helping their children to know the Faith both by teaching them, and by giving them a living example.  When children are taught in our Parochial School or in Religious education classes, they can learn the facts.  Their teachers and other students serve as examples to them.  But no one more than parents can help them come to understand what it means to live in the light of the Sacramental grace that is theirs through Baptism.

A Word from Your Pastor February 5

Dear Parishioners:

A few days ago, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Presentation, that moment when Mary and Joseph presented the Infant Jesus at the Temple, in fulfillment of the Law of Moses.  On that occasion, Scripture tells us, Simeon and Anna were present and observed the grace.  Simeon’s prayer, the Nunc Dimittis, continues to be prayed by the whole Church as part of Night Prayer each night before sleep, and we continues to do what Anna did, telling everyone about the Child, especially those awaiting the consolation of the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Lord, now you let Your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which You have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of Your people Israel.

This encounter at the Temple mirrors the celebration of Baptism that most experience: an infant brought to the Font of Baptism by parents and godparents.  Baptism is a joyful experience that brings families of Faith together as they rejoice in the gift of their children and as they express their hopes and dreams for what will become of their children.

Unlike the role of Simeon and Anna, however, the role of the participants, especially parents and godparents, in the life of the children brought for Baptism is just beginning.  Parents are required to attend a pre-Baptismal class in order to reflect upon the promises they will make.  Godparents are chosen not for social reasons, but for reasons of Faith, as examples to the children as supporters for the parents in bringing up the children in the Faith.

At a Baptism, parents are given a particular instruction about the duty they have toward their children and godparents are asked about their willingness to assist the parents in fulfillment of this duty:

You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him/her in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?

Baptism begins the Life of Grace and the Life of Faith.  It is not a mere ceremony celebrated and then forgotten.  The Church takes very seriously the responsibility to invite parents to live up to their promises.

What does it mean to practice the Faith?  How do parents teach their children to obey God’s Commandments?  Do you who are parents understand clearly what you have promised?

Focolare Word of Life for February 2017

“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you.”  (Ezekiel 36:26)

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