A Word from Your Pastor August 25

Dear Parishioners:

It was an irony that my column last weekend spoke about how deeply I have been affected by the deaths of so many of our pioneer parishioners and others who have contributed to our community heritage.  Sunday, August 18, was the day God chose to call my Mother, Elaine Rae Keeley Hayes to Himself.  My sister had contacted us the evening before to let us know that Mom had taken a turn for the worse and that she was worried about her.  I went over right away and was moved to offer my Mother the final rites of the Church.  I gave her the final absolution and the Apostolic Pardon.  Then I celebrated the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick for both her and my Dad, in the presence of my sister Susan and my nephew Tyler.  I gave the Final Commendation, entrusting her to the Lord and His Mercy.  We started to pray a Rosary together until the arrival of the nurse from hospice.  I finished it quietly myself while the nurse did her assessment.  She was not optimistic on Mom’s prognosis but could not give a clear estimate of time.  After it appeared that Mom was resting (and my Dad had gone to bed), I returned to St. Timothy.  I stopped in church and lit a candle for my Mother and one for my sister who has taken such good care of her and our Father.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I received the message that Mom would be celebrating her birthday (August 31) with Jesus.  She had died peacefully in the early hours of the morning.  By the time I received word, I knew that I would not be able to make it home before celebrating the 8 a.m. Mass, so I chose to stay.  My nephew who had been there overnight prayed the prayers of the ritual for after death.  We contacted the funeral home and began the sad task of letting everyone know of Mom’s passing.  I celebrated the 8 a.m. Mass and then was surprised that my sister and nephew showed up for the 10 a.m. Mass.  They knew the need to be with the Church as we acknowledge one more soul among the “great cloud of witnesses.”

Our family moved into high gear and by mid-afternoon had made plans and began to make arrangements for two funeral celebrations – one here at St. Timothy this past Wednesday, and another in Pittsburgh, PA, where my parents have their burial plots.  So, as you can imagine, this past week has been a whirlwind for us all.  The fact that the funeral at St. Timothy was on the opening day of School and the funeral in Pittsburgh was taking place on my 6oth Birthday added to the intensity.

I want to offer heartfelt thanks to all for the condolences and many kindnesses that have been extended to me and my family.  The world is different without my earthly Mother.  But God is faithful and I am confident He will give us all the strength to continue on the journey of Faith.  Please continue to keep my Mother and all my family in your prayers. 

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.  May Elaine Rae Keeley Hayes rest in peace.  Amen.

May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

A Word from Your Pastor August 18

Dear Parishioners:

We have had so many funerals lately at St. Timothy that I am very aware of the “cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us in the Kingdom.  It seems that one-by-one our most senior members, the founding members of our parish, are receiving their ticket.  There are others who are much younger who have also been called into the Mystery.  I am greatly affected by this.  Learning about each person whose funeral liturgy I celebrate, I become ever more aware of the rich heritage that belongs to us as St. Timothy Church.

I am noticing also two contrary “movements” that are happening in our gathering, especially at our Sunday Masses. 

Many of those who benefited from the work and sacrifice of the first generations of our parish are letting go of it without much thought.  They have not taken up the torch and plunged in to do their part to keep the community alive.  They are busy about many things – no doubt things that are important, at least to them – but they are allowing Faith and an active, cultivated relationship with God to disappear.  Some have chosen to go to other churches, for whatever reason.  But many simply stop participating in the “things” of the Catholic Faith.  They are no longer with us at our weekly gatherings, though they may keep in touch with us at social events.

At the same time, if you do come to Mass regularly at St. Timothy, you will notice that there are several young couples and young families who have found a place to call home among us.  They are not from the founding families, but they have discovered St. Timothy Church as a place where they feel comfortable.  While I am doing many funerals, I am also finding that there are many baptisms.  Something new is starting even as we say farewell to our founders and as their own families allow what they have had as a constant part of their lives to slip through their hands due to neglect.

The Spirit calls us to do what we can to renew and enliven the Faith of those who have drifted away.  We must also pray with and for those who have gone ahead of us in the ways of Faith.  But the larger task that is given to us is to take up the new responsibility we have to assist our newest members in their efforts to bring up their children in the ways of Faith.

Please look around you and offer your own welcome to the new members.  They will be the ones who keep the great tradition of St. Timothy alive.

A Word from Your Pastor August 11

Dear Parishioners:

We are called to be a people of Faith in a time of growing darkness.  We live in a society that has begun to operate on the foundation of division, explosive rhetoric and violence, both verbal and physical.  The mass-shootings that have happened in our country are a symptom of a deeper illness at work.  We can feel helpless to face this challenge and the many other burdens that our times place upon us.  But there is an answer and it is close to home.

While particular policies that are proposed on all sides of the political divide may or may not work to alleviate the possibility of specific events, nothing proposed at that level will solve the problem.  The true solution has to come from a deeper level.

We must all become more aware of the fact that we are responsible for one another.  When we play the “blame game,” we miss that all of us ought to be involved in the solution.  As long as we promote division, even at the level of ideas about how to proceed, we miss the mark.  If we don’t find a way to move forward as one, our children in particular will be the losers.

Our Faith teaches us that God’s Spirit is at work in us, transforming us into a People who are invited to share in the very Unity that is lived by the Trinity.  This is not just a pious theological concept.  It is practical.  We are a family invited to share the life of the Family Who created our world.  Love truly makes the world go around.

The Love being proposed is not a superficial “liking.”  Rather, it is sacrificial love, the kind of love that says we are willing to live and die for one another regardless of how we feel about one another’s ideas and actions.

Charity is the name for this kind of love.  Charity begins at home.  Parents need to relate to their children as persons, teaching, guiding and showing them how to live.  This is expressed in the promises made by parents and godparents at Baptism.

Practice of the Faith means participation in the life of the Church and taking the message received through Word and Sacrament out into the everyday world.

At the moment, we need to grieve with those who have suffered such tragic losses.  We need to reach out to those who are near to ensure that they do not experience the isolation and the hopelessness that led them to such violence and hatred.  We need to do all we can to preserve unity with our brothers and sisters, that is, with all who share the same Father.  We are called to live in Faith.

A Word from Your Pastor August 4

Dear Parishioners:

The Gospel calls us to live in this world with a clear awareness that we are destined for Eternity.  Qoheleth reminds us that the realities of this world are vanities, passing experiences that do not satisfy the longings of our hearts.  Only God can satisfy.

This perspective does not take away from our responsibility to attend to the world in which we live.  Rather, it challenges us to take full advantage of the present moment by engaging in it with the knowledge that it is passing.  We are meant to bring eternal meaning to the experiences we have in time.  Life is brief.  Our time on this earth passes swiftly and we leave behind the seeds that have been sown by our choices and by the way we have lived.

This week we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration (Tuesday, August 6).  This celebration highlights a moment in Jesus’ earthly ministry when He shared a glimpse of His divinity with the Apostles Peter, James and John.  It was offered to them as a sharing in the power of Jesus’ prayer in our human nature and as a hint of the glory that is offered to us when we accept the Paschal Mystery into our lives – the Death and Resurrection of Jesus by which He accomplished our redemption.

Open your eyes to the wondrous power of Faith to transform all that you experience in the present moment into the Presence of God.  Let the glory promised to us through Jesus Christ shine through you so that others may come to know the Love of God.  If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts!