Second-to-last homily at weekend Masses - July 5, 2020 Independence Weekend

I give praise to You, Father, for all that you have taught us in the past 12 years.

I give thanks to you for all we have been together.  I entrust to you the ministry that will continue now without me.

Next weekend, I will give my last word.  This weekend, taking my cue from Jesus in the Scripture and from the American Feast we celebrate at this time, I offer three simple reminders.  I will trust to the Holy Spirit to move your hearts to fill in whatever may be needed.

First: Realize that you are experiencing the fruit of others’ labors.  What we have received and all that we have as a parish community was given to us, handed on by the generations before us.  As Pastor, it has fallen to me to bury many of the First Generation of our Parish.  I have learned from them and from others what they did to establish the parish and the school and many of the challenges that they experienced along the way.

To you I say: cherish what you have received.  Don’t take it for granted.  It was won by a price, the cost of blood, sweat and tears.  Don’t allow it to be lost to the generations to come because of indifference or ingratitude.  We have done much to preserve and fix up what has been inherited by way of buildings.  Continue to do this.  Beautify the property and make it better for the needs of the community that lives here.  Make it truly a place of welcome.

Second: Know that you have only the present moment.  Since I am departing, I am realizing all too well what more I could have accomplished if more time were given or if I had made better use of all the time allotted to me.  Live in the present moment; it is there that you will find Jesus.  He is to be found in your neighbor.  You must be a means of healing and peace.

To you I say: stop measuring the time you give to God as if you can spend it better elsewhere; be sure to give time to your family and friends while you have them.  Our children grow up all too quickly.  Be sure that you are not just keeping them busy with too many activities that are not really shared.  Spend real, quality time with them, cultivating their spirits by sharing Faith and prayer.

Third: Realize that there are generations to come who need to have a heritage, just as we do. 

To you I say:  Begin now to prepare for what they need.  I charge you to move forward with the effort to give space and time to Catechesis following the method of the Good Shepherd.  This is a treasure that must not be squandered.  It may have been that we were not ready for it a few years ago, but you must pursue this opportunity before it passes you by.  Our children who have been exposed to this approach rejoice in their Faith with real practical knowledge about where it comes from.  Please keep them and those yet to come in mind as you make plans with a new shepherd.  Timothy had St. Paul, his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, to train him in the ways of Faith.  Be a grandparent to the children yet to come and build them a place of their own where they can grow in Faith as Timothy did.

If you live by the Spirit, then St. Timothy Church will truly live.  Please keep going!

A Word from Your Pastor July 5 - Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:

Next weekend will be my last here at St. Timothy Church as your Pastor.  I want to express a simple word of gratitude to all of you for the privilege of walking with you through these years.  As I have shared often, you had a part as a parish in my formation, giving me a boost when I needed it most in my seminary days.  You have continued to teach me how God works among His people.  I have grown as a priest and as a human being because of my time with you.  I have also learned to appreciate so much more our patron St. Timothy.  His ministry as a disciple of the Lord proclaiming the Gospel has enriched me in so many ways.  I will continue to bear the name proudly and I will always remember that we are one under his mantle, because you too bear the name of Timothy.  May we live up to the name and honor God throughout our lives!  To the King of Ages, the Immortal, the Invisible, the Only God be honor and glory forever and ever!

Your new pastor, who will arrive July 14, is Fr. David Poliafico [POH-liff-ih-co] – he prefers to be called “Fr. David”- has a name that means “God’s beloved.”  So I am sure that together you will continue to discover and live in God’s Love.  Please receive Fr. David warmly and make a point to work with him as you chart your course together.  It is a very strange time for all of us and nothing is normal.  Help your new pastor to be a loving shepherd by loving Him for the sake of Christ, Who has sent him here to you and chosen him to be your pastor.

As we say our farewell next weekend, I am sure it will be an “arrivederci,” that is, “until we meet again.”  God’s blessings to you all!

A Word from Your Pastor June 28 - Post Exile Coronavirus time

Dear Parishioners:

The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is celebrated June 29.  In some countries of the world, this is a Holy Day of Obligation.  It represents the connection of the Particular Churches (dioceses and archdioceses) to the Universal Church under the responsibility of the Pope, the successor to St. Peter.  It is a reminder to all of us that we are not meant to walk alone.

Jesus “rehabilitated” St. Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, inviting him to make his threefold profession of Love for the Lord after his threefold denial.  The charge given to St. Peter was “Feed my sheep.”  Jesus shared His role as the Good Shepherd with Peter, inviting him to conversion and to the responsibility of strengthening his brothers in the ministry.

We must pray for the Holy Father, so that he may do what he is called to do in his ministry as universal shepherd.  The vision Pope Francis has been communicating to the Church since the moment of his election as Bishop of Rome is one that continuously reaches out to those who are marginalized.  Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, he is reminding the leaders that the poor must be kept in mind as all decisions are made.  It is always the poor who show whether we are living up to the call to Love.

The early Christian community was acknowledged as being something very special: “See how they love one another!”  There were no poor among them, because all who lived “the Way” shared what they owned and never called anything their own.  The common good was always in sight.

Our call today is to stay one in mind and heart.  If you find yourself in the pattern of thinking that always differentiates between “we” and “they” or “us” and “them,” then you need to open your mind and heart to the fact that God intends for all of us to be “one,” that is, “one” with Him and with one another.  The devil seeks to divide.  When our minds accept this sense of division as a primary way of thinking about the world, we are already lost.

The “Peter’s Pence” collection is made annually on the weekend before the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.  It allows Pope Francis to be generous to the poor throughout the world in the name of the whole Church.  Please be generous!

A Word from Your Pastor June 21 - Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:

Monday, June 22, will mark my 35th Anniversary of Ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese of Columbus.  I am truly grateful to God for this gift.  These years have passed by so quickly.  When I take the course of my life in a quick glance, I am in awe of all that God has permitted me to experience in this time.  It is humbling to realize that what I remember happening has really happened to me. 

Another simple realization is that I have spent a full third of my priesthood here at St. Timothy Church.    These past 12 years have zoomed by and taught me so much about God’s ways among His People.

A second third was spent in Newark, at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, my first pastorat.  The first third had me in a variety of ministerial experiences: Parish life (St. Mary, Lancaster; St. Brendan, Hilliard; and St. Joan of Arc, Powell), Teaching (the Catholic elementary schools where I have served, Fisher Catholic High School in Lancaster, the Pontifical College Josephinum Seminary, and the School for the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Columbus), Vocations Ministry for several years; and one year of study to complete a License in Biblical Theology.  Through all of this, I have been amazed and humbled at the Providence of God, Who hears the cry of our hearts.

My prayer is that the next “phase” of my life will allow me to continue to grow in knowledge and Love of God and in my capacity to respond to His Will in my life.  As Dag Hammarskjöld, the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the 1950’s, said in his private journal called Markings, “For all that has been, Thanks. To all that shall be, Yes.”

My prayer for St. Timothy Parish is that you will continue to grow as a community of Love, united in mind and heart, ready to go where the Good Shepherd leads you.

Know that you will remain in my prayers as I continue my journey in the priesthood.

Pray for the members of our parish who are pursuing God’s Call in their lives, especially Deacon Jonathan Smith, ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Arlington, on June 13, and for Brandon Cullinan, who will be starting his Senior year in College at the Josephinum, a seminarian for the Diocese of Columbus.  May these young men be joyful servants of the Lord and may there be many who follow their example.

News about Deacon Jonathan Smith, of St. Timothy Parish

Deacon Jonathan Smith gave his first homily at the Basilica of Saint Mary on June 14, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. Smith was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Michael Burbidge on June 13 at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Arlington.

“Today we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ truly present in the Eucharist,” Smith said during his homily. “I think this feast hits closer to home this year since many of us were unable to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist for so long. As much as we were longing to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, Jesus has been longing to be received by us so much more.”

You can watch his first homily as a Deacon here:      https://youtu.be/-hFSAI5N6jE.

Congratulations to Deacon Jonathan, to his parents Mike and Mary Smith, and to all his family.  We are proud of you for your example and witness of a joyful response to the Lord’s call.

A Word from Your Pastor June 14 - Corpus Christi Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:

One month from today will be the time for the transfer of priests across the Diocese of Columbus.  July 14, 2020, we suggest you plan to stay off the major highways! 

It is hard for me to believe that we are coming to the time when I will be saying goodbye to St. Timothy Parish and to ministry in the City of Columbus.  Most of you have heard the news by now that my new assignment will be to serve as Pastor for a cluster of parishes in Chillicothe and Waverly, Ohio, in the southern portion of the Diocese of Columbus.

Two pastors are moving out and their parishes are being clustered together in the city of Chillicothe: St. Mary and St. Peter.  A third parish, Waverly St. Mary Queen of the Missions, is already associated with St. Peter parish.  This will be a new adventure for me in many ways.  I have been to this part of the diocese before but have never served there.  If you have traveled there, you know that it is a beautiful part of Ohio.

At the present time, my “daily routine” involves doing whatever is necessary here at St. Timothy and between events trying to begin the hassle of packing.  That is not an easy thing to do.  I have 35 years of priestly ministry under my belt and the collection of “stuff” that has come to me during this time is quite a bit.  The challenge for me not that I “own” so much; I really don’t.  It is, rather, that I have small trinkets and pictures and pages that remind me of the people I have come to know through the years.  A book, a picture, even at times a small scrap of paper with a note on it reminds me of a person or a situation that I encountered along the journey.  If you are a part of my life today, you remain in my heart forever.

I want you to know that I carry many things in my heart from these years at St. Timothy.  We have experienced so much during these years together.  As we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, let me remind you that you are and will be with me forever whenever I celebrate the Eucharist.  Please continue to remember me when you are present at the Altar of the Lord.

A Word from Your Pastor June 7 - Most Holy Trinity Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:



12 years ago, when I arrived at St. Timothy Church, the Parish Festival was in full swing.  My first weekend here, I celebrated 5 Masses and met everybody on the green.  That year, I started an annual custom of taking pictures at the Festival and sharing them by way of Shutterfly.  Many years, those pictures were used in order to bring to mind just how things had been set up the year before.  I was looking forward to being present for my 13^th Festival the last weekend I will be at St. Timothy.



Just this past week, the Parish Finance Council made the formal decision to cancel this year’s Festival on the Green, just as everyone else has had to do.  That will mean that my final weekend, July 11-12, will be quiet on the green and I will miss seeing the annual miracle of cleanup.  It will also mean that the parish and school community will have to work twice as hard to come up with creative and safe ways to raise the $50,000 targeted by the Festival each year to keep the annual budget in the black.  I am confident that you will come together to fill in the gaps as you always have in the past.



If you want to see the past Festivals, you can still check out my collection of pictures on Shutterfly.  It is wonderful to see all the happy faces.  Make plans now to be present for Festival 2021 next July.



Here is the link for pictures of Festivals Past: https://sttimothyfestivals.shutterfly.com/

A Word from Your Pastor May 31 - Pentecost Post Exile Coronavirus Time

Dear Parishioners:

Welcome home!  As we once again gather to experience the Lord’s Presence among us, we celebrate the Gift of the Holy Spirit Who forms us as the Body of Christ.  It is a great joy to be with one another in our church, even though it is under strange conditions. 

The Holy Spirit is the Gift of God to the disciples of Jesus.  We open our hearts to receive that Gift, the very Breath of God, that grants to us an experience of the New Life given to us through Jesus Christ.  Empowered by the Spirit, we join the first generation of Christians and every generation of the People of God in the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Spirit came as Wind and Flame and prompted the Apostles to speak in a way that allowed everyone to understand what was being offered.  The same Spirit now opens us to new opportunities for bold proclamation.

This weekend, we celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation for those who have journeyed by way of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults to full communion in the Catholic Church.  Two who were baptized as Catholic complete their initiation by Confirmation and Holy Communion: Matt Blinn and Dave Pompi.  Two make a Profession of Faith become Catholics as they also receive Confirmation and Holy Communion: Betsy Pompi and Camie Tibbs.

The journeys of these members of our community have the marks of God’s Providence.  It is a real moment of delight for all of us as we return to public practice of the Sacramental Life of the Church.  May we allow this experience and the Gift of the Spirit to deepen our commitment to Christ and His Church.

A Word from Your Pastor May 24 - Solemnity of the Ascension Ending Exile

Dear Parishioners

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is a wonderful Feast, full of hope for the human race.  The Mystery we celebrate today is that our human nature has been taken into the very heart of God.  Jesus gave New Life to us through His Resurrection.  After forty days of encountering His disciples, He was “taken from their sight” by an overshadowing cloud.  This departure opens the door to Heaven and creates the bridge between Heaven and earth in our very humanity, now perfected in Jesus Christ.

When we open our hearts to receive this Mystery, we are given an interior “glimpse” into reality beyond anything that the world can offer.  Now we enter into the time of awaiting the Coming of the Spirit, Who will continue to guide us through history to the fulfillment of all that has begun in the Life of Jesus.

There is a new way of seeing that is given to us when we keep our goal in mind.  In every human effort, we take aim at something and find out how to reach whatever we are aiming for.  If we aim too low, we miss the goal.  If we try to create a goal that is other than our true purpose, even if we are - in our own limited way of understanding - aiming high, we will miss the mark.

Aiming for the fullness of Life in Jesus Christ, acknowledging that it is His Sacred Humanity that gives us the capacity we have for a living relationship with God, we are destined to reach the glory held in store for us.  The distance between where we are and where we are going is vast.  But Jesus has made it possible and His Spirit, the Father’s Gift to us, will enable us to reach that goal.

This week, as we begin to return to life together, first with weekday Masses and then with the celebration of Pentecost, let us keep our eyes fixed on the Lord.  He has promised to be with us until the end of time.  Our duty is to bring the world to Christ, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that Christ has taught us.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill us with the fire of Your Love!

A Word from Your Pastor May 17 - 6th Sunday of Easter Coronavirus Exile

Dear Parishioners: 

We are working diligently behind the scenes to get everything ready for a return to an open church.  What a season this has been!  We were in the midst of Lent when the journey into the desert of Coronavirus Time began.  Now we are coming to the end of the Easter Season, aiming for a “rebirth” of Church together on Pentecost.

Here are a few details to keep in mind:  The church will reopen for prayer during the daytime from about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Monday, May18.  Public daily Masses will begin Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, at 9 a.m.  For these to work well, we will have to keep social distance and wear masks and use only the pews that are marked for use.  Strict adherence to these protocols will be necessary.

The first weekend Mass will be for the Pentecost Vigil at 5 p.m., Saturday, May 30.  Our hope is to receive into Full Communion in the Church those whose reception was postponed at Easter.  Masses of Pentecost will be Sunday, May 31, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Saturday Confessions for the time being will be held using the Teachers’ Lounge, so that proper distance can be maintained as well as privacy.  These will be at the usual time, 4:00-4:45 p.m.

It is of the utmost importance that we follow all the guidelines set by the Diocese of Columbus.  I personally am one of those whose health condition is “high risk” due to diabetes.  This means I have to be especially careful not to catch the virus.  If I become ill, all our events will have to be cancelled.  There is not another extra priest waiting to fill in until the new pastor comes in July.  All our parishes and priests are stretched these days and many who were able to help in the past are already compromised.  So, please, plan to be prudent.

We will be publishing the protocols for what will happen at Mass soon.  Watch FlockNotes for information.

Be sure that you are daily in my prayers.  Please continue to remember me in your prayers as well.

A Word from Your Pastor May 10 - 5th Sunday of Easter Coronavirus Exile

Dear Parishioners:

We are moving right along in the Easter Season.  Lent has never quite ended since we remain in exile, wandering in the desert, but we do have some prospects of hope on the horizon.  The days are beautiful. Masses are taking place and a number of parishioners are participating in them via Facebook and YouTube.  We are reaching even beyond our parish in ways that are amazing.

Plans are underway to open the doors of the church, we hope, even before we are able to have public Masses.  In a week or two, we will hear from the Diocese what the protocol for that will be.  Our hope is to be able to be together again on Pentecost weekend, May 30-31.  There will be Coronavirus protocols in place and there will be some restriction on our numbers.  Nothing has been set yet, but we do have to anticipate that reality.  In the meantime, we are in touch through Facebook, YouTube and Flocknotes.

I remind you that the new schedule of Masses will be in place for our return: 5 PM Saturday, and Sunday 9 AM and 11 AM.   Be ready to meet new friends and to share more deeply in St. Timothy’s spirit of welcome.

The New Evangelization calls us to use every means at our disposal to participate in the effort to bring the Gospel home to the whole world.  My prayer is that while you have been away, you have been able to draw closer to the Lord and to be ever more aware of how close He is to us.

The Good Shepherd knows us and we are invited to follow Him.  He Who Is the Way, the Truth and the Life, will see to it that we arrive at our destination, the green pastures He has prepared for us.  We are invited to be servants to one another and to the world, so that the Word of Truth, the Gospel, may be recognized for what it is, the offer of Salvation from the Living God.  May we be living stones and cooperate with grace to become the Temple where God may dwell.  May the world see in us the Light of the Gospel and the hope of New Life in Christ.

A Word from Your Pastor May 3 - 4th Sunday of Easter Coronavirus Exile

Dear Parishioners:



On May 3, 1984, I was ordained as a deacon.  This celebration took place in my third year of Seminary, right after my experience as a seminarian summer intern at St. Timothy Church with Fr. Ted Thomas. 



That summer, there were four residents in the rectory at St. Timothy – Fr. Ted Thomas, Fr. Steve Virginia, Fr. Frank Adams, a Jesuit priest who was studying Philosophy at O.S.U., and the 23-year old seminarian intern.  Now, that former intern is 60 years old, living in the strangest of times, having been here as pastor for 12 years.  Life is truly an adventure!



We continue to live in hope.  If things go as we are tentatively planning, we will be back together in some way by the end of the month.  The Bishops of Ohio are targeting Pentecost Weekend, May 30-31, as the time to come out of our caves.  We shall see.



While the buildings are empty, we are working ahead to do some of the things that usually wait until the summer lull.  We are also looking at various projects that have been suggested to see what is possible within our resources.  Many thanks to all who have continued to contribute by dropping off or mailing envelopes and by the online giving through EFT and WeShare.  This will ensure that we can have the lights on for you when you return!



In the meantime, know I pray for all of you daily.  Being able to celebrate Mass every day and to livestream it knowing that many of you are participating at a distance is a mercy.  May the Spirit keep us one!



Focolare Word of Life for May 2020



“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” (Matthew 10:40)



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

A Word from Your Pastor April 26 - 3rd Sunday of Easter Coronavirus Exile

A Word from Your Pastor



Dear Parishioners:



I am happy to be able to let you know that Bishop Brennan has appointed the new Pastor of St. Timothy Church who will take up the responsibility this summer: Fr. David Poliafico.  He is currently the pastor of St. Christopher Church in Grandview, so many of you may already know him from the “Last Call” Mass.  Fr. Poliafico was ordained in 1995.  He will tell you himself that I was the Vocation Director responsible for his coming into the program for the Diocese of Columbus.  He has served as pastor in two parishes before, so he comes to St. Timothy with experience.



It is always hard to leave a place behind, but it is good to know that the place you are leaving has someone else to take up the responsibilities.  You will not be left as orphans!  Fr. Poliafico has many gifts and interesting hobbies.  I won’t say more than that, so you can find out when you meet him for yourselves.



We have not yet found out for sure when the transition will be, but it will likely take place in mid-July.  The usual day for changes in the Diocese of Columbus has been the second Tuesday of July.  A lot will depend on how things go with our “re-entry” into the world after Coronavirus time. In the meantime, please keep all priests and parishes that will be experiencing transitions in your prayers.



I want you to know that I am fully engaged here at St. Timothy and we will continue to keep working together to live through this strange time to the best of our abilities.  We want to ensure that everyone in our community knows that we are with them.  I am very grateful to all who are helping to keep things flowing smoothly.  I assure you of my prayers.

A Word from Your Pastor April 19 - Divine Mercy Sunday

Dear Parishioners:

Divine Mercy Sunday is a day of special prayer for the whole world.  As we observe this day today, the whole world is truly in need of Mercy.  Life will never be quite the same after the current “crisis” is over.  We can pray today that all of us will have new wisdom from the experience of this time.

The Divine Mercy Prayers are relatively short and the ideas are easy to incorporate in our thoughts.

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your Mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy Will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

These prayers invite us to acknowledge Eternity, so that time and its troubles are not given undue importance.  They invite us to keep in our sights the reality of the Paschal Mystery, the suffering, Death and Resurrection of the Lord.  They also highlight the centrality of the Eucharist, which allows us to share in the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Son.  And they keep us aware that we are not alone in our need for Mercy, but that the whole world receives it.

Let us keep our hearts centered on Divine Mercy.  Together, let each one of us affirm, “Jesus, I trust in You.”

A Word from Your Pastor April 12- Easter Coronavirus Exile

Dear Parishioners and all who would be with us at Easter:

Easter has arrived!  We find that we, like the Apostles, have to confine ourselves for fear of something that this world is throwing at us.  However, unlike the Apostles when they first gathered before Jesus came to them Resurrection morning, we know the outcome of the whole story.  Their experience and their subsequent witness have come to us as the Good News of Easter.

Jesus Christ is Risen!  Alleluia can ring out.  We look forward to the day when we can sing it out together once again.  In the meantime, we are called to live as bearers of the Gospel.  Our lives, even in quarantine, are meant to mirror the deepest truth – that no matter what our earthly life throws at us, we will come out all right in the end.

There are wonderful stories of unselfishness and caring that are being shared.  Human beings are being shown some deep truths.  We are one.  Whatever happens to someone else affects each one of us.  Our choices in the small things have the power to make a big difference in the lives of others.  We are free to love no matter what our circumstances are.

God is Love and the God of Love has shown us through Jesus Christ that He loves the human race.  He will not give up on us.  We must allow the Spirit to work in our hearts and our lives to draw us ever closer to the Risen Lord.

We have just spent a Lenten Season we will never be able to forget.  Let us also live the fullness of the Easter Season.  From now until Pentecost, we are invited to live as the early Christians lived.  May the way we love one another show the world that we do believe the Message of Easter: Jesus Christ is Risen and He Lives among us!

Easter blessings to you and to your family!

A Word from Your Pastor April 5 - Passion (Palm) Sunday Coronavirus Exile

Dear Parishioners:

Holy Week is the most sacred time of the Church Year.  Each year we have striven to empty the week of all extraneous activities so that we can concentrate on the Liturgies of this week as a Catholic Parish.  Quite honestly, every year that I have been a priest, we have failed completely to empty the week.  For so many, it was life as usual.

Some items were on calendars just because of the particular week of the month when Easter fell.  Others because there was an attitude of indifference to the week, just as there has been a growing indifference to being present at church for Sundays and Holy Days, only more so, because, apart from the Sundays (Palm Sunday and Easter), these are not obligation days.

This is the very first year that we have succeeded in emptying the week of other concerns.  Sadly, we are not able to conduct the Liturgies as we should due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At St. Timothy, we will livestream only two Liturgies as such: Holy Thursday evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, and Easter Sunday.  We will forego the Liturgies of Good Friday and Holy Saturday, inviting you to participate in the livestream events of the Vatican or of St. Joseph Cathedral, in order to express our unity with our Diocese and the Church Universal.  We will offer some other forms of prayer and reflection for Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Let us live this week as truly Sacred Time, even though we cannot gather for the celebrations. 

Make plans now to keep Holy Week of 2021 completely open of extraneous activities so that we can live the Liturgies intensely.  Easter next year is April 4.  So Holy Week will be March 28-April 3.  Let that be the high point of your calendar and make all other appointments so that Easter Eucharist is truly the Source and Summit of your life in Christ.

A Word from Your Pastor March 29 - Fifth Sunday of Lent Coronavirus Exile

Dear Parishioners:

The Fifth Sunday of Lent offers a reminder of what the journey is all about.  The theme of Resurrection and Life points us to the deepest truth revealed by Jesus Christ.  This world has its limits, and while on earth, we have to live within them.  But we are not created simply to live in this world.  Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.  By raising Lazarus, Jesus allows His power to be seen in this world.  Through His suffering and death, Jesus will make clear to us that our destiny is glory.

The experience of a greater and greater isolation from one another in a physical way highlights for us the importance of our awareness of the fact that we are still one in the Lord.  We can support one another and be one in prayer no matter where we are.

Day by day, this week, I have been learning more how to use the social media to remind everyone that we can still walk together along the journey of Faith.  I have been touched by the myriad of ways folks are finding to show support for one another.  The world has changed, but we are more aware of what is most important in our lives and that does not change.

We must pray that the lessons we are learning now will stay with us.  May we grow in prayer and love and our willingness to cooperate with grace. May we put our trust in Jesus Christ, Who IS the Resurrection and the Life.

Each Day St. Timothy Church will have a Livestream Mass, usually 9 AM Weekdays, 10 AM Sundays, Technology permitting.

Facebook:                  https://www.facebook.com/FrTim

YouTube:                   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJaOijpXO-ICDLpGPUAEHxA/

I am also sending out an update each day to those whose email addresses I have.  If you are not receiving these, send an email to tmhayes@rrohio.com and I will add you to the list.

Be sure that you are kept daily in my prayers.  We are destined to live forever together.  Let’s not let a time of “stay at home” come between our hearts.

A Word from Your Pastor March 22 - Fourth Sunday of Lent Coronavirus Exile

Dear Parishioners:

We have reached the Fourth Sunday of Lent.  We could never have predicted that the Lord would allow us to enter so fully into the Desert Experience that Lent is meant to evoke.   We are on a journey together.  Our sole support is the Lord Himself and the spiritual unity that we share as members of the Body of Christ, the Church.

The Gospel for this Sunday is the account of the healing of the man born blind.  The First Reading tells the story of the anointing of David as the King.  St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians reminds us that we are called to arise from sleep in order to receive light from the Lord.  The Responsorial Psalm gathers the whole message with Psalm 23: “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.”  We are not left in darkness.  The Lord is with us on our journey and He has plans full of hope for us.

This Sunday’s readings and the experience of being aware of our unity in spite of “social distance” bring out the importance of the intention we are praying together this year: “That our eyes may be opened to see Jesus among us, so that the Light of Christ may shine through our unity.”

We are not able to gather for Mass or any of the usual meetings and encounters that generally keep us in one another’s awareness.  So now we must be creative in our efforts to express our unity.  It has been so encouraging to me personally to see how generous folks have been and how willing to share what has been discovered.  The Internet and social media are proving their worth as a means to unify hearts.

Our School children have been working with their teachers and with those who care for them at home to keep on track with learning.  Facebook and Schoolspeak are invaluable tools.  Many companies have been generous in making available resources that assist in the process of learning.

No one knows how long this will last or when we will be able to return to a sense of normalcy.  We are in the desert, but we are together and God is guiding us.  Every day, look for the manna in the wilderness.  There are many beautiful things in the desert.  One day surely we shall reach the Promised Land.  Open your eyes and see!

The US Bishops’ Website offers the Scriptures of each day.  Take time to read them with your family. 

Here is a link to Sunday’s readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032220.cfm

Pray the Rosary Daily: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/rosaries/how-to-pray-the-rosary.cfm

A Word from Your Pastor March 15 - Third Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners:

Prudence is good advice concerning all that occurs in our lives: it is the virtue that guides us to choose “best practices” in the face of every human situation.  Bishop Brennan has invited us to exercise prudence in our response to the reality the world is facing concerning the corona virus.  The Bishops of Ohio have dispensed obligation to attend Mass for the next three weekends, but at present we are still able to have Mass publicly.

In some countries and dioceses throughout the United States, public Masses have been cancelled.  We will take advantage of being able to be present as long as we can and pray it does not come to that for us.

Many years ago when there was a concern about an especially virulent strain of the flu, we took up precaution to address that and we have simply kept them going ever since.  So, we are set to address the current situation by already engrained good habits and practices.  We may need to make a few other changes in our common practice as things develop.  In the meantime, here are some simple suggestions.

• If you are sick, stay home and get well.

• If you cough or sneeze, ensure that you do so into a tissue or your elbow as the current model is set.

• If you are an extraordinary minster Holy Communion, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and to use the sanitizer in the sanctuary before you exercise the ministry.

• You are free to choose to abstain from shaking hands at the Sign of Peace (a bow or nod of the head is fitting). 

Fear is a poor counselor.  We must make our decisions based on good practices and practical wisdom.

Jesus is present among us.  He is the wisest of counselors.  May we open our hearts to hear His invitation to put our trust in Him.  He is the Savior of the world.  He will guide us through whatever trials we face and bring us into His Kingdom.

A Word from Your Pastor March 8 - Second Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners:

Prayer is a practice that is at the heart of our life in Christ.  We pray in various ways throughout the Season of Lent in preparation for the celebration of Easter.

Jesus shared His experience of prayer with His disciples. When they asked Him to teach them to pray, He told them to address God as Abba, Father.  This was an invitation into intimacy with God, a sharing in Jesus’ own experience of being the Father’s Beloved Son. 

As He was preparing them for the experience of the Cross – the Paschal Mystery of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection – Jesus chose His intimate friends, Peter, James and John, and allowed them to witness what happened to Him in the midst of Prayer.  The Transfiguration is a revelation of the deep truth that God’s glory has been planted and is hidden in human nature.  The anticipated experience of the glory that God has prepared for us is made present for the disciples so that when the journey of Jesus to the Cross would begin, they would, at least subconsciously, already have a hint that the suffering was not going to end in death and loss.

The same three disciples would be invited to be close to Jesus as He experienced another kind of intimacy in prayer, the depth of His despair and anguish in Gethsemane, just before His arrest and crucifixion.  Jesus cried, “Abba, Father, take this Cup from Me.”  There, they slept through the experience.

Only John was there at the foot of the Cross as a witness of the final prayer of the Lord in the midst of the Passion, when, bowing His head, He breathed His last, releasing His spirit to His Father.

We are invited to intimacy with God.  The Prayer of the Church is the prayer of faithful hearts, individually and collectively as in the Liturgy, that becomes one with the very prayer of Jesus.  When we pray, we are in the very heart of the Lord, calling God Our Father.

May we open our eyes to see the hints of glory that are at work among us.

Thanks to all who participated in the Spaghetti Dinner last week and to all who were present for the Parish Penance Service.  Our community works and prays together, giving God His due and opening our hearts to the glory that is held in store for us.

A Word from Your Pastor March 1 - First Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners:

Lent is here.  My invitation to you, which I have offered at last weekend’s Mass and on Ash Wednesday, is to keep things very simple.  Taking my cue from God’s directions to Moses, I remind you to Be Holy.  That is, recognize that you belong to God and act accordingly.

Concerning the Lenten practices of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving, and the various opportunities made available by our parish and by the Catholic Church in general, I charge you to Show Up.  In other words, Be There.  Enter into the flow of grace that is offered.  God will attend to everything else that is necessary.  Transformation comes from God’s grace entering into our lives through open hearts.

This Sunday’s Gospel gives St. Matthew’s account of the Temptation of the Lord.  We are all confronted with temptations that are tailor-made to our own persons.  The devil is intelligent and knows our areas of weakness.  God is even more intelligent, and He knows that if we humble ourselves and ask for grace, the devil’s game will be lost.  We will be able to grow in grace and virtue if we allow God to win the battle for our souls by putting our trust in Him.

Our Parish Lenten Penance Service will be celebrated this Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m.  Get your Lent started off right.  Show up for Mercy.  Don’t delay.

Be Holy.  Show Up.  Trust in God’s Mercy.

A Word from Your Pastor February 23

Dear Parishioners:

R.S.V.P. can be a worthy theme for Lent, which begins this Wednesday.  Please respond.  Invitations are sent out, but we are all so busy, we don’t answer.  The opportunity passes and we are left without the strength to continue.

Lent is a gift from the Church, a period of 40 Days of preparation so that we don’t miss the heart of the Christian Message.  We are invited to enter into the mystery of Christ’s suffering and death so as to enter more fully into the Resurrection.

It is so clear that our world is in need of witnesses.  The first “duty” of the witness is to show up at the scene.  Being present at the scene means that we are given the opportunity to see what is happening.  Then we have to open our eyes and our hearts to pay attention, to see the truth of what is going on.  Finally, we are asked to respond fully and to commit to the new way of being that must flow from the knowledge that we have received.

Lent is here.  As Pastor, I invite you to be a witness.  Pray.  Fast.  Give Alms. 

Come to Adoration on Wednesday, Stations of the Cross of Friday, Daily Mass and other times of prayer and study of the Catholic Faith.

Turn off the distractions.  Pull away from what keeps you from paying attention.  Allow your mind to be changed from your way of thinking to God’s way.  Open your heart to the Word.

Give of yourself.  Be present to your family.  Take time to talk with your children about more than the daily run.  Participate in some action of charity.  Visit the sick.  Serve at a soup kitchen.  Invest your time and treasure in something that makes a difference.

Please Respond.  Don’t let Lent pass you by.  Pray.  Fast.  Give Alms.

Ash Wednesday Masses are at 9 a.m. with the School and at 6 p.m.  It is a good time to show your parish family that you are ready to respond.  Be a witness of the Faith!

A Word from Your Pastor February 16

Dear Parishioners:

Last Sunday we welcomed Bishop Robert Brennan to St. Timothy for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation for our 8^th Graders in the Class of 2020.  It was a wonderful moment in the life of the parish with our Bishop taking on his primary role as successor to the Apostles in the action of imparting the Gift of the Holy Spirit to our students.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic Church: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.  When these three Sacraments are received, we are understood to be “fully initiated” in the Catholic Church.

Baptism makes us children of God and opens the doorway to Heaven and to the other Sacraments in our journey of Faith.  Confirmation strengthens our Faith and gives us the capacity to serve as a witness to the world of the truth of the Gospel.  Baptism and Confirmation are received only once. 

Holy Eucharist is the repeatable Sacrament of Initiation.  Each time we receive the Eucharist, we renew our pledge of Faith and we are nourished and strengthened to live the Life we have received in Jesus Christ.  The reason we do not have “open Communion” as other Faith communities do is that for us Eucharist expresses first and foremost our unity as members of the Catholic Church.  It is not something that we merely “get” to receive.  It is an expression of who we are.

The responsibility to participate in the Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation flows from the nature of the Sacrament as well as being the fulfillment of the Third Commandment (“Keep holy the Sabbath”).  In the “Amen” we respond to “The Body of Christ” and to “The Blood of Christ,” we express our personal choice to live out the relationship we have with Christ and His Church.

Congratulations to our newly Confirmed and to their families!  May we all grow in our response to the Gifts of the Spirit at work in our hearts.

A Word from Your Pastor February 9

Dear Parishioners:

Recently, our Parish Office has been working on the annual submission of the form called the “Status Animarum.”    It is the compilation of data concerning the reality of parish life, including details of parish membership and numbers of Sacramental celebrations, as well as other matters that lend themselves to counting.  The name of the document means the “state of the souls” who are in our parish.

Reviewing the record books and nowadays the online listings of such matters serves to bring to mind all the events of the past year.  Baptisms, Confirmations, First Communions, Weddings and Funerals are among the items about which we give an account.  Masses, opportunities for Confession, Anointing of the Sick and our ways of reaching out to others are all considered.  In short, the annual Status Animarum is a snapshot of the whole previous year’s activities.  We are reflecting on our practical approach to the spiritual life we share.

The information is pulled together by the Diocese to evaluate our collective efforts to live out our Catholic Faith.  Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to do a similar accounting for your family and for your own response to the Catholic Faith.  What is the “state of your soul”?

What Sacraments have you celebrated?  How do you arrange your days and weeks and months in relationship to the Faith?  Does your account of yourself and your family show clearly that your relationship with God is your priority?  Would someone who read your “statistics” be able to tell that you are a Catholic, not just in good standing, but also truly involved with the meaning of Faith?

Lent is coming.  It will start with Ash Wednesday on February 26^th.  Take some time now to begin your assessment and to establish a plan for renewal.  All of us are called to conversion.  We must turn more toward God, acknowledging His Love and reaching out to others to share our Faith in Him.