A Word from Your Pastor February 19

Dear Parishioners:

Recently, I have participated in some meals that included special guests from our parish. At the Women’s Prayer Breakfast, where I shared my Journey in the Footsteps of St. Timothy, we were happy to see Sr. Carolyn Thomas, S.C.N., who was in for a visit from her Religious Community’s Motherhouse in Kentucky.



Sr. Carolyn used to take care of our Homebound Parishioners. Since her expertise is Scripture (especially St. Paul), it was nice to be able to share the story of my travels to the Lands of the Bible with her, as well as with all the Mothers and Daughters who gathered.

Last Friday, I was at the Catholic Men’s Luncheon at St. Patrick Church, where the Diocese honored Men who were nominated by their parishes as Catholic Man of the Year. Our own parish had Hugo Della Flora as a nominee and a good number of the Men of St. Timothy turned up to share the meal.



Hugo was proud to stand for a picture with St. Patrick and Bishop Campbell. We were happy to see the Bishop so soon after his travels to Rome for his Ad Limina Visit to Pope Benedict XVI.

We congratulate our newly Confirmed 8th Graders who made a wonderful impression on Bishop Campbell last weekend. We were all proud of them as they responded to his questions, and as they all remembered to say “Amen” and “And with your spirit” properly as they came forward to be confirmed. Congratulations to you and all your families! We look forward to the gifts you will bring to our parish as you follow the Spirit’s lead.

This week we begin Lent, with Ash Wednesday on February 22nd. Next week, starting on Sunday, February 26th, we will have a Parish Mission. Plan to take part Sunday through Wednesday, with the special evening sessions. Don’t miss your chance to get a good start to the Holy Season of Lent!

LENT BEGINS ASH WEDNESDAY

The following fast and abstinence regulations are observed: Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent by all Catholics 14 years and older. Fasting is observed on Good Friday by all Catholics who are 18 years of age to 59. Those bound by this rule may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted as necessary to maintain strength according to one’s needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.


Celebrating our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy’s Community of Faith.

We are looking at St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, since Ephesus was the see where St. Timothy served as Bishop. This may offer some perspectives on the Church and the Community among whom Timothy lived and ministered.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Often, St. Paul bursts into a song of praise as he writes to the Christian Communities where he preached and taught. It is as if he is remembering the Liturgies and the Hymns they experienced together. Singing serves to teach in ways that go deeper than our minds. Songs speak to our heart. The opening verses of the Letter to the Ephesians give us a wonderful reminder of the Blessings that belong to us since we are in Christ.

The flow of blessing presented here points to the mystery of God’s choice of us before we ever came to be. It directs our attention to what is yet to become of us through our adoption into Christ by God’s own favor. We see that the glory we sing of in time will be ours in Eternity, as we grow in the grace of Christ Who is God’s Beloved Son. We hear the call to be holy as He is holy.

These words are worth meditating upon and repeating in our hearts. Can you see that our call is to discover who we are in Christ?

How well do you know Saint Timothy?

At the St. Timothy Women’s Prayer Breakfast, there was a Quiz about our Patron Saint Timothy. Test your own knowledge about the Saint. Each week, a question or two will be put in the bulletin. You’ll have to come back next week to get the answer!

Fill in the Blanks:

Today, St. Timothy is known as the patron of _______________.

The major book of the New Testament that tells us about St. Timothy is _____________.

St. Timothy is listed by name in 11 letters in the New Testament Canon: ____________, ____________, ____________, ____________, ____________, ___________, ____________, ____________, ____________, ____________, and ____________.

Answers to Last Week’s Fill in the Blanks:

St. Timothy was born in __Lycia____ in modern day _Turkey_.

His father was _a Greek (name unknown)__ and his mother’s name was __Eunice_; his grandmother was __Lois_.

He became a companion of _St. Paul the Apostle_, who called Timothy his own beloved _child / son / brother_.

Do you Know the History of St. Timothy Parish? Mid-February in Years Past

1964: Women’s Club purchased a set of white solemn vestments. Men’s Club purchased a projector for the school. The Home and School Association purchased a piano.

1968: There is a Music Festival at Veteran’s Memorial on Sunday. “St. Timothy is doing an historical Choral Verse Reading with no other group to back them up.”

1969: Former St. Timothy parishioners, Michael Sullivan and his wife, are teaching in the Peace Corps in Liberia, West Africa.

1972: Banns of Marriage: 1st time, Michael Murphy of St. Timothy and Hildegarde Freeman of Our Lady of Peace.

Council recommended to the Pastor:
o that the school should continue with eight grades,
o that tuition should be established at $300 for the first child and $100 for each additional child enrolled,
o that each school family should make a minimum church contribution of $500.
Chairman, Board of Finance Frank Gardner, Pastor Fr. DeVille

1983: Special Mass for high school students in the rectory basement at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Pizza to be served after the Mass. This is an opportunity to get to know Fr. Ted Thomas.

Confirmation date must be moved due to ceremonies welcoming the new bishop. Details to be forthcoming.

2001: The gym is open Mon.-Fri. at 6:00 am for those who would like to walk. Twenty times around the gym equals one mile and one mile burns 100 calories.

2000: Parishioners are asked to remember Henry Colson and Margaret Byrne who died.

2010: Remember Tamara Sullivan who died.


HHS Mandate Information Available Online


If you haven't already done so, please consider going to these websites which contain current information about the recent HHS ruling concerning the Catholic Church, and a link to sign a petition indicating support for the bishops’ position.

https://www.stophhs.com/stop_hhs_mandate/catholic-resistance-must-be-the-response-to-the-unjust-hhs-edict-to-violate-conscience/

http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/index.cfm

A Word from Your Pastor February 12

A Word from Your Pastor

Dear Parishioners:

As we continue our Parish Golden Jubilee, we are called to look more deeply into the reality of God’s plan for our community. Each year since I have been Pastor of St. Timothy Church, I have used the occasion of our Parish Feast Day, the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus on January 26th, to highlight a particular need for prayer. This year, we pray in thanksgiving for our first fifty years, and especially for the witness of the first families of our Parish community, and we ask God to reveal to us His Plan for our Parish in the years ahead.

This weekend, as we welcome Bishop Campbell to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our 8th Graders, we may intensify our prayer that the Gift of the Holy Spirit be poured out among us in order to lead us into the Plan God has in store for us. May our youth be confirmed in their Faith and in their commitment to God and His Church, and may our whole Parish Family be ever more united in our response to the call that brings us together as a community.

As we look to our history and to the deepening of our Faith, we are inspired at the same time to look outward to share with others the gifts we have received, both materially and spiritually. It is becoming ever more evident that God wants us to discover a way of being for others as a community. At the moment, it seems to me, we are being invited to consider how we may support very specific missions in the Church locally and more globally.

Our Parish Pastoral Council is studying a project that our community has been asked to think about in Haiti. While I was away, a priest from Food for the Poor was present to share the plight of our brothers and sisters who have experienced many losses due to nature. Many have personally responded to his plea for support. Could we as a Parish do more? See the note Fr. Glen Baptiste, C.R., wrote to me recently after his visit to our Parish and let members of the Parish Council hear your thoughts.

A member of our Parish, James Foley, has taken up a more local challenge, becoming President of the Cristo Rey High School to be established in the Diocese of Columbus in 2013. Since that year will also begin our School’s Golden Jubilee, it might be that we could support that venture as a Parish and as a School on the more local level. Read the information included below and let Jim Foley and the Parish Council hear your ideas as to how we might support this venture.

As Pastor, I try to listen to the voice of the Spirit to “hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.” It seems to me that we are being called to answer a call to look beyond ourselves, at home and abroad, in some very concrete ways. Do you hear the same call? How will you respond?

An Invitation to support our Brothers and Sisters in Haiti

Father Tim,

. . . I have to tell you that I enjoyed my short weekend at St. Tim's.....both the community and Bill......and Marion...... great community....the way a Parish ought to be! Thank you for the invite! And, thank you for forming that community so well!
I did, however, share much with your community at St. Timothy's, but with a great emphasis on the needs of our Haitian brothers and sisters. By the way, this week marks the two year anniversary of the quake in Haiti...... And, having just returned again, I can attest that there are still a remaining 600,000 plus people who continue to live in tent cities.....families who lost what little home they had in the experience of the quake..... its terrible...... bits and pieces of dry rotted, shredded tarpaulin strapped from one bush, to a tree, to a make shift pole........and these things are not water tight by any stretch of the imagination. Young families, Tim, with young kids lying on wet, soggy, mildewed mattresses inside these tents......its unbelievable!!!! Wish I could have shown you the photos in my phone......

We have built in excess of 2600 little concrete block homes with sanitation since the quake (we have been building them for 29 years there)....but, there are so many more families in need of getting out of those horrid tent city conditions......
Little homes are $3200...or $178 a month for 18 months (and a home will be built up front, not at the end of the 18 months)....... So, I encouraged / invited your community to give that some consideration....or groups within the Parish (K of C), etc., as a possible project......Would you kindly remind and encourage your community to remember to mail in their brochure and to participate to whatever capacity they are able?

I would also, however, like to gently ask if the Parish itself might have any interest in participating by way of building a home in the name of St. Timothy's Community? I would like to further ask, if you....and or a group from the Parish....may ever wish to visit Haiti (or one of the other Countries we serve) for a few days to see and experience. I (we) would be delighted to show you some of our projects in action.......Life altering experiences to see!!
At any rate....so much to share...perhaps you might, when you have a moment, visit foodforthepoor.org to see in greater detail the nature of our work.....the how, the where, the what, etc....... Again, thank you much for the invite, and giving me an opportunity to share with St. Tim's Parish Community!

With every best wish,
Glen

Reverend Glen P. Baptiste, C.R.
Food for the Poor, Inc.
6401 Lyons Road
Coconut Creek, FL 33073
(954)427-2222 ext. 6419
(815) 451-8065 cell
gpb1042@comcast.net

A Letter from the Cristo Rey Columbus President
October 21st, 2011

Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord
I have heard You calling in the night
I will go Lord
If You lead me
I will hold Your people in my heart

That St. Louis Jesuit hymn speaks to all of us at times in our lives. It spoke loudly to me one night as I was contemplating a decision to leave behind my law practice and apply to be President of Cristo Rey Columbus. I am humbled to have been given this opportunity to help make this wonderful dream a reality. I am also thankful for the tremendous work and support of the many people who have committed themselves to bring Cristo Rey to Columbus. While we still have work to do, this mission would never even have gotten off the ground without the sponsorship and strong encouragement of Bishop Campbell. Nor would we have made the great progress to date without the generous support of our donors and work-study employers, the leadership of our Board, the energy of our volunteers, and the tireless work of our Program Director, Barbara Brown. God has called us all. We can do nothing greater and nothing less than to answer that call.

All of us have much in common with the freshmen who will be coming through the doors of our school beginning in two years. We are on a journey that will require a lot of hard work and sacrifice, and may have bumps along the way. For us—just like those future freshmen—this school is an opportunity. Having opportunities is certainly better than not having them. But at the end of the day, it is about what we make of those opportunities. All of us—like our students—are going to have to work hard, to persevere, to overcome obstacles, and to give this effort our hearts and souls, our minds, and our hands.

I am confident that we will do everything that needs to be done. In Cristo Rey, we have an amazing model that has worked in 24 other high schools to bring a high quality, Catholic, college preparatory education to economically challenged students of all religious backgrounds. We will create an academically rigorous program, and give our students the tools to succeed in high school and college. The corporate work-study program will provide our students the opportunity to pay for most of their education. It will let them experience professional job settings they would never have had a chance to be part of. Through those jobs, our students will learn first-hand the value of the education they are receiving and the importance of obtaining a college degree. We will make “learning to work and working to learn” a reality in Columbus.

Indeed, we are already well on our way. We have identified our school building. We have received offers from many businesses to be part of our work-study program. We have made significant progress on our fundraising goals. Next year, we will be adding staff and reaching out to the community and our future students. Our Board, volunteers, and supporters will be hard at work to put the final pieces in place for our 2013 opening. In the end, I have faith and confidence that we will make real what our students could barely have dreamed of. We look forward to graduating and sending on to college the future leaders of our community. In doing this, each of us will be, like Mother Teresa, “a little pencil in the hand of God who is sending a love letter to the world.”

Thanks to all of you for your interest and support.

Jim Foley
President
Cristo Rey Columbus High School
(614) 395-1505
JimF@cristoreycolumbus.org

http://www.cristoreycolumbus.org/

http://www.facebook.com/cristoreycolumbus?v=wall#!/cristoreycolumbus?sk=info


Celebrating our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy’s Community of Faith.

We will begin a look at St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, since Ephesus was the see where St. Timothy served as Bishop. This may offer some perspectives on the Church and the Community among whom Timothy lived and ministered.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are in Ephesus faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:1-2)

Scriptural Scholars have some questions about the authorship of Ephesians and, due to the fact that manuscripts are found that leave out the words “in Ephesus” in the opening address of the letter, they have doubts about the community of believers to whom the letter is addressed. This means, in short, that in the first instance, it might be that the letter was not done by Paul himself and it may not have been sent in the first place to the Ephesians. The opinion has been expressed that the author was a disciple of Paul and that the letter was sent to several different Church communities as a sort of “Circular Letter.”

Having said this, it is nonetheless possible to associate it with Ephesus, since at least some early copies “belonged” to the Church in Ephesus. The custom of sharing Paul’s Letters was clearly developed very early, since we have a Pauline Corpus, namely, the Letters attributed to Paul and the anonymous Letter to the Hebrews. Letters by Paul himself or by his disciples represent the earliest forms of writing among Christians about their Faith in Christ. Ephesus was one of the major centers of Christianity, associated with many figures familiar to us in the New Testament. Timothy’s Ephesus was Christian Community at its beginnings after the move from Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70.

The first words of the Letter to the Ephesians (and to all Christian Faithful) place at the heart of the discussion God’s Call to discipleship, the Universal Call to Holiness, and the centrality of Faith in the formation of Community. Grace and Peace, that is, Covenantal Hesed and Shalom, are presented not simply as customary greetings, but as an expression of a living relationship with God in Christ. The Apostle is addressing the Community of Believers in order to speak to them of Faith and to invite them to grow in their understanding and commitment to the Gospel that they have been living for some time. We can easily accept what is written as addressed to us as well. We are called to live in Communion with God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, pursuing a life of Holiness and Confident Faith as the Church alive in the world today.


How well do you know Saint Timothy?

At the St. Timothy Women’s Prayer Breakfast, there was a Quiz about our Patron Saint Timothy. Test your own knowledge about the Saint. Each week, a question or two will be put in the bulletin. You’ll have to come back next week to get the answer!

Fill in the Blanks:

St. Timothy was born in _______________ in modern day _________________.

His father was _______________ and his mother’s name was _______________;

his grandmother was _________________.

He became a companion of _______________, who called Timothy his own

beloved _______________.

A Word From Your Pastor February 5

Dear Parishioners:

Last weekend, as you know, the Parishes of the Diocese of Columbus and Catholic Parishes around the country shared an invitation to you to participate in the process of government by contacting your legislators about an issue of great importance, namely, the right to religious liberty and to live in accord with our conscience.

Our Constitution guarantees us the right to “free exercise” of our religion.

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression.
Ratified 12/15/1791.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

We are called upon by our Bishops to respond through prayer and by the exercise of our duty as citizens. The Internet makes it possible to study the issue and to contact our civil officials very simply. Use thes web links:

For Bishop Campbell's Letter read at all the Masses last weekend:

http://www.colsdioc.org/Portals/0/Departments/COM/Documents/Bp.%20Campbell%20letter%201.29.12.pdf

For further information:

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/upload/preventiveservicesbackgrounder-3.pdf

The U.S. Bishops' general website highlights the issues of importance:

http://www.usccb.org/.

Follow the links and you will be sending messages to those who can work to guard the Constitutional rights that are being ignored.

The Catholic Church in our time has highlighted in a particular way the responsibility of her Lay Members: the charge to take the Gospel to the Nations, that is, to make the secular holy. This means being in the world, but not of the world. It also means allowing the Church and her teaching authority to offer us insight into the Word of God and its application to the problems of our time.

All Men and Women of the Parish are invited to participate in the conferences that will be held in a few weeks to build up the Body of Christ. Fathers and Sons, Mothers and Daughters: join other members of the Church to hear the Lord’s Call.

The Women’s Conference will be February 25: http://www.columbuscatholicwomen.com/.

The Men’s Conference will be March 3: http://www.columbuscatholicmen.com/.

Our Parish will experience a Parish Lenten Mission in the intervening week, February 26-29. Mark your calendar now and keep this week free for a spiritual experience you won’t soon forget.


Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.

We have completed a journey through the Scriptures of the New Testament that explicitly mention St. Timothy. This has given us a deeper understanding of our patron. Now we will begin to reflect on a few more Scriptures that may be implicitly associated with St. Timothy, although he is not mentioned by name. It is clear from Church Tradition that our Heavenly Patron was identified as the first Bishop of Ephesus. So, those Scriptures that mention Ephesus and the Ephesians can offer insight into the Community associated with St. Timothy.

The first of the Letters to the Seven Churches found in the Book of Revelation is to the Church of Ephesus.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write this:

" 'The One Who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this:

"I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors. Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. But you have this in your favor: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

"Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God.' " (Revelation 2:1-7)

Some commentators suggest that the “angel” mentioned in each of the Letters is the local episkopos, or bishop, the one who is responsible for leadership in the Community addressed. In the case of Ephesus, tradition indicates that this would be Timothy.

John is writing the Letters and the Visions of the Book of Revelation from the Island of Patmos, where he has been exiled. In writing to Ephesus, he is writing to a community he knows very well, since he and the Mother of the Lord were residing there together before the Assumption. He will eventually be able to return there and to die there himself, and to have his first tomb there. (Later, his relics were taken to Constantinople and at the time of the Crusades to Rome.)

This message is to be taken in the context of the whole Book of Revelation, and along with the details of the letters to the other churches. It is an encouragement to perseverance and patient endurance under persecution. It is also a promise from the Risen Lord that the Gift of the Resurrection will bear fruit in the lives of those who hold fast to Faith.

At the same time, however, we may see the message as a personal appeal from the Lord through John to Timothy and his community. With that perspective, it brings into relief the fact that Timothy is now at an advanced age. He is no longer the young man who was charged by Paul not to let others look down on him because of his youth. Paul is gone, having been martyred in Rome. John, who himself was the youngest among the Apostles and now is an old man, is now in exile. In a short time, John will be restored to Ephesus, where he will die peacefully at home.

Timothy, perhaps inspired by this letter’s charge and remembering his mentor Paul’s efforts to proclaim Christ among the pagan Ephesians, will be martyred, being clubbed to death by revelers on the pagan feast of Katagonia, when he tries to turn the crowd from their raucous worship of the goddess Artemis. He hears the call of the Spirit to renew his youthful zeal and he joins the Apostles in their witness to Christ. Under St. Timothy’s patronage, we pray that we may also renew our zeal for the freedom that belongs to us in Christ.

A Word from Your Pastor January 29

Dear Parishioners:

As you have heard, our former Pastor Fr. Thomas Shonebarger passed away January 6, 2012. He had experienced quite a number of years of poor health and was on dialysis three days a week. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend his funeral at St. Mary’s in Lancaster since I was away on vacation at the time. We will have a special Memorial Mass for Fr. Tom at St. Timothy Church on Monday, February 6, at 6:30 p.m. It is a tradition to remember our beloved dead the first month after their death in a Mass known as the “Month’s Mind.”

My own first assignment as a priest in the Diocese of Columbus was at St. Mary’s in Lancaster, which was Fr. Tom’s home parish. So I had the opportunity to get to know many of his family members of multiple generations.

Throughout the years of my priesthood, I have followed behind Fr. Tom in three different assignments: both Fr. Tom and I had the role of Diocesan Director of Vocations, and we both served as Pastor at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Newark, and at St. Timothy Church in Columbus. I got to know Fr. Tom both personally and by way of the fruits of his ministry in the various communities I also served.

There is one other detail worth noting: Fr. Tom Shonebarger and I had the same birthday (August 23rd). He had it before I did, of course. When I was Director of Vocations, Fr. Tom was still the Chaplain to the Columbus Serra Club downtown. The Serrans would host a picnic for the priests which took place on or around our common birthday. Fr. Tom would tell them it was my birthday, but he would not let me tell them it was his as well.

The Columbus Serrans will be present at the Memorial Mass. Perhaps some members of the parish would be interested in becoming Serrans in order to honor Fr. Tom and to pray for and to promote Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life.


Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.

Greet Prisca and Aquila and the family of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained in Corinth, while I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. Try to get here before winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers send greetings. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with all of you. (II Timothy 4:19-22)

As St. Paul ends his Second Letter to St. Timothy, his greetings and directions become very personal. The names of various Christians who worked with them in their mission of proclaiming the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean world are mentioned in a manner that suggests a real depth of communion.




The Erastus mentioned in Corinth was a likely the public official whose inscription can be read amid the ruins of old Corinth to the present day, indicating that Christianity appealed to members of every social class. Paul’s appeal to Timothy to visit him before winter also gives us a sense of his desire to see his younger companion.

The final words of the letter are familiar to all of us through their frequent use in the Liturgy. “The Lord be with you – And with your spirit!” is newly on our lips, pointing back across two thousand years of Christian history. “Grace be with all of you” likewise crosses the ages and invites us to acknowledge the grace of God at work in us forming us as a community of believers united in mind and heart.

A Word from Your Pastor January 22

Dear Parishioners:

A day that lives in infamy! January 22, 1973, represents a date when our nation forgot itself and chose to relinquish its duty to protect innocent life in the womb. We have not yet awakened from this madness. There are no winners in this battle until our eyes are opened once again.

We are a Church of compassion, and all who have been affected by this unilateral decision by the Supreme Court to change the law of the land are in our prayers.

We remember the mothers whose lives have been forever changed by the loss of their children by this act of violence against them and their sons and daughters in the womb.
“In Ramah is heard the sound of sobbing, bitter weeping! Rachel mourns for her children, she refuses to be consoled for her children—they are no more!” (Jeremiah 31:15 – quoted in Matthew 2:18, at the death of the Holy Innocents in Bethlehem.) Healing is possible. God is a God of forgiveness and love and the Church reaches out in many ways to comfort them.

We remember the fathers of the children who are no more, especially those who had no voice in the fate of their little ones and those who were the coerced the act. We remember grandmothers and grandfathers, brothers and sisters, classmates and friends who never came to know their companions due to the world’s refusal to allow them to enter.

We remember all those who are confused by the world’s values and by their own blindness in the face of fear, greed or disrespect for the value of life itself. We hold all these, and our nation, in prayer, as we ask God for a way to overcome this evil in our world.

Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. (II Timothy 4:17-18)

St. Paul acknowledges that his life and the life of every Christian involve a battle, a struggle with the world that rejects Christ. He notes also that the Lord is the source of his strength as he works to fulfill his own ministry of proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles. Many times he faced the threat of death. At the moment he writes, he is aware of the fact that he will continue to face such a threat. He is confident that whatever the outcome, the Kingdom awaits him. The mention of the Heavenly Kingdom leads Paul to acclaim a doxology, a word of praise for God’s glory.

This is a model worth imitating. When we experience the trials and tribulations that are part of life, especially part of the life led in proclamation of the Gospel, we ought to keep our hearts fixed on the glory that lies ahead in the Kingdom.

The new English translation of the Mass has a reference to this text that may not be known because it is not heard by the people. When the priest receives the Host, he prays, “May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.” Similarly, when he receives from the Chalice, he says “May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.”

A Word from Your Pastor January 15

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend, we once again welcome some priests from the Pontifical College Josephinum to assist with some of the Masses. We are grateful to them for their willingness to assist us in the parish in addition to their duties with the seminarians. They bring a richness of experience and their Faith serves to build us up.

The first Reading at Mass today highlights the call of Samuel the Prophet. He is a young boy when he first hears the call, but he does not yet understand that it is the Lord Who is speaking to him. This image is often all too apt for our own experience today. Have you taught your children to listen for the voice of the Lord as they discern their own vocation? Parents and others need to invite the next generation to know the Lord, and to give the answer that Samuel learns to give: “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.”

As we wind down from the Christmas Season, it is not too early to make plans for Lent, which will arrive February 22. Our Parish will be experiencing a Lenten Retreat, starting with the First Sunday of Lent, and going through Wednesday. So, please, mark the dates from February 25-29 on your calendar now. Watch the bulletin for details, but make sure not to plan any Parish or School events those days. There will be an evening session from Sunday to Wednesday. Our children will also be participating, both in the School and through PSR. This is our Jubilee Year. Let it be a year of growth in Faith for you and your family.

Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.

Try to join me soon, for Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our preaching. At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! (II Timothy 4:9-16)

As St. Paul comes to the close of his letter to St. Timothy, he offers some rather mundane and practical comments. This indicates the sort of friendship he had with Timothy. They shared ministry with many fellow workers in the vineyard. Paul is ready to share his frustrations, even naming those who are the source of some of his current difficulties.

We ought not to judge those mentioned as “enemies” too harshly, since it is clear that Paul often patches up his disagreements with individuals as the years go on. The mention of Titus recalls the fact that Timothy and Titus now share a Feast day, January 26. Luke is, of course, the beloved physician of Gospel and Acts of the Apostles fame. Mark is likewise the Gospel writer, who was part of the disagreement that separated Paul from Barnabas in missionary journeys. Paul seems to have been a lot of trouble to folks in the trades of working with metals (especially precious metals), which were often used to create statues and shrines to the pagan deities he denounced. It is of interest to note Paul’s request for some practical items: his cloak, left in Troas, where he first heard the call to take the Gospel to the West, and papyrus documents and parchments, likely scrolls of the (Old Testament) texts used to proclaim the fulfillment of God’s plan through Jesus Christ. Timothy is obviously one whom Paul trusted to attend to such matters on his behalf. He is also a friend who could sympathize with Paul and pray with him about his difficulties. We who have Timothy as our patron would do well to be such friends to those who walk with us on the journey of Faith.

A Word from Your Pastor January 8

Dear Parishioners:

Since Advent had a full four weeks, this year our Season of Christmas has a quicker ending. The Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord is usually the Sunday after Epiphany. Instead, this year, it is observed on Monday, January 9th. Some religious communities will hold onto Christmas until February 2, the Feast of the Presentation, also known as Candlemas, since candles may be blessed at Mass that day. I think it is a mercy of the Church Universal to give us at least a few weeks of Ordinary Time before we plunge into the next great cycle of Lent-Easter-Pentecost.

The Mysteries of Christ are so rich that we need to have time to “unpack” them. Today’s Solemnity of Epiphany actually has three moments of the Life of Jesus in view: the Coming of the Magi, the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan by John, and the Wedding Feast of Cana, when Jesus performed the first of His Signs in the Miracle of water made wine. These moments have in common the revelation of the glory of Jesus.

The Magi remind us that Jesus is the Light of the Nations. The Baptism makes known that Jesus is the Son of God and the Bearer of the Spirit. And the Wedding Feast of Cana is the first hint of the Hour of Christ’s Glory, which will be manifested through His Cross and Resurrection. If we keep these Mysteries in mind in a glance of Faith from the Heart, we can come to realize Who Jesus Is.

As we return to Ordinary Time for a few weeks, we carry the Mysteries within us.

This week, both Fr. Bill Faustner and I are away for some vacation time. Fr. Jim Wehner, rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum, will be filling in for several Masses during the week and next Saturday. Show him the usual St. Timothy welcome, and be sure to introduce him to those who may have a vocation to priesthood. The next generation will have priests only if we teach our sons and grandsons how to hear God’s Call.

Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.

For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. (II Timothy 4:6-8)

St. Paul’s Second Letter to St. Timothy brings with it a sense of pathos, an acknowledgment that Paul is at the end of his earthly journey. He looks back over his “career” as an Apostle, and with humility, is able to note that he has stayed true to his course. As he anticipates his reward, there is also a sense that he knows that for Timothy and those under his leadership, the journey still continues. Paul wants his life, nearing its goal, to be an encouragement to them on their own journey. Longing for the Appearance of Christ, that is, His Second Coming in Majesty and Glory at the end of Time, is an attitude that can be shared by each generation.

As we observe our Golden Jubilee, we must also see that it is important for us to pass on the dream to the generations to come. Who we have been finds its true meaning in who we become as individuals on the path to glory, and who we are as a community of believers who share our Faith with others. The Parish remains ever young in the Faith, even as we mature in our capacity to put the Gospel into practice and to teach it to our children.