This coming Friday, December 15th, beginning at 6:00 P.M. we will gather on our Levick Street lawn, in front of Saint Timothy’s rectory and upper church, where we will have a Live Nativity, complete with live animals of all kinds, and Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus, along with shepherds and wise men, all portrayed by our own students from Blessed Trinity School.

You should have received by now the mailing for our annual census/block collection (if you do not receive it, please call the rectory and let us know). Please remember that the census information is very important in order for us to update our records and to keep our data accurate. The block collection is equally important for us, since it is one of the single largest sources of income we receive in the course of the year.

On Monday December 4, Tuesday, December 5, and Wednesday, December 6, we will be celebrating our annual Solemn Triduum in Honor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

During this month of November, the Archdiocese is kicking-off our annual seminary appeal, for the benefit of our present seminarians, as well as to ensure the future of our great seminary of Saint Charles Borromeo.

Also next weekend the good folks will be here from Bethlehem Olive Wood Carvers. These faith-filled residents of the Holy Land will be here to sell their beautifully carved statues, plaques, and other religious articles, all made from genuine olive wood from the Holy Land.

As we celebrate Halloween (which literally means, of course, “All Hallows [or All Saints] Eve,” and begin the month of November this week, we are reminded of that “great company of witnesses” we have in heaven, the saints, who guide us and intercede for us and show us the way to go where they have gone before.

This past week, Saint Timothy Parish celebrated another milestone when we observed our 95th anniversary on October 16. We at Saint Bartholomew’s will be celebrating our 104th anniversary this year. I am in awe of the fact that, for over 100 years, the church has been present here in the lower northeast section of the city, and has been, in so many ways, a beacon of hope and a light of faith.

This Synod, or special convocation, is Pope Francis’ initiative for the Church to collaboratively chart its path in the modern era, emphasizing listening, discernment, and mission. This historic gathering features 363 voting members, and will take place from October 4 through 29.

Our Forty Hours was a great tribute to who we are as a community of faith.  From the bottom of my heart I thank everyone who came to pray with us and to honor Jesus in his Eucharistic Presence.

You may have noticed the new oriental carpet that graces Saint Timothy’s upper church sanctuary. This carpet was a gift to our parish from our friends the Little Sisters of the Poor. I told Sister Veronica Susan that the colors in the rug match the colors of our sanctuary so perfectly that we couldn’t have designed anything better!

Please mark your calendars for our annual Forty Hours Devotions. This year we will be celebrating this annual Solemn Exposition of the Holy Eucharist from Monday, September 25 through Wednesday, September 27.

I call to your attention the ad in this bulletin regarding Christian Initiation for Adults. This process will be beginning in the fall. This journey of faith is for those adults and young adults who have never been baptized, those who were baptized in another Christian denomination and would like to be received into the Catholic Church, and those who were baptized Catholic but never were catechized and/or never received the sacraments of Eucharist and/or Confirmation.

The Nazareth Sisters in the Philadelphia area expressed to Father Jack their desire to embrace a new ministry, a ministry which would involve the Sisters working directly with the poor and those who are most in need.

Many of our classes are full for the upcoming school year, but we do have some openings in a few grades. If you have a child, or know of a child, who would benefit from a superior Catholic education, please call our school office (215-338-9797) to speak with our Principal, Mrs. Maureen Pfeiffer, about registering.

At the entrances to our churches are copies of a book, which is titled This Is My Body. The author of this book is Bishop Robert Barron, who is presently the Bishop of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota. Bishop Barron is a very popular Catholic author and evangelizer, who has written many books and has produced many Catholic videos and educational programs in the past several years through the organization he founded, Word on Fire.

I invite you to take a book and read it, especially during this time of Eucharistic Revival. I believe that you will agree with me that the book is what I refer to as a “keeper,” that is, a book that you will read more than once. It contains a lot of good, solid Eucharistic theology, as well as food for thought as we contemplate the great gift that is ours in the Body and Blood of Christ.

Next weekend, July 29-30, we welcome Sister Nancy, who is representing the African Sisters Education Collaborative, which is the organization our Mission Co-op collection is benefitting this year. Sister will speak at all the Masses at Saint Timothy and Saint Bartholomew next weekend, and our collection will directly benefit the good work of the African Sisters Education Collaborative.

I call to your attention the ad in this bulletin regarding the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.). This process will be beginning in the fall. This journey of faith is for those adults and young adults who have never been baptized, those who were baptized in another Christian denomination and would like to be received into the Catholic Church, and those who were baptized Catholic but never were catechized and/or never received the sacraments of Eucharist and/or Confirmation.

We remember in these days of celebration that God himself is the very source of the freedom we enjoy. As people of faith, let us ask him to open the hearts of all our sisters and brothers --- Americans all --- so that, no matter what their faith background, they may recognize him and him alone as the one who created us, sustains us, and leads us, always in hope, into the future that, with his guidance, we are now shaping.

This coming Thursday, June 22, we will be hosting in Saint Timothy’s upper church a special prayer service sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police’s Michael the Archangel Ministry. In this special prayer service, which will begin at 7:00 P.M., we will unite for peace, petitioning God to ensure the safety of our children as they begin their summer vacation, and expressing our gratitude for the dedication and protection provided by our police officers.