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Dear Friends,
I am happy to address all of you in this, our first combined Saint Timothy and Saint Bartholomew bulletin.
As I’ve mentioned to you more than once in the past few months, the Archdiocese is looking upon us as two separate parishes, joined together as one Catholic community in the lower Northeast. I feel very privileged to be the shepherd of this community of faith, and I truly believe that, as we move forward in hope, there is much that we can learn from one another as we share and grow in our faith in Jesus Christ and in our love for his Church.
As you read this first edition of our combined bulletin, you will see that there is much that we do that we can share. Moving forward, I hope that the parishioners of Saint Timothy will feel welcome to participate in Saint Bartholomew liturgies and events, and that the Saint Bartholomew parishioners will feel welcome to participate in Saint Timothy liturgies and events. Our doors are open to one another in welcome, reminding us that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.
I remind our parents and grandparents of grade school age children: if you have a child, or know of a child, who would benefit from a superior Catholic education, please call our Blessed Trinity School office (215-338-9797) to speak with our Principal, Mrs. Maureen Pfeiffer, about registering. If you do have a child, please don’t hesitate in calling---the spots are filling quickly, and once a grade is closed you will be placed on a waiting list! Several grades are already closed because they have reached capacity. Mrs. Pfeiffer or a member of our staff would also be very happy to give you a tour of our school buildings, and to answer any questions you may have about Blessed Trinity.
I remind those parents whose children do not attend Catholic school of your obligation to ensure that your children are educated in our Catholic faith. Our Parish Religious Education Program (P.R.E.P.) exists for this purpose. From September through May, classes are held every Wednesday afternoon in Blessed Trinity School, from 4:30 to 6:00 P.M. Children in Grades K through 8 who do not attend Catholic school should attend. Mrs. Cheryl Kirschman, our devoted Coordinator of Religious Education, and our dedicated PREP faculty, provide an excellent learning environment for our children to learn about the faith. If you have not enrolled your child in our PREP for the 2022-2023 school year, please call the rectory as soon as possible to do so. This is especially important if your child needs to receive the Sacraments of Penance, Eucharist, and/or Confirmation. Should you have any questions or concerns, please call the rectory and Mrs. Kirschman would be happy to answer them.
I once again 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. If you know of anyone who falls into any of these categories, please encourage them to call the Rectory to speak with me so that they can begin this journey and be received into the Church at Eastertime.
Monday, August 15th, is the great summer feast of Our Lady, the Solemnity of the Assumption. Our Mass schedule for this feast day is as follows: 6:30 A.M. 8:30 A.M., 12:05 Noon, and 7:00 P.M. at Saint Timothy and 10:00 A.M. at Saint Bartholomew.
On Saturday, August 20th, we will be celebrating the Feast of Saint Bartholomew (his feast day is actually August 24th, but we are moving it to Saturday the 20th so that everyone can join in the celebration). Our Saturday evening Mass on this day will be a Solemn Mass, which will be followed by a celebration in the hall with hamburgers, hot dogs, and other goodies. Everyone is invited to join us as we celebrate our patron saint, who was an apostle and a friend of the Lord Jesus.
I remind Saint Timothy parishioners that I would like to begin again the taking up of the collection at the weekend Masses by ushers, as opposed to everyone placing their donation in the baskets which are positioned in various points in the church (we have already begun doing this at Saint Bartholomew). In order to do this, of course, we need ushers, especially since our faithful crew of ushers has been depleted for various reasons. I would ask any man or woman of high school age or older who may be interested in being an usher at any of our weekend Masses, to please call the rectory or see me before or after Mass. I would like to have a meeting with all of our ushers before we set a date to begin taking up the collection in this manner once again. Stay tuned within the next few weeks for the date and time of that meeting. If you have any questions, please see me in church or call the rectory.
Know that you and those you love are daily remembered in my Mass and my prayers.
Love and prayers,
Father Olivere