Weekend of February 5 - 5, 2023

Dear Friends,

            I would like to reiterate what most of you already heard me say at the Masses last weekend about our church donation envelope saga. You probably already know that for this month only you will be receiving two sets of envelopes (most of you have already received them). Our old envelope company, F.J. Remey, sent out the envelope packets, even though we had informed them that we were discontinuing our contract with them. At the same time, our new envelope company, Our Sunday Visitor, had already mailed out their envelope packet for the same time period. So, you now have two packets of envelopes for February and March! Again, I apologize for the confusion of this situation, and am certain that, with Our Sunday Visitor as our new envelope supplier, any such confusion will be non-existent as we move forward. You may use either of these sets of envelopes for February and March. I thank you in advance for your donations, and assure you that it doesn’t matter which envelopes you use for your weekly donation. I do believe you will agree that the new envelopes from Our Sunday Visitor have a sharper, fresher look. I certainly believe we made the right decision to switch companies.

This weekend, the Archdiocese officially kicks-off the 2023 CATHOLIC CHARITIES APPEAL, the theme of which is Giving Hope to All. The Catholic Charities Appeal reaches out to those among us with special needs, and the fact that the Archdiocese is the single largest provider of social services in the Delaware Valley is a testament to its far-reaching effects.

I take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who made a contribution to the 2022 Catholic Charities Appeal. Your sacrifices make a difference, believe me, and on behalf of Archbishop Perez and the many people in need who are the direct beneficiaries of your goodness through the work of Catholic Social Services, I thank you.

I now ask you to please prayerfully consider making a sacrificial gift to this year’s Appeal, for this very important campaign of the Archdiocese, which directly helps our ministries to those who are most poor and vulnerable. Every gift counts, and it is my hope that every family and wage earner will make a significant contribution to this year’s campaign, as their means allow. Our parish goal for Saint Timothy’s is $21,864 and for Saint Bartholomew’s is $11,165. Both of these goals are unchanged from the past couple years.  I sincerely believe that our parish goals can be met, and even exceeded, if everyone does his or her fair share.

I remind you that Catholic Charities is no longer a second collection in church, like so many other special collections we take throughout the year. It is now a direct mail campaign that basically lasts for a whole year. You should have received a mailing from the Archdiocesan Catholic Charities office, containing a campaign brochure and a gift/pledge card, along with an envelope within which you would be able to send your gift or pledge. The Archdiocese prefers you to use this direct-mail method to make your Catholic Charities gift. In light of this preference, I would ask you not to place your Catholic Charities contribution in the collection basket in church. Thank you for your cooperation and your understanding. (If you did not receive a Catholic Charities mailing from the Archdiocese, there are extra pledge cards/envelopes available on the tables at the entrances to the church.)

I invite you to pray, once a week, as an individual or as a family, the official 2023 Catholic Charities Appeal prayer:

God, our Father, we thank you for all the gifts and blessings
that you give out of your love for us all.                                                                                                               
You call us to open our hearts to share what we have been given.
Grant that through giving to the Catholic Charities Appeal,
we may bring joy, hope and strength to those most in need.
Our charity towards those in need is a real way in which
we show our gratitude and love for you.
Through this year’s Catholic Charities Appeal,
may we help as many people as we can, including
a young person striving to learn and grow in Faith;
a deaf child receiving a quality Catholic Education;
a veteran who is struggling with homelessness;
a parish carrying out vital local missionary work;
a retired priest who has dedicated his life to the needs of the faithful.
Help us to do all we can to make sure
the “poor have their fill” of your blessings.
We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.

OUR LADY OF CHARITY, PRAY FOR US.
SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL, PRAY FOR US.
SAINT JOHN NEUMANN, PRAY FOR US.

            I am happy to tell you that I will be travelling in the coming week, along with 19 other priests, to the Holy Land, for an eight day pilgrimage. There, we shall be visiting Bethlehem and Nazareth and Jerusalem, and all the places where Jesus lived, preached, died, and rose from the dead. This is my first time visiting these holy places, as is the case for most of the priests travelling with us, so I am very much looking forward to experiencing first-hand these sites which are so sacred to our Christian faith. Father Lane actually went to the Holy Land with another group of priests right after Christmas, and he has continually assured me that what we will experience will truly be life-changing. We leave early in the morning this Sunday (February 5) and will be returning on the evening of Monday, February 13, so you won’t be seeing me for two weekends. Please be assured of a prayerful remembrance at all the holy places we shall be visiting, especially at the places of Jesus’ birth and death.

Know that you and those you love are daily remembered in my Mass and my prayers.

                                                                                    Love and prayers,

                                                                                    Father Olivere