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Dear Friends,
We begin today the holy season of Advent with this First Sunday. As we begin this season of preparation for the great feast of Christmas, we are reminded in so many ways, through the liturgy of the Church and through the Scriptures, that God loves us, so much so that he sent us his only Son to be our Redeemer. As we struggle, amidst the glitz and glitter of the secular world, to remember that this same Jesus is the focus of Christmas, let us also try to celebrate Advent without rushing too quickly into the season of Christmas. Our Advent celebration lasts a full four weeks this year, but let’s not rush them as we try to prepare well for this most joyous feast of our Church calendar.
There are several ways in which we, as a parish, will be preparing for Christmas during this Advent season. On Friday, December 2nd, beginning at 6:00 P.M. we will gather on our Levick Street lawn, in front of the rectory and the church, where we will have a Live Nativity, complete with live animals, and Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus, along with shepherds and wise men, all portrayed by our own students from Blessed Trinity Catholic School. As part of our festivities we will have carols, readings, and prayers which will draw us into the beauty of the Advent season. At 7:00 P.M., in our gym, we will have our Advent Family Celebration, which will include party food, music, arts and crafts, face painting, and pictures with Santa. This evening is an Advent family festival with something for everyone. Please join us, and bring your family!
On Saturday, December 3, at 4:30 P.M. we will celebrate our annual Mass with the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. At this liturgy (which will be celebrated at our regular 4:30 Saturday vigil Mass) we will offer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to all those who should or would like to receive it, including the seriously ill, the chronically ill, those anticipating surgery or serious medical procedures, the elderly, and those struggling with any serious physical or mental conditions. Please pass the word to anyone who should be anointed so that they can attend. We would like our homebound parishioners, who aren’t able to regularly attend Sunday Mass, to come to this special celebration, if at all possible. If you might be able to assist us in transporting these good folks to church for this special liturgy, please call the rectory as soon as possible so that we can arrange for you to transport someone.
On Monday, December 5, Tuesday, December 6, and Wednesday, December 7, we will be celebrating a Solemn Triduum in Honor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The Miraculous Medal Novena has a rich tradition in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, since the Central Association and Shrine to the Miraculous Medal is located in the Germantown section of the city. Here at Saint Timothy’s, we pray the Novena prayers every Saturday morning at the end of the 8:30 Mass. Our Solemn Triduum in December is a perfect way for us to prepare for the great feast of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception on December 8, and is a beautiful way for us to focus on Mary during the season of Advent. Each evening of the Triduum at 7:00 we will pray the Novena Prayers, have a homily, and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. At the end of each evening’s devotions you will also have the opportunity to venerate the relic of Saint Catherine Laboure, the great saint to whom the Miraculous Medal was revealed by Our Lady herself. Please join us, and bring a friend!
This year, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on Thursday, December 8th. This is a very important feast for us as Americans, since under this title, Our Lady is honored as the patroness of the United States. On the feast day itself, Masses will be celebrated at Saint Timothy at 6:30 A.M. in the lower church and at 8:30 A.M., 12:05 Noon, and 7:00 P.M. in the upper church. Mass will be celebrated at Saint Bartholomew at 10:00 A.M.
On Sunday, December 18th, at 7:00 P.M., we will be celebrating the ceremony of Lessons and Carols in Saint Timothy’s upper church. This beautiful liturgy, which will feature our music ministry, is a wonderful way for us to celebrate the Advent season. This evening will be a fine opportunity for us to gather as a parish family, to sing carols, and to get into the spirit of the season. Please attend with your family members and neighbors!
Please remember our shut-ins and those who are in need during this Advent season by taking note of our giving trees, which are located at the front of Saint Bartholomew Church and Saint Timothy Upper Church. Details about the Elf Patrol and Giving Tree are explained elsewhere in this bulletin.
Available to you at the church entrances are the Little Blue Books for the Advent and Christmas seasons, which contain a short thought for each day of the season. Please take a book home with you, and feel free to take one for a shut-in or neighbor who cannot come to church.
This weekend we are taking up a special second collection for the relief of the recent victims of the natural disasters that have struck our country, especially as a result of violent storms. The funds collected will be sent to help replenish the Bishops Emergency Relief Fund, which has been used to directly give aid to the victims of these natural disasters. I would ask you to be as generous as possible as we assist our brothers and sisters who have been directly affected by these natural disasters, many of whom have lost their homes and all their possessions.
I remind our lectors that your new Workbooks for Lectors and Gospel Readers are available in the sacristy. Please stop in after Mass to take yours.
Know that you and those you love are daily remembered in my Mass and my prayers.
Love and prayers,
Father Olivere