It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of August, as we cross the threshold of the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of both a new school year and a new parish year.
This past February, our own Father Jack Kolodziej approached me with a proposal from the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the religious community that administers Holy Family University and Nazareth Academy. 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. The sisters were originally thinking of embarking on such a ministry in either the Port Richmond or Bridesburg sections of the city, since for many years they had staffed parochial schools in these sections, but Father Jack shared with them his belief that there is a growing need for such a direct ministry with the poor and needy in the Wissinoming and Mayfair neighborhoods. Father Jack and the leadership of the Nazareth Sisters then approached me about the possibility of beginning this ministry here at Saint Timothy and Saint Bartholomew Parishes. I was certainly very open to this possibility, especially in light of the growing need in our neighborhoods as well as the great work done here at Saint Timothy’s for so many years by Sister Bea McElrone, which we continue to accomplish every day.
I was informed at the end of June by the leadership of the Nazareth Sisters that they have assigned Sister Mercedes, CSFN as our parish social minister. Sister comes to us with wide experience as an educator, both here in the States as well as in South America. Sister Mercedes is very eager to begin this new ministry in our community of faith, and she is eager, as well, to meet our parishioners and friends. I assured Sister that she is welcomed here with open arms, and I know you will echo that great welcome when you meet Sister personally. Sister officially begins her ministry among us after Labor Day. She will, of course, be working out of the rectory and out of the Sister Bea McElrone Ministry Center, behind the rectory and above the garages, the same location from which our Coordinator of Religious Education, Mrs. Cheryl Kirschman, works.
Many folks have been enjoying the summer months by taking their vacation, especially at the shore. I hope everyone’s vacation, wherever it was, was enjoyable, relaxing, and refreshing. I respectfully ask you to please remember to place your weekly donations for those weekends that you may have been away in the collection basket when you are able. We depend upon our weekly collection for our day to day and week to week operations of the parish, and in many ways the summer months hit us hard, especially with so many folks taking their well-deserved vacations. Once again, I thank you for your limitless generosity to Saint Timothy’s and Saint Bartholomew’s.
With school beginning in just a little more than a week’s time, I remind any parents who would like to register their children in our Blessed Trinity School to please call the school ASAP in order to do so. I remind you as well that some grades are already filled, and for those filled grades we cannot register any new students. Also, if your child attends a school other than a Catholic school, you need to register your child for PREP (Parish Religious Education Program) classes by calling the rectory and asking for Mrs. Cheryl Kirschman, our Director of Religious Education. I once again call to your attention the ad in this bulletin regarding ChristianInitiation 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.
Know that you and those you love are daily remembered in my Mass and my prayers.