Weekend of June 18-19, 2022

Dear Friends,

We celebrate this weekend the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, known also by its traditional Latin name, Corpus Christi. This great feast is an opportunity for us to focus on the great gift we have been given of the Eucharist, and to celebrate our Eucharistic Lord and the source and strength of our lives.

            As Catholics, we hopefully are always aware of the importance of the Eucharist in our lives, and of the need we have to thank God each day for the presence of the Eucharist in our lives and in our world. The Eucharist is the quintessential reminder to us of the fact that, no matter what happens within us and around us, our good and living God will never abandon us; the presence of his Son, Jesus, in the Eucharistic presence is a guarantee of that. More than that, however, the Eucharist, as Saint Thomas Aquinas puts it so perfectly, is the “foretaste and promise of that which is to come,” i.e., the life that will be ours for ever in eternity.

            Let us thank God on this wonderful feast for the gift of the Eucharist, and commit ourselves to become more like the One who shares his life with us in this gift, so that we can share his life-giving presence to everyone we meet.  

            We celebrate this week three other important feast days in our liturgical calendar. On Thursday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist; on Friday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; and on Saturday, we celebrate the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Under the protection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and through the intercession of Saint John the Baptist, we are blessed indeed!

We are happy to welcome home to Saint Timothy this weekend Father John O’Farrell. Father John, a life-long parishioner of our parish, was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on Saturday, June 4^th by Bishop Michael Burbidge, the Bishop of Arlington, Virginia, in the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Arlington. Father John is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Gerald O’Farrell and the brother of Thomas O’Farrell, who is still a faithful parishioner of Saint Timothy’s.  Father John will be celebrating the 12:00 Noon Mass this weekend and will be offering his first priestly blessing to anyone who would like to receive it.

Happy Father’s Day to all our fathers, grandfathers, Godfathers, uncles, and all those who have, in any way, been father-figures to us. We remember, as well, all of our fathers who have gone before us in death. May you all know how loved you are, and how you truly radiate the love of God our Father in so many ways.
           
I once again ask you, if you have not already done so, to please make your Catholic Charities and Saint Charles Seminary Appeal donations for 2022.  It would be a wonderful thing if we had 100% participation in these important annual appeals from every wage earner and/or household in the parish. Your sacrificial gifts, no matter how large or small, will make a big difference in the lives of those most needy who are served by Catholic Charities, as well as our seminarians who benefit from the seminary appeal. Thank you, as always, for your generosity.

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

                                                                                    Love and prayers,
                                                                                    Father Olivere