Weekend of November 18-19, 2023

Dear Friends,

You should soon be receiving the mailing for our annual census/block collection (if you do not receive it within the next couple weeks, please call the rectory and let us know). Please remember that the census information is very important in order for us to update our records and to keep our data accurate. The block collection is equally important for us, since it is one of the single largest sources of income we receive in the course of the year. I ask that wage earners be as generous as possible in this annual collection, if possible donating $200. Your generosity in this collection is especially important as we face the winter months and the inevitability of high utility bills. It is also important given the fact that our collections are becoming increasingly less, especially due to the continued deaths of some of our most faithful givers. Of course, in light of this, our bills NEVER decrease, but on the contrary continue to rise! I am completely aware of the fact that your bills also continue to rise, and so the sacrifice you make in giving a sacrificial gift to our parish is a reality that does not go unnoticed. Your generosity is always humbling to me, and so I thank you in advance for your goodness to your parish.

On Monday December 4, Tuesday, December 5, and Wednesday, December 6, we will be celebrating our annual 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 Sunday at the 9:15 Mass, our Confirmation candidates will officially begin their journey to this great sacrament with the Rite of Acceptance as Candidates for Confirmation. Our young people will receive this Sacrament of Initiation next spring at the hands of Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald. Please pray for them as they begin in earnest their preparation to be confirmed.

I remind you that, during this month of November, the Archdiocese is beginning our annual seminary appeal, for the benefit of our present seminarians, as well as to ensure the future of our great seminary of Saint Charles Borromeo. This year’s appeal’s theme is Saint Charles Seminary: For today. For tomorrow. For all of us.  We are reminded, especially in this theme, that the seminary exists not just to prepare future priests, but to also prepare future permanent deacons and their wives for ministry, and to educate lay women and men in theological studies, especially for their work in Church ministries, such as teaching or other forms of pastoral service. You should have received a direct mailing from the seminary for this annual appeal, and may use the envelope enclosed in your mailing to send your contribution directly to the seminary, which is the preferred method. For those of you who didn’t receive this mailing from the seminary, or misplaced it, there are extra envelopes available in the vestibule of the church for your convenience. I ask you, as always, to be as generous as possible in this important annual appeal. Thank you in advance for your generous sacrificial gift.

As we celebrate this week our great national feast of Thanksgiving, I personally am humbled by all the blessings God has given me in my life, blessings for which I am truly thankful. One of my greatest blessings is the privilege to serve you as your pastor. These two wonderful parishes are the great communities of faith they are because of all of you. At this time of Thanksgiving, I thank God for the many ways in which you manifest your goodness, to our parishes and to me personally. I pray that Thanksgiving Day is an opportunity for you to gather with those you love in order to offer to God thanks for all of his blessings.

This Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, Mass will be celebrated in Saint Timothy’s lower church at 9:00 A.M. As has become our custom, we shall be blessing bread for you to take home and share with your loved ones at your holiday table. You will note that, in each loaf of blessed bread, there is a beautiful prayer, which you may use with your loved ones as you gather to share your Thanksgiving meal. Please join us for the celebration of the Eucharist on this, our national holiday. There is no better way to offer thanks to God than by gathering at the altar, the table of thanksgiving. 

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

                                                                                    Love and prayers,
                                                                                    Father Olivere