News

On September 18th, Bishop Scharfenberger announced the "Road to Renewal" initiative. According to the Diocese, the Catholic Faithful, priests, deacons, religious, parish administrators, and school leaders of the Diocese of Buffalo have embarked on a journey to reinvigorate Catholic faith, more fully optimize parish and diocesan resources, and increase the impact of varied ministries throughout Western New York. Three documents regarding this initiative are available in the "Diocesan Communications" section on our parish home page. For more information, the Diocese of Buffalo has this website available: roadtorenewal.org

During 12pm Mass on Sunday, August 30th, our Faith Formation students Juliana Fanara, Christopher Garbo, and Ryland Schloerb received the Sacrament of Confirmation! We extend our heartfelt congratulations and offer our prayers for each of you. You have taken an important step in your journey of faith by readying yourselves to become fully initiated into the Body of Christ. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide each of you according to the path that God has set out for your life. May you always be courageous and uncompromising witnesses to the Catholic faith, to Christ, and His Love. We express our gratitude to the parents, sponsors, and everyone who has taken time to help prepare our youth to receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Congratulations and many blessings to Keira Waggoner who celebrated her First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion this summer! May you always know Jesus' love and mercy through His precious gifts of these sacraments. Thanks to everyone who helped make this day possible. Our parish extends its best wishes and prayers for you as you continue your faith journey.

We received our quarterly disbursement of $6,375.60 from the Upon This Rock campaign. We are grateful to all our parishioners who have contributed. Please continue to fulfill your pledges as they help to address needed projects within our parish. These recent funds will be used to replace outdated mercury vapor light fixtures in our church and education building with more efficient LED lights which will lead to energy cost savings. Thank you for your generosity and continued support. -Fr. Dennis

Starting September 2020, the Western New York Catholic will cease being printed in its current paper form. The stories and images of life in the eight-county Diocese of Buffalo will still be told but they will reside on the newspaper’s website, wnycatholic.org, and can be accessed by computers, phones, and tablets. With people choosing to get their news online and the decline in print advertising, the move to cancel the publication will save the diocese around $130,000 a year in printing costs. Over the summer the staff of the Office of Communications will be developing a refreshing new look for the Western New York Catholic and will produce a publication biweekly that can be downloaded and printed.

Masses originally scheduled for Saturdays at 7pm will be celebrated by Fr. Dennis privately. Please know that intentions for these Masses will be honored and your loved ones will be prayed for during these private Masses. If you wish to reschedule your Mass, please call the rectory.

Father's Day is Sunday, June 21st. Father Dennis and staff extend wishes for a Blessed & Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in our parish!

Mass Requests are Now Being Accepted for the 2021 calendar year! Please contact the Rectory at 716-875-9430 on Tuesdays, between 9:30am-2:30pm.

Parishioners and friends of St. Timothy's can now make recurring (monthly or weekly) gifts, or one-time gifts, directly on our parish website. Stop worrying about weekly offertory envelopes or mailing in donations. Instead, give a gift at any time on a computer, smartphone, or tablet using a checking account or debit/credit card. It’s simple and secure. It’s as easy as online shopping or banking. Visit our "Give" page to see how easy it is. During these uncertain times, your support is more important than ever. Please prayerfully consider our online giving option. Thank you for your generosity.

Mrs. JeanMarie Doyle has decided to retire as Faith Formation Director. It has been a pleasure to have worked with her for the past 10 years. Her parish faith days, involvement with parents, and student service projects added much to the faith formation of our young people. We wish her the best as she moves to Virginia to spend quality time with her children and grandchildren. May she be blessed with good health and happiness. Mrs. Judy Papaj, who has been Assistant Director this past year, will become Director. I am confident that she will continue the good work of sharing our Catholic Faith with our children and teens. Let us continue to pray for each other! -Fr. Dennis

My sincere appreciation to all who have sent their contribution for this year's Catholic Charities Appeal. At this time, we've collected $45,096 toward our goal of $80,000. We're living in a very difficult time. I know that all are suffering the effects of the coronavirus pandemic but, if you are able, I would ask for your support for the many people of Western New York who benefit from the programs supported by Catholic Charities. Contributions may be made by sending your donation to the rectory. Thank you, and may God bless your generous hearts. -Fr. Dennis

The St. Timothy Parish community joyfully welcomes and congratulates newly baptized Harper Ann Gravelle (parents Marc and Jessica)! We offer our prayers and support to the newest member of Christ and His Church.

Thanks to all who participated in the Mass Schedule Survey. Of the 224 votes, 141 voted for Sunday 7pm while 83 voted for Saturday 7pm. As a result, we'll retain 7pm Mass on Sunday. This schedule change is effective April 18-19. Those who have scheduled intentions for Saturday 7pm Masses can either re-schedule for Mass times in 2021 or have their stipend returned (we will mail it to you). You can re-schedule Masses for 2021 starting Tuesday, April 28. The parish office is open on Tuesdays, 9:30am-2:30pm (all business should be conducted by phone at the current time due to the coronavirus).

When Catholics gather in Jesus’ name to celebrate the Eucharist, our first concern is sharing our gratitude, faith, & belief in Christ among us. Extraordinary circumstances, however, such as sickness excuse the faithful from the obligation of attending Mass. If you suspect you have the flu or are suffering from a serious cold or other contagious illness, please stay at home & do not risk spreading infection. Everyday actions such as covering a cough or sneeze & washing hands often with soap & water are helpful. When at Mass, please don't take offense should someone choose not to shake hands during Sign of Peace; in place of shaking hands, appropriate gestures include meaningful eye contact, a smile, a wave of the hand or bow of the head in reverence to one another while saying "Peace be with you".

Congratulations to our St. Timothy Faith Formation students who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Sunday, March 1st: Hayden Marzullo, Evan Mee, Carina Newell, Lawson Sawyer, and Logan Sawyer! May they always seek the forgiveness and love of our merciful God as they continue on their journey of faith. Please remember them and their wonderful families in your prayers!

The Bishop's Altar Server Award was established to honor an altar server from each parish for their dedication and service. The 2020 Award Recipient from St. Timothy's Parish is Hayden Schmidt! The Awards Mass took place at St. Joseph's Cathedral on February 15th with Rev. Peter Karalus, vicar general for the Diocese, presenting a medal to each honoree. Following the Mass, there was a reception at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Hayden, we're grateful for your 6 years of service and commitment to our parish!

All are welcome for the "Sunday by Sunday" reflection group that gathers after the 10am Mass on Tuesdays. Sister Ann Marie Grasso, SSMN, a Sister of St. Mary of Namur, leads the program which includes prayer and connecting Holy Scripture with our lives. Reflecting on these inspired words, people can grow deeper in their relationship with God and come to understand their place in our community and the world. Please join us!

For the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which is this coming weekend, Sat Feb 1 and Sun Feb 2, boxes of 2 blessed candles will be available for a donation of $3 per box. It's a centuries’ old tradition to distribute blessed candles on this feast. Blessed candles in our homes invite us to prayer and remind us of Jesus, the light of the world.

January is Poverty Awareness Month. During this month, join the U.S. Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and the Catholic community in the United States in taking up Pope Francis' challenge to live in solidarity with the poor. Let us pray and reach out in our local and global communities to put faith in action to address poverty. You can also consider a donation to Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Thank you for whatever you can do to confront poverty. "I want a Church which is poor, and for the poor." -Pope Francis

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan 18-25, has a history of over 100 years in which Christians around the world have taken part in an octave of prayer. By annually observing this time of prayer, Christians move toward the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper "that they all may be one." (Jn 17:21) This year's theme is “They showed us unusual kindness” (Acts 28:2). It is based on the biblical passage describing the shipwreck of St Paul (Acts 27:18–28,10) and promotes reflection on his journey of faith and also on the virtue of hospitality. Hospitality is a much needed virtue in our search for Christian unity. It is a practice that calls us to greater generosity to those in need. The people who showed unusual kindness to Paul and his companions did not yet know Christ, and yet it is through their unusual kindness that a divided people were drawn closer together. Our own Christian unity will be discovered not only through showing hospitality to one another, but also through loving encounters with those who do not share our language, culture, or faith.