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All are welcome for our Gospel 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 remember to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Join us!

Child: Sloane Louise Adams, parents: Matthew Adams & Serena Slattery. Child: Monroe Olivia Nowak, parents: Mark Nowak & Tiffany Bennett. Child: Jeffrey Wayne Schalk, parents: Jeffrey S Schalk & Patrisha Thompson. Child: Nicholas Oliveri, parents: Nicholas Oliveri & Lauren Higgins. The Saint Timothy Parish Community joyfully welcomes you and offers our prayers and support as you come into the fullness of the faith!

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

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.

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!

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

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".

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.

We're collecting old palm fronds to burn for ashes for Ash Wednesday which is Feb 26th this year. As blessed items, palms should never be thrown away. They should be burned or buried in the earth. You can place them in the basket in front of the altar in the church for our collection. Thank you.

All are welcome on Fri, Jan 24th from 7-8:30pm as we pray for victims and all affected by the abuse crisis. The evening will include adoration, music, communal prayer, and a presentation by Catholic therapist Dan Lawson. This Evening of Prayer is sponsored by the parishes of the Northern Erie Vicariate and will be hosted at St. Amelia Church, 2999 Eggert Road in Tonawanda.

Thank you, parishioners, for the beautiful Christmas cards, gifts, and goodies! Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated. Wishing everyone a Blessed, Happy, and Healthy New Year! Be assured you will be remembered in my prayers. -Fr. Dennis.

The St. Timothy's Ladies of Charity next meeting is Wednesday, January 15th, at 6pm. Among the items for that night: planning the candy sale. New members are always welcome!

During the weekend of Dec 14-15, shepherd's straw will be available in the church for your manger! Are you familiar with the practice of preparing soft bedding in the manger for the Christ Child using wisps of straw as tokens of prayers and good works performed throughout Advent? It was originally a French custom that quickly spread to other countries. Every night, a child or anyone else puts into the crib a wisp of straw for each act of devotion, good work, or sacrifice performed. "Thus the Christ Child, coming on Christmas Day, finds an ample supply of tender straw to soften the hardness of the manger and to keep Him warm".

Children: Logan Anthony Sawyer & Lawson Bernard Sawyer, Parent: Aileen Sawyer. The Saint Timothy Parish Community joyfully welcomes you and offers our prayers and support as you come into the fullness of the faith!

Our annual parish Christmas Giving Tree is up in St. Martha's Chapel. Parishioners have an opportunity to help those less fortunate in our parish and in our local community. Please bring back the unwrapped gift by Dec 8th if possible, and keep the tag with the gift. Thank you for your generosity and for bringing joy to many during this blessed time of the year! Hats and gloves are also on the tree if you or anyone you know are in need of them; please take what you may need.

To commemorate the faithful departed from our parish this past year, the All Souls' Day Mass will be celebrated at 10am on Sat, Nov 2nd. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

The Solemnity of All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation. The vigil Mass is 7pm on Thu Oct 31, and the Holy Day Masses are 9am & 12pm on Fri Nov 1. The daily 10am Masses normally scheduled for Thu & Fri are canceled due to the Holy Day. Please join us!