Fr. Andrew's Departure ~ by Mieko Manuel Timmons

I hope and pray that Fr. Andrew will not leave St. Elizabeth. My family and I have grown to love and admire him a great deal. As a family, we greatly enjoy worshipping at St. Elizabeth, especially because of the love, kindness and humor Father gives to all of the parishioners. When I was ill, Father Andrew took the time to come and sit with me and simply talk and laugh. My husband has been re-juvenated in the Catholic Church since his coming. We have always enjoyed St. Elizabeth, but now that we have a Priest, there is a difference in the commitment to the overall church.

I almost relapsed in my recovery when I learned that Father Andrew would be transferred. If the Bishop will just show us a little bit of mercy and grace and allow Father to stay with us just a little longer, we would forever be grateful. Allow us the time to breathe and show him our appreciation for ALL that he has done for our parish, and all of the families.

I am grateful for all of the love and kindness he has shown me and my family.

I remain faithful,
Mieko, Ronald, Mieya, Timmie, Kiyoko and Kariin Timmons

Reaching Out in Times of Sadness

Many tears of disbelief and sorrow have been shed these past several days at St. E's. Feelings of hurt and anger; questions of "why"... How could this happen just when we were getting back on our feet? Where is our consolation? Where are you, Lord?

My thoughts go back to one of our beautiful gospel songs. Here is my prayer:

Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills...
Knowing my help is coming from you.
Your peace you give me
In times of the storm...
You are the source of my strength...
You are the strength of my life...
I lift my hands in total praise to you.

************
NOTE: I will keep this article near the top of the page so that if others wish to comment, it will be readily available. It was originally posted on May 24, 2007. mary ann

For Those Who Missed The Sunday Bulletin 5/27/07 ~ A Note from Fr. Andrew

Dear Friends,

I have learned that I have been transferred to St. Jude Church, Radford, Va. Rev. Dr. Salawu Barnabas Anikoh, MA.,Phd., from Nigeria is assigned to St. Elizabeth & St. Patrick as administrator. I will be moving as soon as he is prepared to take over. I sincerely, with all my heart, thank you for your support and encouragement. As a human, it is possible to make mistakes and if I have offended anyone, please forgive me and I beg you to continue to pray for me in my future ministry.

*****************************************************************************

New Administrator's Welcome Note & Bio

On behalf of St. Elizabeth's Church, I welcome Fr. Barnabas. Fr. Barnabas was born in Okene, Nigeria, and was born April 21, 1950. He was ordained December 19, 1976. He has achieved his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate in Pastoral Theology in Rome. He has held and served in various distinguished capacities, as a priest. He has served as a pastor, a director for vocations, diocesan chaplain for laity, director of justice, peace, development commission, on the board of consultors and provincial chaplain to Abuja. He has extrensively traveled across the world. We are proud to have Fr. Barnabas among us for his great talents and knowledge. Our parishes are his first assignment in the US.

The Letter From St. Elizabeth Parish Council to Bishop DiLorenzo

The Honorable Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo
Catholic Diocese of Richmond
811 South Cathedral Place
Richmond, VA 23220

Dear Bishop DiLorenzo,

We are writing on the behalf of the St. Elizabeth Catholic church family to express our surprise and disappointment by the announcement from Father Andrew that he has been assigned to another parish as of June 25, 2007.

With grateful hearts we thank God every day for Father Andrew's presence with us. He is an excellent spiritual leader and administrator. During these past few months we have supported Father Andrew and each other to get through a very stressful time. Father Andrew proclaimed to us to trust in God and we did and we continue to.

In a few short weeks, he will be leaving this parish family to join another. We understand that a part of his vocation as priest is mobility, however we expected him to be with us longer than one year. Since Sister Cora Billings's departure, St. Elizabeth has had two different priests within two years, and prior to that a variety of visiting priests to do Mass on Sundays.

We ask that you consider allowing Father Andrew to stay at St. Elizabeth for another year to see the fruits of his labor and continue to add stability in the Highland Park Community. He has done so much while with us, that it is almost a shame to ask him to leave before all of our work is completed.

Respectfully yours,

Barbara Vaughan
Chairperson, Parish Council

Phyllis Booth
Secretary, Parish Council

Congratulations and Thanks to the Women's Group! ~ by Phyllis Booth

The Women's Day speaker truly showed how the Women of the Bible are connected to Jesus in God's plan for our salvation. Most Christians know the role the Virgin Mary played in our salvation, but Ms Valerie Lewis Mosley categorized the role of women from the Old Testament to the women at Jesus' tomb and ended with the role of such women as Dorothy Day, Founder of The Catholic Worker in New York; Mother Teresa, Helper of the Abandoned; and Oprah, Founder of A School for Girls in South Africa.

Ms Mosley used our theme WOMEN: THE ROOTS OF LIFE to illustrate God's Love for all humanity; the rich, poor, talented and ignorant. She left a challenge to the Women of St. Elizabeth to continue to be the Roots of Life each day wherever you are as you answer God's call.

Finding a Quiet Place

I've been thinking recently about the old-timey Catholic days when I was a kid. That would put it in the late 1930's through the '40's and early '50's. Those too, were the days when Catholic Churches were always open during the day. People could stop by a church and pray for 15 or 20 minutes and then go about their business again. There was no concern that someone would steal anything from the church or that a person might be in danger by being in the church alone. The church was truly a sanctuary in those days.

As we all know, those days are long gone. Most churches are locked up tight now. There is fear in every community; whether inner city or suburb. And it's a pity...

I know as I grow older, I find I would often like to simply sit quietly in a church with my God in the Blessed Sacrament. To have an opportunity to open that door and go in for a few minutes; to be in His presence and listen to what He has to say to me. And have Him listen to what is on my mind too. And often, just to be...

I realize that I can find a quiet place at home and He will be there for me also. But it is simply not the same. Those who have experienced those open churches will know just what I mean.

The Sacrament of Baptism ~ by Cathy Woodson

Every Baptism is a celebration time for the church; for every Baptism is a new birth in the church's family, a celebration again of Christ's resurrection. Baptisms should take place at our parish Mass so that the whole community can welcome our new member and participate in the rite. This enables our parish to celebrate its own future as it sees its family grow.

Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ: "Therefore...we are members one of another." Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal font is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races and sexes. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." ---Catechism of the Catholic Church #1267

Our Faith Formation Committee will be holding quarterly sessions for parents who want to have a child celebrate the Rite of Baptism at St. Elizabeth. The session dates will be listed in the church bulletin. All sessions are held after the Sunday Liturgy in the parish hall.

Once parents have completed the two sessions, a celebration date is selected and the catechist and the liturgical minister will begin preparations to celebrate the rite with the church family.

Godparents are to represent the Catholic Christian community. To ensure that a godparent is capable of assuming this responsibility, Church law also requires that the person be at least 16 years old, fully initiated (by having received Confirmation and Eucharist), be someone other than the legal parents and one who leads a life in harmony with the Church.

The next session will be held on Sunday, August 12 (part 1) and 19 (part 2). If possible, both parents should attend the class. Godparents and other family members are welcome to attend with the child's parents.

Beautiful New Altar Cloth ~ by Ronnie Archer

Did you happen to notice the beautiful new altar cloth that adorned the altar for the Mass of Thanksgiving? It is exquisite and was made by our own Mildred Green. The lovely fabric was chosen by Frances Pope.

Thanks to Mildred and Frances! That cloth adds a very special touch to our newly renovated sanctuary.