Catholics/canonization of st timothy

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Expert: Fr. Timothy Johnson - 10/29/2007


Question
hi father im a 7th grade student at st timothy school in phila and am doing a research project on st timothy ive found that he was a follower of paul and was martyred around 97 ad but i cant find any mention of when he was made a saint and by whom. any help would be appreciated

Answer
Hi, Fran:
Thanks for the question.
St. Timothy was considered a Saint in Catholic Tradition by "popular acclaim."  He, along with the Apostles, and many early Saints of the Church did not undergo the modern concept of the process of "canonization."
I suppose that you could say that St. Timothy was made a Saint by the popular devotion of the Church, and this acclaim was ratified by the Authority of the Catholic Church, even in her Law of Prayer and Liturgy.  St. Timothy has been invoked in Catholic Prayer from time immemorial.
Did you manage to find some of the other information about his martyrdom?  He had been made Bishop of Ephesus, and was put to death on account of his tearing down the idol of the goddess Diana, and strove to keep the people from making sacrifices to her.  He was stoned to death.
You can find this information in the "Roman Breviary in English" (Winter Volume), Benziger Brothers, 1950; in the Proper of Saints, under JAN 24.

Fr. Timothy Johnson

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Fr. Timothy Johnson

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A Traditional Catholic Priest, validly and licitly ordained, incardinated legally and canonically in the Diocese of Fargo, and in good-standing with my Local Ordinary (Bishop) on active assignment at a rural Tri-Parish. I can provide honest and balanced answers to questions on topics pertaining to Traditional Roman Catholicism of the Latin Church (Councils of Trent and Vatican II)and a lot about the Eastern Catholic Churches, including the Sacred Liturgy, Sacred Scripture, Church History, the use of the Latin language, the tradition of Sacred Music, and current events in the Catholic Church from a traditional, historical and balanced perspective.

Experience

I have been ordained a Roman Catholic Priest since June 2001.

Organizations
Knights of Columbus; Church Music Association of America (CMAA)

Education/Credentials
Ordained Priest, 02 JUN 2001; Ordained Deacon, 27 JAN 2001; MA - Dogmatic/Systematic Theology; MDiv - Professional Degree from Seminary; 2-Years formation with Canons Regular of Premontre including studies and experience in Sacred Liturgy, Chant, Latin, Sacraments, Spirituality. BA - Scholastic/Thomistic Philosophy; BA - Liberal Arts; AA - General Studies.

Past/Present Clients
I serve 3-small, rural Parish Communities in Easter North Dakota
I converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1981, at the age of 15. Over the years I have done work as an organist, cantor, and choir director for the Latin Rite (English & Latin) Mass (Liturgy of the Eucharist), and even for the Hours of the Divine Office. I have worked as a cantor for a Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church. Presently my pastoral and administrative duties as a Catholic Priest do not allow me as much time as I used to have to devote to Sacred Music; but for my weekend Masses and Solemnities within my Tri-Parish, I offer High Sung Mass in English. Weekday Mass is typically Low Mass (recited Mass) in English, though on occasion I will offer the "Tridentine Mass" in Latin, which I usually offer on my "Day Off", as well. And now, in light of the "Motu Proprio" by his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI placing the extraordinary usage of the Roman Rite back into the mainstream of the Catholic Church, I have been offering a regularly scheduled SUN, 2:00 PM Tridentine Latin Mass with a community of the faithful that has a stable existence.

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