Sylvia Timmons Reflects On The Blessings Of Discipleship

Throughout her life, parishioner Sylvia Timmons has always felt a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Indeed, her love for the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Church was the inspiration behind the many ways she has lived out her Catholic faith ever since the day of her First Holy Communion.

On the day of her First Communion, Sylvia closely watched the eighth-grade girls who had been chosen to lead the first communicants to the altar. She felt a burning desire to someday be in their place, guiding children to receive their Lord for the first time.

“It all goes back to when I made my First Communion,” Sylvia says. “Sister said, ‘If you ask God for something when the priest raises the Host up, then you’ll get it’. So I asked to lead the kids up to Communion. Later, at a Sunday Mass for the students in my Catholic school, the youngest were in the front and they needed someone to go up and tell them when it was time for Communion, and I got picked. Then God said, ‘Well, that’s not enough, you have to do all this other stuff, too!’”

And so began a life of stewardship, as Sylvia’s Catholic faith continued to inspire her to stay close to the Lord. In middle school — an age when even the most devout child often complains about waking up for Mass Sylvia Timmons on Sunday mornings — Sylvia and her twin sister, Evelyn, began attending daily Mass.

“We had to wake up early,” Sylvia says. “We managed to make it to Mass, come back home to eat, and then get to school on time. We went to daily Mass all the way through school.”

Following God’s call to discipleship, Sylvia continued to stay active in the Church throughout her adult years. As a typist for the U.S. Air Force for 10 years, she had the opportunity to live in places around the country and even spent several years in Paris, France. Sylvia was stationed in Texas when she met her husband, Vernon, on the Air Force base. The couple made St. Michael their faith home after moving to Arkansas in 1971. Sylvia and Vernon raised their three children — Roberta, Basil and Steven — in our parish.

One of the first ways Sylvia got involved in parish life here was by joining our Altar Society. Almost 50 years later, she is still thankful for the friendships she made in this group.

“The Altar Society started in the old St. Michael on 13 th Street,” Sylvia says. “I enjoy the camaraderie of the other ladies. We get together and talk. On Wednesdays, we used to do some sewing and crafts, and I even learned to make a quilt!”

Sylvia volunteered as a catechist for eight years, teaching our First Communion and fourth-grade classes. Reflecting back on the prayer she whispered to herself as a young girl about to receive her First Communion, she marvels at the plans God had in store for her — not only to bring First Communicants to the altar, but also to eventually be the one to prepare them to receive this most holy sacrament!

With her unwavering devotion to the Body and Blood of Christ guiding her life of service, Sylvia did not hesitate in becoming a Eucharistic Minister as soon as the opportunity arose.

“When they started having lay Eucharistic Ministers, it was only men,” she says. “As soon as they said women could do it, I was the first to sign up. I had always wanted to be one.”

Sylvia continued to be a pioneer for lay women in our parish by serving as our only female usher for a time. Recently, she has enjoyed participating in the Parish Veterans Network at St. Michael, providing support at the funerals of local veterans.

Over the years, Sylvia has jumped in to help with countless other parish activities and ministries, making stewardship a natural way of life.

“I’ve always been close to the Church,” she says. “Whatever they asked me to do, I did.”

Having experienced firsthand the abundant blessings that come from actively living discipleship, Sylvia would encourage all parishioners to prayerfully discern how they may be called to serve our faith community.

“If you’re praying for something, it will end up being better than what you want or even expect,” Sylvia says. “Just look at what happened with me!”