Looking Ahead at St Mary (April 28 – May 4)
Beloved in Christ,
Christ is risen!
Please note we have MULTIPLE prep days this week for our Mediterranean Festival this coming Saturday, May 3. We need all the help you can provide. You can sign up to volunteer here: St Mary/Wichita, KS: Mediterranean Festival Week Prep Dates – 2025.
Also, please note that we no longer serve alcohol at our festival. Consequently, we also ask that our workers refrain from drinking alcohol until after 7 pm, when all our customers have left and we are cleaning up.
Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.
THIS WEEK: April 28 – May 4, 2025
This Week: No fasting on any day of the week from Pascha through Ascension (May 29).
Mon, Apr 28 at 11:00 am – MF Prep: Cut & Package Baklawa
Tues, Apr 29 at 9:00 am – MF Prep: Make Hummus
Wed, Apr 30 at 9:00 am – MF Prep: Make Green Beans
Thurs, May 1 at 9:00 am – MF Prep: Make Green Beans & Rice
Fri, May 2 at 8:00 am – MF Prep: Make Talame (Bread), Setup Marketplace, Package Salads
Fri, May 2 at 12:00 pm – MF Prep: Marketplace Setup & Item Pricing
Sat, May 3 from 11 am to 7 pm: Mediterranean Festival
Sat, May 3 at 4:30 pm – Confession
Sat, May 3 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers
Sun, May 4 at 9:00 am – Matins
Sun, May 4 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy
Sun, May 4 at 11:30 am – Potluck Coffee Hour
Other Notes
(1) FESTIVAL PREP: Our annual Mediterranean Festival is coming up on Saturday, May 3. THANK YOU to all who have helped prepare to date. Please note we have multiple workdays in the final 10 days leading up to the festival itself. You can now begin signing up to help on those dates here: St Mary/Wichita, KS: Mediterranean Festival Week Prep Dates – 2025
(2) FESTIVAL MARKETPLACE: We need your help to make the Festival Marketplace a success. We rely heavily on parishioners’ baked goods for the marketplace to make money. If you plan to donate, please indicate what you will donate on the following Sign-Up Genius so those running the marketplace can prepare. Baked goods should be delivered the day before the Festival (Friday, May 2) between 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. Packaging for the Marketplace will be provided. Here is teh link: St Mary/Wichita, KS: Mediterranean Festival Marketplace Items – 2025
(3) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week His Eminence shares his message regarding the differences between the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian churches. See the link for the teaching.
(4) TEXT MESSAGE GROUP: Our new text message system through tithe.ly is now up and running. We need anyone who wants to receive text messages from the church to sign up for this service (even if you had already signed up using our previous Remind system). You can join by following these quick steps:
– Text the phone number 855-516-9861 with the following phrase in the message box: STMARYTEXT
– Click on the link sent back to you via text and fill out your name (having your name will make it much easier for us in the future to create separate groups, such as the Parish Council, the Belles of St Mary, etc.).
– Check the box giving permission to receive texts.
– Click the “Submit” button.
Once you have done this, you should be automatically added to our text message list. Contact Fr Aaron if you have any issues.
(5) TEACH ME THY STATUTES PODCAST: If you would like to listen to this week’s Teach Me Thy Statutes podcast (with Fr Aaron & Jason Ewertt), you can find it here: Teach Me Thy Statutes.
(6) PASTORAL VISITS: If you would like a pastoral visit for any reason, or if you know of a family member/parishioner who needs a visit, please feel free to contact me via cell phone at 204-6725.
Yours in Christ,
Fr Aaron
