Beloved in Christ,

Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.

THIS WEEK: July 8 – 14, 2024

This Week: Regular Wed/Fri fasting.  

Sat, July 13 at 4:00 pm – Men’s Prayer Group

Sat, July 13 at 4:30 pm – Confession

Sat, July 13 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers

Sun, July 14 at 9:00 am – Matins

Sun, July 14 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy

Other Notes

(1) LADIES NIGHTS OUT: On Thursday, July 18, at 7:00 pm, all ladies of our parish are invited to Bingo @ Central Standard Brewing for a Ladies Night Out.

(2) LORD’S DINER: On Sunday, July 21, we will need volunteers to serve with members of St George and St Mary at The Lord’s Diner from 5:15 – 7:45 pm. If you are interested in being added to the list of potential volunteers, please let me know. You will then receive the monthly email requesting volunteers for our joint service on the 3^rd Sunday of each month.

(3) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week, His Eminence shares “The Teacher Does Not Retire,” a tribute to Metropolitan George Khodr on the occasion of his 101^st birthday. See the link to read it >

(4) 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: https://tmts.transistor.fm/.

(5) 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

Beloved in Christ,

Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.

THIS WEEK: June 23 – June 30, 2024
This Week: No fasting the week following Pentecost.  
Sun, June 23 at 5:00 pm – Game Night (BYOG) – Bring Your Own Game
Mon, June 24 at 8:00 am – Divine Liturgy ~ Nativity of St John the Baptist
Thurs, June 27 at 6:00 pm – Ladies Night Out (Location TBD)
Fri, June 28 at 6:00 pm – Divine Liturgy ~ Sts Peter and Paul
Sat, June 29 at 4:30 pm – Confession
Sat, June 29 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers
Sun, June 30 at 9:00 am – Festal Matins
Sun, June 30 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy

Other Notes
(1) GAME NIGHT: TONIGHT from 5:00 – 7:00 pm we will have a Game Night at the church. We are asking people to BYOG (Bring Your Own Game) to share with others. We have plans for cornball, four-square, a temporary pickleball net, and some board games, so we will have a wide variety of activities available, but we encourage you to bring something you enjoy playing with others as well.

(2) JULY FELLOWSHIP GROUPS: I will soon be assigning you to your fellowship group for the month of July. If you need to opt out for the month and have not already told me you are opting out permanently, please let me know ASAP. If you have already opted out permanently, you do NOT need to contact me about this each month. On the other hand, if you opted out in the past, but wish to rejoin the groups, please let me know that as well.

(3) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week His Eminence shares a teaching on Youth Spiritual Awakening. See the link to read it >

(4) 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: https://tmts.transistor.fm/.

(5) 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

Beloved in Christ,

Christ is risen!

Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.

THIS WEEK: June 10 – June 16, 2024
This Week: No fasting on any day of the week through Ascension; fish & wine allowed on all days through Pentecost.  
Wed, June 12 – Sat, June 15: Parish Life Conference in Beaumont, TX (Fr Aaron Out of Office)
Sat, June 15 – Scroll Deadline
Sat, June 15 – No Confessions, No Great Vespers at St Mary
Sat, June 15 at 6:00 pm – 20/40 Fellowship Group @ Blaise Webster’s (803 S Elizabeth)
Sun, June 16 at 9:00 am – Matins
Sun, June 16 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy
Sun, June 16 at 10:30 am – Catechism Class
Sun, June 16 at 5:00 pm – The Lord’s Diner (contact Fr Aaron if interested in serving this month or any future month)

Other Notes
(1) PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE: I will be out of town at our annual Parish Life Conference in Beaumont, TX from June 12 – 15. Due to my travel arrangements, we will not have Confession nor Great Vespers on Saturday, June 15. We plan to have normal Sunday services on Sunday, June 16.

(2) SERVICES AT ST GEORGE: Fr Paul O’Callaghan of St George Cathedral is not attending the Parish Life Conference and, therefore, will be able to host St Mary parishioners for Ascension services, as well for Saturday Great Vespers. Service times are as follows: Great Vespers for Ascension – Wed, June 12, at 6:30 pm; Divine Liturgy for Ascension – Thurs, June 13, at 7:00 am; Saturday Great Vespers – June 15 at 5:45 pm.

(3) SATURDAY OF SOULS On Saturday, June 22, we will celebrate the “Saturday of Souls” Divine Liturgy. At this liturgy we ask God to remember and have mercy on all of the departed since the beginning of time. We also will pray specifically for any departed loved ones whom you wish to remember. If you would like for your departed loved ones to be mentioned in prayer by name, please send their names to office@stmarywichita.org, bring a list of names to the parish office, or give us your names by phone no later than 12:00 pm on Tuesday, June 18.

(4) GAME NIGHT: On Sunday evening, June 23, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm we will have a Game Night at the church. We are asking people to BYOG (Bring Your Own Game) to share with others. We have plans for cornball, four-square, a temporary pickleball net, and some board games, so we will have a wide variety of activities available, but we encourage you to bring something you enjoy playing with others as well.

(5) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week His Eminence shares an introduction to Joy Magazine for children. See the link to read it >

(6) 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: https://tmts.transistor.fm/.

(7) 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

Beloved in Christ,

Christ is risen!

Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.

THIS WEEK: May 27 – June 2, 2024
This Week: No fasting on any day of the week through Ascension.  
Mon, May 27 at 9:00 am – Graveside Blessings (seen note below)
Sat, June 1 at 4:30 pm – Confession
Sat, June 1 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers
Sun, June 2 at 9:00 am – Matins
Sun, June 2 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy
Sun, June 2 at 11:30 am – Potluck Coffee Hour

Other Notes
(1) FAMILY PROMISE HOST WEEK: St. Mary is the host parish for Family Promise the week of June 9 – 17. To volunteer, follow this link > Sign up includes providing food for breakfast and snacks, evening meals, transportation to and from the Day House, and spending the night at the church. Thanks for your support of this important ministry. Contact Vicki Jones, 650-0658, with any questions.

(2) FELLOWSHIP GROUPS FOR JUNE: With Lent, Pascha, and the Festival now behind us, we will restart our Fellowship Group assignments. I will soon be assigning you to your fellowship group for the month of June. If you need to opt out for the month and have not already told me you are opting out permanently, please let me know ASAP. If you have already opted out permanently, you do NOT need to contact me about this each month. On the other hand, if you opted out in the past, but wish to rejoin the groups, please let me know that as well.

(3) THANK YOU: On behalf of the entire Mediterranean Festival Executive Committee, we’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our St. Mary parish family for all the time, treasure, and talents offered to help make the 2024 festival happen! It was truly a labor of love and it allowed us to share our faith, our food, and our hospitality to our Wichita community, as well as support and raise awareness for the  DUI Victim Center of Kansas. We don’t have final numbers yet, but regardless whether it was a record year or not, it was a huge success in bringing us all closer together. May God continue to bless this parish as we seek to do His will and share His love with all who enter our doors.

(4) VBS AT ST GEORGE: St George is hosting a Vacation Bible School June 3 – 6 (Mon – Thurs) from 1 – 4 pm each day, which is centered around the theme of our heavenly protectors, the Holy Archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. VBS is open to any children ages 4 – 5^th grade according to the 2023-2024 school year. You can register here >

(5) MEMORIAL DAY GRAVESIDE BLESSINGS: We will meet on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27 at 9:00 am, at Old Mission Chapel for the annual Graveside Blessing Trisagion Service. I will then go to bless the graves of our departed loved ones at Old Mission Cemetery. If you would like me to bless a grave(s) that is not at Old Mission, please let me know and we can make arrangements.

(6) EARLY AMERICAN ORTHODOXY PODCAST: I want to share another excellent podcast with Matthew Namee discussing his new book, “Lost Histories.” We thank him for being with us today for the book signing! Here is the podcast episode >

(7) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week His Eminence shares a teaching on “Thoughts on the Fullness of Life (Part 1).” See the link to read it >

(8) 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 >

(9) 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

Beloved in Christ,

Christ is risen! Please note we have MULTIPLE festival prep tasks this week, and we still need all parishioners to help. I have not listed all the dates in this email, but you can see all of the open slots and sign up to help here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F44AAA92AA7FB6-42317532-mediterranean#/.

Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.

THIS WEEK: May 13 – 19, 2024

This Week: No fasting on any day of the week through Ascension.  

• Mon, May 13 – Fri, May 17: FESTIVAL PREP DATES (sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F44AAA92AA7FB6-42317532-mediterranean#/)
• Sat, May 18: Mediterranean Festival (please see the FAQ & Instruction sheet linked here)  
• Sat, May 18 at 4:30 pm – Confession
• Sat, May 18 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers
• Sun, May 19 at 9:00 am – Matins
• Sun, May 19 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy
• Sun, May 19 at 10:30 am – Catechism Class
• Sun, May 19 at 5:30 pm – Lord’s Diner

Other Notes

(1) WEEK OF FESTIVAL PREP DATES: We need many helpers during the week of the festival as we make the final preparations. We have put together a Sign-Up Genius page with all the work to be done, dates on which they will be done, and the number of people needed. Please review that document (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F44AAA92AA7FB6-42317532-mediterranean#/) and sign up for any events when you can help.

(2) MF MARKET HELP NEEDED: The Marketplace is one of the most profitable aspects of our Mediterranean Festival because it primarily relies on parishioners bringing various baked goods to sell. We ask that every family bring at least one item(s) (e.g., cake, cookies) to sell. Linked below you will find the Market Bulletin, discussing the types of baked goods we are seeking, as well as some helpful tips. We ask that you please indicate the items you intend to bring by signing up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F44AAA92AA7FB6-49007709-mediterranean#/. You will also find below a link to the Baking Form, which we ask you fill out so we can list the ingredients included in your baked goods. Thank you in advance for your support!

(3) FAMILY PROMISE HOST WEEK: St. Mary is the host parish for Family Promise the week of June 9 – 17. To volunteer, follow this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A49AAAF2BAAF94-49267835-family#/. Sign up includes providing food for breakfast and snacks, evening meals, transportation to and from the Day House, and spending the night at the church. Thanks for your support of this important ministry. Contact Vicki Jones, 650-0658, with any questions.

(4) VBS AT ST GEORGE: St George will host a Vacation Bible School June 3 – 6 (Mon – Thurs) from 1 – 4 pm each day, which is centered around the theme of our heavenly protectors, the Holy Archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. VBS is open to any children ages 4 – 5^th grade according to the 2023-2024 school year. You can register here: https://onrealm.org/StGeorgeCathedral/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=YTNhNWZjYTYtMmQ0OC00ZjAxLWI0ZDctYjE0NzAxNzE4YjNk.

(5) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week His Eminence shares a teaching on “Steadfastness Despite Persecution.” See the link to read it.

(6) ORTHODOXY ON TAP: The next Orthodoxy on Tap will be held on Thursday, 5/23, 6-9pm at Old School Tap House and Social. Fr Kosmas Morfas from Holy Ascension in Norman, Oklahoma, will be speaking. Anyone is welcome, but we are especially looking to integrate the young adult community.

(7) 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: https://tmts.transistor.fm/.

(8) 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