Looking Ahead at St Mary (April 13 – 20)
Beloved in Christ,
Regarding the Pascha Celebration on the afternoon of Sunday, April 20, please see Note 1 below and be sure to RSVP if you plan to attend by this Monday evening, April 14, so we know how much food to order.
Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.
THIS WEEK: April 13 – 20, 2025
This Week: No meat/dairy/wine, except wine allowed after Holy Thursday Vesperal Liturgy & Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy. No fasting on any day of the week from Pascha through Ascension (May 29).
Sun, Apr 13 at 5:00 pm – Confession
Sun, Apr 13 at 6:00 pm – Bridegroom Matins
Mon, Apr 14 at 8:00 am – Pre-Sanctified Liturgy
Mon, Apr 14 at 5:00 pm – Confession
Mon, Apr 14 at 6:00 pm – Bridegroom Matins
Tues, Apr 15 at 8:00 am – Pre-Sanctified Liturgy
Tues, Apr 15 at 5:00 pm – Confession
Tues, Apr 15 at 6:00 pm – Bridegroom Matins
Wed, Apr 16 at 8:00 am – Pre-Sanctified Liturgy
Wed, Apr 16 at 5:00 pm – Confession
Wed, Apr 16 at 6:00 pm – Holy Unction Service
Thurs, Apr 17 at 9:00 am – Vesperal Divine Liturgy ~ The Institution of the Eucharist
Thurs, Apr 17 at 6:00 pm – Great & Holy Friday Matins ~ The Twelve Passion Gospels
Fri, Apr 18 at 8:00 am – Royal Hours & Typika of Great & Holy Friday
Fri, Apr 18 at 3:00 pm – Great Vespers ~ The Unnailing from the Cross
Fri, Apr 18 at 4:00 pm – Holy Friday Vigil Begins
Fri, Apr 18 at 6:00 pm – Great & Holy Saturday Matins ~ Lamentations (Funeral Service)
Fri, Apr 18 at 8:00 pm – Holy Friday Vigil Continues
Sat, Apr 19 at 9:00 am – Vesperal Divine Liturgy ~ The Harrowing of Hades (w/Baptism & Chrismations)
Sat, Apr 19 at 11:00 am – Brunch & Decorate the Church
Sat, Apr 19 at 11:00 pm – Midnight Office, Rush Procession, & Paschal Matins
Sun, Apr 20 at 12:30 am – Paschal Divine Liturgy
Sun, Apr 20 at 1:00 pm – Agape Vespers @ St George Cathedral
Sun, Apr 20 at 3:00 pm – Parish Pascha Celebration (see Note 1 below)
Sun, Apr 20 at 5:00 pm – Lord’s Diner
Other Notes
(1) PARISH PASCHA CELEBRATION: Gwen and I will be hosting a Parish Pascha Celebration on Pascha afternoon, 4/20, following the joint Agape Vespers service (1:00 pm) at St George Cathedral. We are inviting all parishioners, catechumens, and inquirers to join us in celebrating our Lord’s Resurrection at our home beginning at 3:00 pm. We will be providing the main meat dishes (pulled pork and brisket) but encourage others to bring a side dish/dessert to share. You may also BYOB. Our address is: 16005 W Sheriac Street, Goddard, KS 67052. If you plan to attend, please sign up using the following link so we can ensure we have enough food for everyone: St Mary/Wichita, KS: Parish Pascha Celebration
(2) 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 that 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
(3) 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 the link: St Mary/Wichita, KS: Mediterranean Festival Marketplace Items – 2025
(4) TEEN SOYO NOT A LOCK-IN: Our teens are invited to sit at the Vigil on Good Friday beginning at 8 p.m. I will be staying all night, and you may stay as long as you like. You may offer to help with the readings when a reader needs a break or pray silently. The teen room will be open for you to take a nap if needed. Parents: This is not a lock-in! There are no games, no running around. I expect the teens to sit quietly and contemplate the love God has shown us. ~ Laura Stanley
(5) PASCHAL BANQUET: For this year’s Paschal Banquet, the parish will be providing cabbage rolls and fried chicken. We ask all our parishioners to bring a side dish and/or dessert to share with others. As always, people are also welcome to bring their own basket of some of their favorite goodies. Please make sure to pick up after yourself when you leave.
(6) HUMANITARIAN LENTEN PROJECT: Our Humanitarian Ministry Team is sponsoring a Lenten project to benefit The Treehouse. Please see the link below for more details on the collection, which runs through Pascha (April 20).
(7) GRADUATING IN MAY?: If I have not already contacted you and you/your child is graduating this May, please contact me ASAP. We are preparing to honor all our graduates this year and want to make sure no one is missed.
(8) PALM SUNDAY APPEAL & METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: Each year the parishes in our Archdiocese take a collection on Palm Sunday to benefit our Antiochian Patriarchate. Please see the linked letter from Metropolitan Saba about this collection. You may make payment to St Mary, earmarked “Patriarchate” to contribute to this collection. This week, in lieu of a weekly teaching from Metropolitan Saba, His Eminence directs you to the many resources for Holy Week on the Archdiocese website, found here: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
(9) 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.
(10) 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.
(11) 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
