st mary

Looking Ahead at St Mary (Dec 19- Dec 25)

/in /by

Beloved in Christ,

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

THIS WEEK: December 19 – 25, 2022

This Week: The Advent Fast Began Tuesday, November 15, and continues through Divine Liturgy on Saturday, December 24.       

  • Mon, Dec 19 at 6:00 pm – Great Vespers @ St George w/Metropolitan Antonios
  • Tues, Dec 20 at 6:45 pm – Vespers @ St George w/Metropolitan Antonios
  • Tues, Dec 20 at 7:15 pm – “Meet & Greet” @ St George w/Metropolitan Antonios
  • Wed, Dec 21 at 6:00 pm – Advent Paraklesis
  • Fri, Dec 23 at 9:00 am – Royal Hours of the Nativity (Christmas)
  • Sat, Dec 24 at 4:50 pm – Festal Matins ~ Nativity (Christmas)
  • Sat, Dec 24 at 6:00 pm – Divine Liturgy ~ Nativity (Christmas)

Other Notes

(1) ADVENT FAST: The Advent/Christmas Fast begins on November 15 and continues through December 24. Following the Nativity/Christmas Divine Liturgy on Saturday, December 24, there is no fasting on any day of the week until Thursday, January 5.

(2) CHURCH HALL OPEN FOR CHRISTMAS: Once again this year, the Church Hall will be open for people to celebrate after Divine Liturgy on Saturday evening, December 24. The parish will not be providing any food or beverage, but people are welcome to bring their own. As always, please be sure not to drink and drive and to shut the lights off if you are the last person to leave. Please also ensure the doors are locked behind you, and you pick up any mess that you make.

(3) FESTIVAL PREP SIGN-UP: At our Focus Group meeting earlier this year, one topic that was mentioned by many people was using SignUp Genius to help recruit volunteers for our Mediterranean Festival prep dates. We believe this helps because it gives people a timeline and some detail about what they will be doing when they volunteer. To that end, we have created a SignUp Genius for the January festival prep dates. You can sign up to help using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090f44aaa92aa7fb6-mediterranean. Please note in the field “Available Slot,” the number in parentheses indicates the number of people we still need to volunteer to help with each session. As we finalize the prep dates beyond January, they will be added to this link. Thank you for your help in making our festival a success!

(4) POTLUCK COFFEE HOUR HELP NEEDED: Beginning in January 2023, we are having a monthly Potluck Coffee Hour. Normally, these will be held the first Sunday of the month unless there is a holiday or unless a parishioner wishes to host coffee hour in memory or honor of a loved one (please contact Fr Aaron to request). Our first such coffee hour will be Sunday, January 8. For these coffee hours, we need two volunteers to oversee the setup and clean up. These duties would primarily consist of preparing the coffee and cleaning it up, setting out plates and silverware, and serving utensils. Everyone is asked to help with clean up, cleaning tables, washing any utensils, etc. This is a wonderful opportunity for people to help with coffee hour who normally do not volunteer because of concerns about feeding the entire parish! If you would like to volunteer to help and you do not know what to do, please let Fr Aaron know, and we will train you. You may sign up in the Holy Bread book that is kept in the church hall. There is a place to sign up on each of the planned Potluck Coffee Hour dates.

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

(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