Looking Ahead at St Mary (December 8 – 16)

Beloved in Christ,

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

THIS WEEK: December 8 – 16, 2024
This Week: The Advent Fast began on Nov 15 and continues through Dec 24.    
Sun, Dec 8 at 4:30 pm – Christmas Lessons & Carols @ St Michael (2710 E 61st St N, Park City)
Mon, Dec 9 at 6:00 pm – Advent Paraklesis
Wed, Dec 11 at 6:00 pm – Great Vespers
Fri, Dec 13 at 6:00 pm – Advent Paraklesis
Sat, Dec 14 at 3:00 pm – Baptism of Jack Kingery
Sat, Dec 14 at 4:00 pm – Men’s Prayer Group
Sat, Dec 14 at 4:30 pm – Confession
Sat, Dec 14 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers
Sun, Dec 15 at 9:00 am – Matins
Sun, Dec 15 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy
Sun, Dec 15 at 11:00 am – Church School
Sun, Dec 15 at 5:30 pm – Lord’s Diner
Mon, Dec 16 at 6:00 pm – Advent Paraklesis

Other Notes
(1)  ST MARY BOOKSTORE: Please consider stopping by the St Mary Bookstore as part of your Christmas shopping. This year we have the Christmas Road Nativity game for families (see details below). In addition, the bookstore has many icons, books, crosses, and more for Orthodox Christians on your Christmas shopping list. The bookstore is located next to the main church hall/gymnasium. Nativity Board Game for Families. Appropriate for ages 7+ for 2-6 players. Role the dice and move your pawns across the board according to the dice to arrive at the manger where Baby Jesus is. Baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manager. The three wise men arrived from afar bearing gifts. Now its your turn to travel to the cave and welcome the new baby and offer him your commitment to the Christian virtues as your gift. Joy and her brother Joe will be your guides. Along the way, you will have the chance to test your knowledge by answering questions on the trivia cards and have fun with surprise cards that pop up unexpectedly. The object of the game is to reach space #75 first. In addition to the trivia cards, there are also 8 Icon cards that will be used when prompted to.

(2) CHRISTMAS CAROLS AT ST MICHAEL: Our brothers and sisters in Christ at St Michael/Park City have invited us to attend their annual Festival of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 8, at 4:30 pm. This is a beautiful service that includes the singing of many Christmas hymns familiar to us in America. Refreshments to follow. See the link below for more details. In turn, we have invited St Michael to our annual Christmas Program & Potluck on Sunday, December 22 at 5:00 pm. More details on that soon.

(3) HUMANITARIAN NATIVITY PROJECT: Our Humanitarian Ministry Team is sponsoring a Nativity project to help re-stock our food pantry that serves several hundred people per year. To learn more details about how you can help, please see the flyer here >

(4) CHURCH HALL OPEN FOR CHRISTMAS: Once again this year the Church Hall will be open for people to celebrate after Divine Liturgy on Tuesday, 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 and be sure to pick up any mess you make.

(5) TEXT MESSAGE UPDATE REMINDERS: If you would like to join the St Mary text message group to receive important updates/reminders, you may do so at any time by texting @stmaryict to 81010. Please note you must include the @ sign to be able to join the group. No one in the group will see your phone number or be able to send you a message except through the parish office. You also will not be able to text others in the group, but will receive messages from the office and can respond to the office.

(6) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week His Eminence shares “The Holy Scriptures: Nourishment of the Faithful – Part 3.” See the link to read it. 

(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: Teach Me Thy Statutes

(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