Looking Ahead at St Mary (February 23 – March 3)
Beloved in Christ,
Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.
THIS WEEK: February 23 – March 3, 2025
This Week: No meat on any day following Feb 23, but fish/dairy/wine allowed on ALL days of the week, including Wed/Fri.
Sun, Feb 23 at 5:00 pm – Orthodoxy on Tap @ Old School Tap House (210 E Kechi Rd, Kechi)
Mon, Feb 24 at 8:00 am – Divine Liturgy ~ St John the Baptist
Tues, Feb 25 at 11:30 am – Bingo @ St George Fellowship Hall
Wed, Feb 26 at 6:00 pm – Daily Vespers
Wed, Feb 26 at 6:30 pm – Film Showing: “New Men”
Sat, Mar 1 at 9:00 am – MF Prep: Make Meat Pies (see sign up link in Note #1 below)
Sat, Mar 1 at 4:30 pm – Confession
Sat, Mar 1 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers
Sat, Mar 1 at 6:00 pm – Biblical Greek Class
Sun, Mar 2 at 9:00 am – Matins
Sun, Mar 2 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy
Sun, Mar 2 at 11:00 am – Church School
Sun, Mar 2 at 11:30 am – Potluck Coffee Hour
Sun, Mar 2 at 5:00 pm – Vespers w/Rite of Mutual Forgiveness (“Forgiveness Vespers”)
Sun, Mar 2 at 6:00 pm – Ice Cream Social @ Braum’s (201 N Seneca St)
Mon, Mar 2 at 6:00 pm – Great Compline w/Canon of Repentance
Other Notes
(1) FESTIVAL PREP: Our annual Mediterranean Festival is coming up on Saturday, May 3. We have several prep days to ensure we are ready to open our doors and welcome our visitors on May 3. In addition to being a major help for this fundraiser, volunteering at these prep days is a wonderful way to get to know your fellow parishioners. Please see the current sign-up sheet for upcoming prep days and sign up for slots when you can make yourself available. You can sign up here: St Mary/Wichita, KS: Mediterranean Festival Prep Dates – 2025
(2) BINGO AT ST GEORGE: Members of St George Cathedral have invited us to attend Bingo on Tuesday, February 25 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm in the St George Fellowship Hall. A catered meal and prizes will be provided at no cost.
(3) GREAT LENT RESOURCES: In eight days, Great Lent begins on Monday, March 3. You can find a number of resources on the Archdiocese website’s Great Lent page: an overview of this holy season, explanations of its Sundays and other important days, opportunities for almsgiving, and podcasts.
(4) GREAT LENT SERVICES: Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha is by far the most important time on the church calendar. This is why Pascha is called “The Feast of Feasts” and stands even above the other “Twelve Great Feasts.” With that in mind, I highly encourage our parishioners to prioritize attending the Divine Services during Great Lent. This season is a time for us to re-center ourselves and our lives around God, so please make every effort to arrange your schedules to be in church. You can find the March schedule of services on our parish website homepage by clicking on the “Calendar” link.
(5) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week His Eminence shares his message “Reflections on Love” See the link to read it.
(6) 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.
(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
