Looking Ahead at St Mary (March 24 – 31)
Beloved in Christ,
Below you will find this week’s schedule, as well as some important notes about upcoming events.
THIS WEEK: March 24 – 31, 2025
This Week: No meat/dairy/wine on any day of the week; wine allowed on Sat/Sun; fish & wine allowed after Liturgy on 3/25.
Mon, Mar 24 at 6:00 pm – Great Vespers ~ Annunciation
Tues, Mar 25 at 6:00 pm – Vesperal Divine Liturgy ~ Annunciation
Wed, Mar 26 at 6:00 pm – 9th Hour & Typika
Wed, Mar 26 at 6:30 pm – Pre-Sanctified Liturgy w/Potluck Following (hosting St George)
LENTEN RETREAT – Fri, Mar 21 – Sat, Mar 22
Fri, Mar 28 at 5:00 pm – Little Compline w/Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God
Fri, Mar 28 at 5:45 pm – Lenten Meal
Fri, Mar 28 at 6:30 pm – Retreat Session 1
Sat, Mar 29 at 9:00 am – Third Hour Prayers (in chapel)
Sat, Mar 29 at 9:30 am – Continental Breakfast
Sat, Mar 29 at 10:00 am – Retreat Sessions 2 & 3
Sat, Mar 29 at 4:30 pm – Confession
Sat, Mar 29 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers
Sun, Mar 30 – Sun, Apr 6: Family Promise Host Week
Sun, Mar 30 at 9:00 am – Matins
Sun, Mar 30 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy
Sun, Mar 30 at 11:00 am – Church School
Mon, Mar 31 at 6:00 pm – Great Compline
Other Notes
(1) FESTIVAL PREP: Our annual Mediterranean Festival is coming up on Saturday, May 3. We have ONLY ONE MORE major prep day before Pascha, on Saturday, April 5 to make baklawa sticks. Please see the current sign-up sheet to sign up for a slot that day: St Mary/Wichita, KS: Mediterranean Festival Prep Dates – 2025
(2) FAMILY PROMISE HOST WEEK: St. Mary is the host parish for Family Promise the week of March 30 to April 6. Please use the link below to volunteer to help. Opportunities for those who would prefer to sign up in person will be available after liturgy on March 9 and March 16. Sign up opportunities include providing food for the church’s FP pantry, evening meals, transportation to and from the Day House, laundry, and spending night with the guests at the church. Thanks for your support of this important ministry. Contact Vicki Jones, 650-0658, or Father Aaron with any questions. Sign up here: St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church: Family Promise March 2025
(3) JOINT PRE-SANCTIFIED MEAL: This Wednesday, March 26, we host our brothers and sisters in Christ from St George Cathedral for our annual joint Pre-Sanctified Liturgy and Meal (they host us on Wednesday, April 9). This is a wonderful evening for our parish and is only possible due to our parishioners stepping up to provide enough food for all our guests. It is helpful for the Belles of St Mary, who supplement what our parishioners are able to bring, if you indicate on this Sign Up Genius what you plan to provide that evening. Please take a moment to sign up for what items you plan to provide next Wednesday for the meal. You can view the Sign Up here: St Mary/Wichita, KS: Joint Pre-Sanctified Meal
(4) LENTEN RETREAT: Our annual Lenten Retreat is scheduled for Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29. Fr Calinic Berger will be our retreat speaker. Further details can be found on the linked flyer below.
(5) 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).
(6) TEEN BREAKFAST: Please allow Teen SOYO to cook for you! On Sunday, April 6, 2025, our teens host a Lenten Pancake Breakfast for coffee hour. They will have a variety of fruits and syrups for toppings. Freewill offerings will be accepted.
(7) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: This week His Eminence shares his message “Ministering in Love.” Read it here >
(8) TEXT MESSAGE CHANGES: Due to recent changes with the Remind program/app, we are in the process of changing our text message provider to tithe.ly, the same organization we use for online giving. However, for regulatory reasons, it takes 3-4 weeks for this new service to work (we are given our own phone number from which we can send and receive text messages). Once the program is ready to use, we will be sure to reach out to you about it.
(9) 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.
(10) 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
