Looking Ahead at St Mary (September 1 – 8)

Beloved in Christ,

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

THIS WEEK: September 1 – 8, 2025

This Week: Regular Wed/Fri fasting.          

Wed, Sept 3 at 6:00 pm – Daily Vespers

Sat, Sept 7 at 4:30 pm – Confession

Sat, Sept 7 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers

Sat, Sept 7 at 6:00 pm – Biblical Greek Class

Sun, Sept 7 at 9:00 am – Matins

Sun, Sept 7 at 10:00 am – Divine Liturgy w/Chrismations

Sun, Sept 7 at 12:30 pm – Feast Day Celebration @ Edgemoor Park

Sun, Sept 7 at 5:00 pm – Great Vespers ~ Nativity of the Mother of God

Mon, Sept 8 at 8:00 am – Divine Liturgy ~ Nativity of the Mother of God

Mon, Sept 8 at 6:30 pm – Belles Meeting @ St Mary

Other Notes

(1) FEAST DAY WEEKEND PICNIC: The St. Mary Feast Day Picnic (a cherished parish tradition) is September 7, following the Divine Liturgy. The location is the same as prior years – Edgemoor Recreation Center, 5815 East 9th Street, Wichita. The parish will provide a main course (fried chicken); plates, utensils, cups, napkins and ice water. Parishioners attending are asked to bring a side dish, dessert, and/or beverage. A sign-up board is in the parish hall. The chow line will open at 12:30 p.m. A softball game will commence at 1:30 p.m. on the field adjacent to the center. A Teen SOYO team will challenge a team of other parishioners coached by Mike Zarich. Please contact Mike and bring a glove if you want to participate on the parish team. Skill is not required to participate but the roster number will be kept to a manageable number.

(2)  PARISH FEAST DAY: Our actual parish feast day, the Nativity of the Mother of God, is Monday, September 8. We will celebrate with Great Vespers at 5:00 pm on Sunday, September 7, and Divine Liturgy on Monday, September 8, at 8:00 am. Our brothers and sisters from St George Cathedral have been invited to attend our feast day Liturgy on Monday, September 8.

(3) BIBLE STUDY & KIDS NIGHT: Beginning on Wednesday, September 10, we will begin a Fall Bible Study each Wednesday evening around 6:30 pm, following Daily Vespers. The Bible Study will begin with an examination of the Epistle of St Paul to the Galatians and will be led by our own biblical scholar, Blaise Webster. While the adults are in Bible Study, the kids will have an opportunity to gather with me in our Teen Room to play games, interact, and talk. We will also make time for a Q&A with the kids. If enough of our kids attend, we will eventually break into more than one class by age. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me.

(4) 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.

(5) METROPOLITAN SABA’S WEEKLY TEACHING: Metropolitan Saba’s weekly teachings will resume in September. In the meantime, he wishes to share that enrollment for the Antiochian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Online Music School is currently open. You can learn more details here: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

(6) 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.

(7)  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