E-Blast for Friday, December 26, 2025

The First Sunday of Christmas

December 28, 2025

7:45 & 10 a.m.

View as Webpage

Celebrant:

The Rev. Joe Fitzgerald

We would like to thank Tucson Little Big Band and all who came out to support their benefit concert for Joseph's Pantry!

Thanks to their effort and your generosity, they were able to raise over $500 to support Joseph's Pantry. This goes to fund all of the services we offer to those in need including food assistance, assistance obtaining vital documents such as birth certificates and state IDs, clothing vouchers, and more.

Jared begins as Grace St. Paul's new keyboardist

on Sunday January 4th, 2026.

Get to know a little about him below!

Composer and organist Jared Isaac Aragón has been surrounded by music his entire life. Growing up in the bosques of Central New Mexico, his parents owned a music store where he discovered his love for music. As a child, he began piano lessons under Bobbi Carbajal and under her guidance discovered a passion for composing his own music. This love for creating new music led him to graduate with degrees in music composition from Eastern New Mexico University, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Arizona. As a composer, Aragón’s music has received awards from The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the College Music Society, the DissonArt Ensemble of Thessaloniki, the Santa Fe Community Orchestra, and Les amis de l’orgue de Montréal. His compositions are largely inspired by the landscapes, folklore, and culture of New Mexico and the Southwest. His most recent commissions have been from euphonium soloist Mason Himel of University of Louisiana and bassoonist Chris Werner of the Queer Bassoon Coalition.

As a performer, Aragón specializes in the performance and interpretation of contemporary and experimental classical music. His recitals and performances largely focus on the work of underrepresented composers. His latest interest is in the organ and piano music of the Soviet Republics outside of Russia, specifically: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Aragón performs in the chamber ensemble sonidos encendidos as well as the clarinet-viola-piano trio NosferaTrio. Since 2015, he has served as organist and director of handbells at St. Mark’s Presbyterian and is excited to begin a new chapter as organist at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal. Outside of music, he is an avid reader, watercolorist, fiber artist (crochet and tatted lace), and a coffee enthusiast.

MIGRATION MONDAYS AT GRACE ST. PAUL'S

1ST AND 3RD Mondays 2:00 P.M. Bloom Room Migration Ministry
in-person meeting for worship, advocacy and other immigrant support.

2ND AND 4TH Mondays 2:00 P.M. Bloom Room Informal discussion of ways GSP members can support immigrants and others suffering from the draconian policies of our current government.

Upcoming Events:

We are called to a be a compassionate community who welcomes all. Whether you have been directly impacted by immigration or have been relatively untouched personally, this is without a doubt one of the most burning issues facing our country at present.

The GSP Migrant Ministry invites you to join us as we explore the personal stories of individuals in our community and grow our awareness of the bigger picture through prayerful consideration, reviewing documentaries and books and other local resources to increase our knowledge.

Meetings will be held on the second Sunday each month between services in the Bloom Room. We will begin at 9:15am on January 11, February 8, March 8, and April 12.

On February 8, join us in McBride Hall for a Migrant Ministries Resource Fair after the 10am service. Focus will be on local activities and resources.

All of Dr. Chuck Dickson’s classes can be found at
https://www.gsptucson.org/virtual-adult-education

** PLEASE READ **

We will NOT meet on 1/4.

The mission of GSP Faith in Action is to offer personal and spiritual support for those of us who are struggling in the current political climate and to encourage faith-filled and appropriate actions as individuals and in collaboration with other groups. We meet in the Bloom Room on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month from 12-1; please plan to arrive and settle in at 11:55 as we begin with prayer and a period of silence. You are most welcome to join us and/or ask to be placed on our email list. For more information,

contact Elizabeth Jaeger, elizabethjaeger56@gmail.com

Soul Sisters Saturday

Retreat with The Rev. Dr. Delle McCormick

This is not a “Be Happy. Don’t Worry” retreat but rather a “Where do you find joy in your life today?” And “What practices and strategies encourage joy as a spiritual practice?”

Rev. Delle has taught and led retreats in various settings throughout Mexico and the US. In this retreat, she will weave together a Gospel story of a woman’s healing and return to her God-given potential with CAPACITAR* Healing and Transforming Trauma practices, and InterPlay** techniques for finding joy as spiritual practice.

If you need a paper copy of the registration form, please contact Diana.

We look forward to Celebrating Life Together in Community with you!
Soul Sisters Team

Grace St. Paul’s “Nurturing the Grieving Heart”
A Virtual Soul Support Group

Six Fridays, January 16^th – February 20th, 2026
4:00 - 5:30 PM – via ZOOM

Nurturing the Grieving Heart- A Soul Support Group will be a safe place to explore our grief experiences and the potential for spiritual transformation. This group is process-based with guided meditations, prayer, short readings, and opportunities to share our experience, strength, and hope within a supportive environment. Those with all kinds of grief experiences are welcome.

This group will meet on Zoom for six weeks on Friday afternoons from
4 - 5:30 pm starting January 16th, 2026 through February 20^th, 2026.
It will be team-led by two GSP faith leaders.
Your sharing will be confidential, and materials will be provided.

Please call the Church Office at 520-327-6857 to pre-register.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact
Pastor Delle McCormick at 520-204-6295 or revdellemc@gmail.com

We’ve heard from church members that they’d like a smaller venue – Spirit Now’s answering that call … our services are held in the Chancel, in McBride Hall, or on Zoom, and are building blocks for the larger church to get together and share faith practices in smaller groups. It’s a more intimate place to read and reflect about our thoughts, our church, our communities, and our world.

If you’d like to receive announcements regarding Spirit Now’s services direct to your email, please contact Kim at moanatucson@gmail.com

Every Friday from 12:15pm - 1:30pm in the Bloom Room
** WE WILL BE MEETING ON 12/26 AND 1/2 **

Our Centering Prayer group continues to meet every Friday at 12:15 in the Bloom Room for the shared practice of Centering Prayer. Our membership includes people from other faith traditions as well as many GSP parishioners.

The practice of Centering Prayer can be done alone by anyone anywhere, but our members find that being together (even in silence) really makes a difference. Our group is open to all who are in need of some quiet, dedicated time to rest in the presence of God in this busy and uneasy world.

Blessings,

Sara Heitshu scheitshu@gmail.com