Dear Saint Mary Friends,
A blessed 2021 to you and those dear to you. A few things of interest for this Newsletter: Two big thank you notes, and news of a post-COVID offering in July.
THANK YOU ONE
We priests of St. Mary’s have received many kind and generous gifts for Christmas – most frequently sweets, baked goods, candies, meals, and more (God help our cholesterol and waistlines). Some came with cards and some anonymously. So to all of you, Father Lourderaj, Fr. Damian, and I offer deepest thanks and the promise of our continued prayers.
THANK YOU TWO
All of the beautiful Masses for the Christmas Season were the result of many hours given by devoted maintenance staff, musicians, sacristans, altar decorators, video team, and some very dedicated volunteers. Thank you all on behalf of all of us, and may the Lord bless you.
ST. MARY’S ICON WORKSHOP: July 26-30, 2021
And now for some post-COVID good news. I’m happy to announce we will be having an Icon Workshop this July. Icons are some of the oldest and most profound styles of Christian art and are so much more than just putting paint on a surface. The workshop will be led by one of the finest iconographers in the country, Veronica Royal, who just happens to be my sister-in-law. Veronica has studied in many countries, including Greece, England, and Egypt, and has received commissions from around the world. As you will see in the flyer, participants will learn the history of icons, their theology, enter into the prayer necessary for painting them, and actually paint their own icons under Veronica’s supervision. Registration is limited, and more information will follow in the weeks to come. I am grateful to parishioner, Roula Lee, who will coordinate registration and other details (roulalee@yahoo.com).
I can’t help but connect this to the fact that we will be back in St. Mary’s Church building by then, and we will hopefully be drawn in by the beauty that speaks of Christ, worshipping Him, and being graced by Him. With that in mind, I hope the second video below, “Evangelizing Through Beauty” helps us understand the relation of beauty to Christ and Life in Him. Toward the end it quotes Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar: “The beautiful seizes you, it changes you, and then it calls you and sends you.”
Health and many blessings,
