St. Mary's Messenger - Annual Parish Meeting & Potluck, Adult Confirmation, "Visio Divina", and more

Ancient worship. Affirming Faith. Genuine love.

THIS Sunday January 19, 2019

after the 10:00am Mass

Parish Hall

PARISH MEETING

The 2020 budget, having been previously approved by the Vestry, will be presented, and new Vestry members will be elected.

You are invited to attend, even if you're not formally a member of the parish! Those eligible to vote must meet the following requirements:

Be at least 16 years of age
Have received communion at least three times in the past year
Have contributed to the support of the parish for six months preceding the meeting

If you have questions about your voting eligibility, please contact Raja Reed in the church office.

POTLUCK

Since the Potluck with the Annual Parish Meeting was such a big success last year, we decided to make it a TRADITION!!! So, we are asking you to bring a dish to share...maybe it could be a family recipe or something that you love to make, or maybe something you just love to eat. Don't forget that a tasty treat from Ms. Costco, Ms. Hy-vee or Ms. Aldi's is perfectly acceptable. Our goal is to have some great fellowship and to share a look back over 2019 while looking forward to the fantastic and exciting year ahead. We here at St. Mary's have some many things to be thankful for and you, our members, are at the top of the list. So, come with joy in your heart and a tasty morsel to share!!!

See you at church!

Raja

Vestry Nominees

St. Mary's Family,

The Vestry unanimously affirmed a strong slate of five candidates for the upcoming Vestry election:

Sylvia Rose Augustus
Don Clark (incumbent, eligible for reelection)
Jason Dean
Bonnie Haupt (incumbent, eligible for reelection)
Chris Steinauer

There are four open Vestry slots : three standard three-year terms, and one one-year unexpired term. You can read more about each of the five nominees as listed in alphabetical order below.

Vestry elections are not accomplished by political campaigning, but instead by discerning the will of God. We aren't seeking the most charismatic candidate with the best hair, but rather are seeking the Christian who has been called to offer his or her service to Christ and His Church in this particular ministry.

As you prepare to vote, ask God for wisdom and guidance as you discern. Talk with the nominees; ask them how they feel about particular areas of joy or concern you may have about the parish. Lastly, trust that no matter who is elected, the Lord will continue to guide and direct St. Mary's as we do the ministry we've been called to do!

You can read more about each candidate by clicking here (scroll down a bit).

Peace,

Fr. Charles

Adult Confirmation

Would you like to formally join St. Mary's and The Episcopal Church? Interested in the exploring the sacrament of confirmation? If so, please prayerfully consider joining me for an introductory meeting to explore what this might mean for you!

This discussion is for those who have not yet been confirmed, and as well as those who have already been confirmed in another tradition but would like to explore formal membership at St. Mary's.

We will meet immediately following the 10:00 Mass on Sunday, January 26th. It will be a very short meeting to introduce one another and then find a common time for our first more formal meeting: 10 minutes tops, and then all are invited to the Adult Forum mentioned above. You're invited!

Peace,

Fr. Charles

Choral Evensong and Benediction

Sung by The William Baker Festival Singers

Sunday, January 26th, 5:00 p.m.

The Anglican tradition of Evensong is an ancient and venerable one. It is a 16 ^th Century conflation and expansion of the daily offices of Vespers and Compline. Let the words of the prayers, lessons, and choral music wash over you. Pray with us and with the whole Communion of Saints as we participate in the Church’s obedience to our Lord’s command “pray without ceasing” as we offer our sacrifice of praise.

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament enables us, outside the context of the Holy Eucharist, physically and spiritually, to freeze liturgical time at that one moment in the mass when the consecrated host is offered to and for the Faithful: Ecce Agnus Dei : Behold the Lamb of God! We pause and reflect. We gaze upon and adore. We acknowledge and proclaim the real presence of the living and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

Adult Forum: Visio Divina

January 26, 2020

After the 10:00 Mass

Led by Mary Donovan

Visio Divina is an ancient Benedictine practice in which the viewer is led into spiritual contemplation through the use of images.

By looking at different paintings and works of sculpture, we will examine our heartfelt feelings. The Gospels give us no actual description of Jesus. He probably looked like a Jewish man from Palestine. Some think of him as the shepherd boy, others as one of the pagan gods like Zeus. However you see Jesus, he can be looked at and can bestow blessings and peace.

We will pair this with some short Lectio Divina in which certain scripture passages are read and meditated on in order to experience a unique and often powerful prayer experience.

Mary Donovan is a retired teacher and administrator from the New York City school system, a wife and mother, and a Benedictine Oblate of the Sisters at Mount St. Scholastica at Atchison. She is a student at the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, and a candidate for ordination to the priesthood in the Diocese of Kansas. Mary currently teaches Benedictine prayer practices and the holy arts of calligraphy and iconography in Kansas City at the Keeler Women's Center, and in Atchison at the Sophia Center.

This Week in the Church Calendar

Fri, Jan 17

Antony, Abbot in Egypt, 356

Sat, Jan 18

The Confession of St. Peter the Apostle

Sun, Jan 19

Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Mon, Jan 20

Fabian, Bishop and Martyr of Rome, 250

Tue, Jan 21

Agnes, Martyr at Rome, 304

Wed, Jan 22

Vincent, Deacon of Saragossa, and Martyr, 304

Thu, Jan 23

Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts, 1893

Click here for more information about the lesser feasts, including Mass readings and short biographies of the saints.

Click here to pray the Daily Office!

Sermons

We post sermons preached on Sundays and major feasts on our website. You can find them here !

Pastoral Care

If you experience a pastoral emergency and need to speak to a member of the St. Mary's clergy, please call 816-974-8082. This is a phone service that forwards the call to the clergyperson-on-call.

If you are scheduled for surgery or a serious medical procedure, or if there is a death in your family, please let us know via phone (816-842-0975) or email .