December 20, 2018
This Week at St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo
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Upcoming Calendar
Saturday, December 22
11:00 a.m. Rehearsal for pageant and acolytes

Sunday, December 23: The Fourth Sunday of Advent
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit 
9:50 a.m. Infant/Childcare provided 
10:00 a.m. Lessons and Carols with choir and organ
Food and Fellowship follows in Bentley Hall
 
Monday, December 24: Christmas Eve
Preschool and church office closed
3:00 p.m. All children who wish to participate in the pageant come for costumes and rehearsal. 
4:00 p.m. Christmas Pageant and Holy Eucharist in the Nave; Reception follows
5:45 p.m. Carol Sing at St. John’s Church, Arden
6:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist at St. John’s in Arden
10:30 p.m. Christmas Concert at St. Mary’s
11:00 p.m. Festive Holy Eucharist with Candlelight and Music Champagne reception to follow
 
Tuesday, December 25: Christmas Day
Preschool and church office closed
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in the Nave with organ
 
Wednesday, December 26
Preschool and church office closed

Thursday December 27
Preschool and church office closed

Friday December 28
Preschool and church office closed
From the Rector
Dear Parishioners and Friends,

The holy catholic and apostolic Church, of which we are a part, is abundantly blessed with a rich tradition of liturgical prayer and praise. While the Holy Eucharist is our standard board throughout the year, the seasonal liturgical changes are the "spices" that flavor our heavenly meal. They were all created, and are chosen, not to overshadow but to enhance. From season to season, we may want to draw our attention to one aspect of the story of salvation or another. Obviously, at this time of year, our focus turns to the miracle of Jesus' incarnation and the humans like you and me who were active participants in God's plan.

Our church is dedicated to the first and foremost of those humans, St. Mary. Without her willing participation, who knows how God's plan would have unfolded? Next Sunday we will recount the story of salvation with the traditional service of Lessons & Carols. In it as well as in the Eucharistic lectionary (which will be used at the 8:00 service), we will hear accounts of God's interaction with this most holy woman. In the service of Lessons and Carols, we will hear the story of the Annunciation, in which the archangel Gabriel comes to her and says, "Hail, thou that are highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." At the 8:00 Eucharist, we will hear the story of the Visitation, in which St. Elizabeth echoes the archangel when she joyfully greets her cousin and exclaims, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

On our side of the veil, we commemorate these momentous events with a devotion called the Angelus. The title is taken from the Latin version and refers to the opening sentence: The angel of the Lord brought tiding unto Mary... With this touching devotion, we join our hearts and minds with the angels and saints in contemplating the the plan of God to let his light and love break into our world both then and now: in birth, death, and resurrection. I hope that in your Advent preparations this devotion is a life-giving source of peace.

Blessings,
Father Rick
Christmas Pageant
Come and join us! This year's Christmas Pageant will be held on Christmas Eve at the 4pm family service. As always, the entire community is welcome, and children and adults are all needed to participate in the pageant. There are speaking and non-speaking parts available. Rehearsals are limited to one on Saturday morning, December 22 at 11am, and a quick run-through right before the actual Pageant. So invite friends and relatives in town for Christmas - come one and all. To participate, please just let us know you will come! It promises to be a fun family Christmas experience. For more information and to volunteer, please contact  Jenn Creamer .

The Pageant is followed by a Milk & Cookies Reception in Bentley Hall. Let’s spice up the Milk & Cookies Reception following the Christmas pageant by featuring our special homemade goodies. As you bake your favorite holiday treats, consider making an extra dozen to share. Drop them off at the church office any weekday before Christmas Eve (we’ll freeze them, if necessary), or at the 10 AM service on Sundays.
Outreach Update
TPS Eighth and Ninth graders assembled the Angel Tree bags for 34 families with 80 children. TPS made a collection of hats, scarves and gloves for the children and St Mary's parishioners and friends contributed to the purchase of one $50 ShopRite gift card per family and one $50 Kohl's gift card per child. St Mary's Outreach account made the initial outlay to buy the $5,700 worth of gift cards and is very grateful to everyone who donated to this project.We have $2,958 in Angel Tree donations so far and would welcome any further donations to assist in funding the cost -- please visit www.stmtux.org/giving and choose Angel Tree from the drop down fund designation. Thank you to everyone who donated!
All are truly welcome at St. Mary's, which is located within the historic gates of Tuxedo Park and serves the entire Tuxedo community. Please tell the gatehouse you're going to St. Mary's, proceed thru the gates and we're on the right (plenty of parking available).
How to contact us...
Website: www.stmtux.org
Office: 845.351.5122
PreSchool: 845.351.2389
Physical Address: 10 Fox Hill Rd, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 637, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987