This Week at St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo
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Sunday, May 19 - The Fourth Sunday of Easter
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit
9:50 a.m. Infant/Childcare provided
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in the Nave with the choir and organ
Food and Fellowship follows in Bentley Hall
11:30 a.m. Vestry Meeting
Wednesday, May 22
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in Chapel of the Holy Spirit
11:00 a.m. Preschool chapel for 3's and 4's
Thursday, May 23
11:00 a.m. Chapel for Preschool 2's
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Dear Parishioners and Friends,
At the beginning of this week, I joined my fellow presbyters for the annual diocesan priests' retreat. Mohonk Mountain House proved a bit too steep for the diocesan budget, so this year we decamped to the slightly more downtrodden Shawnee Inn on the Delaware River just into Pennsylvania. Being a procrastinator, I was put into the overflow accommodations down the street, which actually proved to be quite a bit more commodious.
During our time together, we worshipped, shared meals, and were addressed by an engaging speaker,
Jonathan Merritt
, who is a young religion writer. He has been featured recently in the Op-Ed section of the
New York Times
, and is the author of several books. He spoke to us on the importance of sacred speech in our lives as individuals, and as a society. Citing a study on Google Books Ngrams, he noted how certain sacred words have made a sharp decline in the last century, words like "grace," "holiness," "sanctification," etc. all seem to be going the way of the buggy whip. He suggested that when we stop using these words, when we stop having sacred conversations with one another, we are all the poorer for it. This is because language matters. Words count. God gave us the ability to speak, just as he has spoken to us through the ages. To quote Professor Henry Higgins, he gave us "the divine gift of articulate speech." It is a treasure not to be squandered.
However, he also pointed out that scholars erroneously put the US on the same track as Europe in terms of secularization of society. In fact, the US remains a strongly religious country, we just don't feel comfortable talking about it. Being a people of resurrection though, he did offer us some hope. We have it within us to bring the sacred back into our everyday lives where it belongs. It is not just a Sunday ritual, but rather deeply interwoven into our very being. So the next time you are in church and hear those sacred words and ideas, think about how you can reintroduce them into your daily life and work; you will be glad you did.
Blessings, Father Rick
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The month of May is traditionally devoted to St. Mary, our patron. Throughout the month, we will be singing special hymns to the blessed mother. On Rogation Sunday, May 26, immediately following the 10am service, we will process into the churchyard to bless the grounds and plant a dogwood tree. Pious legend has it that the dogwood was used for the cross of Jesus, and upon his death, it changed into a small gnarled tree so that no cross could ever be made from it limbs again.
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On the feast of Pentecost, Sunday, June 9, we will be joined by the Right Rev. Andrew St. John at the 10:00 service. Bishop St. John will preach and offer the rites of confirmation and reception into the Episcopal Church.
In the course of their Christian development, those baptized at an early age are expected, when they are ready and have been duly prepared, to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop. Those who have already been confirmed in another tradition (such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, or the Lutheran Church), may be officially received into the Episcopal Church. Please contact
Fr Rick
for more information.
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Join us on the experience of a lifetime as we seek to grow in discipleship while walking in the footsteps of Christ. A detailed itinerary and booking form can be found
here
or you may sign up below to stay in the loop.
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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).
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How to contact us...
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
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