This Week at St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo
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Sunday, December 15 - Advent III
8am - Holy Eucharist in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit
9:50am - Infant/childcare and Sunday School
10am - Holy Eucharist with choir and organ
Food and fellowship follows
11:30am - Vestry Meeting
Tuesday, December 17
2pm to 6pm - Sloatsburg Food Pantry is open
Wednesday, December 18
10am - Holy Eucharist in Chapel of the Holy Spirit
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Dear Parishioners and Friends,
The older I get, the faster time seems to go by. As a child, it seemed like the school year lasted forever. In my college days, I felt as though I would never get to be age 21. Now I'd very happily settle for 35! Time in this month in particular seems to fly by. One minute we feel like there's plenty of time to get everything done, and the next we are racing against the clock.
Lots of people will decry this busy-ness as getting the cart before the horse. After all, Christmas doesn't start until the evening of the 24th. Perhaps, though, we could look at our present situation as a model of what Advent is all about. Keep awake! Prepare the way of the Lord! Think seriously about time--the time we are given on this earth, and God's sanctification of time through the gift of his Son. Meditate on the idea that all sorts of time are finite and will eventually run out. God's kingdom will come.
Maybe a little frantic stress and anxiety are good for us after all. For in this short season we can see the totality of life modeled in just a few weeks. The strain, the work, the striving is real, but then comes Christmas Eve. Then comes the peace and beauty that are also a foretaste of what is to come, God's never-ending reign of justice, peace, and love. Adveniat Regnum Tuum!
Blessings,
Father Rick
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Join us this Sunday at 9am in the Vestry Room for our Advent Discussion Group.
We don't like to wait, but the season of Advent is all about waiting—a time of expectation, when Christians have traditionally devoted themselves to practices of prayer and study.
Advent began on December 1st and we will have an opportunity to learn about the season by reading the book
Expectant
and discussing together each Sunday from 9am to 9:30am (between the two services). Please see Father Rick or call the office if you'd like a copy of the book.
This book offers a short meditation for each of the thirty days of the season, from the First Sunday of Advent through Christmas Day. In the spirit of expectancy, each meditation focuses on seeking and seeing God in the everyday of our ordinary lives, based on a psalm that corresponds to the daily office for the season of Advent.
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St Mary’s Angel Tree ministry is a community outreach intended to give joy to both recipients of gifts and the givers! It is a small but meaningful part of being a caring community. The families receiving gifts have been identified by schools, churches, food pantry and town hall as being in need of some help at Christmas time.
The number referred to us keeps growing-- we now have 32 families and 78 children. These are all Tuxedo residents.
St Mary’s Outreach is once again organizing the Angel Tree and would appreciate donations from our friends in the Tuxedo Community. For each donation, whatever the amount, a star will be added to the Christmas greenery in the church for all to see.
Next Tuesday the Freshman Class from Tuxedo Park School will lend their enthusiastic and artistic skills to put the gift bags together ready for delivery. Every family’s bag will contain a $100 ShopRite gift card and a $50 Kohl’s card for each child, so that parents are able to buy gifts for their own children. Scarves, gloves and hats, plus toys and seasonal candy complete the bags.
The total cost to us is $7,900.
If you would like to be one of our angels you can drop a check at St Mary’s office or mail it to PO Box 637, Tuxedo, NY 10987. You can also click the button below to donate online or visit
www.stmtux.org/outreach-donation
. Any amount will be welcomed and help to provide special joy at Christmas.
Thank you!
Sue Heywood, Outreach Chairperson
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Christmas Flowers and Music
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Once again, St. Mary’s will be transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful space decorated for Christmas beginning with the greenery during Advent. Poinsettias and red bows will be added for Christmas and then on Christmas Eve, we will enjoy outstanding music offered by our choir, Director of Music and a string quartet.
All are paid for by YOUR donations. The total cost is over $3000, so we do need a number of generous donors to have this lovely tradition of St. Mary’s continue in 2019. To make this possible, we ask you that you give a special donation for the Christmas decorations and music by using the envelope in your Sunday service bulletin, or use the button below. At the dropdown menu, select
Christmas Flowers
or
Music
. Deadline for inclusion of thanksgivings and memorials in our Christmas bulletins is December 18th.
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The Christmas Pageant will be held on Christmas Eve at the 4pm family service. As always, the entire community is welcome and everyone is invited to participate in the pageant — it’s especially fun for young children.
There are many parts available. Rehearsals are limited to one on Sunday morning, December 22 at 10am (during Sunday School and immediately after the service, especially important for the main parts) and a quick run-through at 3:45pm on Christmas Eve for everyone. So invite friends and relatives in town for Christmas — come one and all. To participate, please just let
Jenn Creamer
know who’s coming.
The Pageant is followed by a Milk & Cookies Reception in Bentley Hall. 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.
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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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