This Week at St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo
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Upcoming Calendar
Services are being live-streamed online on Facebook (you do not need a Facebook account to participate).

Saturday, May 1
10am to 1pm - Spring Gardening & Cleanup - Churchyard

Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 2
10am - Holy Eucharist (in-person and online)

Tuesday, May 4
5pm - Evening Prayer (online only)

Wednesday, May 5
10am - Holy Eucharist (in-person and online)

Thursday, May 6
5pm - Evening Prayer (online only)

Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 9 - Mother's Day
10am - Holy Eucharist (in-person and online)
10:45am - Dedication of Memorial Trees - Great Lawn
From the Rector
Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Today is the feast day of one of the more remarkably indefatigable saints: Catherine of Siena. She was the youngest of 25 children of a Sienese dyer—imagine the sibling dynamics in that family!

Catherine is considered a mystic, as she had numerous visions from the early age of six, and dictated her Dialogue while in a state of ecstasy. Despite the intense objection of her family—one would think that after number 25 they’d lose a little interest—she was finally accepted as a lay Dominican postulant.

In addition to her mystical qualities, she worked tirelessly as a nurse, ministering to patients with plague, leprosy, and cancer, whom the other nurses refused to treat.

She was a prolific writer of letters to all sorts of people, including kings and princes, urging unity during the era of the papal schism of Avignon. Catherine was entrusted by the pope with many other missions, something truly remarkable for a woman of the Middle Ages. She died, exhausted and paralyzed, in 1380, at the young age of 33.

Almighty and everlasting God, who didst kindle the flame of thy love in the heart of thy servant Catherine of Siena: Grant unto us the same strength of conviction and power of love that, as we rejoice in her triumph, we may profit by her example; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessings,
Father Rick
917.658.6314
Gardening/Cleanup Day this Saturday
Call all gardeners and clean freaks! Our next Buildings & Grounds event will be a Spring Gardening & Cleanup Day on Saturday, May 1st, from 10am to 1pm. Please join us for a safe, fun day of activity!
Memorial Tree Dedication May 9th
After the dedication of the Pam Cromey rose garden and the planting of a dogwood tree in her memory, Fr. Rick mentioned his vision for the creation of an allée of native dogwoods along the approach to the church on Tuxedo Road. The response was enthusiastic and donors asked that seven more trees be planted in memory of loved ones. There will be a total of nine trees in place, with room for a few more in the future. The trees are not only beautiful, but will provide food for the birds as they prepare for their fall migration. The seven new trees will be dedicated and blessed on Mother's Day, May 9th, immediately following the 10am service. The trees are given in loving memory by:
  • Jane and Neil Garofano for their son-in-law, Michael McColgan (1973-2019)
  • Inger Grüterich for her husband, Rolf Grüterich (1929-2016)
  • Nancy and Jim Hays for their son, Alexander M. Hays (1977-2018)
  • Sue Heywood for her husband, Alan Heywood (1939-2015)
  • Sally Sonne for her husband, Christian R. Sonne (1936-2019)
  • Serene Swirbul for her husband, L. Philip Swirbul (1931- 2016)
  • Sandy Taylor for her sister, Anne Louise McFarland Heigho (1935-2020)
Many thanks to Sue Heywood for coordinating this effort!
Reimagining our Ministries - Lectors
There are many ways to get involved, deepen your faith and help make a difference in the life of your neighbor, our community and the broader world. Our ministries have naturally changed over time, depending on the needs and interests of our community. Many of them were scaled back and/or moved online during the pandemic. As more people are vaccinated and covid infections decrease, we hope people will feel more comfortable attending in-person events — what a great opportunity to restart and reimagine those ministries that enrich and enlighten our community!

When in-person worship resumed last July, we deliberately limited the number of people involved in the services. Initially, only Sue Heywood served as lector, but then we expanded it to several other people, and we are now ready to welcome all lectors who are interested in serving. Lectors are those lay (non-ordained) volunteers who read Holy Scripture at the service. The ministry of Lector is open to adults as well as children in sixth grade or above.

Please visit www.stmtux.org/ministries to learn more about all of our ministries, or www.stmtux.org/serve if you'd like to help us restart the Lector and/or other ministries.
Welcome to the Emporium!
We are pleased to introduce the Emporium at St. Mary's, a whole new way to shop sustainably while supporting a worthy cause! Need extra wine glasses? A paella pan or fish poacher? Silver candelabra? We can help you outfit your house; just send us an email and we can meet you and take you shopping! Fabulous items arriving weekly!

With Spring weather and the outdoor sports season opening, you may be interested in some of these bargains (see photos below):
  • Barbie Dollhouse complete with dolls and furniture. In perfect condition.
  • Specialist drivers for all you would-be pro golfers out there
  • Beginner set of golf clubs -- it's never too late to start!

Please call (845) 351-2389 or email emporium@stmtux.org to make an offer or get more information.

Lili Neuhauser, Emporium Curator
Outreach Update
Much of St Mary's local Outreach is linked to the Sloatsburg Food Pantry, with parishioners and friends making financial donations, while also volunteering their time and expertise to help with packing and distribution. SFP is now distributing from All Souls Church in Suffern and providing food to around 340 families twice a month, currently via a drive-thru distribution. We are working to establish a 'satellite' storage space at St Mary's where Tuxedo families can get access to food and receive home deliveries in emergency situations.

We are also able to help individual families whose needs go beyond food. Recently, we have assisted in paying medical bills, given out Kohl's gift cards for those in need of clothing, and subsidized rent for families who could not raise the funds to meet their bills.

At Easter we distributed Shop-Rite gift cards to 48 families in need. Families with one child received a $50 gift card and those with two or more children, $100. Our total expenditure was $4,000. One teenager told me how, when she got home from school, her mother was smiling from ear to ear and waving the cards in the air and excitedly waiting to get a ride to the grocery store!

Several individuals in Tuxedo have been assisting others in scheduling vaccination appointments and accessing rides to keep those appointments. After some discussion, the Outreach Committee decided to make a donation of $1,000 to Médecins Sans Frontières, Doctors without Borders, for their work in contributing to the global access to vaccinations, particularly in areas of poverty. Covid19 can only be defeated by a global approach and we felt strongly that St Mary's had a responsibility to be a part of that effort along with our personal donations.

Donations to St Mary's Outreach efforts will be thankfully received at www.stmtux.org/outreach-donation. 100% of your donations go to those in need and our partner organizations, and the donations can be specifically designated.

Sue Heywood, Outreach Chair
Antiracism Summit May 22nd
Several congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of New York have groups focusing on racial justice and/or antiracism. Other congregations have members who would like to start such a group. They are looking for help and resources to do so.

With the help of the diocesan Antiracism Committee, a group of congregants from around the diocese are planning an online "summit meeting" on May 22nd for representatives from congregations who have existing groups or congregations which want to start one.

Please click on the link below to sign up for the summit and let Father Rick know if you'd be interested in starting such a group at St. Mary's.
How to contact us...
Website: www.stmtux.org
Office: 845.351.5122
Physical Address: 10 Fox Hill Rd, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 637, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987