This Week at St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo
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Thursday, November 28 - Thanksgiving Day
10am - Holy Eucharist at St. John's in Arden
Church office is closed
Friday, November 29
Church office is closed
Sunday, December 1 - Advent I
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
Tuesday, December 3
2pm to 6pm - Sloatsburg Food Pantry is open
Wednesday, December 4
10am - Holy Eucharist in Chapel of the Holy Spirit
Saturday, December 7
3pm to 5pm - Christmas Market on the Great Lawn
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Dear Parishioners and Friends,
As I write this message, a 14 pound turkey lies brining in an antique crock down in what I call the “cold room.” It’s really the basement service entry to the rectory, but if we keep the doors shut, it becomes the perfect place to store holiday foods and wines that the refrigerator couldn’t otherwise handle. This initially cumbersome and unappetizing phase in the Thanksgiving preparations will, I believe, result in a supremely tasty and beautiful bird. It is, as they say, worth the trouble and the wait.
Which brings me to next Sunday—the season of Advent begins neatly on December 1st this year, and lasts most of the month. It is a time for preparation and waiting, and not unlike my turkey brining, is a phase that many of us would just as soon skip. However, we all know that this brief season gives us a moment to stop, reflect, and “marinate” on scripture and sacrament in order to better receive the gift that is to come.
May you be blessed in your preparations, both for Thanksgiving dinner and the coming of the Word made flesh. Father Rick
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Thanksgiving Day at St. John's in Arden
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A Thanksgiving service will be celebrated at Saint John’s in Arden at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 28. If you have never been, it is a magical little church, tucked into the woods on Arden Road in Harriman, we hope you will join us.
Directions: From the Tuxedo Park gate, turn left on Route 17 and continue north until you see the sign for Arden. Turn right, cross over the thruway, and stay to the left. Continue up the hill, and stay to the right. Pass through the open gate and continue up the hill to the clearing, where you will find the church.
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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 begins on Sunday, 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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During this Holiday Season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, St. Mary’s Christian tradition of reaching out to help our neighbors both ‘nearby and far away’ is particularly strong.
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Having quietly ascertained which families in our neighborhood are finding it difficult to make ends meet, or find the extras that make this time of year so special, we actively provide those extras.
Last Monday we put together 24 Thanksgiving Baskets which contained all the ingredients for a Thanksgiving Dinner, a Shoprite Gift card and a turkey supplied by the Food Pantry. Teachers from Baker High School and GGM are doing the deliveries.
In mid-December this same group of families, and more, will be receiving Angel Tree gifts. These will be gift cards to enable parents to buy for their own families. Each of 30 families with a total of 70 children will receive $100 Shoprite gift card and a $50 Kohl’s gift card for every child. We know from experience that these are very much needed and appreciated. Students from TPS will gift wrap the cards together with seasonally colorful scarves, hats, and gloves. Our total expenditure for Angel Tree will be $6,500.
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Then our Neighbors far away in South Africa, being cared for by Carryou and sponsored by St Mary’s plus other friends in a wider community, will receive special party meals and small gifts. At this time of year we acknowledge the work of the caregivers, most of whom get by on a wage of the equivalent of $100 a month. They have families of their own to care for and live in the same informal settlements as their charges. Most are refugees from
neighboring countries. Through our generosity, each caregiver will receive a small bonus which tells them how much they are appreciated.
We would welcome any donations from the community to help St. Mary’s fund these three gestures of neighborliness. Checks should be mailed to St. Mary’s, PO Box 637, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987, and made out to St. Mary’s Outreach with a memo of ‘local outreach’ or ‘Carryou’. Your choice will be honored. Donations can also be made online at
www.stmtux.org/outreach-donation.
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The Ghanaian song reminds us:
Neighbors are rich and poor,
Neighbors are black and white,
Neighbors are near-by and far away.
Jesu! Jesu! Fill us with your love,
Show us how to care,
For neighbors we have from you.
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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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