Photos: First Sunday of Advent

Thank you to the SWEA Swedish Choir for the special music at this morning's service. Below are pictures of the reception and Advent Wreath making after the service.

Dedication of the New Santa Maria Virgen Church Building on December 6

UPDATE: Peter Chase will be departing this Thursday for El Salvador to attend the dedication. He has been invited personally by Bishop Martin Barahona, Primate of the Anglican Church for Central America, to participate in the dedication service.


This December 6, our sister parish in El Salvador will be dedicating the altar of their new church building.

Construction of the new Santa Maria Virgen building started earlier this summer (see here and here) and will be completed this month.

Our rector, Peter Chase, will be traveling to El Salvador for the dedication. Other parish members are welcome to go as well - please contact Peter if you have an interest in joining him.

UPDATE OCTOBER 6: The altar at Santa Maria Virgen will actually be dedicated to St. Mary's, in honor of the sister parish relationship we have shared for nearly twenty years.

Holiday Toy Drive for Rosie's Place

CAN YOU HELP??
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY for St. Mary’s to participate in The Holiday Toy Drive for Rosie’s Place. Rosie’s Place has 240 children on their list this year. We provide 4 NEW toys per child and they (along with wrapping paper) are distributed to their mother/guardian who wraps these toys for their children, thus providing a happy Christmas for both mother who has the great pleasure of giving to her own child and child who receives the magic of Christmas. While shopping for children on your list, would you consider buying extra gifts for the precious children of Rosie’s Place? The cost of the toys should be @$15. As you might be aware, since it founding by Kip Tiernan in 1974, Rosie’s Place has provided a safe and nurturing environment that helps poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives. Rosie’s Place currently is home to 40 women, living in 3 homes. In addition, RP provides advocacy for countless additional women for whom these toys are earmarked for. Rosie’s Place relies solely on the generous support of individuals, foundations and corporations and does not accept any city, state or federal funding. The toys can be dropped off in the narthex of the church. Please drop them off by December 10 when they are to be sorted and put in a “store” for the women to shop for their children. Any questions- please call Elisabeth Comer at 781-772-2220 or email at ewcomer@verizon.net.
THANK YOU!!

We rely on donations of new toys and gift cards to make it possible for our guests to make their children’s holiday dreams come true. Here are a few facts regarding our toy distribution at holiday time:

*Women will be able to browse our “store” and choose what gifts they would like to take home for their children.

*All toys should be new and unwrapped.

*Donated wrapping paper and ribbon is given to mothers to wrap their children’s gifts.

PLEASE NOTE: We are most in need of toys and gift items for boys and girls 12-16 years old.

TOYS WE PREFER: Gift Cards, puzzles and books for all age groups, multicultural dolls, books and games, new stuffed animals, unisex toys, Legos and building blocks.

TOYS WE CANNOT USE: War toys

Important Date:
Toys due December 10, 2008

Photos: Foods 'n' Fancies (3 of 3)

Photos: Foods 'n' Fancies (2 of 3)

Outreach: Framingham's Miracle Kitchen

The Salvation Army’s Miracle Kitchen was recently highlighted on Boston's Channel 5 News - see the video below. Channel 5 visited on an evening that St. Mary's members were volunteering. In the video you can see Peter Chase, Pat Warner, Lynn Farnell, and Andrea Gordon.





Please consider volunteering on the first Thursday of every month. St. Mary’s is responsible for preparing and serving a dinner to 60 to 100 people. Dinner preparation starts around 4:30 p.m. and is served at 6:00 p.m. Clean up is usually completed by 6:45 p.m. You can volunteer for the entire session, part of a session, a single session or every month. Anyone over the age of 12 is welcome. We have a good time and our guests are very appreciative. Please call Andrea Gordon at 781-237-6668 for further information.

Saint Mary's Update

Sunday, November 30
Advent I
No Church School
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Holy Eucharist - The Reverend Gwen Buehrens
SWEA Choir
11:00am Swedish Reception in Parish Hall
Advent Wreath Making on Stage
Monday, December 1
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Wednesday, December 3
6:30pm Sharing a New Song
Thursday, December 4
Peter leaves for El Salvador
4:30pm Miracle Kitchen
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Sunday, December 7
Advent II
Church School as Usual
8:00am Holy Eucharist
10:00am Holy Eucharist - The Reverend Gwen Buehrens
11:00am Coffee Hour

Special Music Service: The Swedish Women’s Choir, Sunday, November 30

SWEA will sing Swedish hymns and carols for the First Sunday of Advent. The group, directed by Eva DiLascio, will be joined by members of the St. Mary's Choir for a joint anthem. SWEA will also lead the congregation in singing the traditional Hosianna (Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!) as we begin the season of Advent.

Video: West Side Gallery Performance

Thank you to West Side Gallery and Director Bruce Randall for the music at this morning's service.

Below are video clips from the performance (though not of the best quality)...

Photos: Sunday School Projects

The K-3 Sunday School class displayed their most recent projects in the church hall. The photos are self-explanatory. To read the text, click on each picture and it will appear in a separate view that can be magnified.

Saint Mary's Update for Sunday, November 23

Sunday, November 23
See below for Church School Times
8:00am Holy Eucharist - Celebrant & Preacher: Peter Chase
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Special Music by West Gallery
11:00am Coffee
Monday, November 24
8:00pm AA (6:30pm newcomers)
Wednesday, November 26
office closes at noon
Thursday, November 27
Thanksgiving Day - office closed
no choirs
Friday, November 28
office closed
Sunday, November 30 - Advent I
NO CHURCH SCHOOL
8:00am Holy Eucharist : The Reverend Gwen Buehrens
10:00am Holy Eucharist: The Reverend Gwen Buehrens
SWEA Choir (a Swedish Choir)
11:00am Swedish Reception in the Parish Hall

Photos: Foods 'n' Fancies (1 of 3)

[Additional photos will be posted later this week. - Editor]

Outreach Update at St. Mary's

Our Outreach Committee and Vestry recently approved over $6000 in disbursements to the following worthy recipients in Massachusetts, the US, and internationally:

- Miracle Kitchen (Framingham)
- Loaves & Fishes (Biloxi MS)
- Mission to Maseno
- Children Without Borders
- OSOP (Our Space Our Place)
- Newton Food Pantry
- CDSP (Church Divinity School of the Pacific)
- Newton/Wellesley Chaplaincy
- Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries
- Epiphany School
- Esperanza Academy
- Episcopal Diocese of El Salvador and Santa Maria Virgen

Of the money disbursed, $2000 come directly from our annual operating budget, and the remainder from endowment funds specifically directed to outreach efforts.

Over the coming weeks we will highlight the activities of some of these organizations.

Foods 'n Fancies Bazaar - November 22 10AM - 2PM

Foods'n Fancies Coming This Saturday, November 22

Special Music Service: West Gallery Group, Sunday, November 23

The West Gallery Quire and Instrumentalists, directed by Bruce Randall, will present music for the harvest season at the 10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer service. West Gallery music is traditional sacred music from English village churches of the 18th and early 19th centuries. As an attempt to introduce church music into rural areas, choirs were formed from the local residents. The village instrumentalists were often recruited as a means of assisting the singers. The mixed ensemble of singers and instrumentalists usually performed from a gallery at the west (rear) end of the church, so the music came to be known as West Gallery music. The style is hearty and rhythmic, sometimes called "Barnyard Baroque." The West Gallery Group practices at St. Mary's monthly on Sunday afternoons. Join us for this special Thanksgiving service!

Foods'n Fancies Coming This Saturday, November 22

Weekly Update: Sunday, November 16, 2008

Sunday, November 16
8:00am Holy Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher: Peter Chase
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Holy Eucharist – Celebrant: Peter Chase Preacher: C.J. Coppersmith
11:00am Coffee Hour
We are in need of people to help take down treasures from the attic
during the coffee hour – thanks for your help!
See next page for Church school
Monday, November 17
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, November 18
7:30am Vestry Meeting
Wednesday, November 19
9:30am Foods’n Fancies Workday
6:30pm Sharing a New Song (in Sanctuary)
Thursday, November 20
9:30am Foods’n Fancies Workday
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:00pm West Gallery in Sanctuary
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, November 21
9:30am Foods’n Fancies Workday
Saturday, November 22
10:00am – 2:00pm Foods’n Fancies Bazaar
Sunday, November 23
Church School (see below)
8:00am Holy Eucharist – Celebrant & Preacher: Peter Chase
10:00am Morning Prayer – Celebrant: Peter Chase
see article below for church school & Foods'n Fancies

Good News: November 10, 2008

The Good News from November 10 is available for download:

Good_News_2008_November_10.pdf

This issue includes the articles "A Meditation on The Holy Eucharist", adapted from a sermon written by The Reverend Letitia Williams Turtle (late wife of John Turtle), and "Thoughts on Humility", adapted from Peter's sermon on November 2 (All Saints’ Day).

St. Mary's RSS Feed

For those readers who use an RSS reader to keep up with the world, St. Mary's blog is now also set-up as an RSS feed. Our blog url should also work as the RSS url:

http://st-marys-episcopal.org/News/News.html

Advent Mitten Tree

In a very short time, the occasional balmy days of Indian summer will soon be just a memory, and we will begin to feel the winds blow and the temperatures plummet. This is an especially cruel and difficult time for the homeless population. As in past years, the generous parishoners of St. Mary's have filled our Advent Mitten Tree with scarves, mittens and gloves for adults and children. Our Advent Tree will appear on Sunday, November 30 and will remain in the parish hallway until after Christmas. All donations will be taken to the Homeless Clinic supported by the Massachusetts General Hospital. Please remember our friends in need.

Save the Date: Women of St. Mary’s Christmas Party, Tuesday, December 9

Women of St. Mary’s Christmas Party, Tuesday, December 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall

Featuring carols, gift swap and Rosie’s Place 2008 Holiday Toy Drive.

More information to follow.

Foods 'n Fancies Bazaar - November 22 10AM - 2PM

St. Mary's Episcopal Church is holding its Annual Foods 'n Fancies Bazaar on Saturday, November 22 from 10:00am -2:00pm at
256 Concord St. Newton Lower Falls ( just off Washington Street - Rte. 16 - opposite the wine shop).

This is the only fundraiser St. Mary's holds. All proceeds benefit 43 non-profit organizations throughout the world. Please plan to bring family and friends for fun-filled few hours.

- Children will be kept busy with activities and perhaps a visit from a surprise guest, while you browse tables filled with great gifts.
- Participate in an exciting silent auction of antiques, jewelry and more.
- Purchase some fresh Vermont cheese.
- Savor home made, breads, pastries, cookies and healthy treats.
- Take a chance on raffle tickets for cash and baskets filled with unique items.
- Have lunch and enjoy yourselves while chatting with old and new friends.

Hope to see you all on November 22, 2008. No admission.

St. Mary's Update for Sunday, November 9

Sunday, November 9
8:00am Holy Eucharist - Peter Chase
See article below for Church School times
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Morning Prayer - Preacher: Julia de Peyster
11:00am Coffee
Monday, November 10
8:00pm AA (6:30pm newcomers)
Tuesday, November 11
Veteran's Day - office closed
7:00pm Stitch’n Chat at Kitty Smiths’
Thursday, November 13
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Sunday, November 16
8:00am Holy Eucharist Peter Chase
10:00am Holy Eucharist:
Celebrant: Peter Chase
Preacher: CJ Coppersmith
11:00am Coffee Hour
SAVE THE DATE: NOVEMBER 22 - 10AM - 2PM - FOODS & FANCIES BAZAAR

Children in Church Calendar - November 9 - December 7

Sunday school Class Times and Routines

November 9 Solemn Morning Prayer
K-3 Children Start in Church

November 16 Holy Eucharist
K-3 Children Start in Church
November 23 Morning Prayer
K-3 Children Start in Church

November 30 * Holy Eucharist
*No Church School - Thanksgiving Weekend
All ages in Church

December 7 Holy Eucharist
K – 3 Children Start in Church

Food 'n' Fancies Coming Saturday, November 22

Food and Fancies is the only fund raiser St. Mary's has for Outreach. The number of organizations which benefit from this event is extensive. Everyone's help is much needed and appreciated. That includes men and women, young and old, new members and old members.

Please help now by searching your home for furniture, jewelry, sports equipment, etc. which you no longer use and could be auctioned off. If you are a creative crafts person donations would be appreciated, eg., handmade mittens, socks (both adults and children.) Church members will be called to request contributions of homemade and healthy foods. Volunteers to help set up and work at Food and Fancies will be needed.. In these economic times, this is a great event to purchase gifts and food for the holidays, while donating to non-profits throughout the world. Have lunch and shop while your children are involved in arts and crafts activities. Santa or St. Nick may stop by. We hope to see everyone on the 22nd.