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The Rev. Dr. Michael G. Rowe, Rector [email protected]
The Rev. Dr. D. William Faupel, Priest Associate
The Rev. Gail Tomei, Assisting Priest [email protected]
The Rev. Bobbie Parini, Assisting Priest [email protected]
The Rev. William K. Gilmore, Deacon
The Rev. Paula Hartsfield, Assisting Deacon [email protected]
Bob Raubolt, Deacon Candidate [email protected]
Kathleen V. Pignato, Music Director [email protected]
Nancy Vaughn, Youth and Families Minister [email protected]
Ian Mitchell, Office Administrator [email protected]
Barbara Williams, Office Assistant [email protected]
Sandy Gunger, Sexton [email protected]
Priest Associate Emeriti The Rev. George Curt
The Rev. Dr. Alfred L. Salt
Welcome to
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Where Word and Sacrament come together in celebration and service
JESUS CHRIST, HEAD OF THE CHURCH
Third Sunday of Easter
Sunday, April 26 at 10 AM
RITE II
Church Office: (239) 992-4343 Fax: (239) 498-4551
9801 Bonita Beach Road P.O. Box 1923
Bonita Springs, FL 34133
[email protected] www.stmarysbonita.org
www.facebook.com/stmarysbonita
Penny Wise Thrift Shop (239) 947-3363 (Closed)
Third Sunday of Easter 2020 2
Insights Into the Liturgy David Bergquist
THE LORD’S PRAYER: The Eternal Invitation to Prayer From the Gospel according to St. Luke (11:1) we read: “Lord, teach us (the disciples) to pray…”; and what ensues is our Lord Jesus Christ teaching the disciples The Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer has become an ever-present component of virtually every liturgy, including those used at St. Mary’s. Some even suggest that since the Lord’s Prayer is the quintessential prayer of our faith, coming as it does directly from Jesus Christ, it essentially precludes the need for any additional expressions of communication or dialogue with God. Instead, however, “how to pray” has been a preoccupation, a quest, of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church from its inception to the present time. For example: From St. Benedict, 6th century monk, founder of monasticism, from his Rule for the Benedictine Order: “We must know that God regards our purity of heart…not our many words. Prayer should therefore be short and pure…” From St. Anselm, 11th century Benedictine monk and founder of Scholasticism, who saw prayer as a colloquy with God; in other words, an intimate conversation between you and God wherein we speak and listen as the Spirit moves us: “Nor do I seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe that I may understand. For this too I believe, that unless I first believe, I shall not understand.” From Fr. Henri Nouwen, 20th century Roman Catholic priest and author of numerous books: “To pray, that is, to listen to the voice of the One who calls us the ‘beloved’, is to learn that that voice excludes no one. Where I dwell, God dwells with me and where God dwells with me I find all my sisters and brothers.” From Fr. Michael Rowe, Episcopal priest and Rector, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Bonita Springs, FL from his doctoral thesis: “…prayer is not primarily something which we choose to make happen or not. Rather, it is a reality into which we are invited. It is not a work we do but a grace we receive.” And further: ”…all true prayer and praise is ‘in the Spirit’, that is, from God and part of the life of God.” Why is this important and meaningful? One of the most amazing ironies of the Word of God, Holy Scripture, about the disciple’s question, “Lord, teach us to pray”, is that the very person and motivation for the disciple’s quest: dialoguing with God, hearing the voice of God, being in touch with God, is that the very person, the Incarnate God, Jesus Christ, whose voice they were yearning to hear, was actually there in their midst, and it was God himself who then taught them how to pray. The reality is that our spiritual quest for prayer that is pure, enlightening, inclusive, and “in the Spirit” continues for us as well; the desire, like that of the disciples, to be in touch with the divine is eternal. And perhaps most important, for us to hear that voice above all others in this cacophonous world. Be thankful that the eternal invitation to prayer, the grace through prayer that is open to us, is there for us to pursue with him who is always with us, for us, and always waiting and to respond.
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A Letter from Father Michael
Dear beloved members and friends of St. Mary’s Church,
This is my last opportunity to address you as your Rector. I remember 15 years ago, getting to know St. Mary’s through your search committee. It was like falling in love. St. Mary’s was delightfully winsome; and seemed to offer me a place to be the kind of person and priest that I wanted to be. I am profoundly grateful to you for allowing me to serve God with you.
I brought some gifts of preaching and teaching and pastoring and organizing that I think have been helpful. I think above all, I came with a vision of God’s incredible glory, and the way that he has rescued us and brought us to share that glory in Jesus Christ. He has given us his Spirit, so that here and now, we have a share in his Divine Life. That vision gets expressed in awesome, profound worship and in tender personal prayer; in deep friendships and in loving care for one another. It also gets expressed as we reach out to those who do not know us and may not know Christ. St. Mary’s is a blessed church, because all the threads that you would like to see in a Christian Community are woven together strongly in the life here. I think this has helped me to be a better priest, and to serve you as God has called me to serve.
To be leaving is bittersweet. I have loved being Rector. I have loved the way that we have offered worship, shared the faith, made friends with one another and cared for one another. I will miss that deeply. I knew when I came to St. Mary’s – as best as we can know these things – that it was God’s hand drawing me here. As Dianne and I think and pray and imagine our future together, it became just as clear to me that that same divine hand was calling me to give up this beloved ministry.
So I step away from St. Mary’s with you deeply engraved on my heart. I pray for you. I have confidence in your lay leadership. I think they have made one great decision already, in asking Fr Bill to be Priest-in-charge and inviting Mother Gail to be an assistant to him. These are wonderful devoted priests who will serve you well.
By the nature of things in The Episcopal Church, we priests, when we leave a position, are asked to step away from the parish and allow the parish to find its identity and its direction into its new future. So please understand that my absence is a physical absence and not any absence of love and care for you. I would welcome it if you would like to reach out to visit with me. Just understand that we can talk about anything except St. Mary’s Church, and how the search is going!
My prayer and hope for St. Mary’s, and for all of you, is that you will keep responding to this glimpse of Glory that God has given to us, that you will grow in your faith, and in your love for one another. And that both by your words and by your life, you will be a testimony to the wonderful love, the wonderful glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you and God bless you.
In Christ,
Fr. Michael Rowe
(Fr. Michael’s personal email is [email protected] and his phone # is 239 297-7245)
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The Gathering of the People
Prelude: “Easter Joy Medley”
Introit: Shout joyf’ly to God, all the earth, alleluia; sing a psalm to his name, alleluia; praise him with magnificence, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Say to God: “How awesome are your deeds, O Lord! In the greatness of your pow’r your enemies will be convicted of lying to you”.
When the bell rings, please stand.
Opening Hymn: “I Bind Unto Myself Today” Hymnal 370
1 I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity by invocation of the same, the Three in One and One in Three.
2 I bind this day to me forever, by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation, his baptism in the Jordan river, his death on cross for my salvation, his bursting from the spiced tomb, his riding up the heavenly way, his coming at the day of doom, I bind unto myself today.
3 I bind unto myself the power of the great love of cherubim; the sweet “Well done” in judgement hour; the service of the seraphim; confessors’ faith, apostles word, the patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls; all good deeds done unto the Lord, and purity of virgin souls. Opening Acclamation
Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ is risen. People: The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Collect for Purity BCP 355
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Gloria
1. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory. Refrain.
2. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God,
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer. Refrain.
3. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Refrain.
Collect of the Day
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
Acts 2:14a,36-41
Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
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Lector: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17 (All sing)
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my / supplication, * because he has inclined his ear to me whenever / I called upon him.
2 The cords of death entangled me; the grip of the grave took / hold of me; * I / came to grief and sorrow.
3 Then I called upon the Name / of the LORD: * "O LORD, I / pray you, save my life."
10 How shall I re/pay the LORD * for all the good things / he has done for me?
11 I will lift up the cup / of salvation *
and call upon / the Name of the LORD.
12 I will fulfill my vows / to the LORD * in the presence / of äll his people.
13 Precious in the sight / of the LORD * is the / death of his servants.
14 O LORD, I / am your servant; * I am your servant and the child of your handmaid; you have / freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer you the sacrifice / of thanksgiving * and call upon / the Name of the LORD.
16 I will fulfill my vows / to the LORD * in the pre/sence of all his people,
17 In the courts of / the LORD'S house, * in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. / Hallelujah!
1 Peter 1:17-23
If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
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Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
Lector: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
Cantor sings
Cantor: Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us;
make our hearts burn while you speak to us. Deacon: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you.
Deacon: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Luke 24:13-35
Now on that same day two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village called Emmaus,
about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
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As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon ..................................................................................................................... Father Rowe
Hymn: “I Bind Unto Myself”....................................................................................... Hymnal 370
(Verse 6 sung by cantor and then repeated by the congregation)
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. Prayers of the People In joy and hope let us pray to the source of all life, saying, “Hear us, Lord of glory!” That our risen Savior may fill us with the joy of his holy and life-giving resurrection, let us pray to the Lord. Hear us, Lord of glory! That isolated and persecuted churches may find fresh strength in the Easter gospel, let us pray to the Lord. Hear us, Lord of glory! That he may grant us humility to be subject to one another in Christian love, let us pray to the Lord. Hear us, Lord of glory! That he may provide for those who lack food, work, or shelter, let us pray to the Lord. Hear us, Lord of glory!
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That by his power wars, pestilence and famine may cease through all the earth, let us pray to the Lord. Hear us, Lord of glory! That he may reveal the light of his presence to the sick, the weak, and the dying, that they may be comforted and strengthened, let us pray to the Lord. Hear us, Lord of glory! That he may have mercy on the faithful departed, giving them a share in his victory, let us pray to the Lord. Hear us, Lord of glory! That he may send the fire of the Holy Spirit upon his people, that we may bear faithful witness to his resurrection, let us pray to the Lord. Hear us, Lord of glory! Celebrant: Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with awe the Paschal feast may be found worthy to attain to everlasting joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Confession and Absolution Deacon: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor. (Please kneel. Silence is kept.) Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. The Celebrant: Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The Peace
Celebrant: Alleluia. The peace of the risen Christ be always with you People: And also with you. Alleluia. The Ministers and people greet one another in the name of the Lord.
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Announcements (Please be seated)
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Offertory Chant: Praise the Lord, O my soul; I will praise the Lord throughout my life; I will sing to my God for as long as I live, alleluia. Offertory Anthem “Happy Are All Who Called” ....................................................... J. Guimont
The Eucharistic Prayer Celebrant: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Celebrant: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them to the Lord. Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to give him thanks and praise. The Celebrant continues: It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. But chiefly are we bound to praise you for the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; for he is the true Paschal Lamb, who was sacrificed for us, and has taken away the sin of the world. By his death he has destroyed death, and by his rising to life again he has won for us everlasting life.
Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name. Sanctus……. .................................................................................................................. Hymnal S 130
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(Please kneel) Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world. On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
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The Celebrant continues
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.
Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food
and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy
Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with the Blessed
Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ. By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the
Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever.
The Lord’s Prayer
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The Breaking of the Bread A period of silence is kept.
Agnus Dei .. ................................................................................................................ Hymnal S 164
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The Invitation
Celebrant: The Gifts of God for the People of God.
A reader will lead you in the following prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
Communion of the Faithful For those present in church Holy Communion will be administered in one kind only (the host not the chalice) Communion Antiphon: The Lord has risen and appeared to Peter, alleluia.
Communion Hymn: “Let All Mortal Flesh” .............................................................. Hymnal 324
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Post Communion Prayer (Please stand) ............................................................................... BCP 365
(Please stand) Celebrant Let us pray. Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Farewell to the Rector from the Senior Warden
Farewell blessing from Fr. Faupel
Blessing Closing Hymn “Jesus Lives! Thy Terrors Now” Hymnal 195
Dismissal (The people respond: Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia)
Postlude: “Fanfare” ........................................................................................................... A. Solar
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Special Intentions for the Prayers of the People
This week we pray: In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer for Mukono (Uganda) The Rt. Revd. James William Ssebaggala (Diocesan Bishop), Yewa (form. Egbado) (Nigeria) The Rt. Revd. Michael Adebayo Oluwarohunbi (Diocesan Bishop), Ikara (Nigeria) The Rt. Revd. Yusuf Janfalan (Diocesan Bishop), The Most Revd. Jackson Ole Sapit - Primate and Archbishop of All Kenya. Diocese of Southwest Florida — The Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith; Companion Diocese of the Dominican Republic; Companion Diocese of Georgia; Companion Diocese of South Carolina; Companion Diocese of Western Louisiana, Holy Innocents Church, Valrico; Holy Trinity, Clearwater; Iona-Hope, Fort Myers; Lamb of God, Fort Myers; Episcopal College Chaplaincies: Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers; State College of Florida Chaplaincy, Bradenton.
o for all who are suffering from the coronavirus. o for medical researches that they may find medicines to cure this pandemic o for those isolated from loved ones due to quarantine o for Father Rowe and his family as they start a new chapter in their lives o for those that provide care for the sick and poor remembering Catherine of Siena 1380 o for the well being of all children and families that they share in God’s Love o for those who suffer in mind, body or spirit especially John, Annie, Cherrill and those
on the Pastoral Care list. o for all those serving in our Armed Forces, especially: Barry Bassel, John Coffee,
Patrick Cox, Brian Fuller, Brandon Hoekstra, Amos Kelley, Timothy Kull, Sean Lankford, Kevin Latimer, John Joseph Moore, Joseph Parini, Gabriel Parini, Erin Peterson, Scott Turner, Andrew Lankford and for all chaplains on active deployment both at home and abroad.
o for the Divine love and mercy to sanctify all souls departed.
We offer our prayers in union with those of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, St. Philip, St. James and all the saints.
The Holy Eucharist is offered on Tuesday at 5:30 pm for love and unity throughout the Anglican Communion, on Wednesday at noon for an openness to receive the Gospel of the Lord and on Thursday at 7:30 am for a strengthening of our faith.
Notices for the week April 27-May 4, 2020
Bulletins: Sunday 10 AM Eucharist bulletins are available outside the front of the church. Please drive by and pick one up. The bulletins are in a plastic box on a table under the church portico.
Facebook sharing: If you would like to share our Eucharist with friends and family, at the
bottom of the streaming is a share button, if you click on this you will see options one is to host a watch party. This is the button you want and now on your Facebook page, our Eucharist will be streaming also. In this time of everyone using the internet, you may find it difficult to get on to see the live streaming of the Eucharist or you will find sometimes that you are losing the picture. Please have patience and continue to try as this is just a short interruption. If you find that you still cannot get on the Eucharist is still available to watch after.
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Drive through Prayer is available on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from noon until 1:00 pm. This gives you the ability to pray with a member of the clergy without leaving your car. Eucharist can be given on request. Bible Study on Wednesday will continue through ZOOM if you are interested please contact the Church Office and give us your email address so that we can enter you into this study group. Next week’s Bible study will be led by Father Faupel. St. Philip and St. James: We celebrate the feasts of St. Philip and St. James the Lesser on the same day because their relics were brought to Rome together on the same day in early May. They rest in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles. The apostle James is called “the Lesser” to distinguish him from the other apostle, James “called the Great”. We know St. Philip from the Gospel of John, who wrote, Jesus himself called Philip, saying, “follow me.” and Philip did follow. He heard the call Jesus issues to each of us and followed. We will be celebrating St. Philip and St. James Day on Thursday, April 30 at the 7:30 am Eucharist.
Forward – Day by Day A manual of daily Bible readings and devotions is available in the narthex display
racks or the church office. The latest edition covers the months' May, June and July.
A NOTE FROM THE SENIOR WARDEN This week we must bid farewell to our Rector, Father Michael Rowe. He has well earned his retirement after 39 years exactly on his last day celebrating the eucharist at St. Mary’s. He was ordained a priest on April 26, 1981. He has served our parish since his first service in this parish on August 21, 2005, a total of 14 years, 8 months and nine days. Father Michael has led St. Mary’s from a troubled time into a functioning parish with a well structured liturgy, an active and effective community and world outreach, interesting and useful education programs, and a generally happy church. We enjoy financial stability with no debts or mortgages. Our commissions function smoothly. He has continued and enhanced close relations with our community to include other churches in our city. We have had superb leadership. Although it is with some regret and sadness that this time of passage comes to us, we can still look to a bright future. We are going to see change, change that we can embrace and use to grow. It will not be change that we should fear, because God does not change and has repeatedly assured us that he remains with us. We need only to continue to seek Him and try to do His will. We, as always, must seek “ to love our neighbors as ourselves” and if we continue to do these things, we will happily thrive. We have the blessing to be able to welcome familiar clergy into new leadership roles to show us the way into our future. Father Bill Faupel has been appointed by the Vestry to be “Priest in Charge” of this parish. That title identifies the role of the senior pastor who will lead us in the interim period in which we search for a new Rector. Father Bill has appointed Mother Gail Tomei to be the Part-time Priest Associate, which has also been endorsed by the Vestry. Let’s rally behind this leadership and continue to be a great St. Mary’s! We all will remain interested and hopeful as our Rector search commences. We will proceed deliberately and prayerfully. This is a task that must be done well, not necessarily quickly. It would not be unusual for our transition to take as long as two years. Patience in this matter is truly a virtue. I remain committed to a great St. Mary’s future, and available to communicate with all or just one.
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Schedule at St. Mary’s as influenced by the current situation
Monday
April 27 5:30 pm Evening Prayer (Facebook)
Tuesday 10:15 am Morning Prayer (Facebook)
April 28 12:45 pm Staff Meeting
5:00 pm Evening Prayer (Facebook)
5:30 pm Holy Eucharist (Facebook)
8:00 pm AA Empathy Meeting
Wednesday 9:00 am Pastoral Care (Zoom)
April 29 10:30 am Bible Study (Zoom)
12:00 pm Holy Eucharist (Facebook)
5:00 pm Evening Prayer (Facebook)
St. Philip and St. James Day
Thursday 7:30 am Holy Eucharist (Facebook)
April 30 10:00 am Order of St. Luke (Zoom)
5:00 pm Evening Prayer (Facebook)
7:00 pm Florida Conference of Young People
Friday 5:00 pm Evening Prayer (Facebook)
May 1
Saturday 4:00 pm Evening Prayer (Facebook)
May 2 5:00 pm Holy Eucharist canceled
8:00 pm AA Group Meeting
Sunday 10:00 am Eucharist Rite II (Facebook)
May 3 6:30 pm AA Group Meeting
