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St. Mary's Episcopal Church Welcomes You!
Weekly Notices
Lent is HERE...
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Stations of the Cross and Benediction
Fridays in Lent, 6:30 p.m., in the Church
Beginning March 7th and continuing for all Fridays in Lent, St. Mary’s will hold a service of Stations of the Cross and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. This is a quiet devotional reflection on the events in the last hours before the crucifixion of our Lord, paired with a blessing of the congregation with the consecrated host.
The service will be followed by a Lenten supper of soup and bread in the parish hall. A sign up sheet will be available if you would like to bring soup or bread to share.
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The Liturgies of Holy Week
A Spiritual Retreat without Leaving Town
Begins Sunday, April 13, 2025
St. Mary’s schedules quite a number of services between Morning Prayer on Palm Sunday and the final liturgy of Easter Day. These liturgies are the most important and meaningful of the Church year – and many of your fellow parishioners use them as a spiritual retreat in the midst of their daily lives.
There are some people who will attend all of them thereby forming a quasi-monastic retreat. Others will be able to attend only a few. Both can be fulfilling ways to journey through the great events of Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection.
The culture of this world does not pause during Holy Week, and many people have obligations which life and scheduling impose on their ability to experience this week with their parish community as much as they would like.
So, for those who would like some guidance about how best to steward their time and energy, here are few options.
If you can only attend
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One liturgy during Holy Week: The Great Vigil of Easter
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Two liturgies: Palm Sunday and The Great Vigil of Easter
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Three liturgies: Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and The Great Vigil of Easter
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Vigil of Easter Four liturgies: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and The Great
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Easter, and Easter Day Five liturgies: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, The Great Vigil of
If you can attend more than five liturgies, you might as well camp out with the rest of us! In other words, you are always welcome for any or all of our Holy Week liturgies.
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Vestry Note
At the most recent Vestry meeting a discussion was held regarding filling the vacancies left by the resignations of Vestry member Linda Lewandowski and Junior Warden Joe Sarno. Adam Sanders was elected by the Vestry to complete the remaining nine months of Linda’s term. He would then be eligible to serve his own three year term if he chooses to run for the office. The Vestry thanks him for agreeing to serve.
Joe Sarno has resigned as the Junior Warden. He may be able to visit us as a parishioner in the future as circumstances permit. The Junior Warden, in contrast to the Senior Warden assisting the Rector administratively, is often thought of as the "people's warden" bringing concerns and views of the congregation to the attention of the Rector and the Vestry. At
St. Mary's historically, the Junior Warden has also had an important role in the sound upkeep of the fabric of the building and the careful management of the grounds around it.
The office is elected at the Annual Meeting of the Parish, and that will not occur again until early in 2026. Please consider if you or another parishioner would be a benefit/blessing to all of us at St. Mary's to be selected by the Vestry for this post.
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Parish Gardening Day
Saturday Morning, April 12, 2025
Saint Mary’s Gardening Guild will hold another spring cleaning day to prepare our grounds for Easter. Join your fellow parishioners as they keep Saint Mary’s beautiful. Bring your own gardening gloves and tools. Additional tools and snacks will be provided. Speak with Fr. Craig or Joe Sarno for more information.
Adult Formation
Tuesdays 6:00 p.m. by Zoom
Exploring the Wisdom of Solomon
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While professing to have been written by Solomon in the days of the united Israelite kingdom, this book shows signs of being written in the late first century BCE, likely in Alexandria. The book appears to have drawn heavily from the Hebrew wisdom tradition and is a mix of lyrical poetic passages interspersed with some fairly straightforward prose. It is most noteworthy in its personification of wisdom, one of the "Seven Spirits of God" referred to in prophetic and apocalyptic literature.
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Read more here. Everyone is welcome!
Children and Youth
Sunday School
Sundays 10:30 a.m.
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Lectionary-based Montessori-style learning and activities for children and youth are available during the Liturgy of the Word. Young people join the service during the Exchange of the Peace.
A Giver of Record
We are grateful for all of the offerings we receive at Saint Mary’s. While most of these are made in the forms of checks or electronic donations, there are some made simple as plate offerings. Unfortunately, unidentified plate offerings cannot be credited to the giver. In order to have your donations accurately recorded so that you may be considered a giver of record, please put your cash offering in an envelope with your name on it. If you would like a box of offering envelopes, please contact Karen in the parish office at karen@stmarysphoenix.org. Thank you.
Ministry Opportunities at St. Mary's
A parish community depends on the generous giving of time, talent, and treasure by our members. We are very grateful to all our brothers and sisters who, week by week, support our common life and ministry in this place. Please review the list below and consider one of these ministry opportunities. For more information speak with the ministry lead(s) or Karen.
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Altar Guild (Phyllis) - prepare the church for worship on Sundays and Holy Days and keep the shrines and chapel orderly
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Greeters and Ushers (Pat, Ron) - greet our guests at Mass and provide them with service leaflets, newcomer cards and information about our parish.
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Hospitality Team (Cheak) - prepare for coffee hour and other receptions, help to keep the kitchen and parish hall neat.
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Lectionary Readers (Fr. Craig, Linda) - read the lessons on Sundays and Holy Days
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Liturgical Ministers (Fr. Craig) - serve at the altar during worship
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Lay Eucharistic Ministers (Cheak) - bring the sacrament to homebound parishioners
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Schola Cantorum (Br. Jeffrey, Will) - provide music for worship
The Larger Church
Phoenix Rainbows Festival
This year, the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona will have a booth at the Phoenix Rainbow Festival on Saturday, April 5th, and Sunday, April 6th. They need volunteers to manage the booth, answer questions from Rainbow Festival participants, and hand out small items. The festival is from 10 am to 6 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Booth shifts would be 3 hours at a time and festival entry is free. Water, snacks, and chairs will be provided at the booth. For questions or more information, email the Diocesan Pride committee at pride@azdiocese.org.
Sign Up for Diocesan News
The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona publishes a weekly email news letter—which includes thoughts about a variety of topics by Bishop Reddall—and a quarterly magazine. These are free to anyone in our congregation who wishes to receive them. All you have to do is sign up!
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Just enter azdiocese.org/newsletter/ in your web browser and follow the link. These are excellent ways to keep abreast of happenings around the diocese and the larger church.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our email list for periodic announcements, reflections, and news items from St. Mary's. It's a great way to stay in touch with what's happening around the parish!