This Week at St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo
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Saturday, March 24, Gabriel the Archangel
5 pm - Vigil Eucharist in the Church
Sunday, March 25, Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
8 am - Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
9:50 am - Sunday School starts and infant/childcare provided
10 am - Holy Eucharist in the Church with choir and organ
Coffee Hour follows in Bentley Hall
Holy Tuesday, March 27
2 pm to 6 pm - Sloatsburg Food Pantry is open
Holy Wednesday, March 28
10 am - Holy Eucharist with Unction in the Church
Maundy Thursday, March 29
7:30 pm - Holy Eucharist with music and stripping of the altar in the Church
All night vigil before the Altar of Repose in the Chapel
Good Friday, March 30
12 noon - Prayers in the Chapel
7:30 pm - Liturgy with music in the Church
Holy Saturday, March 31
11 am - Acolyte and Usher Rehearsal in the Church
6 pm - First Eucharist of Easter at St. John's in Arden
Easter Sunday, April 1
8 am - Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
9:55 am - Children gather for the flowering of the cross
10 am - Holy Eucharist in the Church with choir and brass
Easter Egg Hunt and Coffee Hour follows in Bentley Hall
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Dear Parishioners and Friends,
We are a people of resurrection, and we know that God loves life. God's understanding of life, that which he created, is infinite. We, who are made of dust, can understand life in only a limited way. Throughout history, God attempted to draw us into covenant with him, and a deeper understanding of the gift of life. Despite our good intentions, the covenant was always broken. Finally, "in these last days [God] sent [his Son] to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world." Jesus lived among us, perfect God and perfect man, experiencing human life in every way as we do, except without sin. Scripture gives us glimpses into his life, and leaves much to speculation.
This one week, however, is recounted in all of the canonical Gospels. It is the last week of Christ's life before his death and resurrection, and is marked by great suffering, fear, betrayal, desertion, lies, torture. In this week, we see the light of goodness and love almost extinguished. But in it we also see a ray of hope. We who are broken, sinful, and mortal live in a world that is broken, sinful, and passing away. Thanks be to God, the cross of Christ rends that earthly veil in two. We have a glimpse, and more than a glimpse: a sharing in Christ's mighty resurrection, and that is what gives us the strength to go on fighting the darkness. We are called through Christ's own suffering and death not to a "thoughts and prayers" kind of piety, but a visceral witness to God's love in this hurting world. I invite you to join your church family for as many of our Holy Week offerings as possible. They are all parts of a greater whole that will make your Easter all the more joyous and meaningful. May God bless and challenge you this Holy Week.
Blessings,
Fr Rick
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This coming Sunday, March 25th, we will celebrate Palm Sunday by joining in the procession followed by a discussion of Holy Week so the kids remember what it's all about. We will also finish up our stained glass crosses to decorate our windowsill for Easter!
On Easter Sunday, April 1st, we will join in the flowering of the cross at the start of the service (arrive by 9:55 am please) and participate in the Easter Egg Hunt following the service.
Pictured here, last Sunday with the sunflower seeds we planted.
Remember to keep them damp and in a warm, sunny spot!
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New Website for St. Mary's
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A communications committee gathered at the rectory in February to discuss how best to improve communications among current parishioners as well as evangelize to potential visitors/new parishioners. They agreed that a top priority was the church website and Pete Datos has been working with the Squarespace platform and input from committee members to develop a new one. We are now pleased to announce the soft launch of this website at
www.stmtux.org
. Please check it out and let
Pete
know of any feedback you might have. Many thanks to committee members Pete Datos, Calvin DeMond, Suzanne Ewing, Ribby Goodfellow, Sue Heywood, Lili Neuhauser, Kate Parr, Fr. Rick Robyn, Jill Swirbul and George Thurston. A special thank you to Jill Swirbul Photography for the many great photos on the website.
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Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday masses at 8am and 10am on March 25. Each service will start with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and be followed by the agony of the Passion that he was about to endure. Each service will end in silence.
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On Holy Wednesday, March 28, at 10am, a mass with music will be held in the Church. We will welcome friends from the Promenade Senior Living Center in Tuxedo, and the service will include Unction using the holy oils distributed the previous day during the Mass of Collegiality at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
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On Maundy Thursday, March 29, at 7:30 pm, we will commemorate the Last Supper, a Passover meal which Jesus shared with his disciples and at which he became our passover, the Lamb of God. We also celebrate the institution of the holy priesthood as Jesus gave his disciples the command to break the bread and bless the cup until he comes again. After communion, the altar will be stripped and washed to represent the tomb that will receive Christ's body on Good Friday. The reserved Sacrament will then be taken in procession to the Altar of Repose in the Chapel, which represents the Garden of Gethsemene, where Jesus asked his disciples "Could you not wait with me one hour?" The Chapel will remain open all night for silent prayer and reflection before the Blessed Sacrament.
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Good Friday is the day we observe the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. We will have two services on this day, the first at the traditional noon hour in the Chapel and a 7:30pm service in the main Church.
The Good Friday Offering has been a source of support, love and hope for the people of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Through our support of these churches we are helping to realize God's vision of peace throughout this area. More information about this ministry can be found
online here
. In a tradition spanning nearly 100 years, all offerings collected on this day will go to the Diocese of Jerusalem or you can send your offering to the church office marked as Good Friday Offering.
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Acolyte and Usher Rehearsal
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All acolytes and ushers for Easter Sunday (as well as other days) are invited to attend a rehearsal on Saturday, March 31, at 11am in the Church. We will run through your roles and make sure everyone is comfortable with their duties before the big day.
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Two of the delights of Easter at St. Mary's are the lovely Easter lilies and the addition of a brass quintet to our wonderful choir, organ and piano. If you would like to participate in making all this happen and honor/remember someone on this great festive day, please make a donation as soon as possible by using the envelopes provided in the church or sending a check to St. Mary's (memo line: Easter flowers/music). Names of all those remembered/honored received by Monday, March 26, will appear in the Easter bulletins and the following Sunday as we enjoy the lilies for two weeks.
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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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