CHILDREN'S LITURGY OF THE WORD
Tomorrow morning - Sunday, Nov 15, at 9:15 am.
SUNDAY MORNING MASS will be virtual only at 10 am.
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Our musicians this morning are Kathy English, Bob Pizzutiello, and Randy Jones. The song sheet is here.
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~ A Message from Bishop Denise ~
Greetings!
As I’m sure you know, across the nation we are experiencing an exponential increase in the incidence of COVID 19. Monroe County is no exception.
Yesterday, the positivity rate in Monroe County was 5.4%!! This is a record high for our area. Please do what you can to stay healthy. Wear your mask, practice social distance and make sure you get your flu shot this year!!
The uptick in COVID is the source of major concern for all of us, and as such we have made a decision at Mary Magdalene Church to not open the church on Sunday mornings anytime in the near future. We’ll reconsider after the first of the year. This brings great sadness for all of us. On the one hand, I want nothing more than to be with all of you on Sunday mornings in our sanctuary. However, as I say this, I realize there is an even greater desire – for all of us to remain healthy. And at this time, we cannot hold both desires in the same hand.
Please remember that the sanctuary is open Wednesdays & Fridays from 12:00-4:00. You are invited to come in for prayer, reflection and communion. You will find me and/or Lori in our offices. If our office doors are open, or you hear us chatting in the library, please feel invited to say hello!
As we move into the holidays, we all long for family, for community, for tradition, for celebration, and we may need to hold one another closely in other ways! As I keep reminding myself, these holidays will look very different, but that is so that we will have more holidays to celebrate!! We will be looking for ways to make the holidays special for our community, even while we're apart. In a couple of weeks, we will be decorating for Advent and Christmas. As you know, the church is always so pretty with the stars hanging from the ceiling, the Christmas lights on the trees, and the nativity sets around every corner! It will give us something to look forward to!! And we are discussing many different options. One way of connecting before the snow flies is to join us next Saturday 11/21 for what Lori calls: Leaves & Weenies. If you aren't able to join in the raking you can come about 11:30 to help Lori cook and join us for a hotdog!
As days get shorter, and we recognize the need to close some of our circles and stay physically distant, I encourage you to take courage and hold onto your faith. Develop the habit of taking a moment to take a good deep breath, and allow yourself to settle into the love of God. This is especially helpful anytime you feel your anxiety rise or loneliness setting in. Feel the love of God fill your soul and know that at this moment, in this space, you are one with the giver of life, and feel her breath in your lungs. Know that you are not alone In the words of Rumi above: “You are not a drop in the ocean, You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
One way I'd like to connect with some of you is to begin again our Wednesday Coffee, Prayer & Community Connections.
We will meet on Wednesday mornings at 10:00. Each week I'll utilize different reflections & prayers, but we'll also take the time to just be together!! If you're nervous about using Zoom I'll be online beginning at 9:45. I'll make sure you can get in and join us!!! And if all else fails, give me a call or a text at 585-329-0895 and I'll give you some directions.
This week, Lori Vail will be the speaker at 7:00 for the Saturday night Check-in. Lori is our new interim associate pastor and this will give you a sweet opportunity to hear a bit more of her story! The Check-ins are sponsored by Peter Veitch through his mission, Casa Gubio. I hope you join us!!
On Friday night, Nov 20 at 7:00 you're invited to join us on Facebook Live for the Transgender Day of Remembrance, for all those trans friends who've lives were cut short. MMC is one of the sponsors of this ceremony and we have a few of our trans family members who are sharing a bit of their stories, specifically Lori Vail & Rebecca's son Kellen and Jim & Cassie Kerg's son Cedric, will each share for a couple of minutes. We'll have a watch party set up so we can communicate with one another during the ceremony.
Please don't miss the video below from Rosemary and Mike Salamone. They are some of the newer members of our community, having found us just a few months before the pandemic!!
Finally, I remind you to complete the membership survey that was sent out directly from our stewardship team. This year it is especially important that we get 100% participation, as we're launching a new database and the information from the survey will ensure that we have your contact info, etc.
Make sure you check out the announcements below!!
I love each one of you, and miss you!!
with great affection,
Bishop Denise
Bishop Denise Donato
GETTING INVOLVED!
Mary Magdalene Community Events
Stewardship Campaign
Thank you to all who have completed the survey, and if you need a copy of the Automatic Giving Form to fill out, you can find the form here!
A message this week our Stewardship Committee Chair, Rich Anderson:
"We are halfway through our stewardship and membership Drive. We have had an 11% response rate to the electronic survey, so we have a long way to go in our goal of 100% , but I know we will make it happen. Watch for those emails in your inbox and take 5 minutes to fill out the survey. It is very vital that we get up-to-date information for everyone even, if you've responded in the past. Being able to connect with everyone during this tough time is important for everyone involved in the church. Please enjoy the video from some of our parishioners talking about different ways to get involved."
This week, we hear from Mike and Rosemary Salome!