Week of December 15, 2024

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none;

and whoever has food must do likewise."



Luke 3: 11

Tuesday December 17

8:00 AM Men's Fellowship, Walden Hall

12:00 PM Adventtide Study, Walden Hall

7:00 PM NAMI Meeting, St. James Room

Wednesday December 18

9:00 AM Executive Committee Meeting, Rector's Office

10:00 AM Staff Meeting, St. James Room

10:00 AM Wednesday Spirituality Discussions - On hiatus till 2025

2:00 PM Holy Eucharist, Cape Regency

3:00 PM Bereavement Group, Library

6:15 PM Parish Choir Rehearsal, Walden Hall

Thursday December 19

8:30 AM Books & Breakfast, Walden Hall, zoom

10:30 AM Sandwich for All, Walden Hall

6: 00 PM Blue Christmas, Church

6:30 PM Zen Meditation, St. James Room

Friday December 20

1:00 PM Grief Group, Library

Saturday December 21

5:00 PM Holy Eucharist, Church

6:15 PM Third Saturday Potluck Reception, Walden Hall

Sunday December 22

8:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Church

10:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Church

11:15 AM Choir Rehearsal, Church

11:15 AM Coffee and Fellowship - Walden Hall

Monday December 23

3:30 PM EfM Group, St. James Room

Tuesday December 24

Christmas Eve - parish offices closed

4:00 PM Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist, Church

9:30 PM Christmas Choral Anthems, Church

10:00 AM Christmas Eve Eucharist with Choir, Church

Wednesday December 25

Christmas Day ~ Nativity of Our Lord - parish offices closed

10:00 AM Christmas Day Morning Prayer, Church



Such a fun and festive night at our Jingle & Mingle Christmas Party. Thank you to everyone who helped support the festivities, whether it was in decorating, bringing delicious food, singing carols or helping to clean-up. It was a true parish-wide effort and a treat to celebrate the season with good friends. Thank you to Dorothy Savarese for capturing so many great pictures.

Upcoming Events

Save the Dates!

More Opportunities to Sing Your Favorite Christmas Carols

A friendly reminder that at 9:30 PM on Christmas Eve Dr. Mark Lawlor and the St. Mary's Choir will lead the congregation in a half hour Christmas Choral Anthem Sing-along. The choir has been hard at work and it should be a beautiful treat for your ears and hearts. The Christmas Eve Candlelight Holy Eucharist will follow at 10:00 PM

Christmas at St. Mary's

Please click the flier below for our full schedule of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. Join us as we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord and Savior.

St. Mary's Formation & Education

Education for Ministry (EfM) theme for this year is Living into the Journey with God. EfM meets each week for 3 hours from September through June. Year 1 participants study the Old Testament, Year 2 studies the New Testament, Year 3 studies Christian History, and Year 4 puts everything together in Theology. In addition each Year reads the same two texts, one around Christmas, Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman and the second around Easter,The Four Vision Quests of Jesus by Steven Charleston. The discussions are lively and engaging and the community that is developed is well worth your time. Speak with Amy Crocker if you are interested or have questions about the program.

This group will be on hiatus through the Holiday Season. They hope to meet again in early 2025, every Wednesday at 10:00 AM at the home of Deacon Elizabeth Whitmore 1391 Hyannis-Barnstable Rd, Barnstable Village. All are welcome! Any questions? Contact Deacon Elizabeth

Please consider joining our weekly gathering on Thursday mornings in Walden Hall at 8:30 AM. Each week different participants take turns facilitating the discussion and contributing tasty breakfast treats. All are welcome!

This is a perfect time to join in if you have been considering participating. The group is beginning, a new book, The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis.

The Problem of Pain is a 1940 book on the problem of evil by C. S. Lewis, in which Lewis argues that human pain, animal pain, and hell are not sufficient reasons to reject belief in a good and powerful God.

Lewis states that his writing is "not primarily arguing the truth of Christianity but describing its origin, a task necessary if we are to put the problem of pain in its right setting". He begins by addressing the flaws in common arguments against the belief in a just, loving, and all-powerful God such as: "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what he wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both."  



Topics include human suffering and sinfulness, animal suffering, and the problem of hell, and seeks to reconcile these with an omnipotent force beyond ourselves.

Supporting Our Church

Congratulations to Ann Krapelian on her 1 year Anniversary of joining St. Mary's as our Financial Coordinator. We are so fortunate to have Annie on our staff keeping our books ship-shape and spreading her positive energy.

Based on progress to date, we are at:

127 pledge units.

Total = $360,376

You can see our pledging progress in the charts below.

If the outstanding 28 annual pledges average $471 we will achieve both of our goals for the year. In the Christmas spirit? Do you know that 5% of your pledge is distributed by the Outreach Grants Committee to local non-profit organizations that serve the community?

Cape Community News and Events

Episcopal Church News

Livestreaming Christmas Concerts & Worship

from The National Cathedral

Get Involved With Volunteer Opportunities

Each year we gather toys and treats for all our furry friends who are living in shelters awaiting their forever home. There is a collection box in the sunroom. Amy Crocker will collect all of the toys and have them delivered to the animal shelter on Christmas Eve so all the animals will have a merry Christmas morning. Any questions? please contact Amy Crocker

 Saint Mary's Episcopal Church

P.O. Box 395

3055 Main Street

Barnstable, MA 02630

508-362-3977

www.stmarys-church.org