Staying Connected

WELCOME HOME!

Worship with us:

Sunday at 9:00 am

in person and Live on Facebook

Second Sunday of Easter

Tuesday - Friday 8:30 am Morning Prayer via Zoom

(There is NO morning prayer the week of April 10th)

Healing services are held at St. Barnabas and

St. Mary's on a rotating schedule every third Thursday.

The next service will be at St. Barnabas on April 20th at 6 pm.

Rector's Corner

My dear siblings in Christ,

I cannot help but feel immense gratitude and appreciation for each and every one of you. Your dedication and commitment to our parish have genuinely shone through, and I am filled with joy and gratitude for the success of our celebrations.

To our altar guild, thank you for your tireless work in ensuring that our altar was beautifully decorated and prepared for the sacred liturgies. Your attention to detail and devotion to the liturgical traditions of our faith is a true gift to our community.

To our greeters and ushers, thank you for your warm welcome and hospitality to all who entered our church doors. Your friendly smiles and kind words created a welcoming atmosphere for all, and truly helped our celebrations succeed.

To our lectors and Eucharistic Ministers, thank you for your faithful service in proclaiming the Word of God and serving. Your dedication to your ministries is an inspiration to us all.

To Charlene, our Deacon Intern, thank you for your presence and ministry among us. Your passion for the Gospel and your tireless service to our parish have truly made a difference in the lives of our community members. We will miss you deeply.

To John, our organist, and our visiting musicians, thank you for your beautiful and inspiring music. Your talent and dedication added a special dimension to our celebrations, lifting our hearts and minds to God in worship.

And finally, to Julie, our administrator, thank you for your behind-the-scenes work in ensuring that all the logistics of our celebrations were taken care of. Your attention to detail and hard work were essential in making everything run smoothly.

Together, as a community of faith, we came to celebrate the most important week in our liturgical calendar. Through our shared efforts, we created an atmosphere of reverence and joy, where we were able to encounter the Risen Lord and be transformed by his love.

Once again, I extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to each and every one of you for your contributions to our Holy Week and Easter celebrations. May God bless you abundantly for your generosity and service to our community. May God bless you abundantly for all that you have done, and may we continue to work together in building up the Kingdom of God.

With love and gratitude,

Mother Allison+

____________________________________________________________

Let us open our hearts to Jesus’ call to proclaim the Gospel.

In Mark's Gospel, 16:9-15, we hear about an obstacle to faith – hardness of heart. The phrase conjures up a harsh image. Yet, our foundation is our heart, which gives us life and is at our core. Being hard, inflexible, and impenetrable would harm our ability to grow and share love with others.

Mark’s passage sheds light on this human experience of hardness of heart. Deep in grief after the devastating loss of Jesus, the disciples cannot accept Mary Magdalene’s news of the risen Jesus. When two disciples tell of walking with the risen Jesus, the others do not believe them. With these denials, they show that they carry hardened hearts. Although we now know they were wrong to deny this beautiful truth, we can empathize with them. They were in deep grief, and such a devastating loss could cause any heart to close up to others.

We also see the transformational change they made once they do soften their hearts to witness the risen Christ. In Acts 4:13-21, the disciples refuse to stop preaching the Gospel, for Jesus had commanded them to go into the whole world and do so. Even when threatened by leaders, they steadfastly stick to their conviction that they must be missionaries in their work as disciples.

As we near the end of the Octave of Easter, let us consider what hardness of heart we might carry. It could be grief, like the disciples. Or perhaps apathy, selfishness, or something else prevents our hearts from being penetrated with love. Let us accept the invitation from the risen Christ to open our hearts and proclaim the Gospel.

May our recognition of Christ's presence in the Eucharist and through our worship strengthen us.

Love moved Mary's feet.

My dear syblings, on this Easter morn,

Let us gather to hear the story born

Of love and hope, of justice and grace,

That found its climax in this sacred place.

For in this tomb, where Jesus lay,

Death held its sway, its might to display.

But love, unyielding, could not be defeated,

And in the end, death was depleted.

For on that morn, when Mary came,

She found the tomb empty, devoid of shame.

And in her sorrow, she turned around,

To find her Lord, to her astound.

"Mary," he said, and she knew his voice,

And in that moment, she did rejoice.

For death was conquered, and hope did reign,

And love, unyielding, was the victor again.

And so, my friends, let us take heart,

And let our souls from fear depart.

For Christ is risen, and in his name,

We too shall rise from death and shame.

Let us embrace this love so true,

And in its light, our lives renew.

Let us stand for justice and for peace,

And let love's light never cease.

For in this victory, we find the key,

To live in hope, and love all equally.

Let us be inspired, let us be true,

And in Christ's love, let us renew.

Celebration of Life for Dale Schweickhardt

April 15th at 12:00 noon at Icona Avalon

A Celebration of the Life of Dale Henry Schweickhardt will be held on Saturday, April 15th at 12:00 noon at Icona Avalon, 7849 Dune Drive, Avalon NJ. All are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial contributions be directed to Lynn’s Animal Rescue. https://lynnsanimalrescue.org/donate.php

Stewardship Minute

Remember to pledge your support!

Pledge Now!

Some ways to support St. Mary's

Become a member
Volunteer
The Sunday collection plate
Send a check payable to St. Mary's to:

St. Mary's Church,

9425 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

(Your envelope and number is not necessary, only your name.)

Setting up a personal online banking "bill pay" option. The bank will mail the check for you to the church office.
Online giving through our website at https://www.stmarysstoneharbor.org/

Visit our Website

We're having a Painting Party and you and your friends are invited! Join us in St. Mary's parish hall Saturday, May 6th at 6 pm (begins 5:45) for a fun get together while we show off our creative sides.

No painting experience necessary! The teachers will guide you through the steps to produce a springtime daisy picture on canvas.

$30 at the door. Proceeds benefit The Branches Outreach.

RSVP saintmarysstoneharbor@ gmail.com so we can know how many easels to have on hand, or sign up on the bulletin board in the parish hall.

St. Mary's annual berry delicious Strawberry Festival is still a few weeks away but preparation is underway now! Please think about how you can help with this very successful fundraiser which benefits the church budget. Can you make or serve desserts, set up or clean up? Would you love to create a basket for the raffle? A sign up sheet is posted in the parish hall or contact Dina Ziemba. Please spread the word. Flyers are available. Call the church office if you'd like a few to circulate in your area.

Membership at St. Mary's

Membership at St. Mary's consists of several different groups of "members." Some are Confirmed Communicant Members or who have transferred their membership by Letter of Transfer to St. Mary's. Some are Baptized into St. Mary’s or have requested that their names be entered in the Parish Register. Others are “members” by virtue of the fact that St. Mary’s is their church—the Christian community of which they are a part and where they worship regularly. Still, others are “summer members" or friends of St. Mary's. Many are part of St. Mary’s life, worship at St. Mary’s when in town, and support St. Mary’s financially. Canonically, they are not members in the legal sense, but they are every bit as much members of our parish family as those who are official members.

Please contact the church office if you would like to receive membership forms to be added to our data base.

email: SaintMarysStoneHarbor@gmail.com

You may sign up on our website here.

We welcome you to join us!

Happy Birthday to

Lawarence Ziemba on April 15th, Lynne Schmidt on April 16th, Barbara DeLorey on April 17th and

Lisa Griesbach on April 20th!

Happy Anniversary to

David & Janet Kowalski on April 15th, and

David & Betty Lou Darley on April 20th!

If you would like to be remembered on your birthday or anniversary, please give us your information so we may add you to our data base. Email the church office: jultaylor9425@gmail.com or call 609-368-5922

Sunday's altar flowers

are given in loving memory of

Richard Weiss

by Sandra Harmon-Weiss

CAN YOU HELP?

Immediate needs at The Branches

It’s been a very busy time at The Branches Outreach. They are feeding a lot of people/

Branches is in need of BIG containers of soup (crockpot size) or large casseroles they can keep in the freezer - even something as simple as a large Stouffer's lasagna.

You may bring any casseroles or soup over to The Branches at their new location - 201 Hirst Ave., Rio Grande, NJ - daily from 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM,

If you can't get to Rio Grande, please contact Dina Ziemba 609-780-3142.

She will be happy to pick up your food and take it to The Branches.

ALSO The Branches food pantry is in need of the following: bread, hamburger, chicken, coffee, mayo, ketchup, peanut butter, salad dressing, juice, breakfast bars and spam. The Food Pantry is open M-W-F from 9-12 and is located at 1304 Rt. 47 So., Rio Grande, Unit AJ.

Many thanks !!!

St. Mary's This 'n That Thrift Shop

Come check out the GOLD Winner of the 2022 Best of the Jersey Shore thrift shops - St. Mary's This 'n That Thrift Shop! And remember the thrift shop when you're spring cleaning and organizing. Household items and clean usable clothing are welcome!

Store Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm

Donation days: Tuesday and Thursday, 10 am - 3 pm

Location: St. Mary's This 'n That

1304 Rt. 47 So., Rio Grande, NJ 08242 609-886-7272

Follow them on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/St-Marys-This-N-That-Thrift-Shop-268676343298636/

John Curtis and Cape Classical Artists

Mark your calendar for the next Cape Classical Artists concert:

We regret to say that the concert scheduled for Sunday, April 16, 3:00 pm,

Music for Soprano and Piano, has been cancelled.

Mark you calendar for:

Sunday, May 21, 3:00 pm

Beverly Trio

An exciting variety of music of oboe, viola and cello

All concerts are free of charge to the public and are produced in partnership with and held at Cold Spring Presbyterian Church. If you would like to become a sponsor, visit our home page and click on the “Donate” button. 100% of all contributions go directly to the support of our series. The concerts are live-streamed on our YouTube channel.

Visit our website, www.CapeClassicalArtists.com for:

• a link to our YouTube channel

• directions to the church

• a copy of the concert program

• information on becoming a sponsor for yourself or your business

Upcoming Events

Sunday, April 16th - 9:00 am Holy Eucharist with Father Matis

Thursday, April 20th - 6 pm Healing Service at St. Barnabas, Villas

Tuesday, April 25th - St. Mary's Hosts Clericus at 3:00 pm

Saturday, May 6th - Jane Carol's Ordination 11:00 am at the Cathedral

Saturday, May 6th, Painting Party at 6 pm

Monday, May 8th - 13th - Mother Allison on Retreat