February 14-20 With St. Martin's |
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Ash Wednesday's Service
Please join us for our Ash Wednesday Zoom Mass on Wednesday, February 17 at 7 pm as we begin this holy season with prayer and repentance. If you want ashes, we still have some at the church. Please contact Fr. Rob.
Here is the link to Wednesday's Zoom Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8846760745
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First Sunday in Lent Service
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Outreach
Outreach is gearing up to make Easter a happy holiday for local children who may not otherwise receive a visit from the Easter Bunny. On Sunday, February 28th, we will be collecting Easter baskets, Easter candy and small toys in the church parking lot from 12:00 to 2:00. In addition, we will be collecting new and gently used children’s springtime clothing. The event will be rescheduled should the weather not cooperate. Thank you.
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Lenten Study
Starting February 18th
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Zoom Link for Lenten Study: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88625557684?pwd=RlN6UXZJc2xUR09tbXpDb2ppSS9vQT09
Meeting ID: 886 2555 7684
Passcode: Lent
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In-Person Worship
We continue to make preparations for reopening. Part of those preparations have involved a weekly effort to improve the quality of our recorded Masses.
Many people will play an important role in helping us prepare to worship together in person again, including the Reopening Committee members, the altar guild, ushers and lay servers. Because of the restrictions by which we must follow for in person gatherings, these ministries have been reimagined for our reopening. Several people have already volunteered to serve in these ministries, but we still need a few more people willing to serve as an usher or lay server.
We also need a couple of volunteers to help out with the check in process. When we arrive for Mass, our names will need to be checked off of a list of Reserved seats, so that we will have a record for contact tracing. This list will need to be logged and stored.
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Lay Servers at Mass
The duties of the Lay Server will be as follows:
- Read the Lesson
- Lead the Psalm
- Lead the Prayers of the People
-Ring the bells during the Eucharistic Prayer
If you would like to serve as a Lay Server as we regather for public worship, please send me an email and let me know of your desire to serve.
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Lent is Here
Here is a link to an article at NJ.com that was written about our Ash Wednesday observance:
Lent is a time in which we set aside time in our daily lives to examine our relationship with God, our neighbor and ourselves. It’s a season of turning away from sin and those things which draw us away from God by more intentionally incorporating spiritual practices which draw us into the life of God. Most people “give up” something as an act of penance, and try to be more mindful about doing good deeds. Others devote more time to prayer, and holy reading/study. Any practice that you choose is helpful if it helps you build your faith and nurtures your relationship with God and neighbor. Here are a few resources that might help you draw nearer to God as we walk through the Lenten desert.
https://www.lentmadness.org/ Lent Madness is a fun way to learn about the Saints during Lent. 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and Who will win the Golden Halo?people vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elite Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch. Check out the website for more information. Who says Lent can’t be fun?
https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/reimagining-examen-app/ St. Ignatius of Loyola encouraged the faithful to examine their lives and conduct daily, as a way of turning away from sin and toward Jesus Christ. Reimagining the Examen is an app ( available on the ITunes and Google Play Store) which helps you engage with God’s presence at any moment in your busy life, right on your mobile phone.
But, did you know that there are other ways to pray the Rosary. The Orthodox Church uses a prayer rope and we Anglicans have prayer beads made up of 33 beads (although you should be free to pray with any type of rosary that helps you grow in faith). The King of Peace Website above has information about the Anglican Rosary as well as forms of prayer that can be used with it.
Lent is also an important time to make an act of Confession. You may of course do that privately, but there is something powerfully liberating about making a Confession in the presence of a priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you. would like for Father Rob to hear your Confession, please email him and set up a time
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Prayer Concerns and Blessings
Len's cousin Len Albanese passed away from a 9-11 related illness, his Aunt Madeline Buonanno (91 yrs old contracted Covid-19); Linda Virtue has been transferred to PowerBack in Piscataway; Lorna, a friend of Barbara and Jack's, is in hospice; a student of Beth's, Valerie and her family have Covid, and Beth's brother-in-law is undergoing chemo for his testicular cancer; Tim's mother, Norma, is very sick (non-Covid); Barbara's friend Derrick; Jane L.'s great-grandson, Jacob, and his family; Gary's neighbor's son, and other friend's have Covid; and Judy's birthday was last week.
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Keeper of the Light
There is a light at St. Martin's that never goes out. We call it the "Sanctuary Light". It reminds us of the presence of Christ who is with us always. During this time when we are not able to be in our building, members of the parish have been taking turns caring for the light in their own home and then passing it on to another member for the next week, until we can all be together again in the church building. If you would like to be the "Keeper of the Light" for a week, email Philip with the subject "Candle" at philip.muniz@gmail.com.
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Pageant Costumes
If you still have your pageant costume, you can drop it off anytime on Sunday morning or arrange a time by emailing Alison. Thanks, and sorry for the delay.
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Rite 13
Father Rob and Fausto will be leading the Rite 13 group, and their first meeting will be on Sunday, February 21 at 4pm. A zoom link will be sent out to families in the next week or so. If you did not receive an email from Father Rob inviting your child to attend, and you are interested, please email Father Rob and let him know of your interest.
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Noonday Angelus and Healing Mass
A Noonday Healing Mass will be celebrated on Wednesdays at Noon, preceded by the Angelus. This will be a virtual only Mass, livestreamed on Facebook Live from the Lady Chapel. You do not need to have a Facebook account in order to watch the service. The Mass will also be recorded and posted online for those who can not be present to watch it live. In order to view the live-streamed Mass on Wednesdays at Noon, click the following link on Wednesdays a few minutes before Noon:
Holy Day Masses will continue to be celebrated on Wednesday evenings at 7 pm and they will be announced in advance.
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St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
1350 Washington Valley Road,
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
www.stmartinsnj.org
Call Us: 908-526-1350
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Contact information for Fr. Rob
rectorstmartinsnj@gmail.com or fatherroblaws@yahoo.com
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