Merry Christmas from St. Mary's, Kansas City!

Ancient worship. Affirming Faith. Genuine love.

A Christmas Note from the Rector

Dear St. Mary's Family,

Greetings on this last day of Advent! Though it will be quite different this year, Christmas is not cancelled. The pandemic has forced us to spend time away from friends and family at home to keep others safe, but Christ will come to us on the morrow just as He does every year. Some of us will worship together in our beloved parish church, and some will worship from home.

I invite you to adopt a new tradition or two this Christmas. You might consider placing your laptop or tablet next to your nativity set, icon, cross, or even your Christmas tree for one or more of these virtual options:

Worship at St. Mary’s online. Christmas Eve at 4pm, 8pm and 11pm; Christmas Day at 8am and 10am. Join us via Facebook or YouTube. You'll see the space you love, hear a sermon preached by a member of your clergy, and enjoy beautiful organ music and limited singing.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge. Christmas Eve at 9pm Central, or Christmas Day at 7am Central. You’ll hear amazing choral music, new and old, as well as have the opportunity to sing your favorite Christmas hymns. Join here (you can watch live, or attend anytime after the livestream ends).
Pray Morning Prayer and/or Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. By clicking on this link, you’ll have access to the service most appropriate to that specific hour of the day.
The Queen's Christmas Message. Christmas Day, 9:00 a.m. Central. An annual tradition since 1932, this is generally the only time The Queen addresses the public using her own words, not those written by politicians. This speech has been increasingly personal and religious in tone in recent years, and I always find hope and comfort in her thoughtful words. Join via YouTube, or by asking your Amazon device to "play The Queen's Christmas Day Message."

Lastly, if you are staying home because you are ill or because of the pandemic, the clergy would be happy to bring Holy Communion to you at your home, or arrange a time for you to come to the church to receive the Sacrament at a convenient time. Please let us know of your desire on this page.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

God’s peace,

Fr. Charles

Christmas at St. Mary's

St. Mary's is honored to be the recipient of this beautiful Nativity set (pictured above)

from the estate of Deacon Gerry Shaon. Arranged by Justin Smith.

Attend virtually or in-person

YouTube, Facebook, or in-person

30 people at most per service

65-75 capacity with social distancing

Masks, social distancing, and preregistration required

Click here to read through our detailed safety precautions

Christmas Eve

4:00 p.m. - Sung Mass (four seats left)

8:00 p.m. - Sung Mass (six seats left)

11:00 p.m. - Solemn Mass (at capacity)

Christmas Day

8:00 a.m. - Low Mass (five seats left)

10:00 a.m. - Sung Mass (four seats left)

Click here to preregister to attend in-person.

Donations for our Homeless

It is a harsh reality that about 700 homeless people die from the cold each year in the United States. Many scramble just to find anything that will keep them warm. We are seeing more and more people on the doorsteps of St. Mary's seeking relief from the cold. As we continue to work on more long-term solutions for helping the homeless, we strive to meet their immediate needs as well. Warmth and hunger relief is something we can do right now.

St. Mary's has a small fund to help meet these needs, but find this resource dwindling during the pandemic. In your Christmas giving this year, please prayerfully consider donating so that we can continue to help those that come to our door. Please designate in "special instructions to the seller" that your donation is going toward the the Outreach Fund.

We also welcome items such as coats, blankets, socks, hats, scarves and hand and feet warmers. You can drop items off at the church most weekday mornings, or when you come for worship.

Thank you for your consideration.

Your donation, big or small, will help bring real change.

Click on this button to make a donation:

OUTREACH DONATIONS

First Sunday after Christmas

December 27, 2020

Sung Mass begins at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. Sunday.

Join in-person (reservations are required - click here to register), or join the Sunday service online via Facebook by clicking here, or via YouTube by clicking here. The Saturday service is not livestreamed.

Virtual Sunday Morning Coffee Hour

We are all really missing the Immaculate Reception in the Parish Hall after Sunday worship and look forward to a time when we are all together again in person. In the meantime, let's stay connected with a Virtual Coffee Hour immediately following the 10:00am service via Zoom.

For the holidays we will be sharing simple recipes of cookies and coffee to make beforehand to bring to the coffee hour. This week's recipe is 2-Ingredient Apple Pie Cups. If you would like to try your hand at making some, click here for the recipe. Grab a cup of coffee and hop on your computer or phone as we break bread together.

Click here (password is STM2020) and someone will be there to welcome you into this virtual gathering.

Click here to access recent sermons preached at St. Mary's!

Daily Mass

Daily Mass is open for in-person worship (6pm Wednesdays; 12:00 M, T, Th, F). Attendance is limited to 10 people at any one service. Click here to preregister to attend.

Private Confession

A priest will be available to offer spiritual guidance and sacramental confession each Saturday from 3:00-3:45 in St. George's Chapel.

Enter the church under the green awning off of the parking lot, and wait for the priest in the new living room area on the far side of the parish hall. Please bring your mask!

Artist's Inspiration Hour | Tuesday's @ 6:30 p.m.

Do you have an artistic goal? Do you find it rather hard to stay focused during the very stressful time. Won’t you consider joining the St. Mary’s Artists’ working group, via Zoom. We will meet weekly on Tuesday’s at 6:30 PM CST. Come to discuss an ongoing project or proposed project for which you want feed back or encouragement. Please also join us if you are looking for ideas or inspiration.

For questions, or more information, contact Sylvia Augustus at augustusimages@gmail.com. Click here to join.

303 in Exile | Wednesday's @ 6:30 p.m.

This group traditionally meets at Bistro 303 each Wednesday after Evening Prayer for drinks and discussion. There is no official topic or agenda, but the group is known for liturgy geeks and theological chatter -- expect to hear about maniples, monstrances, and papal liturgical straws. During the lockdown we are meeting weekly via Zoom....BYOB.

For questions or more information, contact Chris McQueeny at cmcqueeny@gmail.com.

Click here to join.