Saint Augustine, I think, put it best when it comes to the difficulty of describing the Easter moment:
"Before experiencing God you thought you could talk about God; when you begin to experience God, you realize that you are experiencing what cannot be put into words."
No one saw it happen. No one posted it on You Tube or Facebook. The news was never tweeted. There were no security cameras at the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
Not even DNA matches could be made from the burial cloth of the Crucified and Risen One.
So, the news had to be stammered or shouted at first, not articulated.
At the celebration of his eightieth birthday, the great Jewish mystic and scholar, and theologian, Martin Buber, denied being a Prophet or a philosopher, or a theologian. He simply said, "I am only someone who has seen something and goes to the window and points."
And so it, is with the ineffable, breath-catching, hair-raising, manifestation of Jesus as the New Creation! All the women and the disciples could do after the resurrection was to "go to the window and point." And they did!!!
Again, and again, they pointed!!!! And the Holy Spirit's power would gift to the open hearts and minds of those among the disciples to look out of the window themselves and believe with life changing consequences!
More than anything, "That God Raised Jesus from the dead," became the earliest Christian creed of all!
And so, it always comes down to us, personally. We too stand in the context of a line of believers who have brought the faith forward to us by their lives.
What led the early Christians to an Easter Faith?
What brings us today?
Paradoxically, in the weakness of paralyzing doubt and fear, the cowering disciples encountered the Risen Jesus. So, as we stand on the shoulders of those giants,we sing: Jesus Christ is Risen today Alleluia Our Triumphant holy day Alleluia Sing we to our God above Alleluia Praise eternal as his love Alleluia Jenny and our family join me in wishing you and your loved ones, a blessed and joyous Easter! HE IS RISEN INDEED!!
Sermons are available on our website under the worship tab.
Click HERE.
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SUNDAY WORSHIP:
- Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:30 am
WEEKDAY WORSHIP:
- Monday: Morning Prayer at 9:30am
- Wednesday: Noonday Prayer
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 Open Doors:
The Path Toward Resuming
In person Worship at
St. Mary's
We will resume worship services at the outside altar, on Easter Sunday at 9.30 am weather permitting; the service will also be live streamed. If there is inclement weather, we will only live stream the Easter Mass.
As from April 11,
we will resume worship in the church,
or at the outside altar,
weather permitting!
We invite you to take note of the following practical arrangements: -
Wearing masks at all times
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Sanitizing hands before services, during, before receiving communion and when leaving; please bring your hand sanitizer along with you
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Always keep safe distancing
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Please bring your own chairs along
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No coffee hour, for the time being
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The Holy Eucharist will be celebrated; the people receiving in one kind only (the host)
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Details of receiving communion will be explained at the time of celebration
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Holy Week and Easter 2021
Palm Sunday, March 28 -
9.30 AM~ Blessing of Palms, the Passion, and Holy Eucharist
Palm crosses will be available in a large sanitized plastic container in front of the church, as from Wednesday March 24
Holy Monday, March 29 Holy Tuesday, March 30 Holy Wednesday, March 31 -
9.30 AM Morning Prayer
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12.00 noon ~ noon prayers
Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), April 1 -
9.30 AM Morning Prayer
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7.00 PM ~ Holy Eucharist
Good Friday, April 2 -
12.00 PM ~ noon prayers and the stations of the cross
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7.00 PM ~ The Liturgy of Good Friday
Easter Sunday, April 4 9.30 AM ~ Festival Sung Holy Eucharist ~ on the lawn in front of the outside altar
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Calendar Notes/Special Events:
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Warden's Corner
News from the Church Warden, John Priscantelli
"We're still Standing"
When I look back on 2020 a famous Elton John comes to mind: We're still Standing.
I don't know how but we are. COVID-19, unsettling news of Father Alan's sickness, Father Alan's departure, lost revenue from our special events, long time parishioners moving away. I thank everyone for standing with us and we will continue to stand together!
We should be thankful for our dedicated Clergy, Vestry, our staff, our loyal parishioners and our wonderful faith community. Some people subscribe to the warm body theory of Vestry positions, all we need is a warm body to be a Vestry member but everyone on the Vestry has taken their job seriously. We are lucky to have such a strong team. We are challenged in our meetings as we try to do the best job for the church we can. But this really doesn't tell the whole story of how much work we do and how much thought everyone puts into their roles.
Please if you can, take the time to read each members vestry report. As I look forward there is still much uncertainty. As I see it, creativity will be the buzzword for 2021. What will our needs really be? Financially, Spiritually, Operationally? A lot of our ideas from last year were put on hold. We had the idea of focusing on the parish hall to bring more business. We wanted to look at ways to further market the grounds and the parish hall. We wanted to develop a brochure to market our property in this manner. We wanted to attmept to somehow incorporate Art around Town into the Strawberry Festival. We were thinking about having a pumpkin patch the same day of the Town book fair. But with COVID-19 this couldn't come to fruition. At this juncture we will be trying to figure out our needs for the future. Can we afford a full-time priest? Can we afford the current programming we have? If we get anther shot of PPP probably. But still, what will we look like a year from now?
What I do know is that we're going to have to figure this out together. As the months go by, we will be having this conversation in depth. What we can't do according to the Diocese rules is look for a new priest until our current priest leaves. But that doesn't mean we can't meet to talk about it. New ideas? Old ideas? Most importantly we need ideas! Please share those with us.
(reprinted from the Annual Report)
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Vestry Meeting Minutes
Meeting Minutes are available on bulletin board outside of Parish Hall office or by contacting Rich at [email protected]. |
 Meet the Parish
PROFILE
The Priscantelli Family
Janet and John were married at St. Mary's in 1997 after visiting the church and meeting Father Joel. It was a beautiful day and John likes to tell the story that when watching the wedding video a few months later he spotted acolyte Ian Mason wearing Air Jordan sneakers! "We still treasure that memory."
Soon after that, John was walking across the Bell parking lot to a church service, contemplating where to continue to worship and raise a family. He heard a loud voice in his head that said "HERE"! Janet agreed, so here they are, 24 years later, devoted members of the parish.
After their daughter Kristi was born, the whole family became active in the church. Kristi participated in Sunday school from Pre-K through her Confirmation in 2014. She is now a senior at NYU studying Acting, Psychology, and Film Production. When asked about her fondest moments at the church the memories flowed..."Camping in Mary Dierdorff's backyard, playing 'Secret Santa' at youth group parties, discussing the universe and God in Confirmation class, waking up early every year to set up for the Strawberry Festival, acting in the Christmas Pageant and going to the 'jolly' post-pageant coffee hour. Father Joel and Mary Dierdorff were a huge part of my Confirmation class and I always caught up with Mary Jo Mason, my sponsor."
John is currently Chief Financial Officer at Connecticut Renaissance, a not-for-profit corporation focusing on behavioral change. He has served St. Mary's in a number of leadership roles; currently as Stewardship Warden, previously as Buildings and Grounds Warden, and as an ongoing member of the Finance Committee. He has also served as the Strawberry Festival Chair or Co-Chair for 8 years. He was instrumental in the restoration of the rectory during Father Joel's ministry and initiated the Ice Skating Rink project on the Great Lawn for a few years.
Janet is recently retired from a long career at Purchase College, SUNY-Division of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics, having held positions as Community Recreation Director, Financial Manager and Division Director. She has contributed to St. Mary's as a Sunday school teacher and Co-Director, Altar Guild member, committee chairperson of the Strawberry Festival's Strawberry Café, chairperson of the Fall Festival/Pumpkin Patch, member of the Rector's Search Committee, and Vestry member.
"We are most grateful for the many happy memories and friendships we have shared through the years. How could we ever forget 'the works' at the Strawberry Festival, transporting hundreds of pumpkins for the Pumpkin Patch, watching many Christmas pageants, enjoying the auction dinners, preparing for Midnight Run, and listening to the many beautiful services and sermons which touched and inspired us. We are especially thankful for the love and affection that many members of the parish extended to Kristi through her years as a young person. Kristi has a great attachment to St. Mary's and enjoys ongoing friendships with members of her Confirmation class. We have treasured watching Kristi and her Confirmation classmates grow into inspiring young people of the new generation......savvy, talented, aware and kind! It has been fun hosting coffee hours, especially the "It's No Blarney" Saint Patrick's Day coffee hour in 2019."
"Thank you to Father Alan and Jenny who have devoted such love and care to St. Mary's for the last five years. We will never forget them as they look forward to retirement within the next year. We trust St. Mary's will remain strong and vibrant in these difficult times and continue to bring light into the world."
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Deacon's Corner
News from Deacon Shiane
Greetings St. Mary the Virgin congregation:
Tradition gives us a place to stand, it doesn't anchor us to it. I am so proud of how we here at St. Mary's have taken our Episcopal traditions and continued to shape them and allow them to shape us in our worship and fellowship during this challenging year. Let us continue to pray and keep our eyes and prayers on Jesus, our hope and light in the darkness, this Lenten season and always.
Here at St. Mary's, we continue to have Monthly zoom conversation groups on how to shrink the racial divide. This month March 30, 2021 at 7:30 we will begin discussion on the book "Caste": The Origins of our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson. Please join us.
I am facilitating a Lenten program for St. Mary's, Church of Ascension in Mt. Vernon and Trinity St. Paul's church in New Rochelle. We are reading and discussing the book, Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices by Gunn and Shobe. Meeting via Zoom on Monday evenings at 7:00PM.
Confirmation class continues to move along smoothly. If you would like to facilitate one of the confirmation class sessions, please e-mail me at [email protected].
Please find an outline of the schedule below.
*Note that we do not yet have a date for the Bishop's visit.
Session 3 - Sunday March 21, 2021, 3:30 - 4:30 Facilitator: Deacon Shiane
THE BIBLE 101
Exploring bible basics and the relevance of the scriptures and prayer for our day.
Session 4 - Sunday April 18, 2021, 3:30 - 4:30 FACILITATOR NEEDED
OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
A discussion on the formation, theology, prayer and present-day Episcopal Church and its relevance to our life.
Session 5 - Sunday May 16, 2021, 3:30 - 4:30 FACILITATOR NEEDED
CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR & SOCIAL ACTION
Conversations regarding ethics, attitudes, behavior, race, Culture and mutual respect.
Session 6 - June 13, 2021, 3:30 - 4:30 Facilitator: Father Alan
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE WALK (The Journey through the Sacraments)
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PRAYERS FOR LENT
Lent is a time of reflection and renewed faith as we focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Alfred the Great, 9th century
Lord God Almighty, shaper and ruler of all creatures, we pray for your great mercy, that you guide us towards you, and guide us to your will, to the need of our soul.
And make our mind steadfast in your will and aware of our soul's need.
Strengthen us against the temptations of the evil, remove from us all unrighteousness, and shield us against our foes, seen and unseen.
Teach us to do your will, that we may inwardly love you before all things with a pure mind. For you are our maker and our redeemer, our help, our comfort, our trust, our hope; praise and glory be to you now and forever.
Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects
Christ, Son of God, for our sake you fasted forty days and allowed yourself to be tempted. Protect us so that we may not be led astray by any temptation. Since man does not live by bread alone, nourish our souls with the heavenly food of your Word; through your mercy, O our God, you are blessed and live and govern all things, now and forever. Amen.
Martin Luther, the German Litany
Lord God, heavenly Father, you know that we are set in the midst of so many dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant us such strength and protection, to support us in all danger, and carry us through all temptations; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Debbie McDaniel
Dear God,
In this season of Lent, we're reminded of our own difficulties and struggles. Sometimes the way has seemed too dark. Sometimes we feel like our lives have been marked by such grief and pain, we don't see how our circumstance can ever change. But in the midst of our weakness, we ask that you would be strong on our behalf. Lord, rise up within us, let your Spirit shine out of every broken place we've walked through. Allow your power to be manifest through our own weakness, so that others will recognize it is You who is at work on our behalf. We ask that you would trade the ashes of our lives for the beauty of your Presence. Trade our mourning and grief for the oil of joy and gladness from your Spirit. Trade our despair for hope and praise. We choose to give you thanks today and believe that this season of darkness will fade away. Thank you that you are with us in whatever we face and that you are greater than this trial. We know and recognize that you are Sovereign, we thank you for the victory that is ours because of Christ Jesus, and we are confident that you have good still in store for our future. We thank you that you are at work right now, trading our ashes for greater beauty. We praise you, for you make all things new. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Girolamo Savonarola
Create a clean heart in me, O God: a humble heart, a meek heart, a peaceful heart, a benevolent heart, a devout heart which does evil to no one, which does not repay evil for evil, but overcomes evil with good, which loves you above all things, thinks always about you, speaks about you, gives you thanks, delights in hymns and spiritual songs, and has its citizenship in heaven. Amen.
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POEMS
The Journey
Give my heart feet
So that it may walk towards you.
Give me the motivation to arise,
And the drive to see your will through.
When I am idle
Put my body back into gear -
To continue to put one foot in front of the other
In the presence of doubt and fear.
You are my shield that protects me
When the trumpets blare and bows are strung.
But you can only protect me
When I march mightily - not when I turn and run.
The journey looks impossible
When I measure the miles.
But one foot in front of the other
And your love endures endless trials.
Justin Farley
Take Hold
Lent is a time to take time to let the power
of our faith story take hold of us,
a time to let the events get up
and walk around in us,
a time to intensify our living unto Christ,
a time to hover over the thoughts of our hearts,
a time to place our feet in the streets of
Jerusalem or to walk along the sea and
listen to his Word,
a time to touch his robe
and feel the healing surge through us,
a time to ponder and a time to wonder....
Lent is a time to allow
a fresh new taste of God!
Perhaps we're afraid to have time to think,
for thoughts come unbidden.
Perhaps we're afraid to face our future
knowing our past.
Give us courage, O God,
to hear your Word
and to read our living into it.
Give us the trust to know we're forgiven
and give us the faith
to take up our lives and walk.
Ann Weems
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Church School News
Grades PreK-7th
FROM COLEEN MACGREEVEY,
Director, Church School
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  EASTER IS COMING!
Join us for the Easter Egg Hunt following the 9:30am service on Easter Sunday, April 4 (weather dependent).
We will be holding an outdoor Easter Egg Hunt on the lawn - masks will be required. Eggs will be hidden for children of all ages. We will also have outdoor, socially distanced activities for the children.
Please pray for glorious weather so we can celebrate the Resurrection together!
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Join us each Sunday at 9am on Zoom for our Church School lessons!
Church School has been continuing each week over Zoom - while we would love to be in person, it's wonderful to see and hear our friends online each week. We have been continuing to learn about Jesus' many parables - soon our in-depth lessons about Palm Sunday and Holy Week will begin.
Meeting ID: 797 2615 0442 and Passcode: X7rcjd
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Fr. Alan, Deacon Shiane and several parishioners will teach various topics including Sacraments in action, the Bible 101, Christian ethics/social Justice responsibility, the reality of living, and outreach.
We welcome the class of 2021:
Adrian Dennis, Catherine Fenlon, and Joseph Santilli
Zoom classes will take place on the following Sundays at 3.30 PM
March 21 ~ The bible 101
April 18 ~ Our spiritual journey
May 16 ~ Christian behavior and social action
June 13 ~ The Christian life walk ( a journey through the sacraments)
Please contact Deacon Shiane at 914-441-9360 or [email protected] for more information.
**See Teen Outreach project for Neighbors Link in section below.
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TRIVIA NIGHT
Coming Soon- please stay tuned!
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Come Aside to Light a Candle
Our votive candle stand adds to the beauty and esthetics of our sacred space. It provides all an opportunity "to light a candle," as we seek to bring light and hope to our world.
It is my prayer that many will use this as an opportunity to "come aside," and pray for healing light for our nation, our world and our loved ones. Father Alan
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St. Mary's embraces Outreach. It is an integral component in the mission of our church family. We provide financial support, services and donated goods to those in need close to home and on the other side of the world.
In fulfilling our outreach mission, we enhance the sense of community within our church family - and we enrich ourselves. We make connections not just with each other, but also with those we help.
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SMTV TEEN SERVICE PROJECT
Parish members are invited to support SMTV teens in collecting the following items for Pleasantville's Interfaith Emergency Food Pantry:
- non-perishable food items
- Fresh Direct bags (the pantry's preferred choice)
- Easter/Passover chocolate...or chocolate generally
Donations can be dropped off with Cindy Forrest (1272 Hardscrabble Road) or Blair Childs (404 Whippoorwill Road), and can also be left at the Parish Hall during office hours only(10-4 Mon/Weds/Thurs).
Deadline: Tuesday, March 23
UPDATE: NEIGHBORS LINK
Meal Delivery-Wednesdays in March
Denise Hanchet is coordinating drivers for Neighbors Link to deliver meals for families in need. Those interested are welcome to Sign Up through the link below. Contact Denise if you have any questions about this mission: [email protected] or cell (914) 671-0128.
For more info on Neighbors Link CLICK HERE
We also continue to work with these organizations: Interfaith Food Pantry in Pleasantville
that has been partnering with local restaurants to provide hot meals through the Pleasantville Pantry. (This Go fund Me Drive also contributes food to Hope's Door and Neighbors Link.) Please consider making a monetary donation via the link above.
For more information about these organizations click on these links:
Helping our Hospitals
Helping Hour Children's Center at Bedford Hills
THREE WAYS TO DONATE:
1. Hour Children website, www.hourchildren.org and click their "Donate" Button, specifying that the donation is for "Operation Neighborhood"
2. Write a check to "Hour Children". Please earmark "Operation Neighborhood". Checks should be sent to: Hour Children 36-11 12th Street, Long Island City, NY 11106.
3. If you prefer to donate specific items rather than money, please go to the Amazon Wish List named Operation Neighbor with the requested items, which are all consolidated and located on one link: https://a.co/5GM83DC Items should be shipped to:
The Parenting Center at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
247 Harris Road
Bedford Hills, NY 10507
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Deb Rigano at 914.804.6470.
*SMTV Organization of the Month is designed to raise awareness
of the Outreach Organizations that SMTV supports.
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HOLIDAY GIVING TREE REPORT
by Dana Fenlon
 Thanks to the generosity of SMTV parishioners, the holidays were a little brighter for local families through our outreach efforts.
In December 2020, Ludovica Douglas organized a virtual advent giving tree to benefit Neighbor's Link, A-Home, The Mount Kisco Child Care Center, and The Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester. She graciously collected and distributed the items which came enthusiastically from parishioners. "I got calls from so many people that I haven't seen in so long. Everyone was very happy to be able to share in the holiday spirit and help those in need. I think it helped all those that gave to feel connected to SMTV and to these wonderful outreach partners."
Given the challenges of food insecurity during COVID, many groups asked for gift cards to grocery stores this year. For families in need at the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester, these cards are used for everyday essentials that the local food pantries don't provide such as toiletries, paper good and laundry and cleaning supplies. Here are some of their words of gratitude:
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"We feel blessed by your generosity. I cannot find the words to appropriately express my gratitude for the presents, to make our holidays happy and part of our good memories."
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"We thank you, with all our hearts, for your good works of charity that you do for all the families who are going through difficult times. God bless you today and always."
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"YOU are very good people with very good hearts."
2020 has shown us that powerful optimism is possible. We can still willingly serve with a spirit of caring, support the community and enjoy camaraderie despite COVID constraints. We look forward to continuing Saint Mary the Virgin's wonderful tradition of the Advent Giving Tree in 2021. Once again, the children in Sunday School will create ornaments with a gift label to adorn the Advent Giving Tree so our parishioners can select and share in outreach. 
*SMTV Organization of the Month is designed to raise awareness
of the Outreach Organizations that SMTV supports.
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Community Bulletin Board
AMEN to Cindy's request!
I've been doing what she's asking since she first suggested it last year, maybe before then. It REALLY WORKS! Amazon reports my contributions to me frequently.
Thank you Cindy!!
Your Amazon and Whole Foods orders placed through Smile.Amazon.com continue to support St Mary's.
It's easy and free to support St Mary's this way; just click on this LINK to set St Mary's as your organization of choice, and continue shopping as usual on smile.amazon.com (instead of Amazon.com or the Amazon app) for Amazon and Whole Foods.
Special Announcements about our Parish
Please send submissions to [email protected] by 26th of each month
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The Church of SMTV Info
Click Link to listen to past Sermons. An UPDATED DIRECTORY (August 2018) has been posted to our church website. (Located in drop-down under Parish Life.) Church of St. Mary the Virgin
191 S. Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, NY Office Contact:
Tel: 914 238-8751
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THE CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN
Chappaqua, New York
We are called to be a holy people who witness God's love to the world and serve others.
Our Mission is to provide an environment for worship, learning, and service by encouraging
participation through the effective use of the commissions:
Worship and Music, Christian Education, Outreach, Communications, Parish Life, Finances, and Stewardship.
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