Staying Connected as a Faith Community
Thursday, February 25, 2021
CLICK HERE for the March edition of the Happenings
Tech Team Expansion: Thursday Volunteers Needed
A big thank you to Joy, Beth L., Charlotte and Mary who have volunteered to be readers during Thursday morning recordings. If you would like to know more about the lector, acoloyte or altar guild tasks and/or our Covid-19 protocols on Thursdays please email Rev. Ann.
Are you available to join the expanded Tech Team on Thursday mornings?
Yes, I can be a lector on a Thursday from 9:15-10:15am
Yes, I can be an acolyte on a Thursday from 9:15-10:15am
Yes, I can join an altar guild team for flexible set-up / clean-up times
Lenten Outreach Initiatives
*Contactless drop off on the office porch NOW through Palm Sunday*
Undie Sunday
March 7th through Palm Sunday
We are seeking new: socks, underwear, bras, undershirts for all ages and in all sizes.
Wall Out Hunger
We are seeking: non-perishable food, toiletries, personal care items, feminine hygiene products, cleaning products & paper goods

Gift Cards
Those who would like to donate to our partner school, Bennet Academy can purchase $25 gift cards to either Stop & Shop or Walmart and drop them at the office.
St. Mary's Lenten Ponderings:
The Contours of Courage
The Rev. Daniel R. Heischman, D.D., Executive Director, National Association of Episcopal Schools

In June of 1963, civil rights activist Mary Hamilton stood before a judge in Gadsden, Alabama and refused to answer his question. She refused because the judge was unwilling to address her as “Miss Hamilton.” Enraged, the judge held her in contempt of court and sent her to jail. Her courageous refusal, however, eventually landed her case before the Supreme Court, where, in Hamilton v. Alabama, the court ultimately ruled in her favor, mandating that no court in the country could address people differently, based on their race.

Mary Hamilton’s courage was dramatic, but hardly out of character. Being a light-skinned African-American, she had refused to pass as white. When jailed for her role in the Freedom Riders campaign, Miss Hamilton warded off sexual assault, and at one point ordered the mayor of the local jurisdiction to leave her cell because he refused to address her with respect. What’s more, her courage mirrored the dedicated involvement of Black women in the civil rights struggle, who were the backbone of its day-to-day work.

All of us know people who astonish us, inspire us, with their courage. It can seem valiant*, or simple and humble (but nonetheless remarkable), as countless citizens in our Southwestern states have shown us over the past week, braving a devastating winter storm in ways many of us could hardly imagine.

There is an infectious quality to courage. Years after Mary Hamilton’s brave stand, her longtime roommate, Sheila Michaels, led the crusade for women to be able to go by “Ms.” as an alternative to “Miss” or “Mrs.” Similarly, medical schools have seen a recent spike in the number of applicants, likely driven by the examples of health care workers and figures such as Anthony Fauci, during this pandemic.

The roots of courage, however, grow out of conviction: the belief in a cause, our sense of what is right and just, our faith in God. Aristotle distinguished between courage and recklessness, and what differentiates one from the other is our sense of self and the clarity of our purpose. Courage and recklessness may both be bold, but only one is evidence of direction in life.

John Graham puts it this way:
“There is a very clear link between courage and the degree of meaning in someone’s life; the sense, at a really deep level, that you know why you do things, you know what your life is about. Most fear is fear of the unknown, but when you can answer the root question of what your life is about, that root insecurity is dealt with, and dealing with it makes it so that no fear is as bad as it was before. The more meaning, the more courage, and the less fear."

The Weekly Meditation is a regular, Monday-morning email message from the Rev. Daniel R. Heischman, our executive director, to NAES member heads, rectors, and chaplains. From the beginning of the academic year through September, non-members also receive it. CLICK HERE to sign up for more meditations.
YouTube Worship


 Available Sunday @ 7:30AM or later

CLICK HERE for the February 28th bulletin
Thanks to those who have given us feedback on the Sunday morning service from the sanctuary. We have had between 30-45 people view the service or part of the service at their convience each week! We are glad to offer another form of virtual worship as we continue living into a new way of doing church in pandemic times.
Coffee Hour
Our Zoom Coffee/Fellowship preceeds the 10AM service every week. Use the Sunday Service Link below to join anytime between 9:30 and 10:00am








Sunday,
February 28th 10AM

CLICK HERE for the bulletin
     
Join Zoom Meeting
or
Dial
1 646 876 9923


Meeting ID: 823 2447 0555
Password: 0000




WEEK NIGHT COMPLINE @ 7:30pm


Join fellow parishioners:

Monday: Karen A
Wednesday: paused during Lent
Friday: Sharon

This short service from The Book of Common Prayer can be found in the BCP on page 127 or you may access the prayer book online at www.bcponline.org.

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 856 0827 5573
Passcode: 41Park

To dial by telephone call +1 929 205 6099 
Passcode: 555650
Midweek Lenten Worship

Wednesdays: March 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th @ 7:00 pm

During Lent we are joining our friends from Concordia, Emanuel and Faith Lutheran churches and offering a brief Zoom worship service reflecting the Way of the Cross, with music and lay preaching from each church.

CLICK HERE for the bulletin

Join Zoom Meeting
or
Dial
1 646 876 9923

Meeting ID: 885 7741 5152
Passcode: 038227
Finance Committee Update

We are happy to announce that St Mary's has been approved for a 2nd round of financial support from the Paycheck Protection Program. These funds come in the form of a loan which can be forgiven after a certain period of time if used for specific payroll expenses. We are grateful for this support as we all have to balance new financial realities in our homes and in our church alike due to the pandemic.
Deacon Karen shares this conversation and encourages us all to take a listen:

Welcome back for the second week of SSJE's 2021 Lenten series, "Come, Pray." This week we will be focusing on Praying at Home with Brs. James Koester and Jack Crowley. This week, we invite you to explore new ways to hallow your home, embracing the hopeful possibilities of the domestic church.
CLICK HERE to access Episcopal Relief and Development's Lenten Meditations for 2021
CT's Age-based Eligibility Chart

March 1, 2021: Expands to age group 55 to 64 and educators
March 22, 2021: Expands to age group 45 to 54
April 12, 2021: Expands to age group 35 to 44
May 3, 2021: Expands to age group 16 to 34

State of Connecticut
CLICK HERE to access the website with current vaccine information

CT's Vaccine Administration Managment System (VAMS)
CLICK HERE to enter to create a profile and find a time slot

Connecticut’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line
877-918-2224
UCONN Health Center
CLICK HERE to visit the website

Hartford Healthcare
CLICK HERE to visit the website

Yale New Haven Health
CLICK HERE to visit the website

Walgreens
CLICK HERE to visit the website

CVS
CLICK HERE to visit the website
TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS

Rooted in Hope in a Time of Anxiety: February 27th
Join our bishops and laity from across ECCT for a day of virutal spiritual refreshment and learning. Living in the midst of chronic anxiety impacts all of us and our relationships with our children, spouses/partners, family, friends, colleagues and faith communities. If you are interested CLICK HERE to register

NAMI Family-to-Family
A new online Family to Family class is starting on Monday, March 1st 2021 from 6:15 to 8:45 pm each week for eight weeks, co-taught by one of our NAMI Manchester educators. This is a free, 8-session educational program for family, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions, it is a designated evidenced-based program. To register, go to https://namict.org/find-support/family-to-family/ and select the March 1st class, or whichever class works best for you.
PBS's The Black Church: This is Our Story This is Our Song
Part 2

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of African American religion beginning with the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the extraordinary ways enslaved Africans preserved and adapted their faith practices from the brutality of slavery to emancipation.
To make a 2021 pledge to St. Mary's CLICK HERE for the form
Ann's Zoom Coffee Shop on Fridays 1-2pm
Join Zoom Meeting
or
Dial +1 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 873 0224 9184
Password: 958202
Virtual Prayers of the People
Please take a moment to lift these names up in your prayers. Contact Rev. Ann revalovejoy@gmail.com if you would like to add a loved one.
If you put a name on the list and their need has resolved, let us know and we'll remove them.
Mary Rolfe
Lynette Wilson
Beth Lavalette
Jenn Reguin
Donny Ballsieper
Margaret Burke
Bernie VonHone
Matt Briggs
Matthew
Lea Dubiel
Gary Jensen
Mechelle Olórtegui
Thea Michailides
Carolyn Stone
Deborah Kocsis
Alexander Tovar Olórtegui
Sylvia Rogers
Carlson Rogers
Torshia Anderson
Carlson Rogers, Jr
Llonia Jackson and family
Kelvin Rogers
Michelle Legister
Talitha Coggins
Aleesha Rogers
Walker-Young Family: Carmen, Courtnee, Emory, Morgan and Chelsea, Emrys and Erymi, 
Meg Wagner
Jill
Karen Armogida
Sharon and Cornelius
Garvin
Jack Cianfaglione 
Dick Falcone 
Tricia
Linda and Michael
Kiki Eglinton
Dean Fedorchak
Beanie
Summer M.
Arlyne Alexander
Ellise & Ralph Sullivan
Barbara
Joseph Bennett
Mary Barber

For Those Who Have Died
Ruth Clement
Dotti Canon
Eleanor Hunte 
Jean Cabana
Kathy Anderson
Bob Reault (pronounced “row”)
Geoff 
Jeanette Waytashak
Murial Ritchie
Michelle Darrell
Gloria Edwards
Suzanna
Paul Pedersen
Fred Winzler
Gail Wolcott
Dolores Jones
 
For comfort for their families and for all who mourn especially
Cabana family, Norman, Denise
George
Reault Family (pronounced “row”)
Alon
LouAnn, Ellie and family
George, Darrell family
Pedersen family
Mark Winzler
Wolcott family, Jesse and Jamie
Kelly Sharp
 
Thanksgiving for
Our Vestry leadership;
For our “Tech Team” – Gene, Sarah, Beth, Mechelle, Rev Ann
 
For Those Serving In The Military
Darriun Bedell, Kuwait