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Dear Beloveds in Christ,

The word, “Blessed” appears on t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs and in lots of selfies on social media these days. I recall the first t-shirt I saw with the word on it when I baptized a 6 mo. old baby who wore a t-shirt with “Blessed” on it.  To be blessed is to say yes to recognizing Christ’s presence in our life and anticipating that those blessings will continue.  This past Sunday in the 10AM service when I blessed people’s animal companions both in person and via photos on their phone, the community of those gathered affirmed that the presence of Love was in our midst through our furry friends. It was also a recognition that blessings are not confined to physical space: blessings can reach across all borders and challenges. And, like the psalmist declares, “Bless the Lord, O my Soul” our spiritual essence needs to receive blessings and offer that blessing back to God.  I look forward to our time together and noting the blessings Christ is offering St. Peter’s. 

In the peace of Christ,

Rev. Kate Bast

Bridge Priest

Bishop Gallagher to Visit St. Peter's!

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Carol Gallagher, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Mass., will be visiting St Peter’s on Sunday, November 12th. During her visit, Bishop Gallagher can offer the rites of Baptism, Confirmation, or Reception (for those who wish to be received from the Catholic Church into the Episcopal Church). 

Please contact Kate+ for further information and for scheduling formation for any of these rites.  

Blessing of the Animals Snapshots!

Last weekend, St. Peter's welcomed the four-legged loved ones of families in celebration of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Rev. Kate gave a blessing over these beloved animals during the 10AM service.

On Sunday, September 24th, Jim Daughtry suprised his beloved Molly Davidson on her birthday by taking the helm at the organ and playing a beautiful postlude in her honor! We hope Molly had a wonderful day and thank Jim for the treat that we all enjoyed!

October Diaper Drive

This fall, St. Peter’s Church is sponsoring a diaper drive to benefit the Diaper Depot in Waltham.  The Diaper Depot provides over 5,000 diapers per month to 120 Waltham residents who qualify for public assistance. Each eligible child receives 45-60 diapers per month. The Depot is open one Saturday a month and runs out of Christ Church, an Episcopal Church on Main Street in Waltham.

Please consider donating a box or more, particularly SIZES 4, 5, & 6 since these are the most needed.

There are three ways to donate:

1. Purchase diapers and drop off at St. Peter’s Church (320 Boston Post Road) Monday-Thursday 9:00am-2:00 pm and Fridays 9:00am-1:00pm. Please use the side door adjacent to Rt. 20 near the mailbox. Call the office number (781-891-3200) for entry and leave the diapers in the entryway. Parishioners can leave diapers in the Narthex during Sunday worship services.
2. Purchase and ship directly to the Diaper Depot's coordinator, Erin Jensen, at: 62 Cabot Street, Waltham, MA 02453
3. If you prefer to make a monetary donation, either send a check payable to Christ Church with "Diaper Depot" in the memo line or use the church's PayPal link (http://www.christchurchwaltham.org/giving/) and add "Diaper Depot" in the memo line. The church's address is: Christ Church, 750 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02451

Did you know:

• Diaper need affects nearly 1 in 3 women in the US
• Diapers cost approximately $18 a week per child
• Food stamps and WIC do NOT pay for diapers
• Many parents struggling to pay rent and food cannot afford the cost of an adequate diaper supply (1:3 mothers cut back on basic essentials to afford diapers for their kids)

Many thanks for considering this request and please contact Anne Ruggles (asruggles@gmail.com) with any questions.

Donation deadline is Sunday, October 29th

Afghan Ministry Update

Brookside Tuesday is back in full swing or nearly so. We are now on a biweekly schedule and have adjusted hours from 12:00 -2:30 to accommodate preschoolers. There are a trickle of families somehow getting out of Afghanistan. They have their papers but were not able to get out in the summer of 2021 airlift. One of those families made the arduous trek of being smuggled into Pakistan, from Pakistan to Qatar, Qatar to New York and finally to Manchester two weeks ago. It took almost a year for them to get here and to see the relief on their faces when they walked into Brookside and were welcomed by ten Afghan women with little ones running around and to sit down to a lunch with traditional Afghan food was emotionally overwhelming for them and frankly, also for the volunteers. These people have been through so much and and are working hard to build a new life here. It is not easy. Tuesdays at Brookside remain an invaluable connection to one another , to the communities they left behind and the new one they are building. Thanks to St. Peter’s, Trinity Concord and grants from the Episcopal church, we are able to continue our Brookside Tuesday ministry and invite you to join us anytime.

Thank you,

Karen & Hansi

Though many of St. Peter's parishioners have returned to worshiping and receiving Holy Communion in person inside our church building, we know it is not yet safe for all of us to do so. We will continue to live-stream our services so that we may include as many as possible in our offerings of praise and thanksgiving to God.

If it is not yet safe for you to worship with us in person, and you would like to receive Holy Communion and/or a share a time of prayer at your home, please contact the Parish Office.

If you would like to schedule a time during the week for private prayer in the church, please contact the church office.

St. Peter's is committed to continuing to make our worship space safe and welcoming to all. We hope to have you back with us in person as soon as doing so is the right choice for you.

Do You Have a Pastoral Need?

For pastoral support or emergencies or for any other church matter, please call the church office number (781-891-3200) and press 2 or email the office. We encourage you to let us know if you are in the hospital or have some other need that calls for pastoral support.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church | 320 Boston Post Road | Weston, MA 02493

www.stpetersweston.org