From the Rector

Dear Friends,

A few weeks ago I mused upon the backstage workings at the Metropolitan Opera. I did so from the perspective of just how many hands it takes to make something beautiful happen. Once again, as I anticipate Holy Week, I think about how this is the most intense time of year when it comes to staging multiple "productions" in short succession. Unlike Christmas, the liturgies of holy week vary dramatically in look, form, music, theme, etc. Though different, they all form parts of a whole, a liturgical "Ring" cycle, if you will.

The Day of Resurrection is the destination, but getting there offers a more powerful and whole way to take in all the joy on that day. If you haven't experienced these liturgies, I highly recommend them to you. Picture it: we will move from the palm-strewn streets of old Jerusalem, to the judgment hall, to calvary, and to the tomb. Finally, when it looks like the darkness has prevailed, we are vividly reminded that it did not, and can not. Please join us on the pilgrim road to the cross.

Blessings,
Father Rick

Easter Flowers & Music

Two of the delights of Easter at St. Mary’s are the lovely Easter lilies and beautiful music that fill the church on Easter Sunday. If you would like to be part of this tradition and honor/remember someone special on this great festive day, please make a donation using the envelopes in church or online. You may also send a check to St. Mary’s (memo line Easter Flowers). Names of all those remembered/honored that are received in the office by Tuesday, March 31st, will appear in the Easter bulletins and the following Sunday as we enjoy the lilies for two weeks.

Good Friday Offering

From the Presiding Bishop:

“For more than a century, Episcopalians have given generously to the Good Friday Offering, which supports the vital work and ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Today, the need of the church in the Holy Land is greater than ever, particularly given the recent escalation of war in the Middle East, and I hope you will join me in making a generous gift today.

I am in frequent touch with Archbishop Hosam Naoum, who leads the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, and I know how urgently he and his people need our support as they alleviate suffering and provide hope to God’s people of all faiths. The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey recently gave the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem $1 million to support medical and trauma care for children, youth, and families in Gaza and the Palestinian territories, and I am hoping that we can build on that extraordinary gift with this year’s Good Friday Offering.

Your gift will support:

• al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which has continued serving patients during the Israel-Hamas War amid bombardment, devastating shortages of food, water, and medicine, and extended power outages.

• St. George’s Church in Baghdad, Iraq, and its medical center.

• An eye clinic at Christ Church in Yemen.

• All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Damascus, Syria.

• All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beirut, Lebanon.

The Episcopal Church supports just and sustainable peace in the Holy Land and around the world. While we pray and work for peace, our siblings in the Holy Land will continue to serve God’s people with hospitals, schools, orphanages, and humanitarian aid programs. These ministries serve people of all faiths without distinction, bearing witness to the power of hope and healing across divides.
 
Together, we can support the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East as it turns despair into hope for God’s people in the land where our faith was born.”

In a long-standing custom, all proceeds from the collection on Good Friday and any donations given to St. Mary’s with the memo Good Friday will be directed to the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem.

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