WEEKLY RECTOR’S MESSAGE – March 21st – Fr. Thomas.

I heard recently that the 21 Club, the famous “Jockey Club,” in New York City had closed down. Even though other restaurants have been forced to close during the Pandemic, it was a little surprising that this iconic venue in NYC had been affected as well. It’s been over a dozen years since my wife and I have been to New York City. Prior to that visit, when my two oldest daughters were in their early teens, we went to New York for a short trip after Christmas and went to the 21 Club for lunch. The children asked me what “Steak Tartar” was on the menu. I explained that this was a mound of raw hamburger with a raw egg on top. Wouldn’t you know it; as soon as I spoke the words, the server brought out an order of Steak Tartar for a well-dressed elderly gentleman at a corner table, who was likely a regular diner there for the past fifty years! Anyway, I saved the menu as a souvenir, and have always been amused by the footnote under the Steak Tartar entry which alleges to have the dish “prepared discreetly tableside.”

How quickly we forget that before anything is served on the table, there is a price and a process: either it had to be ripped from the soil, carved out of the side of a once-living animal, or pulled from the waters off our coasts. The Bread which endures to Eternal Life came with a price as well: before Easter, there had to be Good Friday. Do we know Christ only in His sacramental food, or are we willing to walk with Him daily, in the fullness of His humanity, even unto death?

With only two weeks left before the conclusion of this holiest time of year, let us clear out the leaven of “malice and wickedness”, put away the old life of sin, and go the distance through all fourteen Stations of the Cross; because “It’s not what they take from you that counts; it’s what you do with what you have left.”

NOTICES:

Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass – there are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel.

Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.

Sandwiches for St. George’s: Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot each Thursday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Lay Weeders: A landscaping workday is planned for Saturday, March 27 at 9 am until finished. Please bring a shovel and/or rake if you have one. We are in need of monetary donations for the landscaping. Please make check payable to the church, but put “Landscaping” in the memo section. Thanks. Linda

Cleaning and Decorating: We need volunteers to help clean and decorate the church for Easter on Saturday, April 3 at 8:00 am.

Easter Flowers: We are collecting donations for Easter Lilies. Cost of flowers is $25. Please fill in a form and place it in the plate, or mail it to the office.

Sunday School is still in operation with the necessary protocols in place.

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 am
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 pm
Fridays during Lent: Stations of the Cross 6:30 pm. Dates: 3/26.

The Holy Triduum:
Maundy Thursday – April 1st – 7 pm, followed by one hour Adoration in the church.
Good Friday – April 2nd – 12:00 noon-1:00pm & 7 pm – Stations of the Cross.
Holy Saturday – Vigil Mass – April 3rd – 7 pm, followed by a festive reception.
Easter Sunday – April 4th – 8 am & 10 am.
Easter Egg Hunt – April 4th – after 10 am mass – 11:15 am.

PLEASE PRAY – For the sick: Andi, Barbara, Beth, Calvin, Donna, Francis, Irene, Jeanne, Joaquin, Max. For birthday celebrations: Alred Dyce, Matthew Hogan, Richard James, Nancy Schroeder, Meghan Schubert, Dexter Beresford, Austin LaBorde, Inara Elmquist, Ann Chambers, Faubert Pierre-Paul. For anniversary celebration: Chris and Kati Erickson. For expectant mothers: Andi, Bronwyn.