WEEKLY RECTOR’S MESSAGE – October 24th – Fr. Thomas

I began my ministry as an acolyte when I was ten years old, in my local parish church in suburban Northern Kentucky, but when I was in my teens, I was also a regularly scheduled server at the Convent of the Transfiguration in Glendale Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. The nuns “imported” boys from local parishes to serve at the Sunday morning mass at 7:30 a.m. God bless my great uncle who would make the thirty-five minute drive across the river once a month or more, then transport me back to our home parish for the weekly 10:00 a.m. mass, until I got my own driver’s license and car.

The Sisters of the Transfiguration is a religious order in our Church founded in 1898 by Eva Marie Proctor – yes, a daughter of the Proctor family, as in Proctor and Gamble. In fact, the convent grounds and chapel were built directly across the road from the family estate where the young Proctor descendent had grown up. (The convent also operates a prestigious middle school to this day.) Whenever I see the company name on one of the various products in our house, I wonder what thoughts must have crossed Eva Marie’s mind on a regular basis to gaze across the road and speculate on what “might have been,” if she’d remained under the roof of the immediate family and an heiress to the family fortune.

God doesn’t call everyone to follow the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; but those who accept the call are examples in some ways of what God expects all followers of Christ to do: not necessarily to “give up something,” but to take on something. As I’m fond of saying, if one has drinkable water, food for three meals a day, access to medical care and education, and a place to live; that person is rich in the eyes of two thirds of the world. Toys R Us is not simply the name of a store, rather it’s a way of life for many people, particularly when luxuries become necessities. But the Christian Gospel reminds us that “No one is so poor that they have nothing to give; and no one is so rich that he or she has nothing to receive.” As Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

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Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.

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. See the links listed below.

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 paring lot each Thursday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. mass – Hosted by the Caribbean Congregation.

Caribbean Sunday: Please join us for our 1st Caribbean Sunday service on Sunday, October 24th at 10 a.m. We will have steel pan music with a Caribbean reception following the mass. St. David’s in-the-Pines remains committed to the health and safety of all who enter our sanctuary. We continue to follow the protocols set by the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida. Guests are strongly encouraged to wear facial coverings that covers the nose and mouth.

Shop with Scrip: Gift card fundraising is the best way to raise money. Start giving back to St. David’s the moment you buy a gift card with the RaiseRight mobile app today! You can join the program by downloading the app on your phone or go to www.ShopWithScrip.com on your computer. The enrollment code to set up your free family account is BB6656B177722. For more information, please pick up a flyer in the narthex, or email Kimberly Joy Castellotti-Ward at choiceplusrealestate@gmail.com

Altar Flowers and Candles: We will have a bag on the credenza to collect all flower and candle donations for upcoming Sundays. If you would like to donate for altar flowers for memorials and celebrations, please put your check for $40 with a request showing the date you want altar flowers and the reason for your donation into the bag. If you want to donate candles, please put your check for $20 and request showing date and reason for donation. Do not put flower and candle requests in offering plates.

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

Forward Day by Day brochures for the next quarter are now available in the narthex. Donation $3.00.

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m.
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 p.m.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Assad, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Donna, Doug, Ginny, Jacob, Jayden, Jeanne, Joaquin, Manuel, Max, Michael, Miguel, Mike, Parker, Rosalind, Susan. For the departed: Slobodanka. For birthday celebrations: Violet Henry, Henry Marshall, Callie Hawk, Fay Ishmael, Iann McCree. For our expectant mothers: Meghan, Priya and Ryan.

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzWRA9VxChBQd5l6rf3kF3A