Lenten Program

St. Mary’s is committed to helping its members keep a Holy Lent in anticipation of Christ’s Passion and Easter. Readings of the Stations of the Cross are added to the usual weekly services, programs and family suppers are held on Wednesday nights, confession and reconciliation services are encouraged, and the Sunday liturgies and sermons emphasize the traditional serious meditations on temptation, sin, and redemption.

It is a time of self-examination and re-commitment, and St. Mary’s endeavors to help its members participate in every way possible.

Ash Wednesday services

There will be three services on Ash Wednesday: 7:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m.; 7:00 p.m. Please join us for one of these services.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake dinner

Saint Mary's Youth will sponsor the Shrove (Fat) Tuesday supper for the parish family this Tuesday, March 8. Pancakes, sausage, grits, and coffee, etc., will be served from 6:00-7:30 PM. Everyone is encouraged to attend. The charge will be $4 and $2 for children, though donations over that amount are always accepted and appreciated. All proceeds from the supper will go towards the Youth Mission Trip and Pilgrimage to Washington, DC in early June of this year. If you have questions, please call Kathy Gettys at 429-2365 or contact her at kgettys@sc.rr.com. Please use the sign-up sheet on the youth bulletin board if you plan to attend.

Stations of the Cross

Every Friday at 6:00 p.m. during Lent, the Rector leads worshipers through the devotion known as the Stations of the Cross. Through prayer and meditation, worshipers follow Jesus on his way to Calvary, stopping at each wall plaque portraying an incident on the way. We thus share the dark side of the human experience with Jesus, and, also with him, can experience our shared way to hope and resurrection.

The Stations of the Cross are also offered in Spanish on Fridays at 6:45 p.m. during Lent.

The beautiful bas relief plaques remain in the nave throughout the year and devotional guides are in the narthex cabinet for individual use at any time.

Lenten evening Classes

Sign-up sheets for the Lenten Evening Classes (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) are on the Christian Formation Bulletin Board, as well as for the Wednesday Morning Class with Fr. Clements. The Way of the Cross will be observed in the church on Fridays at 6:00 PM.

Labyrinth

The Labyrinth will be in the Parish Hall for use from Friday, March 11 at 1:00 PM through Sunday, March 20 at 9:00 PM.

Next Sunday, March 13, at 3:30 PM, the Youth will gather for a Lenten devotion utilizing the labyrinth installed in the Parish Hall. Fr. Fred and Ernie Pollock will help us make Anglican rosaries. We will learn about the Stations of the Cross and walk the labyrinth. All will be followed by dinner. Please join us for what is becoming an annual time together to explore the Lenten season.

30 Hour Famine

Friday, March 25 the youth of St. Mary's will meet at 6:00 PM, at the church, for Stations of the Cross. Following, we will go to the parish hall and begin the 30-Hour Famine, which will involve games, activities, and an overnight lock in. We are encouraging our young people and adults to fast during the time we are together (it is optional!), in solidarity with the people of Haiti and people around the world who do not have enough to eat. We will end with a Eucharist on Saturday at 5:00 PM, followed by dinner. If you cannot come for the entire time, come for part of it. Contact Fr. George for more information.