Please note that the following schedules are in order as per the Church's liturgical year, which is Advent I (the last Sunday in November or the first Sunday in December) through Christ the King (the Sunday preceding Advent I).
Compline Schedule Exceptions
December - In lieu of Compline in December, we celebrate Advent Lessons & Carols at 7:00 PM on the second Sunday of the month. This year Advent Lessons & Carols will occur on 12/11/11.
November - In celebration of All Saints' Day (November 1st), we will celebrate All Saints' Compline the night of the Sunday on which the parish will celebrate All Saints' Day. This year, All Saints' Compline will occur on 11/6/11 at 9:00 p.m..
Additional Liturgies and Feasts
Christmas - The beginning of the season celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated with three liturgies. On the Eve of the Holy Nativity, December 24th, we have two Masses at 4:00 pm and 10:30 pm. It is to be noted that the first Mass includes our children's Christmas pageant while the second is a grand traditional "Midnight Mass". On Christmas Day December 25th, Mass will be celebrated at 9:00 am.
Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday - This evening celebration beginning at 6:00 pm the night before Ash Wednesday is a wonderful party filled with great food and Jazz music. On this night, the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burned and used for the next day’s liturgies.
Ash Wednesday - Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent. Signifying our mortality and need of a savior, ashes are placed in the sign of the Cross on the foreheads of the faithful. Three identical Services with the imposition of ashes are offered at 7:00 am, 10:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Stations of the Cross with Benediction - Every Friday in Lent (except Good Friday), the faithful gather in the nave at 6:00 pm to walk the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows highlighting the fourteen stations or points along Christ’s journey from his trial before Pontius Pilate to his entombment. Following the fourteenth station, the faithful then gather around the altar to continue the narrative beyond the grave to Christ’s resurrection and presence among us as shown forth in his most precious Body and Blood. Following Stations of the Cross with Benediction is a simple soup supper at 7:00 pm.
Maundy Thursday - On the Thursday before Easter Day, we begin by gathering in the Parish Hall for a Mediterranean style fellowship meal at 6:00 pm. We then continue on to the nave for the Maundy Thursday liturgy at 7:00 pm. Features of this liturgy include the washing of the disciples’ feet, the Last Supper before Easter, and the stripping of the altar. As a note, the remaining elements of Christ’s Body and Blood from the Eucharist are removed to a side altar (the Altar of Repose) where the faithful reenact the garden watch at Gethsemane throughout the night.
Good Friday - This powerful liturgy, which begins at 7:00 pm the Friday before Easter Day, marks Christ’s death on the Cross. On this day we remember the occasion that changed history forever with the recitation of St. John’s Passion, the veneration of the cross and the communion from the Reserved Sacrament (the consuming by the faithful of the consecrated elements from the night before).
Ascension Day - Ascension is the high holy feast celebrated exactly forty days, or, six Thursdays after Easter Day at 7:00 pm. This feast signifies the physical departure of our Lord in glory as we prepare to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit ten days later at the Day of Pentecost. This is a grand choral celebration complete with an ice cream social afterwards.
Trinity Sunday - This high holy feast day marks the end of our academic year programming. The Sunday School and the Adult Forum begin a summer Sabbath rest the following Sunday. Both Services remain at the regular schedule of 8:45 am and 10:45 am.
Independence Day - Although Independence Day is not a feast day that can trump the Day of our Lord (Sunday), given our close relationship to the military community, it is our thematic feast of title in addition to our actual designation of “St. Mary’s”. Thus, we celebrate Independence Day on the Sunday closest to July 4th and we encourage all active duty or retired persons to wear their military, civil servant, or scouting uniforms on this day. Both Services remain at the regular schedule of 8:45 am and 10:45 am.
Celebration Sunday - This Sunday is always the first Sunday after Labor Day and it marks the beginning of our academic year programming. Sunday School resumes on this day and the Adult Forum takes the form of an all-parish ministry faire. We also bless the backpacks of all our children on this day at both Masses. Both Masses remain at the regular schedule of 8:45 am and 10:45 am.
Thanksgiving Day - On Thanksgiving Day, the faithful gather with a simple Morning Prayer at 9:00 am to give thanks to God for the great abundance of our lives. This is the perfect way to begin the day with family and friends while still having enough time to put the turkey in the oven!
