Welcome, readers...
Our rector, The Rev. Nancy Packard, our vestry, and everyone at our church join together to thank you for visiting 'here at St Mary's.' With God's help, simple changes and updates will be ongoing. If you'd like to offer a suggestion or have a question, please email us. Type: website feedback in the subject line. We'd love your input. Our pastor will review your suggestion, and we'll get back to you.
This website reflects our community of individuals, young and old, who join together to worship God, and, in doing so, are strengthened by his grace through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist (communion service) and each other's faith. This website also reaches out to you, another child of God. About a year ago, one of our pastor's sermons reminded us that we are all called to turn 'our attentive minds and loving hearts' to God. It continues to be a call throughout the year to remember, long before we draw our last breathes, that its always a good time, that its not too late to grow in closer relationship to our God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
What can be more important than that?
In the Episcopal Church, we speak of choice a great deal. At an Episcopal Church, it doesn't take long to see what's meant by choice. Likewise, when you come to St Mary's, you find 'welcome' isn't a word we just banter about. Please know you are most welcome to come be 'in communion' with us.
If you are unfamiliar with the Episcopal Church and want to know what we believe, there is An Outline of the Faith, commonly called The Catechism, in The Book of Common Prayer. It's written that its primarily intended for use by parish priests, deacons, and lay catechists, as an outline for instruction...the second use of this catechism is to provide a brief summary of the Church's teachings for an inquiring stranger who picks up a Prayer Book. So, we have The Catechism on its own webpage. It's included there, of course, to create greater understanding. But it's not only for visitors. It's very good for any one of us, too, because scripture, tradition, and reason are key aspects of our individual journeys of faith.
Prayer books (Books of Common Prayer) can be found in Episcopal churches in pews, next to hymnals, also online through internet links, in libraries and bookstores, etc. We are also including Devotions for the "Daily Cycle of Prayer." Throughout the Episcopal Church, members of communities say prayers daily, including some readings which we've included on our Prayers webpage. For the specific prayer sequence each day, there's a link where everyone can read and pray the Cycle (so feel free to browse through Links to see if there's something there that will work for you). Some of us opt to go to such links rather than read it in our prayer books. It's a personal choice we have.