Our
Response to the Current Situation of Coronavirus/COVID-19
Illness:
EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE
Please join us at 10:00AM on Zoom
by using the following link. We will also broadcast
on FaceBook Live.
Click here
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81323809144?pwd=L3NXT0lHQXBnMlB6MnVOWm5RSXFZdz09
Meeting ID: 813 2380 9144
Passcode: 568077
A Message From the Rector
Dear Ones,
Once again this year our beautiful
little church is closed to in-person worship
due to the ongoing high rate of community spread
of COVID-19 in Ocean and Monmouth Counties.
The Vestry and I are watching these numbers
very carefully and we are hoping to be able
to reopen for in-person worship sometime in
late spring/early summer, with an indoor service
at 8 am and an outdoor service at 10 am (which
will move indoors for inclement weather). Even
just the thought of this has me feeling VERY
hopeful, and joyful and excited! Read
more...
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We are a loving and inclusive community of believers
and seekers who know that God is love (1 John 4:16), mercy
triumphs over judgement
(James 2:13), and being a Christian means living and loving
like Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). Come and see!
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EASTER OFFERING
Recently a mailing including a Holy
Week Home Church worship service
and Mother Victoria's Easter letter
was
sent to all parishioners. The Easter
offering envelope was inadvertently
left
out. If you would like to make an
Easter donation, please mail it directly
to the church and indicate "Easter
Offering" in the memo. So sorry
for
the inconvenience. Cherisse
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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
ST. MARY'S SCHOLARSHIPS
APPLICATIONS DUE MAY 1
Click here
If you would like a St. Mary's
Scholarship
application, simply reply to this email
below:
Cherisse Petruzzi
stmssecretary@verizon.net
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THE ST. MARY'S CHALLENGE IS
BACK!!
Once again, an anonymous donor will
match every dollar that is donated above
the regular pledged amount and identified
as St. Mary’s Challenge up to
$5,000. Each of the
past 2 years we have had the Challenge,
all of you stepped up and met the challenge.In
fact, in both years you exceed the challenge!
To donate just indicate on your check
-
St. Mary’s Challenge
- or if a cash donation, use any envelope
and write St. Mary’s Challenge
on the envelope.
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“The Universal Christ”
Book Study
Sundays at 10:45 am.
Join Zoom Meeting by clicking here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87491463867
As Fr. Richard Rohr says, “Christ
is NOT Jesus’ last name!”
Well, what is it then? Come and see! You
may just be amazed at how big and beautiful
Christianity really is!
Join us every time and/or any time. Sundays
at 10:45 am.
Use the Zoom link above. See you there!
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It’s
Back!
St. Mary’s by-the-Sea CASH Calendar Raffle!
 Our
latest raffle was a terrific success!
Several players won more than once and one lucky
player won FIVE TIMES! Your purchase helps us
support so many within the community through our
outreach ministries. It’s a WIN WIN!
If you are not familiar with
a CASH Calendar raffle, here is how it works:
The raffle will run for a three-month period (March,
April and May of 2021). For $25
you will receive one numbered calendar which will
be mailed to you. Each weekday has a dollar amount
associated with it. On the day of the drawing
numbered balls corresponding to each calendar
sold will be drawn one at a time at random. The
first ball drawn will be for the first Monday
on the March calendar. If that number is your
calendar number, YOU WIN! That winning ball is
immediately put back in the drum and the next
winner for Tuesday is drawn, and so on. This gives
you MULTIPLE CHANCES TO WIN!
It’s that simple! Winners do not need to
be present to win. There is nothing for you to
do but watch for the mail!
If you would like to purchase a calendar(s), please
respond to Cherisse at stmssecretary@verizon.net
with your name, complete
address and indicate how many
calendars you would like to purchase or contact
the parish office or @609-713-8813.
A separate order form for each calendar you request
will be mailed to you. Fill out the coupon on
the bottom, detach and mail in with your payment.
(The coupon is numbered to coincide with your
numbered calendar, so you MUST fill out a separate
coupon for each calendar you request). Retain
the top half which indicates your individual calendar(s)
numbers. If you are purchasing multiple calendars
you can pay for them with just one check. Checks
should be made payable to: St. Mary’s by-the-Sea,
804 Bay Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742.
Congratulations to the winners
of the CASH
Calendar Raffle for March.
Checks will be mailed by the end of the
month.
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Eucharistic Ministers are available to
bring Communion to those who are not able to get
to church for extended periods of time due to
illness or mobility issues. We are grateful to
Robin Henry for stepping forward
to co-ordinate this vital parish ministry. If
you know of someone who needs home, hospital,
rehab, or nursing home visits, please let us know.
If you would like to be trained to participate
in this beautiful ministry, please contact
Robin or Mother Victoria. |
Welcome to the WeShare family!
Want a more convenient way to support
St. Mary’s?
Want to support St. Mary’s consistently
throughout the year?
Want to make sure your pledge is there
when you can’t be?
Switch to electronic giving –
simply click on
the heart below or go to
https://saintmarysbythesea.churchgiving.com
Please feel free to contact
the WeShare customer
service team for assistance at WeShare@4lpi.com
or
call 1 (800) 950-9952 and select Option
1.
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FROM THE TREASURER
If you have not turned in your 2021
pledge card,
please do so as soon as possible or
send a private email to
our treasurer Gary
(gary.smerillo@smerilloassociates.com)
informing him of your planned support
of St. Mary's for the coming
year. We are short of our goal for 2021
and your Pledge may be the
one to help us reach that goal!!! God
bless you!
Gary Smerillo
Treasurer
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OFFERING ENVELOPES
Offering envelopes for 2021 are now
available for pick up.
The building is open during Mary's Table
on Thursday evenings
between noon and 6. Envelopes will be
on the table in the Jones
Room. If you are unable to stop by please
to my email at stmssecretary@verizon.net
and I will put yours in the mail to
you.
Thanks, Cherisse
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THE ST. MARY'S CHALLENGE IS
BACK!!
Once again, an anonymous donor will
match every dollar that is
donated above the regular pledged amount
and identified as St. Mary’s Challenge
up to $5,000. Each of the past 2 years
we have had the Challenge, all of you
stepped up and met the challenge. In
fact, in both years you exceed the challenge!
To donate just indicate on your check
- St. Mary’s Challenge - or if
a cash donation, use any envelope and
write St. Mary’s Challenge on
the envelope.
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CHURCH SCHOOL ONLINE LEARNING
Church School will be utilizing remote online
learning only for the foreseeable future.
Families who are interested in online Church
School should please contact the office to let
us know of their interest.
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SEAMEN’S CHURCH INSTITUTE
Traveling for business or pleasure?
Please consider bringing home the hotel’s
or ship’s toiletries to share
with the seafarer’s at SCI. SCI
is eager to receive travel-sized toothpaste,
shampoo, conditioner, lotion (hand or
body), and soap. Unscented items are
preferred. Please leave your donations
in the kitchen marked for Elaine
Long.
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Check out our
Calendar of Events
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LENTEN BIBLE STUDY VIA ZOOM
Six Tuesdays from February
23rd
through March 30th @10:00 AM
Repeats on Face Book and Google
Drive Recording here
We're studying 6 Mary's, Jesus' female
relatives + many more Biblical women.
Please let Andrea know
if you're joining us, if you haven't
already.
Thanks,
andrea.rittenhouse@verizon.net
or
732 295-8233 (you can leave a message)
Click here for Zoom
Meeting Recordings
Password: abc804!@#
Lenten Bible Study 3-30-2021
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MARY'S TABLE
Message
from St. Mary’s Emergency Food
Project 
For over 9 years Mary's
Table has provided hot meals and warm
companionship to the community. Continuing
to serve our guests has been particularly
challenging this past year but the need
has never been greater. The volunteers
of Mary's Table recognize none of this
would have been possible without the
vision, compassion and determination
of Lois Lyon.
Lois, along with her
parish friends Chuck Reagan and Joan
Bryant, saw a role for St Mary's to
feed the bodies and spirits of those
who hunger, and since that time Lois
has lead the Mary's Table family of
volunteers, greeting guests, celebrating
birthdays, and making every guest feel
at home. We wish to honor Lois's unending
commitment to Mary's Table by dedicating
the meals served during the month of
February to her, as a symbol of our
love and gratitude. Read
more...
Hello everyone!
Mary’s Table
is looking for a volunteer on Thursday
mornings to pick up boxes of goodies
and a case of bananas at the Stop and
Shop in Point Pleasant Boro (Bridge
Avenue). It would take about 30 minutes
to pick up and deliver to the church.
Please contact Kathy at 732.600.3916
if you are interested!
Peace, Kathy
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Easter Sunday
April 4, 2021
O God, who for our redemption gave
your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross,
and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from
the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to
sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy
of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
O God, who made this most holy night
to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection:
Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which
is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed
both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity
and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten
Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the
gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate
with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be
raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for
ever. Amen.
Romans
6:3-11
Do you not know that all of us who
have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? Therefore we have been buried with
him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ
was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we
have been united with him in a death like his, we
will certainly be united with him in a resurrection
like his. We know that our old self was crucified
with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed,
and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever
has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with
Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will
never die again; death no longer has dominion over
him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all;
but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also
must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to
God in Christ Jesus.
John
20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week,
while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the
tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from
the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the
other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said
to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the
tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went
toward the tomb. The two were running together, but
the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb
first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings
lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter
came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw
the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that
had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the
linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.
Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first,
also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet
they did not understand the scripture, that he must
rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to
their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.
As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;
and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the
body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and
the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman,
why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They
have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they
have laid him.” When she had said this, she
turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she
did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her,
“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking
for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she
said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away,
tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him
away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”
(which means Teacher).Jesus said to her, “Do
not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended
to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them,
‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene
went and announced to the disciples, “I have
seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had
said these things to her.
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St.
Mary's by the Sea is a Christian community
that
strives to create a sanctuary for ALL
seekers
and believers alike
to
come and experience the Love of God through Jesus Christ,
to
share that love with those around us
and
in the wider world,
and
to grow in faith
as
part of a caring Christian family.
