From Mother Pippa
Welcome to Ordinary Time! Roughly half of the year is considered “ordinary” – it’s the stretch from Pentecost to Advent. During this time our readings from the Old Testament will link thematically to the Epistle and Gospel readings. The New Testament readings will be sequential, starting at the beginning of the Epistle or near the start of Matthew’s Gospel and going in order week by week. While our faith is formed and grounded in the events of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost, we are reminded that our lives are not only special celebrations, but also daily living. Ordinary Time is an opportunity to leave the mountaintop of spiritual highs and return to the valley where our work and daily life occur.
As summer approaches, we have a lovely new Prairie Trail to explore. St. Mary’s received a grant from the Creation Care Team to put in some walking paths, fight some invasive plants, and reintroduce native flowers. JR and Marit pulled many truckloads of buckthorn and honeysuckle out from around our white oak tree, and Craig has mowed some new paths. Please enjoy exploring our beautiful space!
One of my favorite marks to the start of summer is the preparations for Strawberry Fest. We have put up our banners, and now it’s time to prepare the strawberries. Please join us on Thursday, June 15 at noon to wash, hull and cut about 22 flats of strawberries. The whole Parish Hall starts to smell like strawberries, and it’s a lot of fun to sit and prep the berries together. You don’t need to stay the whole time, but if you are able to come for an hour or two, it would be very helpful. Many hands make this task fly by.
We also have sign-up sheets for donations to the Bake Sale and the Raffle Baskets. If you are able to bake or donate items and/or baskets, please sign up so we know what’s coming. We can collect items for the baskets in the office, but please don’t bring items for the Bake Sale until Saturday June 24 or Sunday, June 25. If you can package the items for sale, that would also be very helpful. Thank you!
Mark Your Calendar
June 15 at noon – Strawberry Prep
June 17 from 5 to 10 p.m. – Dousman Beer Garden
June 24 – Strawberry Fest Set Up
June 24 – Bake Sale/Raffle Basket Items due
June 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Strawberry Fest
July 9 – Mother Pippa Away (Father Scott will preach and preside)
July 16 – Riverside service at 8 a.m.
July 23 – Riverside service at 10 a.m.
July 30 – Dousman Derby Days Parade
Prayers and Blessings,
Mother Pippa