DEAR FRIENDS 

May is always the month of Our Lady, the Virgin Mother of Our Lord, sometimes called in shorthand, the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary).  Most parishes that have any devotion to Our Lady are celebrating their Marian festivals this-coming Sunday, May 13, and we are as well.  It also, providentially, happens to be Mother’s Day, the perfect day to honor the young Jewish girl who said “Yes” to God when he asked her to be the Mother of Our Lord and the Vehicle by which Jesus was Incarnate on earth.  Many churches, especially those dedicated to Our Lady, host street processions statues on litters and all manner of pageantry.  Our celebration at St. Paul’s is relatively modest by comparison.  As with St. Paul or any Saint on their feast day, all of the readings, sermon, collects, hymns, and other texts (called the Propers) this Sunday will reference Our Lady, her life, and her unique part in the history of Salvation.  We will sing three Marian hymns, all three new to St. Paul’s, which will be printed in a special insert in the bulletin, and we will begin mass with a procession and prayers at the Shrine to Our Lady during the entrance hymn.  Flowers have also been given to adorn both the Shrine and the altar in our Lady Chapel to the glory of God and in honor of Mary and of all mothers, living and departed.  As we celebrate our Marian May festival, may we all pray with the Angel Gabriel and with St. Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, in the words of the Ave Maria:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, prayer for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen. 

See you on Sunday. 
Fr. Wallace
 

DON’T FLEE—JOIN US FOR THE FLEA . . . MARKET, THAT IS!

Saturday and Sunday, May 19th and 20th 

It’s time again, friends, for St. Paul’s Flea Market and Bake Sale.  It is a fundraiser for the parish, but it is also, and perhaps more so, an outreach to the community.  We offer quality items at good, affordable prices, and many of our low-income patrons return year after year to pick up a few things they couldn’t afford otherwise.

• THIS IS AN ALL-PARISH EVENT AND HERE ARE WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
  • Volunteer to help set up on Wednesday through Friday, May 16th-18th.  Times to be posted in the Parish Hall.
  • Volunteer to help at the Flea Market itself, Saturday and Sunday.
  • Provide something for the bake sale.  This is especially helpful if you cannot volunteer otherwise.
  • Make a donation to the Flea Market.
  • Invite your friends and neighbors!
• WE ACCEPT DONATIONS OF:
  • good, usable, clean, unbroken, and non-electronic items
  • Non-upholstered and portable furniture
  • Washed and wearable clothes for all ages
  • DONATIONS ACCEPTED THROUGH NOON, FRIDAY, MAY 18

CALLING ALL YOUNG PARISHIONERS, AGES 12 AND UP!

St. Paul's needs YOUR help to make this year's rummage sale a success.  On Sunday, May 20, after the rummage sale, we need volunteers to help clean up from 3:00 p.m. until 4:30.  If you're interested, please talk to Sandy Miller or email her at smarties36@aol.com.  Thank you to all volunteers!  We look forward to seeing you there!

SUNDAY SCHOOL DIAPER DRIVE

Deadline:  Sunday, May 20 

St. Paul’s Sunday School is hosting its first ever diaper drive!  All donations will be given to the The Kensington, which is a family homeless shelter in Brooklyn, NY, with a capacity for 64 families.  The Kensington provides ongoing case management, relocation to permanent housing, and crisis intervention (emergency food, clothing, etc), for any family in need.  We are asking for the following items to be donated:  diapers (all sizes up to and including Size 5), wipes, diaper related products, such as diaper rash cream & baby powder.  Please only bring new products, as nothing that has already been opened can be accepted.  Please place all donations in the bins in the back of the church.  The diaper drive will end on Sunday, May 20.  Thank you for any and all donations!!

WIFI PROJECT COMPLETE! 

Thanks to the herculean efforts of Michael Eckblad and his team, we now have complete wifi coverage over all of the church property.  This project was approved by the vestry before Christmas last year, and the team spent many hours on several consecutive Saturdays over the winter months in cramped, cold and dirty places, drilling holes, running wires, and setting everything up.  Please thank Michael Eckblad, Benoit Guerin, Willie Martinez, Ken Schwartz, and volunteers Mark Maceachen and Rob Mosher for all their hard work.  The name of the network is Rectory-Trustee, and the password, which will be changed regularly, will be posted on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall.

VINCE PETERSON RECEIVES AWARD 

Vince Peterson, St. Paul’s parishioner and former organist-choirmaster, has received the 2018 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America for his work with Choral Chameleon, which he founded in 2008.  Choral Chameleon regularly rehearses and performs at St. Paul’s, and several members of the organization are active in the musical life of St. Paul’s, including Alex Canovas, our current Director of Music.  Congratulations to Vince Peterson and all the members of Choral Chameleon.  For more information on the award, visit:  https://www.chorusamerica.org/news/chorus-america%E2%80%99s-2018-awards-recognize-outstanding-choruses-and-individuals. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

• Saturday, May 26, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Prayer Day, part of our Prayer Covenant with Bishop Provenzano. 
• Sunday, June 3, 4:00 pm, Brooklyn Deanery Celebration of Corpus Christi, Solemn Evensong and Benediction at Christ Church, Cobble Hill; Guest Preacher, Fr. Sean Wallace, St. Paul’s Carroll Street.
• Sunday, June 17, we move to summer schedule:  10:00 am Sunday Mass.

THIS COMING SUNDAY AT ST. PAUL’S

The Seventh Sunday of Easter and Marian May Festival

• Solemn High Mass: 11:00 AM
• Sunday's Appointed Readings and Homily
  • The First Reading— Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
  • Psalm 1
  • Epistle—1 John 5:9-13
  • The Gospel—John 19:25-27
  • Sermon—Fr. Wallace
• Music
  • Prelude: “Prière à Notre-Dame,” from Suite Gothique—Leon Boellman
  • Entrance Hymn: “Hail, Holy Queen enthroned above,” Salve Reqina Coelitum
  • Offertory Anthem:  Mother of God, Here I Stand—John Tavener
  • Communion Hymn:  “Sing we of the Blessed Mother,” Blaenwern
  • Dismissal Hymn:   “The happy birds Te Deum sing,” The Lincolnshire Poacher
  • Postlude:  “Toccata,” from Suite Gothique—Leon Boellman