LITURGY OF THE WORD AND WEEKLY READINGS

Sunday, March 27, 2011: Third Sunday In Lent

First Reading: Exodus (17:1-7)

Psalm 95, Page 724, BCP

Epistle: Paul's Letter (Romans 5:1-11)

The Holy Gospel Of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (4:5-42)

Suggested Readings For The Week

Monday Romans 4:1-12; Tuesday Romans 4:13-25; Wednesday Romans 5:1-11; Thursday Romans 5:12-21; Friday Romans 6:1-11; Saturday Romans 6:12-23.

Sunday, March 20, 2011: Second Sunday In Lent

First Reading: Genesis (12:-4a)

Psalm 121, Page 779, BCP

Epistle: Paul's Letter (Romans 4:1-5, 13-17)

The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (3:1-17)

Suggested Readings For The Week

Monday Romans 1:1-15; Tuesday Romans 1:16-25; Wednesday Romans 1:28-2:11; Thursday John 5:19-29; Friday Hebrews 2:5-10; Saturday Romans 3:19-31.

Sunday, March 13, 2011: First Sunday In Lent

First Reading: Genesis (2:15-17; 3:1-7)

Psalm 32, Page 624, BCP

Epistle: Paul's Letter (Romans 5:12-19)

The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (4:1-11)

Suggested Readings For The Week

Monday Hebrews 2:11-18; Tuesday Hebrews 3:1-11; Wednesday Hebrews 3:12-19; Thursday Hebrews 4:1-10; Friday Hebrews 4:11-16; Saturday Matthew 1:18-25.

Sunday, March 6, 2011: Last Sunday of Epiphany

First Reading: Exodus (24:12-18)

Psalm 2, Page 586, BCP

Epistle: Peter's Letter (2 Peter 1:16-21)

The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (17:1-9)

Suggested Readings For The Week

Monday Hebrews 1: 1-14; Tuesday Hebrews 2:1-10; Wednesday Hebrews 12:1-14; Thursday Titus 1:1-16; Friday Titus 2:1-15; Saturday Titus 3:1-15.

NEWS AND EVENTS

Welcome From the Pastor

Directions To Saint Monica's

Food Pantry

We Always need non-perishable food to provide healthy meals for the families who come to our Food Pantry. Please bring the suggested food items every Sunday for the Pantry:

1. March 6th - canned vegetables

2. March 13th - peanut butter and jelly

3. March 20th - tuna and beef stew

4. March 27th - macaroni and cheese

Food Pantry Outreach

Members of the congregation volunteer for the Food Pantry and Outreach Community Feeding Programs. To learn more about the Programs click HERE.

Upcoming Events

1. Wednesday, March 9, 2011 Ash Wednesday. Services will begin at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

2. Thursday, March 10, 2011 Vestry Meeting.

3. Friday, March 11, 2011 Stations of the Cross. Service will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will continue every Friday in Lent.

4. Saturday, march 19, 2011 Daughters Of the King, Lenten Quiet Day.

5. Sunday, March 20, 2011 Episcopal Relief and Development Day. We shall pray for the outreach of our church as well as all places affected by natural disasters.

6. Sunday, March 27, 2011 A Second Collection to Rebuild the Episcopal Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

"Those Episkopols"

We will study the book Those Episkopols by Dennis Maynard during the Wednesdays of Lent; we shall begin reading on March 16th through April 13th. The book can be purchased on the web for approximately $7. Please see Marie Harvey if you wish to purchase a copy.

Individuals are ask to sigh up and bring soup and salad for five Wednesdays during our studies.

Missing Item

A grey tweed jacket has been mistakenly taken by someone who attended the 10:30 a.m. Service on Sunday, January 2, 2011. To date, the item has not been returned. Please see Everton Stewart or the Parish Office regarding this missing item.

Grace Academy

Grace Academy is accepting applications for girls entering 5th grade for the 2011-2012 school year. Admissions in grades 6 and 7 are on a space-available basis. Grace Academy is a tuition-free, private, faith-based, highly successful girl's middle school located at 277 Main Street, Hartford. It is our mission to develop the kinds of personal and educational support that will ensure your daughter's continuing success in high school and college. Contact the school office at 860-263-7535 for application information or visit our website by clicking HERE.

Young People's Fellowship

The Young People's Fellowship will begin to take orders for Easter pies and buns today and will continue to do so through Sunday, April 3, 2011. The cost is $10.00. See any member of the Young People's Fellowship to place an order.

Birthdays and Anniversaries In February

Happy birthday to Richard Kruasz 1st; David Hickmon and Denzil Ricketts 3rd; Shannon Holder 5th; Edwina Tunning 6th; Robert Rose 9th; Arlette Hurdle 11th; Cyrus Aimey 13th; Camille Lawrence 14th; Brandon Hall and Travis Samuda 15th; Dee Flowers, Cherone Levy, Chantel Russell, Elroy Toppin and Johnsie Walker 16th; Jackie Noel and Victoria Mitchell 18th; Mavis Blackwood 19th; Alton Esson and Everton Stewart 21st; Cynthia Paddyfote, Kaye Paddyfote and Cheryl Thomas 25th; Gloria Burke and Phillip Hanson 26th; Oswald Smith 27th; Gilda Sepherd 29th; Nigel Cromwell, Mary Reid, and Walter Benjamin 30th.

Happy anniversary to Mr. & Mrs. Marcus Clark 6th; Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Jones 17th.

Condolences

We announce the death of Lucy Stewart who was buried Thursday, 10, 2011. We extend our sincere Christian sympathy to the Stewart family. May she rest in peace.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Healthy Living

Diabetes Cuts Years Off Life Span of Americans

Diabetes cuts about 8.5 years off the life span of the average 50-year-old compared to a 50-year-old without diabetes, new research indicates. The study also shows that older adults with diabetes have a lower life expectancy at every age compared to people who do not have the disease. For example, researchers say, the difference at age 60 is 5.4 years; it's one year by 90.

People with diabetes are responsible for about 20% of U.S. health care expenditures. Diabetes is more common among non-whites; African-Americans are more likely to develop the disease than either whites or Hispanics. Researchers say that weight loss and exercise can be very effective in preventing diabetes in older adults who are at risk for diabetes.

This is an excerpt about diabetes on WebMD.com. To read the complete article and for additional information about diabetes, click HERE

Clergy

The Rev. Charles Davidson

Vestry Members

Carol Anderson, Cyrus Aimey (Junior Warden), Veronica Airey-Wilson,

Joyce Asiedu,

Walter Benjamin (Senior Warden),

Nora Brown,

Terry Brown (Treasurer),

Marie Brown-Harvey (Secretary), Evelyn Green, Shannon Holder, Bates Lyons, Joe Noel, Peter Marsele, Terrie Thomas, Herbert Bowen ( Hon)

Music

Rochelle Holder - Youth Choir

Nathaniel Baker - Music Director/Organist

Rector Emeritus

Canon Cyril Burke

Email

monicahartford@gmail.com

THE BOOK CORNER

A Secret Gift

by Ted Gup

Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small newspaper ad offered $10, no strings attached, to 75 families in distress. Interested readers were asked to submit letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. The author's grandfather Sam Stone was inspired to place this ad and assist his fellow Cantonians as they prepared for the cruelest Christmas most of them would ever witness.

Moved by the tales of suffering and expressions of hope contained in the letters, which he discovered in a suitcase 75 years later, Ted Gup initially set out to unveil the lives behinds them, searching for records and relatives all over the country who could help him flesh out the family sagas hinted at in those letters. From these sources, Gup has re-created the impact that Mr. B. Virdot's gift had on each family. Many people yearned for bread, coal, or other necessities, but many others received money from B. Virdot for more fanciful items-a toy horse, day, or a set of encyclopedias. As Gup investigation revealed, all these things had the power to turn people's lives around- even save them.

But as he uncovered the suffering and triumphs of dozens of strangers, Gup also learned that Sam Stone was far more complex than the lovable-retiree persona he'd always shown his grandson. Gup unearths deeply buried details about Sam's life-from his impoverished, abusive upbringing to felonious efforts to hide his immigrant origins from U.S. officials-that help explain why he felt such a strong affinity to strangers in need. Drawing on his unique find and his award-winning reportorial gifts, Ted Gup solves a singular family mystery even while he pulls away the veil of eight decades that separate us from the hardships that united American during the Depression. In A Secret Gift, he weaves these revelations seamlessly into a tapestry of Depression-era America, which will fascinate and inspire in equal measure.

Review is an Editorial Review