Weekly eNews for

December 11, 2025

NEW THIS WEEK


MESSAGE FROM DEACON

Dear Friends,


Cheri and I will be away from St. Monica’s this coming weekend to have an early Christmas celebration with our family in Hobe Sound. We will return to St. Monica’s on Monday December 15. I’m so blessed to get a little time during the busy Advent season to be with my family and celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.


Have a very blessed Advent and a Merry Christmas.


Your Deacon,

Ken

As we prepare for the joy of Christmas, we invite you to take part in helping beautify St. Monica’s for our celebrations. Donations for Christmas flowers and greenery are now being received. These gifts allow us to adorn the church with fresh poinsettias and seasonal greens that create a warm and welcoming space for worship.


You may make a donation in memory of a loved one, in thanksgiving, or in celebration of a special person or blessing in your life. All names received by this coming up Wednesday, December 17 will be listed in the Christmas bulletin.


Forms are available in the bulletin inserts, the church office, and download here. Please print clearly so names appear correctly.


Completed forms may be mailed to the church, brought to the office, or placed in the offering plate at any service. If mailing, please keep in mind that we cannot guarantee arrival before the deadline due to mailing issues.


You can also submit your dedication & payment directly online using <this link>.


Thank you for helping us fill our worship space with beauty and love as we welcome the birth of Christ.



MEN'S BOOK GROUP

St. Monica's Men's Book Group will be on holiday break until January 12, 2026 when we begin exploration of The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels. We will cover the Introduction at the 1/12 meeting at 9:30 AM in the church conference room. Please contact Ed Strong if you would like information about the book group. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.




POTLUCK & HOLIDAY CHEER  – December 13th

Our December Potluck is coming up on Saturday, December 13, and everyone is invited to join us for an evening filled with good food and warm company. We will gather right after the 5 pm service in the Parish Hall.


If you are bringing a dish or beverages, you can drop them off in the Parish Hall beginning at 4:30 pm. This makes it easy for our Hospitality Team to set everything out before the gathering starts.


The potluck is a simple way to share holiday cheer with one another during this busy season. Whether you bring a family favorite or simply come to enjoy the evening, we look forward to spending this time together as a community.


We hope to see you there.


GIVING TREE - FOR OUR FOSTER CHILDREN

Thank you to everyone who supported our Giving Tree. Your generosity has been overwhelming. As I write this, half of the gifts were picked up earlier today, and we are waiting for Fostering Success to return for the rest. There were so many gifts that the first pickup filled a large SUV.


Your kindness is making a real difference for foster children this Christmas. We are grateful for each and every one of you.


DECEMBER OPEN PLATE

Supporting Meals of Hope

Last weekend, our parish family came together once again in a spirit of generosity. Thanks to your kindness, we collected more than $500 for Meals of Hope. Your giving directly supports their work providing nutritious food and fresh produce to families across Collier County.


Thank you for responding with such open hearts, especially during a season when many in our community are feeling the strain. Your support helps offer comfort and hope to those who need it most, and it reflects the light and love St. Monica’s strives to share every day.


We are grateful for you.




STEWARDSHIP UPDATE

We had a nice response to our request for pledges last Friday. We now stand at $250,700 from 52 pledges. That is quite good. We still have several loyal givers whom we have not heard from as yet. We hope we will pick up much more after January 1. The committee remains optimistic for a successful campaign taking us into 2026 in good financial shape. Our target of $350,000 is still the goal.


We continue to thank you all for your support. As we continue to note, it is important to be financially sound when we call a new rector, meaning we can afford to offer a competitive salary with good benefits. 


You stewardship committee wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Peace and Blessings to all.



MISIÓN PENIEL FRIDAY –  December 12th @ 1:30PM
Please join us while serve the hardworking farming community in Immokalee. We will spend the day, along with members of Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, bagging and distributing food, clothing, and other goods to workers and their family members. What a great way to give back during the holidays! We will meet to carpool at the St. Monica’s parking lot at 1:30pm, and plan on returning by 6:00 pm. Please contact Debbie Corey to let her know if you would like to be part of this meaningful service mission. Her contact information is in the directory, or contact the church office for her contact.



PHONE SYSTEM UPDATE

We have encouraging news to share about the phone outage. After several conversations and evaluations, we have connected with a company that will be installing a new phone system for the church. This means we are finally moving from the planning stage to the implementation stage. If all goes well, we hope to have our phones working again by this time next week. The new system will make it easier than ever to reach staff and ministries, and it will greatly improve our day to day communication.


We also want to extend our sincere thanks to Tony Cilluffo for his hard work, dedication, and guidance throughout this process. Our gratitude goes as well to Ed Strong, our Senior Warden, for his leadership, and to Ralph Pike, our Junior Warden, for his steady support. Their commitment has been essential in moving this project forward.


In the meantime, we want to be sure you can still reach us easily. You are always welcome to email the office at welcome@stmonicasnaples.org

, and we have also set up a simple online form for your convenience. Members can also find staff cell numbers in the church directory. We simply ask that these numbers be used during office hours unless you have a pastoral emergency, and those calls are always welcome whenever they arise.


We also want to reassure everyone that this outage does not affect our security or fire alarm system. These alarms run on the external provider line, which is functioning normally and does not rely on the internal phone hub that is currently down.


Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this. We know how important reliable communication is, and we are doing everything we can to get the system back online.

THINGS TO COME


COME HELP DECORATE THE CHURCH  – December 21st

Sunday, December 21, right after the 10am service


The Flower Guild is inviting everyone to stay after the 10am service on December 21 to help decorate the church and set up the Christmas tree. This is always a warm and joyful time as we prepare the space for Christmas together. All ages are welcome and there are plenty of simple tasks if you just want to lend a hand.


We would love to have you join us as we get the church ready for this beautiful season.



LADIES & GENTS LUNCHEON – January 12th, 2026

Happy New Year! All are welcome. We are going to The Hangout by Two Guys. It's located at 2360 Pine Ridge on Monday, January 12, 2026, 12:30 pm. All are invited. Please let me know if your coming so I can get an approximate count. Linda Duffy, I'm in the directory. Hope see you there! Thank you

DO YOU FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK?

If not, you’re missing out on all the fun things happening around St. Monica’s. Be sure to follow our page so you can stay connected with photos, events, and moments from our parish family.

Have You Filled Out the Directory Survey Yet?

We’re reaching out again to all members and friends of St. Monica’s with an important request. Our new Directory Survey was shared recently, but so far only a small number of people have responded. We’re very grateful to those who have already updated their information, but we truly need everyone to take a few minutes to complete the survey.


This isn’t just about keeping the Directory up to date. The survey also helps us confirm that everyone can access it correctly and that all contact details are accurate. Even if you believe your information is already correct, please fill out the survey so we can verify everything.


If you’ve had trouble accessing the Directory, there’s a place in the survey to let us know. Someone from the church office will follow up to help.


Please take a few minutes to complete the survey today. Accurate and accessible contact information helps us stay connected and ensures you don’t miss important eNews or church updates.


Thank you for your help as we continue to strengthen our St. Monica’s family connections.


For any questions, contact the parish administrator.

TAKE THE SURVEY

BULLETIN BOARD

NAME BADGES HELP KEEP ATTENDANCE

Please take a moment to find and wear your name tags because it makes it easier for visitors and other parishioners to recognize you by name and allows the office to note your attendance (a requirement for the Diocese). As you leave the church, please leave them in the baskets near the doors and they will be placed back on the board for pick up the following weekend.

REGULAR CHURCH GATHERINGS


Zoom Only

  • Contemplative Prayer: Wednesdays, 11am – Zoom


In-Person and Zoom 

  • Bible Study: Fridays, 9am – Library
  • Men's Book Group: Mondays, 9:30am – Conference Room


In-Person Only   

  • Prayer and Faith Sharing: Tuesdays, 10am – Church   
  • Ladies & Gents Luncheon: 2nd Monday, 12:30pm – Different locations   

Please call the church office at 239.591.4550 or email for the link and password to the Zoom meetings.

OFFERING ENVELOPES - Just as a Reminder

We are so grateful for your ongoing generosity and faithful giving. Every offering you give helps us continue the mission and ministry of St. Monica’s, and we truly appreciate it.


That said, we have a small but important request: please do not tape the flaps of your offering envelopes


As shown in the image, the envelope flaps are designed to stay closed once you seal them with the glue inside the flap. When tape is added, it makes it much harder for our office staff to open them quickly and carefully. It slows down the processing, increases the risk of tearing checks or cash inside, and adds extra steps to what is already a detailed task


We know the intention behind taping is likely to keep the contents secure, but we assure you the envelopes are kept safe and handled with care from plate to processing


Thank you for helping us by leaving the flap untaped, it’s a small act that makes a big difference.

A ST. MONICA'S PRAYER

Dear Friends,

 

In our Tuesday staff meeting we ended with St. Monica's prayer. It was for her son to return to the church. When he finally returned he became the future Saint and Bishop Augustine of Hippo who became a prominent Christian theologian and philosopher.

 

We thought we might share it with you:


St. Monica, I need your prayers. You know exactly how I'm feeling because you once felt it yourself. I'm hurting, hopeless, and in despair. I desperately want my child to return to Christ in his Church but I can't do it alone. I need God's help. Please join me in begging the Lord's powerful grace to flow into my child's life. Ask the Lord Jesus to soften his heart, prepare a path for his conversion, and activate the Holy Spirit in his life. Amen.

DEC. ANNIVERSARIES

12/4

Kelly Mankin & Mike Tonda


12/8

Gordon & Ruth Macdonald


12/11

John & Morgan Plocharczyk


12/26

Phil & Sue Baker

DEC. BIRTHDAYS

12/1

Jocelyn Chalick

Carole Nabbie


12/2

Cheri McCaslin


12/4

Jan Ward


12/11

Margaret Holt


12/16

Fred Groehl 

12/21

Ruth Kalwinsky


12/22

Ruth Macdonald


12/29

Tanya Buck

Emily Groehl


12/31

Deb Blatz


PRAYERS & VISITS

PASTORAL CARE
If you go to or are going into the hospital, or your spouse, partner, or family member is experiencing a pastoral or health care issue, please contact the church office during office hours after hours please reach out to:  Deacon Ken McCaslin at 610.608.0704.

PASTORAL CARE MESSAGE

Your clergy are here to walk with you. Pastoral care is an important part of the ministry of the clergy, so please don't be shy! At any time reach out to one of us and we would be happy to talk to you, anoint you, pray with you, or walk with you. If something is going on medically or otherwise in your life, let us know. If you are going into the hospital, let us know ahead of time so we can visit, and, more importantly, be praying with and for you.

ACCESSING THE PRAYER LIST:
For the safety and privacy of our members, the Prayer List will no longer be viewable in the on the website nor added back to the eNews due to the public accessibility of both.

 

We understand how important this list is to our Church family, and we want to ensure you can still access it in the following ways:

 

1.   Online Access: Log in to our  Members Directory. Once logged in, click on "Additional Pages" and select "Prayer List".


2.   Printed Copies: Printed versions are available at any of our services or can be picked up from the front office.

 

Thank you for your understanding and support as we prioritize the privacy and safety of our members.

SHARE THE eNEWS WITH OTHERS

If someone approaches you expressing interest in receiving our eNews, you can let them know that they don't need to wait for the office to handle it. The quickest and easiest way for them to sign up is by visiting our website at www.stmonicasnaples.org/ and registering themselves. By taking this simple step, they'll start receiving our updates promptly. If they've previously contacted the office to be added and haven't received the eNews the next week, advise them to reach out to confirm that their email address was correctly noted. We want to ensure everyone stays connected and informed about all the exciting happenings at St. Monica's. Thank you for helping others get connected to our eNews community!