Weekly eNews for

Sept 24th, 2026

NEW THIS WEEK

AN UPDATE FROM THE REV SYLVIA


At Ed's request, I wanted to give you a medical update, so you'll have a sense of how this all will play out once the chemo is over. My last chemo treatment will take place on Thursday, October 8th. I will be greatly relieved to have this treatment behind me! After that, and after meeting with the cancer doctors, I should have a better idea of when I might begin planning my return to St. Monica's.


If you have been following my CaringBridge site, then you know that the main two side effects I have experienced from the chemo are extreme fatigue and hair loss. For example, doing two loads of laundry yesterday made me feel like I'd run a marathon! I had to take two naps afterwards! It will take time to recover from the radiation and chemo. So a little more patience is required!


Many thanks to Jean Hite for taking care of St. Monica's pastorally and liturgically, and to Ken, Laura, and Allen for keeping things going in my absence. You all have given me a great gift, the gift of time, time for treatment, time for rest away from the parish, and time for healing. Thank you to the congregation for your patience with all of this, and I look forward to returning to the church very soon.

MESSAGE FROM OUR SR. WARDEN


It may seem like a quiet time as we hit the end of summer but rest assured it has not been so quiet for your Vestry.


All of the material required by the Diocese, with all the edits they requested, to post the job opening for a new priest are in their hands. We know we are competing with convention preparation but we hope to see the posting this week. Since that is not in our control, we cannot guarantee anything but we have done all we can. As soon as the posting is live, it will go up on our website.


We continue to address necessary building repairs, many of which are part of the overall fire suppression system. We are making good headway on the pieces of the system. We are now in full compliance with fire codes.


The Vestry has received the new endowment policy from the committee and will take it up at the next meeting. The step after that is promoting the Legacy Society.


The stewardship committee has scheduled out the campaign for 2027 and is moving ahead with implementation. As a note, we will be holding another stewardship brunch following the 10 AM service on November 15, 2026. We had a wonderful turnout last year and we had a lot of fun together. Please keep that on your calendars.


Planning continues for the concert to dedicate the new organ and celebrate St. Monica's 35th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of our country. The date is October 25th at 4PM. Another date to reserve.


Thank you to all who are lending hands to make events and activities happen. And thank you to Sylvia for her update and please continue to keep her in your prayers. Thank you to Jean Hite and Ken McCaslin for shepherding us through these times.Thank you to Allen and the choir for its growth and work. And a special thank you to Laura Stamper, who keeps the trains running in the right directions no matter the obstacles.



As a personal aside, Toni and I will be returning to Naples September 28, next Monday.

MISION PENIEL


Hello All. As the Fall arrives, we hope to see many of our members returning and looking for a way to give back to our community.  


We are scheduled to serve at Mision Peniel on 10/23, 12/4, 2/12, and 4/23 this season. If you are not familiar with this service, it is a wonderful day of packing and distributing food and other items to the farmworkers of Immokolee and their families.  Please let me know if you would like to join us for any or all of the dates, particularly the October date as it is coming up. Text is the best way to reach me. We will meet at St. Monica’s at 1:00 to carpool and will return around 6:30.  I always recommend bringing water, a snack, comfortable shoes, a hat, and a St. Monica’s tee shirt if you own one. 


Thanks in advance! Debbie Corey

MEN'S BOOK GROUP


 The men's book group will start up its fall season with a meeting October 5, 2026 in the church conference room at 9:30AM. Our first book for this season is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. We are open to all men of St. Monica's. Please join us as we launch another season of our group. Questions may be addressed to Ed Strong

THINGS TO COME

Do you knit or crochet? Now to Nov 2026

CAN you help me, help sick and premature babies in Uganda?

Let me introduce myself, my name is Ellen Milan. I am a member of St Monica’s and a retired neonatal intensive care nurse and a volunteer with Health Volunteers Overseas, a private non-profit dedicated to improving the availability and quality of health care in developing countries through training and education of local health care providers. I have been teaching, and working with, Ugandan neonatal healthcare providers, and families of sick and premature babies, since 2001.


DID YOU KNOW… newborns (especially prematures) can lose a significant amount of heat from their heads (the largest surface area of their bodies), which puts them at risk for hypothermia (low body temperature). Hypothermia in the newborn period is considered an important contributor to newborn morbidity (illness) and mortality (death) especially in low-resource countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes newborn thermal care as a critical component of essential newborn care. 


Premature births are common in Uganda and other parts of Africa and this is due in part to the high rate of “natural twinning”. Twins and higher order multiples (triplets or more) have an increase risk of being born prematurely.


Covering a baby’s head can make a substantial impact in avoiding hypothermia even in the smallest of babies. Knit and crochet hats can be life saving.


God willing, I will return to Uganda in November 2026.


If you have any questions or would like more information, you can find me in the directory located HERE.


With gratitude, Ellen Milan

LET'S MAKE A CHILD SMILE THIS CHRISTMAS

Gift of Giving with Fostering Success


St. Monica’s parishioners are invited to join Fostering Success for its annual Gift of Giving event on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at Super Target, 2415 Tarpon Bay Blvd. in Naples.


Volunteers will be paired with a foster child and spend a couple of hours helping them shop for Christmas gifts for their siblings and foster parents. Each child will receive a gift card, which has already been generously provided by another donor, so all that is needed from volunteers is their time and a willingness to help make the day special.


Melanie and Janet have participated for the past three years and say it is a wonderful experience. There is something especially meaningful about watching the children carefully choose gifts for the people they love.


If you would like to participate this year, please contact Melanie Rose for more information or to let her know you are interested.

BULLETIN BOARD

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.

STAY SAFE ONLINE - YOU ARE A TARGET!


Have you ever received an email that looked like it came from us, your bank, or even a friend, only to wonder if it was really legitimate?


Scammers are becoming more convincing every day, and churches are one of their favorite targets. That's why we've created a new Online Safety & Security page filled with simple tips to help you recognize scams, protect your personal information, and know what warning signs to watch for. The page explains how scammers impersonate trusted people, why they target churches, and the easy steps you can take to stay safe online.


Take just a few minutes to explore this valuable resource & share with others. It could help you avoid becoming the next target.


 👉 Visit our Online Safety & Security page < HERE >

COME PRAY WITH US

Your faith and scripture will come alive as we pray together. We invite you to spend a special hour with us each week.


All are welcome to gather in the church sanctuary every Tuesday at 10 am. We will praise God with song, read and pray with Scripture, share faith experiences, share intercessory prayer for our needs and the needs of others and also healing prayer.


For more information  contact Theresa Miller

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. 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 email the church office 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


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.

If you'd like to download & print this prayer you can do so by clicking < THIS > link for the image or < THIS > link for just the text.

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.

SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARIES

9/1

Ralph & Ruth Ann Turley


9/10

Bob & Colleen Rossomando


9/11

Tom & Donna Cote


9/14

Marilyn McIntyre & Len Koch


9/16

Alfred & Lorraine Ciano

BIRTHDAYS

9/3

Susan Gibson


9/7

Peyton Plocharczyk


9/9

Tammi Pittaro


9/11

Bill Docimo


9/13

Maureen Chismar


9/16

Ned Meekins


9/17

Marc Buck

9/22

Gary Gentzle


9/23

Janet Perna


9/25

Charlie Plocharczyk


9/26

Tony Cilluffo

Mike Tonda


9/27

Matt Devlin

Jesse Roberts


9/30

Phil Baker

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 published on the website or included in the eNews, as both are publicly accessible.


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 would like to receive our eNews, they do not need to wait for the church office. The fastest way to sign up is to visit our website: www.stmonicasnaples.org, click the orange “THIS WEEK” button, and select “Sign up for the Weekly eNews.” Once they complete the form, they will begin receiving the eNews every Thursday at 5PM.


If someone has already contacted the office or signed up but has not received the eNews by the following week, please ask them to follow up so we can confirm their email address was entered correctly.


Thank you for helping others stay connected and informed about what is happening at St. Monica’s.