Weekly eNews for

Feb 19, 2026

NEW THIS WEEK


MESSAGE FROM THE INTERIM RECTOR


When John and I visited Jerusalem years ago, we walked the Via Dolorosa on a Friday at noon. We were led by a Catholic priest with a microphone and amplifier, and we walked through the city of Jerusalem along the path that Jesus is thought to have taken on the day of his crucifixion, from Lion's Gate, where Jesus was condemned to death, to Mount Calvary, where Jesus was crucified. There were fourteen stations, and we walked from station to station, pausing for prayers and reflections at each one. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to walk through the city of Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of Christ on the day he was crucified.


Walking the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem became the practice of pilgrims to the Holy Land, who made a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. The fourteen stations became fixed over time. The earliest known use of the term "stations," as applied to the accustomed halting places along the Via Sacra in Jerusalem, occurs in the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy Land in the mid fifteenth century and described pilgrims following the footsteps of Christ to Golgotha. Eventually, the Catholic Church realized that most people are not able to visit the Holy Land during their lifetime. So the Church permitted local congregations to reconstruct the Stations of the Cross within or near their own churches, so that pilgrims could "walk the Way of the Cross" without traveling to Jerusalem. The Stations have become a popular devotional practice among Western Christian churches. They are typically used during Lent.


At St. Monica's, we have brought back the Stations of the Cross. We literally found the Stations in a closet and hung them back up in the sanctuary. They are a series of fourteen numbered images arranged in order around one side of the sanctuary. Every Friday at noon, we invite you to join other Christian pilgrims in walking the Stations of the Cross in our sanctuary. A booklet will guide you from station to station, stopping at each one for prayer and reflection on aspects of Christ's Passion. It can be a powerful devotional practice during the Season of Lent, and I commend it to you.



MESSAGE FROM OUR SR. WARDEN - Ed Strong

A big shoutout to the large group that worked hard on the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. There was a great turnout and there was lots of good pancakes and sausages. Thanks to all who worked on the event and to all those who attended.


As we enter this Lenten season of prayer reflection, there are still administrative things underway. We are close to submitting all the rector search documents for another round of Diocean review. We will be reviewing the past year at the annual meeting March1, after the 10 AM service. We expect to present to Vestry in March fully revised endowment policies that will guide us in the future for new bequests. We are due to submit our Parochial Report to the national church by March 1. And we continue to work on necessary upgrades to our campus. Please plan on attending the Annual Meeting to hear more about these other activities aimed at improving our church life.


STATIONS OF THE CROSS -  FRIDAY'S AT 12 NOON

Please join us as we walk the Way of the Cross on Fridays at 12 noon! As we move from station to station, we tell the story of Christ’s suffering and death. Stations of the Cross is an ancient practice. It’s a way to walk the Stations of the Cross without having to go to Jerusalem! Please consider making this part of your Lenten Observance. 


JOIN THE CHOIR AS WE WELCOME OUR NEW ORGANIST

As you may know, our new Organist/Choirmaster, Allen Stock, will begin playing the organ and conducting the choir on March 1st. The choir is very excited to work with Allen and would love to recruit new members!


We currently rehearse on Thursday nights from 7pm to 8pm and on Sunday mornings at 9am. We would like you to consider joining us, since your contribution will be both meaningful to you and a valuable part of St. Monica’s liturgy, especially as we approach Lent and Easter.

If you would like to learn more about this wonderful opportunity, please approach any choir members or our Interim Music Director, Helen Tintes on Sunday (we generally finish rehearsal around 9:30). We will be happy to talk with you before or after the service!


POTLUCK SOCIAL - February 21

Join Us for a Parish Social on February 21


You are warmly invited to a parish social on Friday, February 21, immediately following the 5:00 PM service. Please note that this social will be held on a different weekend than usual.


This is a great opportunity to linger a little longer, enjoy good conversation, and spend time together as a parish community.


Whether you can stay for a few minutes or the whole evening, we hope you will join us for fellowship and connection after worship.


We look forward to seeing you there.You are warmly invited to a parish social on Friday, February 21, immediately following the 5:00 PM service. This is a great opportunity to linger a little longer, enjoy good conversation, and spend time together as a parish community.


Whether you can stay for a few minutes or the whole evening, we hope you will join us for fellowship and connection after worship.


We look forward to seeing you there.


ACOLYTE TRAINING

We are recruiting new acolytes for both the Saturday evening service and the Sunday morning service. We currently just have a few. It would be great if we could expand the roster, so to speak. I noticed that there are quite a few acolyte robes in the vesting closet – robes of various sizes. So if you’ve always wanted to be an acolyte, or if you have just decided you want to participate in the liturgy of St. Monica’s, let Rev. Sylvia or Rev. Ken know and we will schedule training for new acolytes.




MEN'S BOOK GROUP

The Men's Book Group will conclude its exploration of The Gnostic Gospels at the meeting on February 23 in the church conference room starting at 9:30 AM. The group will start its next book the following Monday, Mar 2 will be reading In the Garden of Beasts by Eric Larson. We remain open to any men of St. Monica's. Please address questions to Ed Strong.


THE ORDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE KING

After a summer of discernment of God’s Will, Rita Allan and Anita Lackey entered and completed the required three months of further discernment and study about The Order and are ready to take their lifetime vows for Membership in The Order of the Daughters of the King®️…the vows of Prayer, Service, and Evangelism. Each will receive the Cross of The Order which they promise to wear daily as a reminder of their vows. Please keep Rita and Anita in your prayers as they are now writing their personal Rule of Life, that consists of a Rule of Prayer and a Rule of Service.


The Service of Admission to The Order will be held on

Saturday, February 21, 2026, at the 5 p.m. liturgy

and will be repeated on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 10 a.m.


Please join us to pray and celebrate with them. Thank you and God bless you! 


NOTE:

More Information about The Order will appear in the weekly Announcements and eNews.


For His Sake, 

Toni Strong, Chapter President

THINGS TO COME


LADIES & GENTS LUNCHEON  – March 9th, 2026

Join us for a fun afternoon out at Bonita Beach Balloon on Monday, March 9, at 12:30 PM.


We will be gathering at Bonita Beach Balloon, located at 9070 Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs. Come enjoy great food, relaxed conversation, and good company in a casual setting.


Whether you are coming for lunch, fellowship, or both, we would love to have you join us for a cheerful and welcoming time together.


For more information contact Linda Duffy (link is connected to the church directory, be sure to be logged in).


OUR FIRST SUNDAY - FEBRUARY 26th

WITH OUR NEW ORGANIST AND CHOIR DIRECTOR

We are very excited that our new organist-choir director will be starting work at St. Monica’s on Thursday, February 26th. His first weekend to play the organ and direct the choir will be the Second Sunday. In Lent, on February 28th and March 1st. Allen has worked for many years as a church musician and choir director in the Roman Catholic church; and he will have a bit of a “learning curve” as he grows accustomed to the Episcopal liturgy and learns how things are done here at St. Monica’s.


IMPORTANT UPDATE - APRIL 2nd - 5th

FOR HOLY WEEK AND EASTER

During Holy Week, our Maundy Thursday liturgy will take place on April 2 at 7 p.m., and our Good Friday liturgy will take place on April 3 at noon. This year, we will NOT have the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, April 4, because there simply is not time between now and then to plan it, put it together, and learn all the music. The Easter Vigil is a big service. So we will take a year off from the Easter Vigil and celebrate Easter Saturday, The Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord, at 5 p.m. on April 4, and Sunday at 10 a.m. on April 5. The Easter Vigil will be back next year. We thank you for your understanding.

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.

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 (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.

FEB. ANNIVERSARIES

2/1

Marc & Tanya Buck


2/2

Doug & Deb Blatz

Ralph & Julie Pike

Jim & Laura Stamper


2/5

James & Sue Lemons


2/8

Bill & Susan Docimo


2/20

Rob & Kathy Crevier

FEB. BIRTHDAYS

2/4

Jeff Gault


2/6

Susan Bench


2/7

Nancy Hennel


2/8

Lynn Swendeman


2/9

Jim Sarconi


2/11

Charlie Kalwinsky

Ralph Turley


2/12

Butch Yarusevich


2/13

Sue Adams

2/14

Ed Romatzick


2/15

Marciadee Newman


2/16

Marilynn Dessauer

Liam Freigang

Tom Gibson


2/21

Melanie Rose

Toni Strong


2/23

Gee-Gee Schilling


2/24

James York


2/25

Mark Giersch


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!