Weekly eNews for

Oct 1st, 2026

NEW THIS WEEK

MESSAGE FROM OUR SR. WARDEN


Toni and I are back! We got to Naples late afternoon on Monday. I think I have been doing church business in person or by email and phone non-stop since early Tuesday morning. It is better to do it from here. We hope to see many of you at the Saturday and Sunday services this weekend. It is good to be back.

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


 A reminder that the first meeting of the season for the Men's Book Group will be held October 5 at 9:30 AM in the church conference room. We will be taking up The Last Lecture by Randy Rausch reviewing the Introduction and the first four chapters. That is under 30 pages. We will determine our pace for future weeks at the meeting. We remain open to any men of St. Monica's. Questions may be addressed to Ed Strong

FIRST SUNDAY PLATE OFFERING

OCTOBER  &  NOVEMBER


The October and November First Sunday Plate Offerings will benefit Harvest Time Ministries of Bonita Springs, which provides food, clothing, and support to local farmworker families. Your generosity helps families who work hard planting and harvesting the fruits and vegetables enjoyed throughout our community. To Give: Cash or check may be placed in the offering plate. Please make checks payable to St. Monica’s and write Harvest Time Ministries in the memo line. For questions, please contact Heather Williamson or Fred Cable, who volunteers with Harvest Time Ministries.

ORGAN DEDICATION CONCERT

OCTOBER 25th - 4PM


Join us for a special concert celebrating three meaningful milestones: the Dedication of St. Monica’s Organ, St. Monica’s 35th Anniversary, and the 250th Birthday of the United States. Mark your calendar and plan to join us for this special celebration. More details will follow!

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

TRUNK or treat - Heavenly day preschool

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


Heavenly Day Preschool is looking for volunteers to decorate trunks and help keep the children safe during their Trunk or Treat. If decorating a trunk, please arrive early enough to be set up and ready by 9:15 AM. Please bring non candy treats only. To volunteer, contact Heather Williamson at 239 273 1188.

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.

OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES

10/3

Scott & Stacey McCurdy

10/6

Chuck & Charla McHenry

10/13

Ned & Sara Meekins

10/20

Bruce & Rita Allen


10/22

John & Marilynn Dessauer

BIRTHDAYS

10/3

James Mullen

Frank Shrewsbury

Shirley Woolaway


10/6

Jim Gatter

George Lackey

Michael McCampbell


10/12

Ruth Leigh

Nancy Moritz


10/14

Muriel Burkett

10/21

Lorraine Maurer


10/22

Mary Gentzle

Kathy Romatzick


10/24

Stacey McCurdy


10/27

Wil Ward


10/28

Betty Cable

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.