If you know someone
—or know someone who knows someone—
who might be a good candidate for our rector position, please reach out and urge them to apply.
Our job posting closes on November 5, so there is still time to be proactive.
Weekly eNews for
Oct 22nd, 2026
MENU
NEW THIS WEEK
FROM OUR SR. WARDEN
I hope all of you saw Rev. Sylvia's message that she does not feel well enough to return to work at this time. She will revisit that issue when she is up to it, perhaps in 6-8 weeks. Please keep Sylvia in your prayers as she continues her recovery. She is still using Caringbridge to post updates. When we met to discuss this, Sylvia expressed how much she wants to return to serving St. Monica's. It is just not the right time for her.
In the meantime, Rev. Jean Hite has graciously agreed to preside at our weekly services. We are exploring ways to cover pastoral care. I will remain in charge of our day to day operations. Deacon Ken, as you will note from his message, is away for three weeks. We offer Ken and Cheri our prayers for safe and enjoyable travels.
VESTRY UPDATE
Unfortunately for us, Marilynn Dessauer, a member of our Vestry, found it necessary to resign her position on Vestry for personal reasons. We wish Marilynn well as she and her husband John move forward.
When a Vestry member resigns, our by-laws allow the remaining Vestry members to select a replacement member by vote of the Vestry alone. We will take that issue up shortly. Since it is so late in the year, the Vestry may also decide to leave the vacancy open until the Annual Meeting in early 2027.
A PLEA FOR HELP!
MESSAGE FROM DEACON KEN
Dear Friends,
Cheri and I are blessed to be traveling with friends again! I will return to the US on November 11 and join you again on Saturday November 14. Then I’m off to the clergy conference November 16-18!
Your deacon,
Ken
WE NEED YOU! JOIN THE ALTER GUILD
St. Monica’s Altar Guild is looking for new volunteers to help prepare our church for worship at both services.
No experience is necessary! We will provide all the training you need. All we ask is a willing heart and a desire to serve.
Being part of the Altar Guild is a meaningful way to serve our church and help make each worship service special.
Interested in joining or learning more? Please contact Heather Williamson for more information.
We would love to have you join our team!
MEN'S BOOK GROUP
St. Monica's Men's Book Group will continue its exploration of The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch at its next meeting, October 26 at 9:30 AM in the church conference room.
We will cover Part of the book. Discussions have been lively thus far. The book group is open to any of the men of St. Monica's.
Please come and join us at any time. Address questions to Ed Strong
RECEPTION FOLLOWING THE OCT 25TH CONCERT
PLEASE HELP!
As many of you have heard already, there will be a reception immediately following the concert on October 25th at 4 PM in the Parish Hall. There is a separate announcement about the concert itself below.
The Daughters of the King have graciously offered to manage the reception. We are treating the reception like a potluck. Therefore we are asking our members to bring finger food food and/or desserts to support this effort. Please drop your food contributions off in Parish Hall prior to the concert.
Also we are planning on serving wine along with non-alcoholic beverages. If you enjoy wine, please bring a bottle of wine of your choosing to share. Any wine left over will be used at our future Saturday Social Potlucks.
Thank you to all for your support of this amazing musical effort.
ORGAN DEDICATION CONCERT
OCTOBER 25th - 4PM
Join us on Sunday, October 25th at 4:00pm. for a special choral and instrumental concert celebrating St. Monica’s 35th Anniversary. The program will feature music by Mozart, Beethoven, and Malotte, along with a variety of sacred music and patriotic selections honoring our nation’s 250th anniversary. This special celebration will also include the dedication of St. Monica’s new Walker organ. A 20 voice choir and 10 instrumentalists will perform under the direction of Allen Stock, Music Director at St. Monica’s. The concert will last approximately 75 minutes, with a reception immediately following. The concert is open to everyone, and no tickets are required. A freewill offering will be received. Come celebrate this special milestone in the life of St. Monica’s through an afternoon of beautiful music, fellowship, and thanksgiving!
FINANCE UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2026
| Sept | Year to Date | |
|---|---|---|
| Income | $30,776 | $387,721 |
| Expenses | $31,365 | $373,283 |
THINGS TO COME
LADIES & GENTS LUNCHEON
Join us for our next Fellowship Lunch on Monday, November 9, at 12:30 PM at Old 41, located at 25091 Bernwood Drive in Bonita Springs.
This will be our final Luncheon of 2026, as we take a break during the busy December holiday season. Our monthly lunches will resume in January 2027. We hope you can join us for one last afternoon of good food and wonderful fellowship before the new year!
SAVE THE DATE - November 15
Please save November 15 following the 10am service for our stewardship kick-off brunch. This will be a catered event, as it was last year, generously supported by an anonymous donor. We will have information for you about signing up soon.
MISION PENIEL
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
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
Thursday October 29th
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.
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.
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.