Weekly eNews for

May 28, 2026

NEW THIS WEEK

An Update from Rev. Sylvia


The Rev. Sylvia called the office this morning to check in, and we are happy to share that she is doing well.


She has a follow up appointment scheduled for Monday, June 1, and if all goes well, she believes she should be cleared to return to work soon after.


Thank you to everyone for the continued healing prayers, thoughtful cards, kind messages, and support during her recovery. Your love and encouragement have meant so much to her and John.


Please continue to keep Rev. Sylvia in your prayers as she continues healing and regaining her strength.

JUNE'S OPEN PLATE OFFERING

LET'S DOUBLE WHAT WE DID IN MAY!


During the weekend services of June 6 and 7, our open plate offering will once again support Fostering Success, an organization dedicated to helping foster children right here in our local community.


Last month, thanks to your incredible generosity, St. Monica’s raised $285.00 to help provide tutoring, school supplies, bedding, clothing, summer enrichment opportunities, and other important needs for foster children.


This month, let’s see if we can double it!


Every dollar makes a difference and helps bring stability, encouragement, and opportunity to children who often face difficult circumstances. Together, we can continue showing these children that they are seen, valued, and loved.


Whether your gift is large or small, every act of generosity matters and helps support the important work being done through Fostering Success.


Let’s come together as a parish family and “knock it out of the park” for this wonderful cause!


Thank you for your continued kindness, compassion, and support.



Just a little secret.

Your Parish Administrator was raised in foster care. When children are shown genuine love, support, and kindness, it truly matters. Sometimes, they just need to know they are seen & cared for to make the difference.

Helping Mission Peniel Backpack Drive

DEADLINE IS COMING!


This week is the final week to support our Helping Mission Peniel Back to School Backpack Drive. The deadline to give is June 7.


Thank you to everyone who has already donated school supplies and backpacks. Your generosity will help children in Immokalee begin the 2026-2027 school year with the tools they need to succeed.


If you have not yet had a chance to participate, there is still time to drop off donations after services this weekend. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference.


Thank you for helping us support local students and families as they prepare for a new school year.


DOWNLOAD & PRINT THE FLIER TO TAKE SHOPPING WITH YOU HERE:


ORIGINAL FLYER

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

OUR NEW ORGAN IS READY!

THE WAIT IS OVER


Our beautiful new organ has officially been voiced and is ready to be played this weekend!


If you are still in Naples for the summer, we invite you to join us this Trinity Sunday and experience the incredible sound that will once again fill the sanctuary of St. Monica’s.


We are excited to have our Choir Director and Organist, Allen Stock, play for us in worship as the new organ is heard for the very first time.


Whether you have been watching the progress unfold over the past months or are hearing about it for the first time, this is a special moment in the life of our church, and we would love for you to be part of it.


If you are traveling or spending the summer up north, you can still join us live on YouTube this Sunday, May 31 at 10:00 AM as we celebrate Trinity Sunday together.


Come worship, listen, and celebrate this exciting new chapter in the music ministry of St. Monica’s.



SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS AT ST. MONICA'S

YOUR STORY COULD BE FEATURED!


As the summer season settles in, things around Naples begin to slow down a bit. Many of our church family members have headed back north for the season, are traveling with family, or enjoying some well deserved summer adventures. Even though the church may look a little lighter during the summer months, we know many of you are still joining us faithfully through our Sunday YouTube services while away.


But summer at St. Monica’s is still full of life, kindness, connection, and community, and we would love to hear about it!


What are you doing this summer that helps connect our church family with the community around us?


  • Maybe you are volunteering at a local food bank handing out meals or supplies.
  • Maybe you are spending time visiting someone in the hospital, a nursing home resident, or an elderly neighbor who may not have family nearby.
  • Maybe you are helping a friend, supporting a local cause, or simply showing kindness in quiet ways that matter deeply.
  • Or maybe your summer moments are about fellowship and fun.


Are you gathering with fellow parishioners for a cookout? Spending time at the beach? Enjoying pool days, game nights, family visits, road trips, fishing adventures, or sunset dinners with friends from church?


We want to see it all!


This summer, we are bringing back the “Summer Highlights” section in the eNews, and we invite you to be part of it. Some of you shared your stories last year and we want to do it again.


Send us your stories, photos, funny moments, service projects, gatherings, travels, and snapshots of summer life.


Photos are strongly encouraged, and the more fun, heartwarming, or creative the image or story is, the more likely it may be featured in our Summer Highlights section!


Let’s stay connected this summer, no matter where life takes us.


Please send your photos and stories to the church office at administrator@stmonicasnaples.org.

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. 


Prematures are many in Uganda and other parts of Africa and this is do in part to the high rate of “natural twining”. 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 be returning again, 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 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. 


Prematures are many in Uganda and other parts of Africa and this is do in part to the high rate of “natural twining”. 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 be returning again, 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

LADIES & GENTS LUNCHEON

Monday  JUNE 8th

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.

CALLING ALL PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS


CALLING ALL PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS


Is there a child in your home or community who would benefit from getting out into nature, building community, encountering God, and learning about themselves?


Camp Kanuga has been a trusted and transformative summer camp program for 95 years, with Episcopal roots, accredited by the ACA, and open to rising 2nd- through 10th-graders. Located in Hendersonville, NC and operating between June 4th and August 3rd, it’s a place where kids gather and experience belonging, grow in their faith, and have a lot of fun.


The Camp Kanuga team would love to hear from you and talk more about how it may be a good fit for your family.


Visit CampKanuga.org to connect and learn more.


SUPPORTING FOSTERING SUCCESS EVERY THURSDAY


When you visit Lake Park Diner in Founder Square on Thursdays, $1 will be donated to Fostering Success Naples as part of their giving initiative. This is a great opportunity for St. Monica’s to support one of the local organizations we also help.


Fostering Success is a nonprofit serving children and young adults in the foster care system here in Collier County. Their mission is to provide strategic education and enrichment opportunities that help foster youth reach their full potential. Programs include academic mentoring, scholarships, basic needs support like beds and diapers, and life skills training for young adults transitioning out of care.


Every dollar given through the Founder Square helps extend that mission. It’s another simple way to make a meaningful impact in the lives of vulnerable children and families in our community.


     AT TWO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

LOCATION 1

Founders Square

8856 Founders St  Naples

239.539.1559



LOCATION 2

Downtown Naples

944 7th Ave North  Naples

239.228.6351


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


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.

MAY ANNIVERSARIES

5/2

Jim & Nancy Moritz


5/3

Thomas & Theresa Kempf


5/7

Tony & Susan Cilluffo


5/13

Janet Perna & Melanie Rose


5/19

Doug Ball & Frank Dowd


5/29

Bob & Vickie White

MAY BIRTHDAYS

5/2

Doug Blatz

Theresa Miller

Fred Swendeman

Sharyn Wieditz


5/3

Patricia Traverse


5/6

Rev. Ken McCaslin


5/7

Betsy Smith

Chris Van Hest


5/8

JoAnn Sarconi


5/12

Tasha Van Hest


5/13

Sandy Kilmon


5/14

Paul Nick


5/17

Bruce Shaffner


5/18

Gordon Macdonald


5/23

Beau Crevier

Susan McCampbell


5/24

Fred Cable


5/26

John Adams


5/28

Ava Louise Smith-Landwehr

Barrett Smith-Landwehr


5/30

Aden Chalick

Keel Jones

Alexandra Soto


JUNE ANNIVERSARIES

6/1

Tom & Susan Gibson


6/3

Steve & Debbie Corey


6/8

Ian & Amy Thompson


6/10

Ed & Kathy Romatzick


6/17

Kyle & Heather Williamson


6/24

Richard & Patricia Traverse


6/27

David & Zannah Chalick


6/28

Jeff & Cindy Gault

JUNE BIRTHDAYS

6/1

Linda Butters-Freund


6/3

Joan Fuggi

Colleen Rossomando


6/4

Sandi Zeidman


6/8

Lynn Cutrone


6/12

Gale Neuner

6/13

Brenda Walsh


6/17

Laura Stamper


6/23

Dan Rabideau


6/24

Edward Segall


6/25

Richard Traverse


6/28

Sara Meekins

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:  Rev. Sylvia R. Czarnetzky at 662.645.8887 or 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.