Dinner Theater at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
On Saturday, September 24th, the parishioners of St. Stephen's enjoyed a pot luck dinner followed by a play produced by the St. Stephen's Players. Actors shown in the photo from right to left are Robert Deysher, Basil Brigandi, Michelle Goodwin, Anne Deysher, Chris Scheffel, Michele Mongeon, Dianne Barrette and Gretchen Pruden in a presentation of "The Women of the Church", an original comedy that had the audience laughing.
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The Reverend George Warren’s Farewell Reception
On Sunday, August 21st, 2011, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church bid farewell in a bittersweet celebration to the Rev. George Warren. St. Stephen's has been in transition since the parish priest (the Rev. William Martin) retired a year ago. The church has been very lucky to have had a wonderful and beloved Interim Rector, Father George Warren, for this past year. A permanent priest has now been chosen and will be starting on September 1st. St Stephen’s held a farewell reception for the Rev. George on Sunday after the 9 am service. St. Stephen’s wishes him the best of luck and will deeply miss him.
Photo: St. Stephen’s parishioners join in to say goodbye to Father George and his family.
Rectory Open House
On Sunday, July 31, St. Stephen's held an open house for its parishioners to view the work done on the Rectory in preparation for Fr. Jesse's arrival. Everyone was delighted to see the rectory looking so fresh and welcoming.
Robert Williams Ordination
Robert Williams (left) is presented with his ordination stole by Don Shapleigh, Senior Warden of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. The presentation followed the ordination of Bob Williams as Deacon on Saturday, June 11th, 2011 in the Episcopal Cathedral in Springfield. Bob Williams is a former parishioner of St. Stephen’s and left to become the vicar of St. John’s in Millville, MA. St. Stephen’s sponsored Bob through his training to become a Deacon and hosted a reception for Bob following his ordination.
Bishop Scruton Visits St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
Bishop Scruton of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts visited St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Sunday, May 1st, 2011. During this visit he confirmed seven people and received one person into the Episcopal Church. Shown in the photo left to right are two confirmands, Jennifer Brook Reilly, Liliana Maria Urso, their mentor, Melanie Daniels, confirmand Helen Mary Gross, Bishop Scruton, a parishioner being received, Michelle Anne Goodwin and two confirmands, Amy Margaret Pawle and Janette Isabelle Sabin-Gavini. Not shown but also confirmed were Olivia Anne Giorlandino and Anita Marlien Para.
St Stephen’s Collects for the Frances Perkins House for Mother’s Day
Gale McKenzie, a parishioner of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, looks over the items collected in honor of Mother’s Day for the Francis Perkins House in Worcester. St. Stephen’s parishioners donated many items some of which can be seen in the photo. These items included diapers, “Onesies”, baby clothes and outfits, baby bottles, wipes, towels, baby blankets, baby lotions and baby shampoo.
A Series of Talks on Retirement Issues Facing Adults Held at Saint Stephen’s
Saint Stephen’s invited the community to a series of discussions on retirement issues facing adults, entitled “Living From 50 to 100+”. They were held on three consecutive Wednesday nights at 6:00pm as part of a Soup and Bread Lenten meal program.
The first topic covered was “Living and/or Working After Retirement”. The discussion encompassed many of the choices to be made after retiring: work, play, a second career, living style, living location, etc. Two recent retirees in the parish lead the discussion and addressed questions such as:
What are you looking forward to the most in retirement?
What activities are you considering and why?
What concerns did/do you have about retiring?
The second topic covered was “Local Volunteering and Social Opportunities” and dealt with how to meet new people, learn new skills and stay connected with others. Alma DeManche, Executive Director of the Westborough Council on Aging discussed the following:
What are some of the volunteer opportunities for retirees in our area?
What are the most popular ones?
Are there such things as “paid” volunteers? If so, where?
What about tax incentive programs?
The third and last topic covered was “Health and Wellness Issues” and discussed how to handle the many physical and mental challenges that are required to have a long and happy retirement including diet, exercise and developing a community of friends. The topic was covered by Paul O’Connell of Beaumont/The Willows at Westborough and addressed the following issues among others:
What are some of the most common health issues presented as we age?
How can they be minimized?
Mothering Sunday Celebrated on April 3
The United Kingdom holds the prestige of being the first country in the world to dedicate a special day for mothers, as early as 17th century. In the UK, Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in the month of Lent. Since the days of Lent are not fixed, the date for Mothering Sunday keeps on changing as well. However, the emotions remain the same. The feelings associated with the day are much alike those in the US on Mother’s Day.
The occasion has a long history, which dates back as far as the year 1600. During that time, the poor used to send their children to work as domestic servants or trainees in the homes of higher class people. Once a year, these children were given leave for a day, so that they could visit their Mother Church as well as their own mother. The day coincided with the middle Sunday of the fasting period of Lent.
The children would visit their Mother Church and then head straight to meet their own mother, with some fresh flowers. While the boys would present their mother with flowers, girls would go a step further by presenting them freshly baked handmade cakes, which were also called ‘Simnel Cakes’. With time, the holiday came to be known as “Mothering Sunday”.
To honor Mothering Sunday at St. Stephen’s this year, we dedicated altar flowers to our Mothers and our Mother Church. All names were listed in the bulletin on April 3, 2011. This was the only time we had altar flowers during Lent.
St. Stephen's Church Celebrates St. Patrick's Day
The congregation of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a pot luck dinner including corned beef and cabbage and all the trimmings. Everyone enjoyed the 10th annual event which featured Irish music and took place at St. Stephen's Church Hall on Saturday, March 19th.
Dinner Fund Raiser for St. Stephen's at Tavolino's Restaurant
Tavolino Restaurant is offering a program in which a church collects receipts from its parishioners when they dine at Tavolino's. When the church collects $1,000 in receipts, the church turns these in and receives a $100 Tavolino gift certificate or a series of gift certificates equaling $100. We could use the certificates for a silent auction or some other fundraiser. As an added bonus, if the receipt is from the Sunday Jazz Brunch, it counts for double the amount.
Please look for the collection box for the receipts on a table in Fay Hall. A copy of the menu will be near the box if you wish to get an idea of what they serve. Tavolino is an Italian restaurant serving Tuscan food located in the new Bay State Commons complex, 33 East Main St., Westborough. Thank you!
Thank you for your support of St. Stephen's.
Shrove Tuesday & Mardi Gras Pancake Supper
Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church parishioners gathered together to socialize and to enjoy a dinner at the annual Shrove Tuesday & Mardi Gras Pancake Supper on March 8th, 2011.
This annual event is held on the night before Ash Wednesday to welcome in the Lenten season. The Youth Group of St. Stephen’s, with the help of the Men’s Group, hosted the dinner. The money they collected contributed to the Youth Group’s mission trips including buying items for the homeless to be handed out during their trip to Boston City Reach on March 25th-26th.
Fall Festival 2010 at St. Stephen's
On Saturday, September 25th, St. Stephen’s held its annual Fall Festivale Yard and Rummage Sale on what turned out to be a beautiful, warm fall day. There was a large turnout of people who shopped for bargains and enjoyed the food that was served. St. Stephen’s would like to thank all those who donated items and came to the sale.
St Stephen’s Spring Fling 2010
Parishioners, friends and guests of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Three John Street, Westborough, enjoyed St. Stephen’s annual "Spring Fling" on Sunday afternoon, May 23rd, 2010. A light lunch was served followed by a funny two-act play. The play was a spoof with threads from the "Twilight Zone" with the host part of Rod Sterling played by St. Stephen’s retiring priest, Fr. Bill Martin. Instead of the "Twilight Zone" the audience and actors were entering the "Twinight Zone”. In the play the central character who is a good man finds himself sent to hell and hell is Yankee Stadium. In the second act he wakes up to find this all to be a nightmare and that he is really in Red Sox territory as any good Red Sox fan would want to be.
The Spring Fling was enjoyed by all.
Mother's Day Brunch at St. Stephen's
Mothers were honored with a brunch between services on May 9 at St. Stephen's. Various quiches, muffins, fresh fruit and fellowship were shared by all.
Time and Talent Opportunities
Several years ago, St. Stephen’s had developed forms to invite members to offer up their time, talent and treasure to the parish. Recognizing that stewardship entails more than matters of finance, the Stewardship Committee has spent time during its monthly meetings this year reviewing these and has recast them as opportunities for parishioners to share their time and talents with the St. Stephen’s family. Each year’s Every Member Canvas addresses the opportunity to share one’s treasure.
Briefly, we have identified five areas of opportunity. These are:
Opportunities to Love God
Opportunities to Worship God
Opportunities to Learn of God
Opportunities to Proclaim God
Opportunities to Work and Serve in God’s Name
Each of these areas has several specific opportunities and a contact person associated with each one.
In the near future an area in the church narthex will be devoted to presenting more detailed information for each of these. Fellow parishioners who desire to find a way to share their time and talents with the St. Stephen’s family are encouraged to look at these and contact the appropriate person to explore that opportunity further. There will be printed information available to take home with you so you won’t have to write down or memorize who to contact about what. If you have a specific interest that doesn’t seem to match any of the areas listed please contact Fr. Bill to discuss your interest further.
Why the Glass Jar? 
Have you ever wondered about the glass jar on the serving table in Fay Hall? Not all of us have been here to know the reason why its there. Just before his death, Men’s Group Member Steve Hull was working with Bob Lewis on a worthwhile project for the group. They had researched Food For The Poor, a highly rated charity working to help the poor of Central and Latin America and the Caribbean. Steve and Bob suggested that everyone in the parish take a collection canister home and contribute their pocket change every evening at dinner in thanks for our God given bounty. Following Steve’s death in 2002, the Men’s Group dedicated the project in his memory. Will you join the effort and take a container home? If you can’t find a container in Fay Hall, please use any jar or can. And so far the parish effort has been able to provide 177, 840 meal equivalents to families in the area served. It only takes a nickel a day to save a child for one more day. Please help us.
For more information, please contact Tim Moss.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Men’s Group