Sunday, December 15
Third Sunday of Advent
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

8 a.m.: Holy Eucharist, Rite One
10 a.m.: Holy Eucharist, Rite Two

Christmas Eve:

• 4 p.m. Family Holy Eucharist, Rite II
• 10 p.m. Festival Holy Eucharist, Rite I featuring the adult choir, soloists, and instrumentalists in wonderful choral and instrumental offerings.

Christmas Day:

• 10 a.m. Come-as-you-are service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II, for the whole family.
• 11:15 a.m. Depart from the church parking lot for local caroling at New Bridge Medical Center, Paramus. Return time is 12:30 p.m.

Sunday Nursery Care 
Nursery care is available during our 10 a.m. services for infants and children through age 2.  Age 3 and up are welcome to join our Church School program.

Weekday Morning Prayer, Rite I: 
Monday - Friday at 8:30 a.m. in the Chapel
Please join us for this brief, come-as-you-are, dog-friendly service.

Our regular September - June schedule has now resumed, with full programming of our Church School -- including Confirmation Class -- and music, plus many opportunites for spiritual growth and fellowship.

We have two Sunday services throughout the year. 8 a.m. is a traditional Holy Eucharist, Rit I, without music. The second service begins at 10 a.m., with the full choir called.

Christmas is coming
Please visit our Worship page for a listing of special worship times and other events during Advent.

Advent and Christmas at St. Elizabeth's
Please mark your calendar for these special opportunities:

Christmas Pageant: Sunday, December 22 at 10 a.m.

Christmas Eve: Tuesday, December 24
Two services are offered on Christmas Eve:
4 p.m. Family service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II
10 p.m. Festival Holy Eucharist, Rite I

Christmas Day: Wednesday, December 25
A come-as-you-are service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II is offered at 10 a.m.

Weekday Morning Prayer in Chapel
Monday - Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Please join us!

Every Monday through Friday, St. Elizabeth’s offers a brief service of spoken Morning Prayer in the Chapel from 8:30 a.m. until about 8:50 a.m. This service includes neither preaching nor music, and the entire liturgy is done seated.

The service follows the Rite I order in The Book of Common Prayer with a psalm appointed for the day and readings from the Old Testament, the Epistles, and the Gospels following the two-year cycle of Daily Office lectionary readings published in the back of the Prayer Book. Each day includes two special collects for that day, focusing on themes of peace, families, children, and education All are welcome to come when they can.

The Parish Prayer List

At St. Elizabeth's we refresh our list three times a year. We reconstitute the Parish Prayer List:

• at the First Sunday in Advent, the beginning of the Church year;
• at Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the season in which prayer takes a special place in our spiritual lives; and
• at Pentecost, the day we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit, which helps us to pray when we do not know how to pray ourselves (Romans 8:26-27).
As those three days approach (end of November/beginning of December, mid-February, and early June), please be in touch with Ann Dowling in the Church Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 201-444-2299) if you would like to include a name on the Prayer List for the next season. If the request is for a specific period of time, it would be helpful to know that as well.

There is no limit to how often a name may be added. One may add a name to the Advent list and add it again for Lent and again for Pentecost. Nor is there any membership requirement for being on the list. One may remove a name at any time. Thanksgivings, as well as intercessions, are always appropriate.

The List, the Prayers: Public and Private It is by praying, not simply including on a list, that we raise our hopes, concerns, and thanksgivings to God. And it is appropriate to raise prayers to God “at all times and in all places.” If you place a name on the Prayer List, I hope you will set aside a regular daily time to pray for that person, and others on the list, throughout the week. When we pray in public worship on Sunday mornings, we come before God as a community, and, on those occasions, it is especially appropriate for your prayers, like those offered to God throughout the liturgy, to be spoken aloud.

Feast Days and Other Special Observances at St. Elizabeth's

The Greening of the Church (Third Sunday of Advent)
This activity is part of the procession at the 10 a.m. family service and is perfect for families or individuals wishing to help with the decorating. Participants join the procession at the beginning of the service.

Christmas Pageant (Fourth Sunday of Advent)

Christmas Eve
Two services are offered on Christmas Eve:
4 p.m. Family Service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II
10 p.m. Festival Holy Eucharist, Rite I

Christmas Day
A come-as-you-are service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II is offered at 10 a.m.

The Epiphany / The Feast of the Three Kings (January 6)
A service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II, is offered at 6:30 a.m.

The First Sunday after The Epiphany
Every year at Christmas we remember the journey of the Three Kings who traversed “moor and mountain” to worship Jesus in Bethlehem.

Ash Wednesday
Services of Holy Eucharist with the imposition of ashes are offered at 6:30 a.m. (Rite II), noon (Rite II), and 7:30 p.m. (Rite I).

A children's service is held in the Chapel at 4:30 p.m. All children of St. Elizabeth's and their parents are invited to attend. Ashes will be distributed, and we will use age-appropriate language to talk about sin and forgiveness. There is no Eucharist at this service.

Wednesdays in Lent
Services of Holy Eucharist are offered on Wednesdays in Lent at 6:30 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Palm Sunday
The 9:50 a.m. service begins on the front lawn with the Liturgy of the Palms and continues with the procession into the nave. This service also includes the reading of the Passion Gospel at the very end of the liturgy—at its conclusion, we make our way out and into Holy Week.

Maundy Thursday
7:30 p.m.: Holy Eucharist

Good Friday
6:30 a.m.: Good Friday Liturgy
12-3 p.m.: Good Friday Liturgy
4:30 p.m.: Family Good Friday Liturgy
7:30 p.m.: Good Friday Liturgy

Holy Saturday
8 p.m.: Easter Vigil

Easter Day
8 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I
9:30 a.m. Family Holy Eucharist, Rite II
11:15 a.m. Festival Holy Eucharist, Rite I

Feast of the Ascension  In observance of Ascension Day, we offer a service of Holy Eucharist at  12 p.m. 

Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24) Holy Eucharist at 6:30 a.m. or 12 p.m. in the Courtyard, weather permitting.

The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29) Holy Eucharist at 6:30 a.m.

The Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) Holy Eucharist at 6:30 a.m.
Holy Eucharist at 6:30 a.m.On September 11 each year we observe the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a brief service of Holy Eucharist in the Courtyard (weather permitting), remembering all who lost their lives that morning, all who strode into danger and death in the hope of saving others, and all who that day found themselves in the midst of death, chaos, and terror. We celebrate the Eucharist on this anniversary to remind ourselves that the power of God is stronger than death, that the Spirit of God is given to each of us for strength and comfort, and that our citizenship is finally in the heavenly city where God reigns over all, and we are all together in peace.

All Saints’ Day (November 1) On All Saints' Sunday, the Sunday closest to November 1, we observe All Saints’ Day, one of the seven Principal Feasts of the Church. At both the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services, we read the names of all those buried from St. Elizabeth’s since last All Saints’ Day and the names of those in the Memorial Garden, as well as the names of family members who have died since last All Saints’ Day.


Veterans' Day (November 11) We observe Veterans' Day with a brief service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II, in the choir stalls and the blessing of flags for the Memorial Garden. In this annual service we give thanks for all who have given their lives in service to their country, for all who have served and now returned to civilian life, and for all who serve currently in our armed forces. We pray for peace among all nations and for the justice which makes peace possible and lasting. We also bless two flags and place them in the Memorial Garden.

RIDGEWOOD COMMUNITY INTERFAITH WORSHIP SERVICES

Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance

Holocaust Memorial Service: We cannot change the past, but we can stand together with our neighbors in the synagogue in remembering, mourning, and honoring those of all ages who were taken from their homes to humiliation, abuse, and death. By showing up for this service, we publicly proclaim our commitment to seek justice and peace for all people and respect the dignity of every human being.

Access Ridgewood weekend events include a community invitation to the attend the Friends to Friends worship service on a Sunday in October at the First Reformed Church, 303 Prospect Street, Ridgewood. Friends to Friends is a "community of Christians with a focus on the inclusivity of people, primarily people with developmental and physical disabilities" (from the Friends to Friends Community Church Mission Statement).

Ridgewood Community Thanksgiving Service
The first Thanksgiving was an interfaith community event, and this service extends that tradition. Consider making this part of your family Thanksgiving tradition.