Sunday, March 24
The Third Sunday in Lent

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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

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.

Holy Eucharist on Wednesdays at Noon in the Chapel
March 20, March 27, April 3, April 10, April 17
Come-as-you-are service

Holy Week and Easter Schedule

Sunday, April 14 Palm Sunday – Blessing of the Palms at 9:50 a.m. on the front lawn

Wednesday, April 17: Holy Eucharist – 12 p.m. (Chapel)

Thursday, April 18:  Maundy Thursday -- Holy Eucharist, Rite I and Altar Stripping – 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 19: Good Friday -- Hourly liturgies 12-3 p.m.; 4:30 pm Children’s Service; and 7:30 p.m. Liturgy

Saturday, April 20: Holy Saturday -- Easter Egg Hunt (Pre-K–Gr. 2)/Clue Hunt (Gr. 3–8)–10:00 am Easter Vigil – 8 p.m.

Sunday, April 21: Easter:-- Holy Eucharist, Rite 1 – 8 a.m.; Family Eucharist, Rite II – 9:30 a.m.; Festival Eucharist, Rite I – 11:15 a.m.

Weekday Morning Prayer in Chapel

Every Monday through Friday, St. Elizabeth’s offers a short service of Daily 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 (May 25)In observance of Ascension Day, we offer a service of Holy Eucharist in the choir stalls—or Courtyard, weather permitting—at 6:30 a.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. When we stay home, the virulent heresy of Christian anti-Semitism—known in history and not unknown today—goes unchallenged. I view attendance at this event, in the words of one of our liturgies, as “meet, right, and our bounden duty.” Our choir is always visibly in evidence, and it is the hope that our congregation may be, too. Let us be known, as individuals, as families, and as an Episcopal congregation, as people who can be counted on to show up for the sake of justice and peace. JGH

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.