Dear St. Patrick's,

Grace and peace. Most likely, I will be en route for the Holy Land as you read this note. I am very excited about the opportunity to embark on this pilgrimage, a lifelong dream. I will certainly have many stories to tell upon my return.

My absence does not mean that the church will close. It will probably run much more smoothly. I appreciate the support of two wonderful clergy colleagues, a calm and cool parish administrator, a gifted music director, and a conscientious and dedicated sexton. I look forward to returning to the office on December 21.

I may be able to send a few notes along the way. Being that I will be with a group from the Diocese of Washington, I will be attending the Bethlehem Christmas Prayer Service simulcast at the Washington National Cathedral on December 18th at 10am ET. You can even watch it from home via the internet. Check out this link to connect: [Bethlehem Service]

I will be considering my Advent preparations; I hope that you will be mindful of yours as we approach Christmas. Please follow this link to our service schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day [Christmas Schedule].

Faithfully,

We pray for Elizabeth Edwards who died yesterday, and for her family and friends.

Please Bring in Christmas Dinner Items THIS SUNDAY!

One of the great Advent traditions at St. Patrick's is our annual drive to fill over 100 bags with the makings of Christmas dinner for the folks at St. Philip's the Evangelist Church in Anacostia to distribute through their food bank. See below for the shopping list.

Can't face the grocery shopping? We will shop for you if contribute $20 toward the effort! Make your check out to St. Patrick's with Christmas Dinners in the memo line.

Please contact Karen Melchar (churchoffice@stpatrickschurchdc.org) if you can shop for the greater good by this Sunday!

St. Philip's Christmas Dinner Bag

• 3-lb Ham (these need to be refrigerated-please mark "St. Philip's Christmas Dinner" and place in refrigerator in church kitchen. Canned hams are also acceptable, but hard to find)
• Package of Rice or Instant Potatoes
• Canned Yams
• Canned Green Vegetable
• Biscuit Mix
• Canned Fruit or Fruit Cocktail
• Christmas Cookies

We're already getting bags of food dropped off! Thanks for your quick response. Congratulate the Youth Group this Sunday as they pack bags during coffee hour.

8:00am Server: Mary Grace Corey

Altar Guild: Ellen Terpstra

Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Joi Grieg, Paul Geffert, Shannon Small

Ushers: Dan Luchsinger, Bob Hurt, Charlie Hartley

Greeters: Windsor Freemyer

Readers: Margo Warren, Charlie Johnson IV

Intercessor: Paul Geffert

Psalmist: Charlie Johnson IV

Server: Keaton Lee

Crucifer: Lisa Addison

Torches: Camilla Duke, Espeana Green

Flowers: Advent

Refreshments: Amy & Dan Graham

Vestry Person of the Day: Charlie Johnson IV, Carrie Anderson

The traditional "Greening of the Church" will be on the 4th Sunday of Advent (Dec. 19), and we need your donations of both gifts to the Flower Fund and trimmings from your yard, particularly holly, nandina, cedar, and magnolia branches.

We will list our donors to the Flower Fund in the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bulletins so send your checks made out to St. Patrick's with "Christmas flowers" in the memo line. Our flower fund is very low at this time of year, so please donate if you are able.

Cast & Stage-Hands Needed

All children, Preschool through 6^th grade, are invited to participate in the Pageant. Casting is as follows:

3 & 4 Year Olds - Sheep

Kindergarten - 3^rd Grade - Shepherds OR Angels

4^th & 5^th Grade - Kings & Queens

6^th Grade - Speaking & Title Roles

If your child would like to participate in the Christmas Eve pageant, please plan to come to the rehearsal, Sunday, December 19th, immediately following the 10 am service.

If you have a 6^th grader eligible for a speaking or title role, please be sure to let Andrea Martin know if your child will participate.

J.B. Loveland will reprise her role as Director. If you (or a teenager in your household) would like to help J.B., we need volunteers at the rehearsal and on the 24th to help with cueing and costuming. If you can help on either date, please e-mail Andrea Martin, andrea@stpatrickschurchdc.org.

Ready to bake to support the Outreach/Social Concerns Committee programs here at St. Patrick's? Ready to shop on Sunday, December 19th to buy fabulous cookies, cakes and other treats to wow family and friends into believing you worked for hours over a hot stove?

Mark your calendars to bring in baked goods for Sunday, Dec. 19th, and your wallet to support our Outreach/Social Concerns Committee programs in Haiti, at St. Philip's, Samaritan Ministry etc.

Already have an idea about what you're going to bake? We like to have a variety, so contact Sally Fowler at sallywfowler@verizon.net to let her know.

How to Communicate When Someone You Love Has Dementia or Cognitive Impairment

Next Thursday, December 16th, Mary Wright Baylor, R.N., Pastoral Care Nurse at Washington National Cathedral, will be the featured guest speaker at St. Patrick's Caregivers' Group. Mary will offer strategies for communicating with loved ones who are non-verbal or struggling with language skills because of dementia or other cognitive impairment.

St. Patrick's Caregivers' Group meets in the Church Library every Thursday evening, 7-8 pm, for prayer and focused discussion. All are welcome.

For more information, please contact Andrea Martin, andrea@stpatrickschurchdc.org

Brass Prelude at 4:45pmbefore the Pageant Service

Christmas Eve Concert at 9:30pmbefore the Candlelight Eucharist

Do you remember the story? It was the year 1818 and the organ in a little German church, St. Nicholas-in-Oberndorf, had broken down right before Christmas. No festive carol harmonies, no choir accompaniment, no help staying in tune for the parishioners on Christmas Eve. In a moment of inspiration, the assistant priest, Joseph Mohr, penned the beautiful "Silent Night" words and brought them to the musician, Franz Gruber, to set so that they could sing them with guitar accompaniment; and so perhaps the greatest Christmas Eve tradition ever, began. Here at St. Patrick's at our Candlelight Christmas Eve service we will recreate this story once again as we welcome Guitarist William Feasley to help with our service, the prelude choral concert, Silent is the Night, and of course, accompany us on this beloved carol.

If you come to the Pageant service on Christmas Eve, be sure to settle into your seat by 4:45 so you can hear our nearly resident Brass Quartet play some terrific carol arrangements as the little ones prepare to tell the Christmas story. Of course, there will be familiar carols for you to sing and enjoy throughout our festive services, so invite your friends and family to join us on Christmas Eve.

Many thanks to our Jubilate Deo kids who did a great job with their "counting" song on Sunday.

~Adele Lynch 202-342-2823