Dear St. Patrick's,

   Grace and peace. I hope that you are planning on joining us for Casino Night this coming Saturday night (January 29) at the Monahans. This is an opportunity to meet new people and spend time with old friends. There will be a wonderful dinner and drinks. There will be games and people to teach you how to play (No knowledge of games is necessary). It is also an opportunity to invite friends and introduce them to St. Patrick's in a social atmosphere. The goal of the night is to have fun and the ticket price covers everything and also supports St. Patrick's. If you have not yet reserved your place, contact Karen Melchar (churchoffice@stpatrickschurchdc.org) or Marilyn Nowalk (marilyn_nowalk@intelbydesign.com).
 

   I will be attending Casino Night after representing St. Patrick's, along with David Beers and Peter Jobusch, your elected representatives, at the annual Diocesan Convention held at the National Cathedral on Friday and Saturday. The Episcopal Church is organized into 110 Dioceses. St. Patrick's is one of 93 parishes in the Diocese of Washington, which includes the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties. Bishop John Chane, who is retiring later this year, leads the Diocese of Washington. As we take action on the future, I ask that you please keep your diocese in prayer.
 

   We have an extra special musical group visiting St. Patrick's this coming Sunday and Monday. Bokamoso, a group of young singers and storytellers from South Africa, will be singing on Sunday during worship and will also sing immediately following the service in the Great Hall. They will return to share with the Day School on Monday. I have heard amazing things about their distinctive style.

Faithfully,

Read last Sunday's sermon titled, "Can you hear me now?"      

Have you bought your ticket for Casino Night?

Please join us for Casino Night on Saturday, January 29^th at the Monahans'! Our winter fundraiser is a fabulous night of dinner and casino games like roulette and black jack  at Tom Monahan and Sharon Marcil's house in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

This would be a terrific event to bring friends along to play! Come have some fun, and learn how to play from the professionals! Not a gambler? There will be swell dinner and drink, and a chance to socialize with a wide range of St. Patrick's folks that you may not have met at coffee hour yet.

Tickets are $75. Call Karen in the church office to let her know you'll be attending. 

We have special guests this Sunday, the Bokamoso Youth Choir! St. Andrew's Episcopal school has been hosting these young people and assisting in the development of the Bokamoso Youth Foundation for many years. The mission of the Bokamoso Youth Foundation is to transform the lives of youth and empower community leadership in Winterveldt, South Africa, by coordinating assistance with the Bokamoso Youth Centre and facilitating its sustainability through scholarships, training, and resource development.

The main performance of Bokamoso's 2011 U.S. Tour will be Friday February 4, at 7:30 PM, Bokamoso will perform at the Marvin Center Theater, on the campus of GeorgeWashingtonUniversity, 800 21st St., NW. and will feature their dynamic singing and dancing plus poems and stories about their lives.  We get a sneak preview right here in our Nave during worship on Sunday!

For the next four weeks, Sunday School children will learn about miracles that Jesus performed, including: The Wedding at Cana (when Jesus turned water into wine); The Feeding of the 5000, Jesus Calming the Storm, and Jesus Helping the Disciples Catch a Netful of Fish.

During the 4-week unit, children will learn about these miracles and what they might mean for us today.  Parents can reinforce what children are learning in Sunday School by reading from a Children's Bible or Arch Book one of the stories above, or by starting a conversation about these miracles.  Parents might start by asking which miracle children learned about today?  What does it say to us that Jesus was willing to be with the hungry, or with people in danger, or in great need?  Preacher and writer, Frederick Buechner, defines a miracle as an event that strengthens faith.  What story might you tell your child of something that has happened in your life that has strengthened your faith?

Thank you to our Sunday School teachers who make Sunday School at St. Patrick's possible: Kristen Burtle, Devon McCollum, Tricia Duncan, Jocelyn Brown Hall, Diane McQueen, Tammy Wincup, Donna Murphy, Charlotte Perry, Garrett Lowe, Benno Schmidt, Phoebe Schmidt, Justin Lingenfelter, Theresa Luchsinger, and Lalie Tongour.

The next Senior Saints Lunch will be on Tuesday, February 15th at noon in the Church library. Join your fellow parishioners for a lunch with Kurt and Andrea--no age checks at the door.

Please RSVP to your hostess Marilyn Mix (202 965-5423 or mameremix@aol.com) or to Karen in the church office.

8:00am Server:         Mary Grace Corey

Altar Guild:               Jean Bolan

Lay Eucharistic Ministers:  Carol Jobusch, David Beers  

Ushers:                   Tim Bitsberger, Bob Brookhiser, Barry Brown

Greeters:                 Needed!

Readers:                  Barry Brown, Debbie Fickenscher

Intercessor:             Needed!

Psalmist:                  Owen Donley

Server:                    Peter Jobusch

Crucifer:                  Claire Keller

Torches:                  Margaret Downing, Mac Johnson

Flowers:                  Sandy Chamblee-Head, Carol Hylton

Refreshments:         

Vestry Person of the Day:    Bill Pugh

On the first Tuesday of each month, beginning February 1, St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School will offer an opportunity for Taiz� worship to our St. Patrick's community. The service begins at 7:00 am in the Nave and lasts about 30 minutes. Taiz� chapels for the community are the following Tuesdays until the end of the school year: February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3 and, finally, May 31.

The beginnings of the Taiz� community date back to World War II. In reaction to the atrocities of war, a Swiss man named Roger Schutz, student of theology and son of a pastor, dreamed of changing the world through prayer and reconciliation. In 1940, Brother Roger moved to Taiz�, in Burgundy, France. His commitment to daily prayer strengthened his faith as he devoted his life to protecting and serving the refugees and poor. Now the community is home to over 100 brothers and is known as an ecumenical monastic community.

We welcome the wider St. Patrick's community to join us for this special service of singing, silence and prayers, and ask that if you are late in arriving that you enter quietly to maintain the special quality of this service.

The Rev. Dr. Marjorie Gerbracht-Stagnaro

Associate Rector & Day School Chaplain

Anne Tyler

Grades 7 and 8 Music

Music Department Team Leader

A biography of the The Right Rev. Edmond Lee Browning, 24th Presiding Bishop of the Episocpal Church is available from Forward Movement. Click here for more information on ordering.