Welcome to
St. Mark's Episcopal Church!
We are glad you found us and are interested in learning more about our community. Visitors, newcomers, inquirers, and members of other faiths are always welcome to take part in Sunday services, educational opportunities for children and adults, and a variety of outreach and social activities. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey - doubting, full-of-faith, or in between - you are welcome at St. Mark's.
St. Mark's is open for in-person services
The Bishop has approved limited in-person worship with some familiar guidelines: "Everyone present must wear masks at all times and maintain six feet distance. Singing, whether by cantors, choirs, or the congregation, is not recommended, and no church employees, lay or ordained, should be expected to return to in-person worship or other work before they have had the opportunity to be vaccinated." A further recommendation is that all worship leaders be fully vaccinated in order to lead worship.
St. Mark's welcomes The Rev. John Downey
During the months of May, June and July, The Rev. Colleen O'Connor will be on sabbatical, a time for rest and renewal. The Rev. John Downey, retired Dean of the Cathedral of St. Paul in Erie, PA will be our celebrant on Sundays at 10:30 am during these three months.
Online Diocesan-wide CHURCH SERVICES - Sundays at 10:00 am - will continue into May
EVENING PRAYER
Evening Prayer has concluded. It started in March 2020 with the idea that it would only last a couple weeks before we returned to normal. It lasted for thirteen months, during which time members of the Genesee Deanery got to know each other and prayed for each other, and made Evening Prayer a habit. If you would like to continue with a similar time of prayer and meditation, please look at the following options from Forward Day by Day: https://www.forwardmovement.org/Pages/Item/15054/Our-Podcasts.aspx
ADULT STUDY AND DISCUSSION Alternate Wednesdays at 7:30 pm
Starting on January 13, St. Mark's will be hosting a study and discussion of Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times by Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Each session will focus on one chapter of the book, a short Bible passage, and questions to consider. The church has copies of the book to borrow for the duration of the series. To register for this, please e-mail stmarksleroy @ gmail.com [no spaces] and indicate if you need help with Zoom and if you would like to borrow a copy of the book.
WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL Services & COVID Memorial
Please be aware that the National Cathedral offers many services as well as an online COVID-19 Memorial, where you can submit names of loved ones who have died of COVID. A weekly service honors these people who have lost their lives.
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Stained Glass - St. Mark's is embarking on an exciting new project to protect and preserve the beautiful windows in the church. The church is raising funds through a historical preservation grant and individual donations to replace badly deteriorating storm windows protecting the stained glass. Donate to this project through PayPal
Here's a wonderful article detailing the $10,000 Sacred Sites grant being awarded to St. Mark's from the New York Landmarks Conservancy:The Batavian - St. Mark's Church in LeRoy
Thank you for your support!
SUMMER LUNCH for children & teens 2021
St. Mark's Summer Lunch program will be on pause this summer as the school will be providing lunches throughout the summer. Plans are underway to update the kitchen in preparation for lunches in 2022. Last year, we served 2,408 lunches over 8 weeks with the help of 38 volunteers and 25 donors. This would have been our 13th summer of providing food.
An Experiment for the Sake of the Gospel
Our dioceses (The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York & Northwest Pennsylvania) are on a journey to discover how collaborating can help us transform our congregations and communities through the power of Jesus Christ. In our churches, everyone is welcome, without exception. (St. Mark's hosted Bishop Sean Rowe on Sunday, October 20 at the 10:30 am service.)
Deepening Our Commitment to Racial Justice - Read Bishop Sean's Lenten message