St. Benedict’s Weekly Prayers: Week of March 22, 2026

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The power of prayer keeps us connected with God and each other.
We invite you to pray daily for yourself, your family, and for our parish family.

Note: The cycle of prayer for parish members is from our Parish Directory.

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Fifth Sunday in Lent

The Collect:

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. - BCP

James De Koven, Priest, 1879

The below names, "LFF" are celebrations from "Lesser Feasts and Fasts", online 2025. Holy Days are in the Book of Common Prayer.  https://www.episcopalchurch.org/wpcontent/uploads/2025/03/lesser_feasts_and_fasts_-_2024__final_.pdf

Prayers and Gratitude for the Parish

David, Isabel, Gary, Judy, Matthew, Chris, Pam, Ray, Kay, Rebekah, Jane, Daphne, Kissa, Paul, Carolyn, Charlotte, Kristie, Stephen, Tim, Harrison, Bill, Gregory, Akira, Marjie, Judy, and Tim.  We give thanks for the wetland trees in our Parish.  

 Prayers for Friends of St. Benedict

Nancy Jo, Adam, Tina, Amanda, Jess, Tim, Gary, Shane, Marianne, Ron, Kelly, Oran, and Judy.

Prayers for Military Deployed in Service to the Nation

Mark

Prayers for the Departed
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In the case of a pastoral care emergency please call the Rector directly
360-485-7281

Monday - March 23- For Parish Members

Judy
Gift
Charlotte

Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary, c.332

Tuesday - March 24 - For Parish Members

Sally
Holly

Óscar Romero, Archbishop and Martyr, 1980, and the Martyrs of El Salvador

Wednesday - March 25 - For Parish Members

Kelly
Sammy

Thursday - March 26 - For Parish Members

Gary
Isabel

Harriet Monsell, Monastic, 1883

Friday - March 27 - For Parish Members

John
Tom

Charles Henry Brent, Bishop, 1929

           Saturday - March 28 - For Parish Members

Karen

James Solomon Russell, Priest, 1935

A Prayer for this Parish

O God, our heavenly Father, make the doors of our Church wide enough to receive all who need your care, compassion, and fellowship; and narrow enough to shut out all pride, selfishness, and prejudice in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.  Amen

Sunday -March 22, 2026
Fifth Sunday of Lent

Worship Services - 8 am and 10:30 am 

For the members of our parish family that
passed away  this year:

Mary Eberling
Kathleen Bruner

Give to the departed eternal rest;
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Parish Office:

Call or leave a message for an Appointment
office@stbenedictlacey.org


Vestry members:

Gerald Apple, Bob Beckman, Dianne Hoist, Vicky Newlun, Nancy Zabel

Parish Leaders:

The Rev (Dr) Beth Echols
Rector

The Rev. Kathy Prehm,
Associate Priest

The Rev. Tony Irving,
Deacon

Bob Zych
Senior Warden

Kelly Ellis
Junior Warden

Karen Monroe,
Maestra

Send Prayer requests to the Rector via email at rector@stbenectictlacey.org or phone 360.456.4480

PLEDGE ELECTRONICALLY

The Drama of Easter

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You are invited to join with the St. Benedict family to travel the Via Dolorosa to the gift of the Holy Spirit, beginning with Hosanna on Palm Sunday and moving through Maundy Thursday and the gift of communion, the call to service, the cry from the cross and harrowing of hell the first light of Christ's glory, the empty tomb the reunion with the Father. The story is meant to be taken as a whole.  I hope that you will join us.

Palm Sunday, March 29, 8:oo amd and 10:30
Maundy Thursday, April 2, 7:00 pm
Good Friday, Friday, April 3, 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Holy Saturday, Saturday, April 4, 9:00 am
Easter Vigil, Saturday, 4 April, 8:00 pm
Easter Sunday, Sunday, 5 April 8:00 am and 10:30 am
Ascension, Thursday, May 14, 5:30 pm, followed by Potluck Supper

Maundy Thursday: April 2nd

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Maundy Thursday is one of the most significant days in the Episcopal liturgical calendar, falling on the Thursday of Holy Week — the night before Good Friday. It commemorates three central events from the Last Supper. The name "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum ("commandment"), referring to Jesus' new commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you." On this night, Jesus washed his disciples' feet as an act of humble service. In Episcopal churches, the ceremony of foot-washing appropriately follows the Gospel reading and homily, recalling that "strength and growth in the life of the Kingdom of God come not by power, authority, or even miracle, but by such lowly service."Stripping of the Altar after the liturgy, the altar is stripped bare — sometimes accompanied by the recitation of Psalm 22 — symbolizing the abandonment and humiliation of Christ. Please join us for this beautiful service.

The Book Club is starting a new book on March 25

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The Wednesday Morning Book Group is starting a new book:  Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom.

We expect to start discussing Tuesdays with Morrie at our 11:00 am Zoom meeting on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

If you’re new to the group and wish to join us, please send me an email, and I’ll send you a link to the meeting.  
Send the email to Anne Metzler at annieg426@gmail.com .

Letter from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe on Military Strike on Iran

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Dear people of God in The Episcopal Church,

Here in the United States, we awoke this morning with alarm to the news that the United States and Israel have launched a large military strike on Iran. This violent attack comes despite weeks of negotiations that many of us had hoped would prevent armed conflict in this fragile region, which is home to so many religious traditions and faithful people.  

Bishop Jeffrey Mello of Connecticut and a group of pilgrims from that diocese are in the Holy Land now, and when we spoke this morning, he let me know that they are safe at St. George’s College in Jerusalem. I ask you to pray fervently for them and their safe return. 

Pray, too, for all the people of the Holy Land, and especially for the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East and its leader, Archbishop Hosam Naoum. I had planned to be with Hosam today and tomorrow when he made a long-planned visit to our church. Many Episcopalians who had hoped to see him and assure him of our support will feel his absence keenly in the coming days. I commend to you the letter that he has sent to the people of his diocese this morning.

As news reports tell us of fear and panic in Iran, I ask you to pray especially for the people of the Diocese of Iran and for all of the Iranian people. In recent weeks, we have mourned as the regime in Iran has killed peaceful protesters, and watched with alarm at both its increasing repression of the Iranian people and the escalating response of the U.S. government. As Christians who follow a Prince of Peace, we mourn that today’s attacks will surely mean further hardship for the most vulnerable Iranians and, as retaliation inevitably follows, suffering that will spread across the entire region.

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

The Most Rev. Sean Rowe
Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church

Learn more about the Episcopal Church’s advocacy for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land from the Office of Government Relations.

Easter Garden

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At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener... -John 20: 14-15

We hope that you will support your Church and remember loved ones with donations as the St. Benedict Altar Guild transforms the Nave into the Garden.

This year, Easter flower donations will be used to buy plants and flowers for our beautiful Easter service on April 5th. Any remaining donations will be used to restore our processional cross, Pascal candle holder, and our 2 pulpit torch candle holders. Like our altar candle holders, they are long overdue for a restoration and shine. 

Thank you for your generosity and for joining our celebration

Restoration

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—Nancy Zabel, Sacristan

During Lent, we practice moral and spiritual renewal, reconciliation with others and the church, and preparation to live more fully into the new life promised in Baptism and Easter. Similarly, the symbols of our worship are being restored as well. After 40 years, it is time to restore and shine our processional cross, Pascal candle holder, and our 2 pulpit torch candle holders. Alloy Polishing in Centralia has agreed to take on the project.  We will celebrate their renewal this Easter with a joyful Alleluia.

A message from the Bishop on Immigration

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Dear Friends,

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Our chancellors Judy Andrews and Bryan Krislock have drawn up the attached memo to give you some guidance on Immigration and Sanctuary for our parishes, and parishioners, which I hope you will find helpful. Additionally, The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations has created a page of resources as well: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/immigration-action-toolkit/

Additionally, yesterday the Episcopal Church joined a religious freedoms lawsuit challenging ICE enforcement in churches. You can read more about that action here: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/publicaffairs/episcopal-church-joins-religious-freedom-lawsuit-challenging-ice-enforcement-actions-in-churches/.

As I said last week, I know this is a difficult and confusing time for all of us, and our call as disciples of Jesus is to care for those who are often on the margins of our society. Know that my prayers are with you as you continue to care for those in your communities who are being impacted by the many different orders meant to bring fear and chaos into our nation. We are reminded again and again in scripture to not be afraid, God is with us. May we hold onto that reality in these hard times.

(See Church bulletin board for Memo)

Blessings,

Phil (Bishop of the Diocese of Olympia in Western Washington)

Episcopal News Service

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The Episcopal News Service (ENS) has been added to the St. Benedict Web Site for your convenience.  It is a successor to the bi-weekly paper, Episcopal News, that ran from 1835 to 1937. Episcopal News Service  offers in-depth reporting of local, regional, national and international news for Episcopalians and others interested in the church’s mission and ministry. Episcopal News Service is the official news source of the Episcopal Church.

The link will be posted each week for your easy access.  We hope that you find this new service helpful, click on the link below. 

episcopal news service

Lights, Camera… Safety!

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If you’ve noticed a few extra “eyes” around St. Benedict lately, don’t worry—we haven’t hired a film crew, and no, you’re not being scouted for a reality show. Vestry has simply approved a project to expand our existing Ring Doorbell safety system by adding four new surveillance cameras around the church’s exterior.

These motion‑sensitive devices quietly keep watch 24/7, recording activity around the grounds and storing up to 180 days of video of helpful alerts—whether it’s people, packages, vehicles, or the occasional wandering raccoon with evening plans. Best of all, the system allows authorized users to check live views from any approved computer or mobile device. 

To keep things affordable, SBEC chose a budget‑friendly subscription that covers an unlimited number of devices rather than a full monitoring service. It’s a practical step that enhances safety without stretching the Parish wallet.
At the heart of all this: Vestry takes the safety of our Parish family seriously. These cameras are simply another way to help us care for one another and the local Community—and keep our lovely campus protected day and night.