Welcome to This Week at St. Luke’s for the Seventh Week after Pentecost, July 26, 2025 to August 2, 2025.

This week we celebrate our full schedule of services with our 5pm Saturday Said Holy Eucharist, 11am Sunday Sung Holy Eucharist, and 12:10pm Wednesday Healing Eucharist with anointing and prayers. At our Sunday Eucharist, we will be welcoming two new members into our St. Elizabeth Princess of Hungary chapter of the Daughters of the King, with a special coffee hour after. We hope you join us at any of our services, in person at the church or online, for worship and fellowship.

Please see below for our weekly schedule, important announcements and upcoming events, livestream links, and our parish prayer list.

Livestream Links:

Links to our livestreamed services are available on our website’s Livestream page (links are posted within 6 hours of the service), or may be viewed on our Facebook Page or YouTube Channel.

Click here to download the Leaflet for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Click here to watch last Sunday’s sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Announcements and Events:

Ronald McDonald House Soda-and-Soup Tabs Collection – The St. Elizabeth Princess of Hungary Chapter of the Order of the Daughters of the King is collecting pull-tabs from soda, soup, and other cans to benefit the Ronald McDonald House through their recycling program. Please bring in your tabs and drop them in the container at the back of the nave.   

Parking Passes Available – As a worshipper at St. Luke’s, you are welcome to make use of the church parking lot when you are visiting downtown Scranton. Please pick up a parking pass at the back of the nave to display in your windshield.  

Welsh Cookies Return! – Good news! St. Luke’s delicious Welsh cookies will be returning this September, grilled to perfection in our new kitchen. Stay tuned for more information! 

Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends – St. Luke’s will once again be participating in Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends scheduled for Wednesday, October 22, 2025. You can purchase the shopping passes in advance for $5.00. The pass then entitles you to a 25% discount on almost all merchandise for the one-day Boscov’s sale. All proceeds remain with St. Luke’s for the general fund. The passes will soon be available from Vestry members and a basket with the passes will be available on the table in the rear of the parish. We’ll be using the honor system, so please leave $5 for each pass you wish to purchase. You may want to purchase a pass for a friend or take some extras to sell. Should you have any questions, please see Lucetta Savinelli.   

Memorial Bricks for the Memorial Garden Fundraiser – From Pentecost through the summer St. Luke’s is offering the opportunity to donate a brick of remembrance or thanksgiving to be incorporated into our Memorial Garden pathway. Order online at https://polarengraving.com/stlukescranton or pick up a brochure/order form at the back of the nave. If you have any questions, please contact Diane Kraus at dianekraus07@gmail.com.

Back-to-School Supplies Collection – St. Luke’s is partnering again this summer with Friends of the Poor to collect back to school supplies for our friends and neighbors. Of special need are clear backpacks, clear water bottles and clear lunch boxes, along with folders, binders, pencils and crayons. Helpful hint: In August, much of the needed supplies go on sale at Walmart and in July there are special sales during Amazon’s Prime Days; either might help to stretch your donation dollars. There is a barrel in the back of the parish to receive your gifts. If you have any questions, please email Sharon Sollami at sharonsollami@gmail.com. 

Safety Net Grocery Collection – Our summer collection for Safety Net begins with the shopping bags hung at the end of each pew. Please take one home to help replenish Safety Net’s emergency food resources for those with urgent needs. Return your filled bag to the back of the nave before the end of August. 

Sunday School Volunteer Opportunity – As we express our gratitude to Rick Ammenhauser for 15 years of service in our Sunday School, we are now also seeking a Sunday School volunteer to assist Ken Wrazien with our young parishioners. Please see Father Parry, Rick, Ken, or another member of the Vestry if you feel called to this ministry. Safe Church requirements must be fulfilled. 

SACRED GROUND: A Film and Reading-based Dialogue on Race and Faith is being offered (on Zoom) beginning in August. The online sessions will be every other Monday, with opportunities for an evening or afternoon gathering. The focus of the program allows participants to learn the multiracial history of our country that may have missed growing up and now school teachers are not supposed to teach.  
Full Communion Sacred Ground is an 11-part series built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories, and the stories of our families. Join Episcopalians, Lutherans, Moravians, and others to learn how race continues to shape our nation and how we might respond in faith, lament, and action. The program is free but it requires an investment of your time and heart. There are about 2 hours of film-watching and reading between each session. Each person will be part of the larger group and a small dialogue circle. Participants are urged to attend each session, to build trust and depth in the circles. Sacred Ground will challenge and reward you, as we work toward becoming Beloved Community. Please visit https://www.episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground/ to learn more about Sacred Ground. Contact the Rev. Maria Tjeltveit at sacredground.beth@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to register for a preview session (Aug. 11, 2-3 or 7-8 pm ET) or the full course. 

Molly’s Food Pantry – Time is winding down for donations to be made to Molly’s Food Pantry at Nay Aug Park. We will be collecting until the end of July and have been asked to shift our donations to breakfast foods, including cereal, breakfast bars, pop tarts, fruit cups, juice boxes, etc. Please leave your donations in the shopping cart in Kreitler Hall through the end of this month or you may leave them directly in the pantry at Nay Aug parks helipad. Should you have any questions, please see Sharon Sollami or email her at sharonsollami@gmail.com

Thank You To our special ministers at last week’s worship services and our coffee-hour hosts!

In Our Prayers

Please keep the following in your prayers this week: Jordan, Frank, Elaine, Lynn, Mary Jane, Robin, Heather, Chase, Dave, Philomena, Kyle, John, Diane, Jeanette, Anne, Rick, Amy, Mario, David, Canon Bill+, Charles, Todd, Joseph, Scott, Bill, Joann, Karen, Rylee, Ricky, Don, Margaret, Marty, Anne, Gail, Father Shearer, William, and Brendan.

And the departed: John. May they rest in peace and may light perpetual shine upon them.