September 15, 2019

Dear Ladies of TASTE,

• WOW!!!  The time has arrived. TASTE begins its 13th year THIS Thursday, September 19th. We hope everyone had a wonderful summer. We've been booking speakers and getting ready to begin our year together.  We have quite a lineup of good holy priests and wonderful lay people. We’ve met several times during the summer. Your facilitators have been faithfully praying for you and TASTE. The list of all the women who have registered is taken to Adoration where you are prayed for individually. The names are then drawn randomly and placed in groups. We have no control of what group you’re in…it’s the Holy Spirit!!! God has truly blessed us!
• If you are planning on using our TASTE for Tots program we are once again blessed to have the Sisters of the Servant of the Lord and the Virgin of Matera helping this year. This is an incredible gift and we are just elated that they will be returning. For those of you who are new, these Sisters wear a full length gray dress (habit) with a blue tunic over it. We mostly get the novices who wear a long grey shirt and white blouse. After all the children are picked up at 11:30, the Sisters come across the street to mingle with us. They will also come to our brown-bag lunches once a month! Our TASTE group does what we can to encourage and support these young women. We bring food every week to help feed 30 young women in their convent! Cash, checks, and gas cards are always greatly appreciated.
• Perishable and non perishable food will be collected each week to help the Sisters. Anything from your gardens would be a real treat! Refrigerated items (milk, meat, eggs, etc) can be placed in a cooler we will have by the door. Whatever you bring will be much appreciated. If you are writing a check, please make it payable to Servants of the Lord.
• New name tags are issued every year with your group number inside the chalice on the right hand side of your tag. If you still have an old name tag, please bring it and turn it in as the new one will have your current group number on it. Your name tags will be passed out when we break into our groups.  In case you forget what group you're in, don't panic...there will be an alphabetical list with group numbers if you need to jog your memory. Your facilitators already have their name tags and will be wearing them.
• THIS Thursday, September 19^th, TASTE will begin with the 9 a.m. Parish Mass at St. Mary of the Mills Catholic Church, 114 St. Mary's Place Laurel, Maryland 20707. See the FAQs below for parking information.  Immediately following Mass, we'll walk across the street to the Pallotti Chapel. Please walk through the center glass doors on the right front of the school, turn right and walk into the Chapel.  The Chapel will actually be sticking out and you'll be walking right beside it. There will be women directing you, so please do not be nervous as to where you should go.  Just follow the crowd! You may sit anywhere in the chapel but please fill up the rows in the front first. The doors to the Chapel will be closed after our speaker has begun but they are unlocked and you may enter at any time.
• If you are bringing a child you must register them downstairs in the Breen room (basement of the church) before you walk across the street. You will need to use the elevator to get downstairs; there will be someone to direct you downstairs.  It will be the second door on the right after you go down the steps. Do not worry about being late, get your little one/s settled and then come over.  It will get easier as they get more comfortable with their new "teachers." Filling out the registration form before Thursday will help you focus on getting your little one/s adjusted. The Children's Registration Form is below. If possible, please print it out at home and complete it before Thursday to save time at drop off. It's a whole lot easier to fill this out at home but forms will be available in the Breen Room.
• We will break into our groups following our songs, announcements and prayer for priests.  While in your group you will learn how TASTE works and get to know each other a bit better.
• We are excited to have Fr. Larry Swink as our opening speaker.  The title of his talk is “Living our Catholic Faith in a Secular World” and will begin promptly at 10:30 am. Father will be staying after to hear Confessions in the back of the Chapel following the Program at 11:30 am. If you have a child in the TASTE for TOTS Program, please go over and pick them up and then come back to the Chapel if you would like to go to Confession. Always remember where we are; we're in a church so please whisper and show reverence as others pray. Please try to take conversations out of the Chapel and into the hallway.
• We are looking forward to meeting all of you.  You will be divided into groups so you won't feel overwhelmed. It is our goal to make you feel loved and accepted from the beginning. You are not a stranger as we all share a bond with one another.  We all have the same Father and Mother in Heaven! So come and enjoy yourself as we are fed solid Church teaching and we bask in the Son! Each talk is given in front of the Eucharist so our time spent together is really special.
• We hope you had a wonderful summer.  We look forward to seeing everyone this Thursday!    May God Bless Each Of You! See you on Thursday!

Blessings! Carolyn & Joy
Jesus, I Trust in You!

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