Weekly Newsletter for the week of Friday, August 24, 2007 through Thursday, August 30, 2007

ST. MARY UPDATE  

Weekly Newsletter for the week

Friday, August 24, 2007 through Thursday, August 30, 2007  

 

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

KATYA POLISHCHUK MEMORIAL - Masha Nemirovskaya and Anna Polishchuk will be at St. Mary's for Divine Liturgy this coming Sunday.  In the ten months since Katya Polishchuk's untimely passing from this world at the age of 5, donations in Katya's memory were used to acquire a set of three beautiful bronze bells from Russia for St. John Maximovich Serbian Orthodox Church in Eugene , OR , the community to which the Polishchuks belong.  Now they are raising money for the St. Katherine bell tower to house the bells: http://users.rio.com/bamm/ST .JOHN/katya.html  So far, $28,000 out of $40,000 has been collected.  If you would like to contribute to this project, please follow the instructions on the web site.  Alternatively, you may write a check payable to St. John Maximovich Serbian Orthodox Church and present it to Masha during coffee hour on Sunday. 

The Polishchuks (Sasha, Masha, Anna, Katya) were parishioners of St. Mary's for a number of years before moving to Oregon 4 years ago.  Katya was baptized at St. Mary's with Arlene Marge and Alex Orlovsky as Godparents.  May her memory be eternal.

PARISH COUNCIL - The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Thursday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m.

CHURCH SCHOOL REGISTRATION - Attention Church School  Parents, Students & Teachers:  Church School Pre-Registration starts during Coffee Hour Sunday, September 9.  Please register your child(ren) and make sure their registration materials and information are up-to-date.  Church School lessons begin Sunday, September 16, 2007.

REMINDERS

NATIONAL YOUNG ADULT RETREAT  -  Young adults age 18-35 are invited to a retreat September 14-16 at Hellenic College/Holy Cross, Brookline , MA   The keynote speaker is  Fr. Luke Veronis, whose  topic will be  Responding to God's Call: Love that Makes a Difference.  Information and online registration are available at www.yal.org

WOMEN'S BOOK CLUB - This summer Women's Club members (and anyone else who'd like to join us) are reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini.  The author of The Kite Runner takes his storytelling powers to the next level with this instant classic. Following the lives of two Afghan women over 30 years, this beautiful, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel will sweep you away.  We'll be discussing it on Wednesday, September 19 - start your summer reading now!

 

ST. THEKLA PILGRIMAGE - The 2007 St. Thekla Pilgrimage at the Antiochian Village will be September 21-23.  The keynote speaker is  H. Tristram Engelhardt, whose topic will be  Wholeness and Health in a Secular World.  Information and registration forms are available at

http://www.antiochian.org/2007-pilgrimage

LITURGICAL SERVICE - The Epistle each Sunday is read by a member of the congregation, and six members of the congregation hold the cloth and Holy Bread baskets during Communion.  More volunteers are needed for the next few weeks.  If you would like to help with these services,  please contact Jeff Wasilko at jeffw@smoe.org or 781-820-0882.

FOOD PANTRY -   Two to four St. Mary's volunteers are needed each week to help in the food pantry at St. Paul 's RC Church in Harvard Square , Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45. Contact Christian Alcala  at 617-876-5684 or  cmalcala1989@yahoo.com.

SOUP KITCHEN - Three or four St. Mary's volunteers are needed to help each week at the Open Doors Meal Ministry at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Allston, Mondays any time between 4:00 p.m. and 7:30. Contact Liz Tutella at 617-974-5005 (note new phone number) or ETutella@sovereignbank.com.   

INSIGHT

Here we present "The Ancient Paths," a Bible study combining patristic passages and Scripture.  It is provided to us periodically by Deacon Neal Hughes, Fr. Antony's brother.  Deacon Neal maintains his own mailing list for "The Ancient Paths;" if you would like to receive them all, you may contact him at  HughesKN@msha.com and request to be included on his list.  

 

On Eternal Life (in commemoration of the death of Frank Hughes and his graduation to Fullness of Life August 12, 2007) :

 "Eternal life is not the negation of time, but time's absolute wholeness, gathering, restoration. Eternal life is not what begins after temporal life; it is the eternal presence of the totality of life."

   - Fr. Alexander Schmemann

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

   - The Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians 1:15-20

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

   - The First Epistle of St. Paul to Timothy 6:12

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

   - The First Epistle of St. John 5:11-13

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

   - The Gospel According to St. John 17:3

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

Saturday, August 25:  Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, August 26:  Last day of summer hours - Orthros 8:15 a.m.; Divine Liturgy 9:30 a.m.

SCRIPTURE READINGS for August 26:

Epistle:  St. Paul 's First Letter to the Corinthians 16:13-24  Brethren, be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.  (The entire reading may be found at  http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/lectionary.asp?type=epistle&code=101 )

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-42  The Lord said this parable, "There was a householder who planted a vineyard, ... and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. ... Afterward he sent his son to them, saying 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"  (The entire reading may be found at http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/lectionary.asp?type=gospel&code=140&event=1140&DL=EN )

LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday, September 1:  Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 2:  Regular schedule resumes - Orthros:  8:45 a.m., Divine Liturgy 10 a.m.

Friday, September 7: Evening Liturgy for the Nativity of the Theotokos 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 9:  Church School registration, and Blessing of Teachers

Thursday, September 13:  Evening Liturgy for the Elevation of the Holy Cross 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 16:  Church School classes begin

VOLUNTEER SCHEDULES

FOOD PANTRY

Two to four volunteers help each week in the food pantry at St. Paul 's RC Church in Harvard Square , Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45.  If you are willing to help, contact Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com or (617) 876-5684.

August 18:   Kern Ormond and Christian Alcala

LITURGICAL SERVICE

The Epistle each Sunday is read by a member of the congregation, and six members of the congregation hold the cloth and Holy Bread baskets during Communion.  If you would like to help with these services,  please contact Jeff Wasilko at jeffw@smoe.org or 781-820-0882.

August 19:  Epistle - Teva Regule

Communion Assistance - Stella Miller, Amelia Perkins, Scott Miller, Sofia Miller

COFFEE HOUR

To sign up for an available Sunday, please put your name on the signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall or call Marilyn in the Office 617-547-1234 and she'll write your name in.

August 26:  The Chin family

September 2:  Abra Greene