Weekly Newsletter for the week Friday, April 3, through Thursday, April 9, 2009

THIS WEEKEND

Friday

AKATHIST AND SPEAKER - The final Akathist service is  at 7:00 pm this Friday.  After the service we'll meet in the Church hall for refreshments and a Learning in Lent presentation (approximately 8-9:30 pm). This evening's speaker is David Vermette; his  topic is Finding Prayer: Some Practical Methods from the Fathers (note change from previously announced topic).

Saturday

CHURCH SCHOOL RETREAT - This  Saturday, April 4, church school students are invited to come to St. Mary's to work on their class's Creative Arts Festival Project, for a "Lenten Retreat-like"  hands-on activity, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  Please check with your teacher to see if your class is participating.  You can also contact Melissa Sayeg (sayegirls@aol.com)  or Arlene Marge (lanciani@alum.mit.edu)  with any questions.

FAMILY VESPERS - We encourage church school  students to stay (or come) with their parents for Family Vespers and confession this Saturday after the retreat (see above).  Vespers begins at 5:00 pm. Incorporated into the service this week will be a special dramatic reading of the life of St. Mary of Egypt, on the eve of her Feast.

ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN'S SPRING FLING - On Saturday, April 4, 2009, the women of the diocese will sponsor a visit to the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, MA.    Museum admission is $4.  Contact Priscilla Goss for further information,  at pagoss@aol.com or phone 781-762-1527.

LENTEN RETREAT WITH KYRIAKI K. FITZGERALD - St. Michael, Cotuit invites you to an Adult Lenten Retreat, Saturday, April 4, 2009   Topic:  "Reflections on Psalm 50,"  with speaker,  Kyriaki K. Fitzgerald, M.Div., Ph.D.  Retreat & Luncheon cost:  $20.   For more information call Lorraine Reiley at 508-240-2412.

RETREAT AT ST. VLADIMIR'S - St. Vladimir's Seminary, Yonkers, NY, has announced its Annual Public Lenten Retreat, Saturday, April 4:  Speaker:  V. Rev. Dr. Alexander Atty. Topic: "Good & Faithful Servants."  Register:  www.svotsedu or email: events@svots.edu  

Sunday

PASCHA BAKE SALE - The Women's Club will hold its annual Pascha Bake Sale this Sunday, April 5, 2009 (The Sunday before Palm Sunday).  Plan on purchasing all your Pascha/Easter desserts, pastries and goodies!  If you can help bake or bring something for us to sell, please call Selma Winstanley at 781-646-9405 or Marilyn Robbat at 617-547-1234.

PALM SUNDAY FISH DINNER RSVP - The Fellowship of St. John the Divine is hosting its annual fish dinner next Sunday, April 12 after Liturgy.  Instead of cooking, spend your Palm Sunday with your family and friends in Church. A freewill donation will be collected and we need lots of help with serving and cleanup.  Please let us know how many will be coming - contact Lan Hu at hulan0@gmail.com or 617-953-8724, by this Sunday, April 5th.

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

WOMEN'S CLUB THANK YOU - Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Antiochian Women's Project 2009:  Children With Special Needs collection last Sunday AND a special thank you to all those women who participated throughout March, Antiochian Women's Month, assisting in Liturgical Service.  There's still time to contribute to the Project - see MaryEllen Mabardy, Priscilla Goss or Marilyn Robbat.

HOLY FRIDAY RETREAT - Children and teens are invited to a retreat on Friday, April 17. It will include lessons, activities, crafts, "ask Father," and confessions (children only).  For children under age 7, accompanied by a parent, activities will be provided from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30. Older children will stay on for the Royal Hours at 1:00 p.m.  A goodwill offering of $5 per child will help defray activity expenses. If you can help with the retreat, or provide food or beverages, please call Trish at 781-641-0182 before Palm Sunday, or email her at t_orlovsky@hotmail.com

DECORATE THE BIER - Help is needed on Great & Holy Friday at 9:30 a.m. to decorate the Bier of Christ.  Everyone is welcome.  Parents:  Come upstairs and help while your children are downstairs at their Retreat. You're welcome to share lunch with the kids, but please let Trish know early in the week so there will be enough for everyone.

HOLY SATURDAY LITURGY - On Holy Saturday morning, April 18, we will celebrate the  Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil at 9:00 am. Be among the first, along with the Myrrh-Bearing Women, to share in and witness Christ's triumph over evil and death, commemorated through the scattering of bay leaves and flowers. Be there to hear readings from the Old Testament that prophesy the coming of Christ. Be there to welcome the catechumens into the Faith. The service will be followed by a Coffee Hour/Reception for the continued good health of the Kaldas Family and the parishioners of St. Mary, offered by Nadia & Bahig Kaldas.

RUSSIAN ICON MUSEUM - Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church, Somerville, is sponsoring a trip to the Russian Icon Museum on Saturday, April 25 from 8:30 to 4:30  The price, $40 per person, includes transportation, admission, tour and lunch.  Deadline for reservation & payment: 4/1/2009.  Call Mary Limberakis 617-887-3352.

REMINDERS

LENTEN POTLUCK -Wednesday, April 8  will be the final Lenten Presanctified Liturgy at 6:30 p.m., followed by a Potluck Supper sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John.  Do plan to come and bring something to share.  Any Lenten fare is welcome:  main courses, sides, salads, desserts, as well as beverages and snacks.  This is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship during Lent, plus we get to sample each other's Lenten recipes.  Please stay for supper even if you can't bring food--there's room at the table for everyone. 

LAZARUS  SATURDAY - Please come and bring your friends and family to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on Lazarus Saturday, April 11 (Matins 8:00  am, Liturgy 9:00 am) and enjoy a Communion Breakfast at 10:15 am offered by Selma Winstanley in memory of brother, Mitchell Mabardi. (Note corrected times.) Then, immediately after the breakfast,  there will be Rehearsal for the choir, and a  Church Clean-Up in preparation for Pascha for everyone else, coordinated by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine.  Please bring rags, cleaning supplies, small buckets, brown paper bags and irons for wax removal, etc. Come and lend a hand in preparing God's House for the Feast of Feasts.  Remember,  "Many hands make light work!"

FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE - Money Boxes are on the Bengarri. Please be sure to pick one or two up and place them throughout your home. Our Church School Students have been  given their own boxes to fill. Be generous with your contributions during this Lenten season. Return the filled FFHP boxes to the Bengarri or to Violet Robbat on Palm Sunday, April 12, 2009.

FSJD BOOK CLUB - As you may recall, the book discussion sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine originally scheduled for last fall, was postponed to April 26. This will coordinate with the vonHolzhausen lecture the following week, since our speaker will be the author of the book.  It's also great Lenten reading if you are still looking for some good reads this season.

Book: Mystic Street: Meditations on a Spiritual Path by Steve Georgiou
When: Sunday, April 26
Where: We'll meet up  in the church hall after coffee hour and discuss
What you need to do: You can order the book through Amazon.com  or Spirit Currents (http://www.spiritcurrents.com). Your local library or local bookstore may also have a copy if you'd rather go that route. 

Questions? Let Larisa Patachiola  or Brooke Wilcox know- snag them on Sunday or drop one of them an e-mail at larisademshuk@yahoo.com or brookewilcox@gmail.com. If you know someone who might want to join in on the reading fun, spread the word!

VonHOLZHAUSEN LECTURE - The Fellowship of St. John the Divine cordially invites you to the annual Fr. John vonHolzhausen dinner and lecture on Saturday, May 2, 2009, following Vespers. Dinner is at 6:00 p.m.; the lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m.

This year's speaker is S.T. Georgiou, Ph.D., who teaches Humanities and Comparative Religion at San Francisco City College and at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.  He recently completed his GTU doctoral studies in Religion and Art,  and is the author of The Way of the Dreamcatcher: Spirit-Lessons With Robert Lax,  Poet-Peacemaker-Sage;  and Mystic Street: Meditations On A Spiritual Path (the subject of our Book Club discussion - see above).  The title of his lecture will be When Less is More: Sharing the Wisdom & Simplicity of Robert Lax, Poet, Hermit, Mystic of Patmos.  A book signing will follow his presentation.

PENTECOST RETREAT AT NEW SKETE - The Fellowship of St. John the Divine is sponsoring a community building retreat for St. Mary's (and friends) at New Skete Monastery, Cambridge, NY, May 22-24 (Friday night until Sunday afternoon).  In the spirit of the Paschal/Pentecost season, the theme for the weekend is "Gifts of the Spirit," taken from 1 Cor. 12:7: "To each one has been given the Gifts of the Spirit for the Common Good."  Plans for the weekend include talks focusing on the theme with personal reflective time and group discussions as well as one introducing retreatants to the community and liturgical life of the monastery, opportunities to join the New Skete Communities for worship, and free time for hiking, journaling, playing with the dogs, etc.  Opportunities for personal spiritual direction and/or sacramental confession are also available.  For more information about the weekend and/or to reserve a spot, contact Tiffany Conroy (trattus1@gmail.com).  Retreatants will be housed at the various monastic communities' guest facilities (and possibly, nearby hotels).  Contact Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) to reserve housing at the monastery.      

SUMMER CONFERENCE AT ST. VLADIMIR'S - St. Vladimir's Seminary, Yonkers, NY, has announced a Summer Conference for Clergy & Laity, June 18 - 20, 2009 Keynote:  Archpriest Alexander Garklavs. Topic: "The Council & the Tomos: 20th Century Landmarks towards a 21st Century Church." E-mail or call 914-961-8313 Ext. 343

Register:  www.svotsedu or email: events@svots.edu   See  flyer on church bulletin board.

PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE - St. George Church in Lawrence will be hosting the 2009 Parish Life Conference for the Diocese of New England, June 25-28, at the Wyndham Hotel in Andover , MA .  Singles and Doubles:  $95.  Triples: $105 and Quads: $115.  Hotel reservation deadline is June 4, 2009; mention Parish Life Conference for special rates.   More information can be found on St. George's website at www.stgeorgelawrence.org/Conf2009     

ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE CAMP - Schedules have been announced for the 2009 camping program at the Village - see http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp.html

CROSSROADS - High School Juniors and Seniors:  The Office of Vocation & Ministry at Hellenic College is now accepting applications for its summer CrossRoad program.  Two sessions are offered:  June 20 - 30 and July 7 - 17, 2009.  For more information and application see  www.crossroad.hchc.edu or call 617-850-1309. 

ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION - The national convention for the whole Archdiocese will be held July 19 - 26 at Desert Springs JW Marriot Hotel, Palm Desert , California, hosted by St. Michael Church, Van Nuys. Check out their website at www.archdioceseconvention2009.org  for more information.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE

There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshippers and those in need.  Consider serving in one of these ways:

PARTICIPATION

Liturgical Service - Each Sunday, members of the congregation are needed to read the Epistle and assist during Communion by holding the Communion Cloths and Holy Bread Baskets.  All Orthodox Christians in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to participate. We usually need one Epistle reader and six people to hold cloths and baskets.  If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during the Communion, please contact Jeff Wasilko, 781-820-0882, jeffw@smoe.org. 

Coffee Hour - People are needed every week to provide coffee, juice and cookies, or more if desired, and set it up Sunday morning. 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 Robbat in the Parish Office and she will write your name in. If you need any help with figuring out what to bring or do, check the list below the signup sheet (also printed in the Bulletin), or ask Marilyn at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.

VOLUNTEERING

Holy Resurrection Open Doors - The Holy Resurrection Open Door Meal Ministry in Allston needs volunteers every Monday evening (there is a special need in the summer).  The official hours of the project are 4:30 pm-7:30 pm, but it is fine to come anytime and leave any time.  Best times would be 5:30-5:45 to 7:15-7:30 pm.  You can serve meals, coffee and tea to the people who arrive for dinner (6-7 pm) or just stay behind the scenes doing set-up and clean-up.  It is a very rewarding, hands-on, face-to-face way to serve the community with (mostly) other Orthodox Christians-we even chant the Our Father together before the meal begins. Church info can be found at  http://hrocboston.org.  

 Questions? Please contact Liz Straghalis at liztutella@gmail.com  phone 617-974-5005,  or Tiffany Conroy at trattus1@gmail.com, 617-990-7162.

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

DONATIONS

Food and Clothing - Holy Resurrection in Allston takes donations of non-perishable food items and clothing to distribute at the Open Door Ministry on Monday evenings.  You can bring your donations by on Monday nights between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm or contact Tiffany Conroy, trattus1@gmail.com, 617-990-7162, for more information.

- St. Paul 's Food Pantry in Harvard Square , where volunteers from St. Mary help every Saturday, depends upon regular donations of canned and packaged foods.  To help, contact Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684.

Monetary Contributions - The Agape Canister Program is an Orthodox non-profit development program of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center .  It is dedicated to meeting the needs of children, families, and communities throughout the world, regardless of race, color, or creed. All funds collected by the Agape Canister Program are earmarked for medical care and clinics, water wells, agricultural development, food and clothing, support personnel (e.g. doctors, nurses, teachers), the construction of schools, and the education of indigenous people in their own communities.  Please contribute each Sunday - A clear plastic box is on the Bengarri.

"As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me," says our Lord.

THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS

FOOD PANTRY: April 4:   Bill Coyle
COFFEE HOUR: April 5:   Women's Club Pascha Bake Sale

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

Friday, April 3: Final Akathist Service 7:00 pm,  followed by Learning in Lent speaker
Saturday, April 4:  Church  School creative arts retreat 2:00-5:00 pm;  Family Vespers celebrating St. Mary of Egypt 5:00 pm
Sunday, April 5:  Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am;  Church School lesson 19

SCRIPTURE READINGS for April 5, Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt: 

Epistle:  St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 9:11-14  For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Gospel: Mark 10:32-45  At that time,  Jesus took the twelve aside, and he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." 

Monday, April 6:  Final Lenten Compline at St. George Cathedral, Worcester  7:00 pm
Wednesday, April 8:  Final Presanctified Liturgy 6:30 pm, followed by pot luck supper

LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday, April 11, Lazarus Saturday: Matins 8:00 am, Divine Liturgy 9:00 am, Communion Breakfast 10:15 am, followed by Church Clean-Up and Choir Rehearsal (note corrected times); Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, April 12, Palm Sunday:  Orthros  8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am,  followed by Palm Sunday Fish Dinner sponsored by FSJD;  Bridegroom Matins 7:00 pm
Holy Monday, April 13: Presanctified Liturgy 7 :00 am; Bridegroom Matins 7:00 pm
Holy Tuesday, April 14: Presanctified Liturgy 7 :00 am; Bridegroom Matins 7:00 pm
Holy Wednesday, April 15: Presanctified Liturgy 7 :00 am; Holy Unction 7:00 pm
Holy Thursday, April 16:  Vesperal Liturgy 7 :00 am; Washing of the Feet 6:45 p.m. and 12 Gospels 7:00 pm
Holy Friday, April 17: Children's Retreat 10:00 am;  Royal Hours 1:00 pm;  Unnailing Vespers 3:00 pm; Lamentations 7:15 p.m. with Procession to Central Square
Holy Saturday, April 18: Vesperal Liturgy 9 a.m.
Saturday-Sunday, April 18-19:  Vigil/Rush Service 10:00 pm; Resurrection Matins 11:00 pm; Great and Holy Pascha Divine Liturgy 12 midnight;  Paschal Festivities in the Church Hall following
Sunday, April 26:  FSJD Book Discussion
Saturday, May 2:  FSJD von Holzhausen lecture
Thursday, June 25 - Sunday, June 28:  Parish Life Conference

INSIGHT

The image of God was truly preserved in you, O mother,
For you took up the Cross and followed Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away;
But to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore your spirit, O holy Mother Mary, rejoices with the Angels.
   - Troparion of St. Mary of Egypt

Having been a sinful woman,
You became through repentance a Bride of Christ.
Having attained angelic life,
You defeated demons with the weapon of the Cross;
Therefore, O most glorious Mary you are a Bride of the Kingdom!
   - Kontakion of St. Mary of Egypt

The Lord showed compassion: Mary He healed.
Her darkened soul, He whitened as snow.
Thanks be to You, O All-Good One,
Oh Lord, most dear!
An impure vessel You cleansed and
With gold you gilded it,
Filled it to overflowing with Your grace -
That is true mercy.
To you O God, be glory!
And Mary became radiant with the Spirit
As an angel of God, by strength girded,
By Your power, O Christ.
Mercy, Most pure!
   - Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, The Prologue from Ohrid