Weekly Update for the week Thursday, December 24, through Thursday, December 31, 2009
Weekly Update for the week Thursday, December 24, through Thursday, December 31, 2009
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
CHRISTMAS EVE and CHRISTMAS DAY
Thursday
DIVINE LITURGY - The Festal Divine Liturgy for the Nativity will be celebrated tonight at 8:00 pm, preceded by Orthros at 6:30 pm.
Friday
FEAST OF THE NATIVITY - There will be no services at St. Mary.
FR. ANTONY OUT OF TOWN - Fr. Antony and his family will be away for the Christmas/New Year holidays from Saturday, December 26 through Saturday, January 2, 2010. We welcome V. Rev. Joseph Purpura, Chairman of the Archdiocese Department of Youth & Parish Ministries, who will be celebrating the Liturgy on Sunday in Fr. Antony's absence.
In case of emergency during Fr. Antony's absence, please call Fr. Timothy Ferguson at St. George Church, West Roxbury at 617-323-0323.
The Church Office will be open Tuesday, December 29 through Thursday, December 31, 2009, with an early deadline of Wednesday, December 30 at noon for the Sunday Bulletin.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
PAGEANT RESCHEDULED - Because of last week's snowstorm, the Christmas Pageant and Festivities scheduled for Sunday, December 20 has been postponed until Sunday, January 3rd.
THEOPHANY - Evening Liturgy for Feast of Theophany will be Tuesday, January 5, at 6:30 pm, with Blessing of the Waters. (There will be no services at St. Mary on Wednesday, January 6, the Feast of Theophany.)
PRE-LENTEN RETREAT - The Antiochian Women of the Diocese of Worcester and New England will sponsor a pre-Lenten retreat on Saturday, January 30, at St. George Church, Norwood. Featured speaker will be Mother Alexandra, Abbess of the Convent of Saint Thekla at Antiochian Village . Topic: "BACK TO THE FUTURE with St. Ignatius: Then IS Now!"
Registration: $15.00 per person. Men, Women & Teens are welcome!
PARISH MEETING - The Annual Meeting of the Parish will be held Sunday, January 31, after Liturgy. The meeting will be brief, and all members are urged to attend. Snow date is Sunday, February 14.
REMINDERS
NO FASTING - From Christmas Day until January 4th there is a general dispensation from all fasting.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE - Canned Food Drive continues through next Sunday, December 27, 2009. Bring in canned goods to the Church and place them in the large, blue plastic containers outside the Church Office. They will be distributed to local food pantries in our area. 42 pounds of food will feed a family of four for three days, and 37 million people in America need our help!
TEEN SOYO DANCE - The Diocesan TEEN SOYO is sponsoring a Winter Wonderland Sock Hop (Dance) on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at St. Mary Church Hall, Cambridge. Vespers at 5:00 pm with the Dance 6:00-9:00 pm. Ages: 7th - 12th Grades. Refreshments will be served. Donation: $3 per teen AND one pair of new, packaged socks to be donated to the City of Cambridge Sock Drive for the Homeless. Bring your friends! A special DJ will be on hand to mix some great tunes! Parents should plan to arrive at 9:00 pm for pick-up. Your Host: St. Mary, Cambridge Teen SOYO.
ORDER OF ST. IGNATIUS - Save the date for the St. Ignatius Holiday Gathering Sunday, January 31, 2010. Mother Alexandra, Abbess of the Convent of St. Thekla at the Antiochian Village will be our special guest. Invitations to follow.
WELCOME TO E-GIVING! - St. Mary's is pleased to announce that in 2010, parishioners will have the option to fulfill their pledge through electronic funds transfer (EFT). No more envelopes, remembering to write checks, etc. If you are interested in learning more about this program, please e-mail Charlie Marge (marge@alum.mit.edu).
ENVELOPES AND CALENDARS - 2010 Offering Envelopes are ready for pickup outside the Church Office. Look for your names carefully in alphabetical order. Remember: if you have chosen to pay periodically, you have not been assigned weekly envelopes. If you wish to change your payment arrangements, call Marilyn Robbat in the Church Office at 617-547-1234 Tuesday - Friday. Church Calendars are also available for pickup - one per family, please.
PARISH COUNCIL - Congratulations to the newly elected members of the Parish Council: Mitchell Bezreh, Paul Demerjian, Paul Nahass, Erick Straghalis and Constantinos (Dino) Takles.
CHURCH RESTORATION PROJECT - We are about to embark on another phase of restoration of the church. This next phase, which will focus on the exterior of the church including work on the foundation, roofing, siding, and exterior trim, will begin in Spring 2010. More details to follow - please see Raymond Sayeg or Mary Winstanley O'Connor about contributing to this restoration project.
FIRST IN, LAST OUT - Please do not park in the small lot behind the church unless you intend to stay through the end of coffee hour. The only way out is the single lane driveway, which is sometimes blocked by other cars. Please pull all the way in to the parking space, and please do not block the driveway - if the lot is full, please park on the street or in the lot at the corner of Prospect Street and Bishop Allen Drive.
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 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.
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 - The Food for Hungry People canned food drive continues through December 27, 2009 - see Reminders, above. Bring in canned goods to the Church and place them in the large, blue plastic containers outside the Church Office.
- 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, 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
December 26: No volunteers
LITURGICAL SERVICE
Thursday, December 24: Epistle: Charlie Marge; Left Cloth: Rose Njuguna and Dr. Lan Hu; Right Cloth: Jonathan Hill and Maggie Arnold; Left Bread: Sarah Jabbour; Right Bread: Socrates Deligeorges
Sunday, December 20: Epistle: Jonathan Hill; Left Cloth: Rose Njuguna and Melissa Nassiff; Right Cloth: Maggie Arnold and Linda Arnold; Left Bread: Larisa Patacchiola;
Right Bread: TBA
COFFEE HOUR
Sunday, December 27: No Coffee Hour
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Thursday, December 24:
Royal Hours for the Nativity 9:00 am, Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 11:00 am;
Orthros 6:30 pm, Divine Liturgy for the Nativity 8:00 pm
SCRIPTURE READINGS for December 24, Feast of the Nativity:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 4:4-7
Brethren, when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem , saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
Friday, December 25, Feast of the Nativity of our Lord: No services at St. Mary
Saturday, December 26: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, December 27: Orthros 8:45 am; Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; NO Church School
SCRIPTURE READINGS for December 27:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 1:11-19)
Brethren, I would have you know that the gospel which was preached by me is not man's gospel. ... But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood...
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-23
When the wise men had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt , and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. "
LOOKING AHEAD
Sunday, January 3: Orthros 8:45 am; Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School Christmas Pageant and Festivities (postponed from December 20)
Tuesday, January 5: Evening Liturgy for Feast of Theophany 6:30 pm, with Blessing of the Waters
Wednesday, January 6, Feast of Theophany: No services at St. Mary
INSIGHT
Think not, therefore, it is of small things thou art hearing, when thou hearest of this birth, but rouse up thy mind, and straightway tremble, being told that God hath come upon earth. For so marvelous was this, and beyond expectation, that because of these things the very angels formed a choir, and in behalf of the world offered up their praise for them, and the prophets from the first were amazed at this, that "He was seen upon earth, and conversed with men" (Baruch 3:37). Yea, for it is far beyond all thought to hear that God the Unspeakable, the Unutterable, the Incomprehensible, and He that is equal to the Father, hath passed through a virgin's womb, and hath vouchsafed to be born of a woman, and to have Abraham and David for forefathers.
- St John Chrysostom
I too will proclaim the greatness of this day: the immaterial becomes incarnate, the Word is made flesh, the invisible makes itself seen, the intangible can be touched, the timeless has a beginning, the Son of God becomes the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, always the same, yesterday, today and for ever.
- Gregory Nazianzen
This is the reason why the Word of God was made flesh, and the Son of God became Son of Man: so that we might enter into communion with the Word of God, and by receiving adoption might become Sons of God.
- Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies
He who sits at the right hand of the Father goes without shelter at the inn, that he may for us prepare many mansions in the house of his heavenly Father ... He was born, not in the house of his parents, but at the inn, by the wayside, because through the mystery of the Incarnation he is become the Way, by which he guides us to our home.
- Venerable Bede
We can see the Nativity as a secret re-creation, by which human nature was assumed and restored to its original state. ... Christ reveals to us, and we see in Christ, that perfect "image of God" after which we are fashioned, and which attracts us like a magnet. It is now up to us to transform "image" into "likeness."
- Olivier Clément