Update for the week Friday, May 17, through Thursday, May 23, 2013
THIS WEEK
COOKING FOR “NEW ENGLAND’S GOT TASTE” – The Fellowship of St. John the Divine invites you to a cooking night tonight, to prepare St. Mary’s entry (Unstuffed Cabbage) for the New England’s Got Taste contest. Two or three more people are needed to help cook at Natasha’s home in Brookline, Thursday, May 16, at 7:00 pm. For more information contact Natasha at 617-803-1490 or nasmith05@rcn.com.
NEW ENGLAND’S GOT TASTE AND TALENT – The big competition for this year's New England's Got Taste and Talent event, hosted by Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church - Lowell, will be held this Friday, May 17 at 6:00 pm at St. John Church in Dedham, MA. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12, and contrary to previous announcements, tickets will be sold at the door. Come support St. Mary’s contestants!
NO VESPERS – There will be NO Vespers service this Saturday, May 18.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE - Boxes were due on Palm Sunday. Please return them to the Bengarri this Sunday if you have not already done so.
CHURCH SCHOOL GRADUATION – Church School Closing and Graduation Festivities will be held this Sunday, May 19. A few food contributions are still needed – if you can bring pickles, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, or maraschino cherries for about 120 people, please contact Larissa Patacchiola at larisademshuk@yahoo.com. Help will also be needed with setting up before, and cleaning up after the celebration.
NEW CD – You can still buy the Boston Byzantine Choir’s 5th recording, Lenten Journey. See Charlie Marge after Liturgy this Sunday. $15 each, or 3 (Lenten Journey plus Thy Passion and Thy Resurrection) for $40.
WOMEN’S CLUB – May is the end of our meetings until
next Fall. We usually go out together at the end of the year, and we
plan this year to go to dinner on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
at 7:00 pm at Sichuan Gardens Restaurant, Waverly Oaks Rd., Waltham for
the delicious Chinese Buffet. EVERYONE IS WELCOME - any woman who is
interested in going out with us, please call Priscilla Goss at
781-762-1527 or Renay DiFiore at 617-327-6361.
Think about joining us next year!! We meet only once a month (usually not in the winter - if there is snow!) We would love to have you with us!!
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
CHRIST IS RISEN! – Truly He is risen! To learn how to say the Paschal Greeting in more languages than the ten or so we use at St. Mary's, check out this site which has text and voice recordings for over 250 languages: http://www.srbigham.com/en/langues.html.
BLESSING OF GRAVES – On Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, Fr. Antony will be blessing graves at Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park, MA. starting at 9:00 am. If you would like him to bless the graves of loved ones in other cemeteries, please let him know by calling the Church Office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail frawhj@gmail.com
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - Join us on Saturday, June 15 for St. Mary's first team Habitat for Humanity project! The location will be either in West Roxbury or Dorchester. We won't know the exact type of work until the day before - could range from painting to landscaping to building a wall. The FSJD will pay for part of the $62 per person fee, but volunteers will need to cover the remainder. We have 12 slots - please contact Phil Straghalis (phil@newtonfireandflood.com) to claim your spot on the team, or for further details.
REMINDERS
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS – The Syrian-Lebanese Women’s Club of Greater Boston will hold its annual scholarship awards ceremony on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 7:00 pm, at St. John of Damascus Church, 300 West St., Route 135, Dedham, MA. The Club is pleased to have as its keynote speaker our own Arthur N. Mabbett, President of Mabbett & Associates, Inc. of Bedford, MA, a distinguished professional and humanitarian. For information, please contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010.
BIBLE STUDY – Our Bible Study meets every other Thursday and is sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine. Join us next Thursday, May 23, in the church library, for a discussion false “apostolic” writings that are not part of the Canon (http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/supplemental-lesson-on-the-apocryphal-books-part-1 and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/supplemental-lesson-on-the-apocryphal-books-part-2). For more information contact Greg Patrick (greg@dailytradealert.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com).
SIGN THE PETITION - Please take time to go to sign the White House petition at https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/news/events/2013/white-house-petition-orthodox-bishops concerning the kidnapped Archbishops and the war in Syria. We need 100,000 signatures by May 27. Pass the word to all your friends and all the peace-loving people you know. Pray for the Church of Antioch and for Metropolitans Boulos and Youhanna.
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE – The 2013 Parish Life
Conference for our diocese will be held June 27 – 30, 2013, at the
Wyndam Hotel in Andover, MA, hosted by St. George Church, Lowell. Room
Rate is just $99.00 per night – this special price ends May 30. Book your hotel rooms at: http://www.wyndham.com/groupevents2013/BOSAM_STGEORGE/main.wnt.
For Registration, please go too: https://www.antiochianevents.org/event/96, or go to St. George’s site: http://www.saintgeorgelowell.org. Please feel free to e-mail the Chairperson, Soraya or Co-Chair, +Rt. Rev. Fr. Leonard at: LowellPLC2013@gmail.com.
SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS – The Nicholas G. Beram Veterans Association announces its 47th annual Scholastic Achievement Awards, a program to encourage and support the education of students of Arabic-speaking backgrounds. High school seniors can obtain an application with instructions by visiting the web page at: www.stjohnd.org/ngberam (note corrected website address) or by contacting our Church Office. All applications must be postmarked no later than June 1, 2013.
NO FASTING – There is no fasting on Wednesday or Friday, not only during Bright Week, but until the Feast of the Ascension (June 13), for the whole forty days. (This is the decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch.) This cessation of fasting, however, is purely voluntary; you may fast if you wish.
PRISON MINISTRY: Please donate unwanted past issues of Orthodox magazines such as The Word, OCMC or other periodicals to prison ministry to hand out to inmates. Please remove any personal mailing address for security purposes and give them to Mitrophan Chin.
STREAMING VIDEO – St. Mary’s Church services are broadcast live each week through an internet video stream. If you can't attend a service in person or want to share this ministry with a friend or loved one, the live stream can be viewed at www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/live during regularly scheduled service times (see the schedule of services below or online). If you have questions or comments about this ministry please contact us at live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
VIDEO EDITING HELP WANTED – We are looking for volunteers to assist with some basic video editing to post the sermons and lectures from St. Mary's online. If you have experience with digital video editing, please let Jamil Samara or Erick Straghalis know you are interested in helping by emailing live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
PHOTOGRAPHERS AND GRAPHIC DESIGNERS WANTED – Are you a photographer or a graphic designer and want to share your talents with St. Mary Church and her ministries? We are looking to get you involved to help photograph the divine services and events and to design promotional material for events and programs at our parish. Please contact Jamil Samara at webmaster@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org with any questions and to let him know that you are interested in getting more involved.
ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION – The 2013 national convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese will be held July 21-28 in Houston TX, hosted by St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. For information and registration see http://www.achouston2013.com.
ST. MARY ON FACEBOOK - Did you know St. Mary is on Facebook (www.facebook.com/StMaryCambridge)? If you are already a Facebook member, Like our page to get timely updates on scheduled services, quick access to video sermons, learn about events of interest in the greater Boston area and more! If you’re not on Facebook, don’t worry; you can always access this information through our website at www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, May 18: NO Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, May 19: Matins 8:45 am; Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; followed by Church School Graduation and festivities
SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday, May 19, Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women:
Epistle: Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7
In those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the
Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were
neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the body of
the disciples and said, "it is not right that we should give up
preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out
from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of
wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves
to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they said pleased
the whole multitude … And the word of God increased; and the number of
the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the
priests were obedient to the faith.
Gospel: Mark 15:43-47; 16:1-8
At that time, Joseph of Arimathea … asked for the body of Jesus. …. And
he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen
shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and
he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary
the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. And when the sabbath was
past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought
spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the
first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. …
And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back … And entering
the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a
white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be
amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he
is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his
disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you
will see him, as he told you."
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, May 25: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, May 26: Matins 8:45 am; Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Monday, May 27, Memorial Day: Blessing of Graves at Fairview Cemetery 9:00 am.
Saturday, June 1: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, June 2: Matins 8:45 am; Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
REFLECTION
Pious Joseph, having brought down Thy pure body from the Tree, wrapped
it in fine linen, embalmed it with ointment, prepared it, and laid it in
a new tomb. But Thou didst verily rise after three days, O Lord,
granting the world great mercy.
- Apolytikion of Joseph Of Arimathea
The angel came to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb and said, "Myrrh
is meet for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to
corruption! So proclaim: 'The Lord is risen, granting the world great
mercy!' "
- Troparion for the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women
We have also as a Physician the Lord our God Jesus the Christ the
only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became
also man, of Mary the virgin. For 'the Word was made flesh.' Being
incorporeal, He was in the body; being impassible, He was in a passable
body; being immortal, He was in a mortal body; being life, He became
subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and
corruption, and heal them, and might restore them to health, when they
were diseased with ungodliness and wicked lusts.
- St. Ignatius of Antioch
Christ’s Resurrection became life and healing from passions for those
who believe on Him, that they might live in God and bring forth the
fruits of truth.
- Venerable Abba Isaiah
As the Angels are said to have stood by the Lord's body when it lay in
the tomb, so we must believe that they are present in the celebration of
the Mysteries of His most sacred Body at the time of consecration.
- Venerable Bede