Update for the week Thursday, November 7, through Thursday, November 14, 2013

THIS WEEK

BIBLE STUDY – The Bible Study at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, meets every other Thursday in the church library, and is based on a series of talks originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio. Join us at 7:00 pm TODAY - Thursday, November 7 - as we resume our discussion of Genesis (http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/genesis-part-6/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/genesis-part-7/ ). For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com). New members are always welcome.

NO VESPERS – There will be No Vespers at St. Mary this Saturday, November 9.

FR. ANTONY AWAY- Fr. Antony will be out of town from Saturday through Monday, November 9 – 11, 2013. In case of emergency, please call Fr. Elias Khoury at St. George Church, West Roxbury: 617-323-0323.

We are pleased to welcome back Fr. Walter Smith, who will be officiating at Liturgy on Sunday.

SPAGHETTI DINNER – St. Mary's teens invite you to a spaghetti dinner on Sunday, November 10, 2013 following Liturgy. Menu will include Spaghetti, Meatballs (just before the fast!), Salad, Bread, Dessert and Coffee/Beverage. Your goodwill donation will be much appreciated. No charge for Teen SOYO members.

CHURCH SCHOOL FALL LITURGY WORKSHOP -  Our Church School Fall Liturgy Workshop will be held Monday, November 11, 2013 (Veteran's Day), 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, with the theme: "The Bread of Life." Learn about the various ways we use bread in our liturgical life (e.g. communion, memorial service, etc.) and help us make prosphora (i.e. Holy Bread), coliva/kutya, and sweet bread. Open to all Church School students, teachers, parents, and friends. Donation: $5/child; $10/family.  RSVP Doreen Bargoot (dbargoot@aol.com). Volunteers are needed! 

WOMEN'S CLUB - The next Women’s club meeting will be Tuesday, November 12 at 7:30 at the church.

ORTHODOXY ON TAP - Join other young adults for a "tall glass of truth" at the Fall 2013 installment of Orthodoxy on Tap, an outreach ministry for young adults in the Boston area. All talks will take place Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm at Roggie's Brew and Grill at 356 Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton, MA. The final evening will be Wednesday, November 13, with Fr. Kerry Saravelas. For more information see https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/news/events/2013/orthodoxy-on-tap-fall-2013#sthash.lOQhfDQo.dpuf

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

VIBRATION MONITORING - Please be advised that vibration monitoring equipment has been placed in a large orange metal Knaack Storage Chest up against the back of the church. Please DO NOT PARK up against the chest.

NATIVITY FAST - The Nativity Fast, also known as the season of Advent, begins Friday, November 15. This is the forty days of fasting and prayer in preparation for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ.  Every Wednesday during this period there will be a Paraklesis service at 6:30 pm.

EVENING LITURGY - On Wednesday, November 20, join us for the Evening Liturgy for the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple at 6:30 pm

DONATIONS FOR HOLY NATIVITY - If you would like to donate toward the Poinsettias and Nativity decorations please use the form in the Sunday bulletin. Donations will be printed in the December 22, 2013 Bulletin. Deadline is December 15, 2013.
 

REMINDERS

FSJD HABITAT FOR HUMANITY – On Saturday, November 16 the Fellowship will sponsor another Habitat outing. We are looking to fill 9 open slots for St. Mary's FSJD Habitat for Humanity build team. It will be held from 9:30am-3:30pm at 65 Bradeen St, Roslindale. Cost per participant is $42, and you must sign up in advance to be part of the fun!  Please contact Phil Stragalis (phil@newtonfireandflood.com ) to sign up and for further details.

ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE AT HOME - The Antiochian Village is coming to Boston! St.  George West Roxbury is hosting a Village at Home on Saturday, November 16.  All children and teens (ages 9 - 17) are welcome. See Greg (ghakim@gmail.com) or Hannah (hoakley18@gmail.com) for more information.

PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS - If you are interested in serving on the Parish Council please speak to Mary Winstanley O’Connor or Fr. Antony. To be eligible to serve you must be a member of St. Mary’s for two years and in good financial standing.

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING - The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held Wednesday, November 20, at 7:30 pm, or after Liturgy.
 

THANKSGIVING BAKE SALE - The Women's Club's annual Thanksgiving Charity Bake Sale will be held Sunday, November 24, 2013. All proceeds will benefit the Convent of Saidnaya, northwest of Damascus in Syria. Plan on purchasing all your holiday breads, pies, goodies, Syrian pastries and much more! Call Mary Ellen Mabardy @ 781-729-6303, if you can help bake and/or donate.

SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS - St. Mary is proud to announce that our own Tatiana Dalton, Theo Smith and Julia Shoop have been awarded 2013 Scholastic Achievement Awards by the Nicholas G. Beram Veterans Association. (Julia Shoop has also been selected by the American Arabic Benevolent Association as a recipient of their 2013 Scholastic Achievement Awards.) The Beram Awards will be presented at the 47th Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 30, at the Holiday Inn, Dedham, 12:00-4:00 pm.

ST. MARY PARISH CHRISTMAS CARD - Save yourself time, let us do the work, and all proceeds will benefit the Antiochian Women Project 2013-2014: Help the Orphans of War in Syria. Let the Women’s Club send a lovely Christmas card on your behalf to our parishioners. You will receive this card with the names of parishioners, like yourself, who are wishing a Blessed Nativity and a Merry Christmas to all. Please use the request form in the Sunday bulletin, or write to St. Mary Church - Women’s Club, 8 Inman St., Cambridge, MA 02139. Make checks payable in any amount to St. Mary Women’s Club. Deadline: Sunday, December 1, 2013.

MESSIAH - Join friends from St. Mary’s for the Handel and Haydn Society’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday, December 1, at 3:00 p.m. You can still order tickets online at http://www.handelandhaydn.org. We will carpool to Symphony Hall after Liturgy and have lunch together before the concert. If you’d like to join us for lunch, email Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com

CHURCH SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PAGEANT - If you are interested in participating in the Christmas Pageant, please see Sarah Byrne-Martelli or Charlie Marge.  We also need parents to assist at all rehearsals. Rehearsals will be Sundays, December 8 and 15 during coffee hour, and Saturday, December 21, 2:30-4:30 pm. The pageant will be presented Sunday, December 22, after Liturgy.

CHRISTMAS COFFEE HOUR - The Church School is looking for someone to sponsor the Christmas Coffee Hour on Sunday, December 22. Please see or e-mail Barbara if you are interested (barbara@dsaarchitects.com) or sign up on the Bulletin board outside the hall.

CANNED FOOD DRIVE – The annual FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE Canned Food Drive will be held October through December, 2013. Bring in your 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 3 days - since 1984 we have collected over 3 million pounds of food!

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE

There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshipers, and those in need. Consider serving in one of these ways:
   - Be a Greeter
   - Participate in Liturgical Service*
   - Provide a Coffee Hour
   - Join the Prison Ministry
   - Help with Video Editing
   - Share your talent as Photographer Or Graphic Designer

For information about these opportunities to serve, see https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/volunteering

*Also, during the school year, the Church School students participate in our liturgical celebration by holding candles at the Gospel reading; processing with candles, a festal icon, and the baskets of Antidoron (i.e. extra bread) at the Great Entrance; and then presenting the Antidoron for a blessing during the Hymn to the Theotokos.


THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS

Greeter: Azeb Mitiku

Church School Liturgical Service - Candle Bearers: Danait Teclezghi & Mary Neguse; Icon Bearer: Gaby Mazzoni; Bread Baskets: David Porr & Robel Mahari

Coffee Hour: Teen SOYO spaghetti dinner
Note: Before you leave after coffee hour, please put away your own chair and help put away the table. Thank you!

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

Saturday, November 9: No Great Vespers

Sunday, November 10: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 7

SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday, November 10:
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. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
At that time, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" … He said, "The one who showed mercy ...”

LOOKING AHEAD

Friday, November 15: Nativity fast begins

Saturday, November 16: Great Vespers 5:00pm

Sunday, November 17: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 8

Wednesday, November 20: Evening Liturgy for the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple 6:30 pm

Thursday, November 21: Bible Study 7:30 pm

Saturday, November 23: Great Vespers 5:00pm

Sunday, November 24: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 9

Wednesday, November 27: Paraclesis Service 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 30: No Vespers

REFLECTIONS

Rejoice at every opportunity of showing kindness to your neighbor as a true Christian who strives to store up as many good works as possible, especially the treasures of love. Do not rejoice when others show you kindness and love - consider yourself unworthy of it; but rejoice when an occasion presents itself for you to show love. Show love simply, without any deviation into cunning thoughts, without any trivial, worldly, covetous calculations, remembering that love is God Himself. Remember that He sees all your ways, sees all the thoughts and movements of your heart.

- St. John of Kronstadt

So often when we say “I love you” we say it with a huge “I” and a small “you.” We use love as a conjunction instead of it being a verb implying action. It’s no good just gazing out into open space hoping to see the Lord; instead we have to look closely at our neighbor, someone whom God has willed into existence, someone whom God has died for. Everyone we meet has a right to exist, because he has value in himself, and we are not used to this.
- Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray

God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil - for the devil is cold - let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will ... flee before the heat of His countenance.

- St. Seraphim of Sarov

If we have true love with sympathy and patient labor, we shall not go about scrutinizing our neighbor’s shortcomings.
- St. Dorotheos of Gaza

The Lord wants us to love one another. Here is freedom: in love for God and neighbor. In this freedom, there is equality. In earthly orders, there may not be equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a king, not everyone a patriarch or a boss. But in any position it is possible to love God and to please Him, and only this is important.

- St. Silouan the Athonite, Writings, VI.23