Update for the week Thursday, July 9, through Thursday, July 16, 2015
THIS WEEK
THURSDAY, 7/9 – There will be a Convention Committee meeting this evening - Thursday, July 9, at 7:00 pm at the church.
SATURDAY, 7/11 – No Vespers at St. Mary
SUNDAY, 7/12 - Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am. (St. Mary no longer has different, earlier hours for Sunday services during the summer.)
+ Fr. Antony will be out of town for a wedding. Please welcome our guest priest, Fr. Gregory Harrigle.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
MEMORY ETERNAL – We regret to inform you that Elisabeth Traumann, wife of Seraphim Davis and mother of Tycho, Thais, and Isis, fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday, July 5, 2015. Her funeral was Wednesday, July 8, at St. Mary, with interment at Gardens at Gethsemane Cemetery in West Roxbury, MA.
+ A friend of the family has set up a website so that those who would like to help with meals over the next few days and weeks can coordinate their help. The site is
http://www.takethemameal.com, the recipient name is Traumann Davis, and the password is seraphim. It is also possible to order meals through this site to be sent to the family.
NATIONAL CONVENTION - ALTAR SERVERS - Fr. Antony has expressed a desire to use our altar servers during the National Convention. If you are an altar server or are the parent of an altar boy that is interested in serving at the convention please volunteer. There are many services throughout the week of the convention in need of altar boys to serve. Ideally we would like to have at least 2 servers for Vespers, 1 server for Daily Orthros and 4 servers for the Divine Liturgy. Please note that the Sunday of the Patriarchal Liturgy we will have a hard limit of 12 servers as dictated by robe size and availability. To facilitate signup please click on the following URL: http://www.jooners.com/guest?l=42dbd151-b54f-4e86-b054-693911190822 . You do not need to join jooners in order to sign up. All you need is your name and a valid email address if you would like to receive reminders. Questions? Please contact SbDcns. John or Steve after the Divine Liturgy this Sunday.
+ More volunteers – both women and men – are needed to help set up the chapel on Monday, July 20th and break it down on the next Sunday after liturgy. We also need more ushers for the daily services and liturgies. Please contact Fr. Antony at frawhj@gmail.com to volunteer.
PATRONAL FEAST DAY CELEBRATION – Our patronal feast day is the Dormition of the Blessed Theotokos. We will celebrate on Friday, August 14, 2015 (the eve of the Feast) with Vespers at 4:15 pm, Orthros with Lamentations at 5:30 pm, and Festal Divine Liturgy at 7:00 pm, followed by a Dormition Feast in the church hall sponsored by the Parish Council. Please join us for this!
REMINDERS
SERVICES THE WEEKEND BEFORE THE CONVENTION – Next Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19, there will be no services at St. Mary's Church. Great Vespers at 5:00 pm on Saturday and Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am on Sunday will be held at St. George Cathedral, Worcester, with His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X and His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH. All our Diocesan churches will be closed so the faithful can be at the Cathedral for this historic and joyous celebration. Our Diocesan Choir will sing during the Divine Liturgy.
Following Divine Liturgy, a luncheon will be served in the Cathedral Hall with His Beatitude, our Hierarchs and Clergy. Adults $35; Children ages 4-10 $15; Children 3 and under free. Reservations are required – there will be no tickets available at the door. Contact the Cathedral office at 508-752-9150 for reservations and information.
FUNDRAISING DINNER - The Balamand Educational Foundation will be hosting a fundraising event with His Beatitude, JOHN X following Vespers on Saturday, July 18, at the DoubleTree Hotel, 5400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA, 01581. Cocktails at 6:30 pm, dinner at 7:30. Seating is very limited - first come, first served. Please contact Fawaz El Khoury for more information on purchasing tickets at 508-864-4000.
DUCK BOAT TOUR - Join us on Monday Night of the Convention, July 20, for a Boston Duck Boat Tour – kick off the Archdiocese Convention with a duck boat of fellow Orthodox Christians! Unlike other convention events, this one must be booked well in advance to guarantee a spot, as tickets cannot be sold at the convention. Register TODAY for the convention (www.acboston2015.com) and sign up for the Duck Tour. Adults & Teens $35, 12 and under $30. Questions? Contact Charlie Marge (marge@alum.mit.edu).
ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION - As you know, our parish will be hosting the 2015 Archdiocesan Convention at the Sheraton-Boston Hotel and Hynes Auditorium in Copley Square Tuesday through Sunday, July 21-26, 2015. There are numerous and various committees on which you may volunteer. We will require everyone’s involvement at St. Mary’s to make this convention truly a success spiritually, socially and financially. If you are interested in participating, please see either Father Antony or the co-chairs, Raymond Sayeg and Mary Winstanley O’Connor.
To register for the convention and purchase convention event tickets and tickets for Boston excursions, go to www.acboston2015.com. The Sheraton Boston is completely sold out at this time, even though the convention committee had reserved a block of 3,000 room nights, substantially more than is typical for a convention. Other hotels in the vicinity, near the Hynes Convention Center, may still have vacancies.
CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED – St. Mary Church and the church office will be closed during the Convention, Tuesday - Sunday, July 21-26.
PATRISTICS INSTITUTE – You are invited to take part in the ninth annual Summer Program in Patristic Studies sponsored by the Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. This five-day program is for theology and religious studies students, including masters-level students and undergraduates, and others, including clergy and lay people, with a background in religious studies, who would like to pursue their interests in the early Church. This year’s program will be held from July 19 – 24, 2015 on the campus of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. See http://www.hchc.edu/assets/files/patristics/2015%20AnnouncmentProgram_150502.pdf for more information.
BIBLE STUDY – St. Mary Bible Study group is based on a very interesting course originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled Search the Scriptures – see http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info. The next discussion will cover David and Bathsheba, lessons 93 and 94. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com) New members are always welcome. Note: during the summer this year the Bible Study will meet just once each month. The next meeting will be Thursday, July 30 at 7:00 pm in the Church library.
TANGLEWOOD OUTING – Join your music-loving friends from St. Mary’s as we carpool out to Tanglewood after Liturgy on Sunday, August 2 (the weekend after the Convention). We’ll picnic on the lawn and listen to music by Haydn, Dean and Strauss featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma, with violinist Joshua Bell and new BSO conductor Andris Nelsons. For more information see http://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/69833 . The concert starts at 2:30; lawn tickets are $21.00 (pay at the door). Bring lawn chairs if you want them, and picnic food for yourself and to share. For more information and to let us know you're coming, especially if you'll need a ride, contact Melissa Nassiff by email (mnassiff@gmail.com) or phone (508 877-7483).
NEW SKETE PILGRIMAGE - The Monastic Communities of New Skete Monastery in Cambridge, New York (www.newskete.org), invite you to their Annual Pilgrimage on Saturday, August 8, 2014, between 8:30am - 6:00pm. The day will include Church Services, Church Tours, a Photo Exhibit, and a Healing Service with Anointing as well as talks by the monastics on Monastic Life and Iconography and by Chapel Community members on their relationship with the monastery. In addition, pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit with the New Skete German Shepherds and take a hike on the monks' mountain. Activities for kids are also planned. This year's guest speaker is Dr. Anton Vrame. Dr. Vrame is the Director of the Department of Religious Education for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He will be exploring the trends in society and their effects of Christianity in the US today and into the future. His talk is entitled, "Does the Future Have a Church?”
+ In years past, a number of us have gone out for the weekend to help the Communities with this event—to be extra sets of "helping hands" for the day. They are hoping a number of us will do so again this year. Would you like to help? In the past, this has been a wonderful community building activity for all of us. Moreover, if you have never been to the monastery, this may be a good way to be introduced to their life and work. Contact Reva Regule (teva@mit.edu ) for more information, especially about housing.
PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, August 26 at 7:30 pm at the church.
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED - We are in need of teachers for the fall, in particular Pre-School and Kindergarten/1st grade. Anyone interested in teaching, or being an assistant or substitute, please contact Barbara@dsaarchitects.com.
FSJD SCHOLARSHIP WINNER - Congratulations to Gabriel Smith, recipient of the 2015 New England Region FSJD Scholarship, which was presented to him at the Parish Life Conference in Providence. The scholarships are awarded to high school seniors who are faithful and active Orthodox Christians whose high school records indicate a potential for being successful in an accredited college.
BOURELL FAMILY UPDATE – After being burned out of their home, Amanda and their kids have found temporary lodging with family in Michigan and Texas, while Peter will stay here with a colleague near the hospital where he's working. They greatly appreciate everyone's prayers, support and suggestions for local housing during this difficult time. Some of their close friends and colleagues have begun a fundraising site that Larisa Patacchiola (larisademshuk@yahoo.com ) will be happy to share details about if anyone would like.
THEOPHANY SCHOOL REGISTRATION - Theophany School is now enrolling for Fall 2015. They are excited to announce Theophany School's expansion into Elementary School and offering Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade Enrollment for this Fall. For more information visit their website at http://www.theophanyschool.org or contact them at 781-444-3058 or theophanyschool@gmail.com
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Bob Kowalik
Liturgical Service:
Epistle: TBD
Procession: Furtuna Tesfamariam, Solomon, Saron Solomon, Joseph Solomon, and Einathan Daniel
Communion: John Odum and others to be determined
Coffee Hour: Natasha Smith
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY
Epistle:
Brethren, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them... Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, and serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
- Romans 12:6-14
Gospel:
... some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” - He then said to the paralytic - “Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they marveled, and they glorified God, Who had given such authority to men.
- Matthew 9:1-8
REFLECTION
Wisdom and spiritual knowledge are both gifts of the one Holy Spirit, as are all the divine gifts of grace; but each has its own distinctive energy. For this reason the Apostle testifies that to one is given wisdom, to another spiritual knowledge by the same Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:8). ... Spiritual knowledge comes through prayer, deep stillness and complete detachment, while wisdom comes through humble meditation on Holy Scripture and, above all, through grace given by God.
- St. Diadochos of Photiki
What was Christ’s love like? Did it withhold anything? Did it take note of or measure its spiritual gifts? What did it regret, where was it ever stingy? Christ’s humanity was spit upon, struck, crucified. Christ’s Divinity was fully incarnate to the end in his spit-upon, battered, degraded and crucified Humanity. The Cross - an instrument of shameful death - became a symbol of self-denying love for the world.
- Mother Maria Skobtsova
Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and worshipper of the world.
- St. Innocent of Irkutsk, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven
The real and true life then is the Father, who through the Son in the Holy Spirit pours forth as from a fountain His heavenly gifts to all; and through His love to man, the blessings of life eternal are promised without fail to us men also. We must not disbelieve the possibility of this, but having an eye not to our own weakness but to His power, we must believe; for with God all things are possible.
- St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures