Update for the week Thursday, October 25 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018

THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY’S

SUNDAY 10/28 – Orthros 8:45 am
   - St. Ignatius Catechetical Group (Enquirers’ Class) 9:00. It’s not too late to join - contact Bob Kowalik at 617-889-3436 or r.kowalik@comcast.net 
   - Divine Liturgy 10:00 am, with Church School following.
   - Women’s Club meeting in the Hall this Sunday, immediately after Liturgy. All women are welcome.
   - Deadline for Parish Council ballot. If you are interested in serving on the Parish Council please speak to Mary Winstanley O’Connor or Fr. Antony by this Sunday, October 28. (To be eligible to serve you must be a member of St. Mary’s for two years and in good financial standing.)

TUESDAY 10/30 – St. Mary’s Bible Study/Adult Education Program will meet Tuesday, October 30 from 7:00-8:30pm, at Christina Palis's apartment in Cambridge. Each bi-weekly session will be an in-depth look at the lectionary reading for the next two Sundays. Come join us - everyone is welcome to attend! For questions or directions please contact the co-leaders: Steve Walker at smwalk@gmail.com or Christina Palis at christina_palis@mail.harvard.edu.
 
THIS WEEK ELSEWHERE

SATURDAY 10/27 - An evening of Celebration to mark the 30th Anniversary of the University of Balamad will be held on Saturday, October 27 at the Doubletree Hilton, Westborough.  Special Guest will be His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH.  There will be a Reception at 6:00pm followed by Program and Middle Eastern Music.  Tickets: $200.  For more information, contact Laila Kobrossy Audi at 315-289-2427.
 
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

MEMORY ETERNAL - We regret to inform you of the falling asleep in the Lord of Judy Zahka on October 22. Judy was the mother of Cindy Mazzoni and her husband Paul and the grandmother of Gabrielle, Micaela and Nicholas Mazzoni.   Her Funeral Service was held Thursday at 10:00 am at the Church of St. John of Damascus.  In lieu of flowers, contributions in Judith’s memory may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215.

FAMILY NIGHT – You are invited to Family Night at St. George West Roxbury, on Friday, November 2, from 6:00 to 9:00pm..  Family dinner at 6:00pm, speaker presentations at 7:00pm, and movies for the kids.  Topic: Social Media, Technology & Faith.  Speakers are our own Jamil Samara and Bill Bowman. RSVP to stgeorgeofboston@verizon.net .

CHANT CLASS, GREAT VESPERS and YOUNG ADULT FELLOWSHIP - Great Vespers will be Saturday, November 3, at 5:00pm
   - Chanters’ Rehearsal will precede Vespers, at 4:00pm
   - Young Adult Fellowship Night (dinner and coffeehouse with live music) will follow Vespers

MEMBERSHIP SUNDAY – On Sunday, November 11, for the first time at St. Mary’s, we’re going to have a Membership Sunday.  During Coffee Hour, we will have a table set up where people can sign up to join the parish.  We’ll be able to answer questions about membership and ways to give, financially and by volunteering time and talents.  We’ll also be able to answer questions about eGive.

BAKE SALE – The Women ‘s Club will be holding its annual Thanksgiving Charity Bake Sale on Sunday, November 18. Plan to purchase all your holiday breads, pies, goodies, Syrian pastries and much more!  All proceeds will benefit the Convent of Saidnaya, northwest of Damascus in Syria.

N.G. BERAM AWARDS BANQUET – The Nicholas G. Beram Veteran's Association will hold its 72nd Anniversary Celebration and Scholastic Achievement Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 24 at the Hilton Inn, Dedham, 12noon-4pm.  Our own Alexander Dalton is one of the Scholastic Achievement Award recipients!
 
REMINDERS

OCTOBER IS YOUTH MONTH – During the Month of October, at St. Mary and throughout the archdiocese, our teens will be taking an active role in the Liturgy by helping with communion, taking collections and reading the Epistle. To get involved, please see Theo Smith.

KIBBEH AND GRAPE LEAVES PICK-UP – If you ordered Kibbeh and Grape Leaves from the Women’s Club, order pick-up will be Sunday, November 4 after Liturgy.

COME SEE THE MESSIAH – Join friends from St. Mary’s for the Handel and Haydn Society’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday afternoon, December 2, at 3:00 pm.  Tickets are just $29 ($36 without our group discount!). We will carpool to (or meet at) Symphony Hall after Liturgy and have lunch together at a nearby restaurant before the concert.  Those who have done this before have thoroughly enjoyed it - not only do we hear a world-class orchestra and chorus with famous soloists singing glorious words (taken directly from the Bible), but we also have an opportunity to spend time getting to know some fellow parishioners we normally may not encounter.  Good seats go fast - please contact Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com  by Sunday, November 4, or order your own tickets online at http://www.handelandhaydn.org

BAZAAR - St. John of Damascus in Dedham (300 West St.) will be holding their Annual Bazaar Friday through Sunday, November 2-4:  Friday 12pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-9pm and Sunday 12pm- 2pm.. Middle Eastern cuisine, country store, Christmas corner and more. For more information visit www.stjohnd.org/bazaar

DIOCESAN CHOIRS DAY - The Mission Council of the Diocese of Worcester and New England is sponsoring a day for church musicians and clergy to explore how the physical acts of breathing, making sound, and singing ground us in the present moment and bring us into the presence of Christ. Our own Fr. Antony Hughes is one of the guest speakers along with Robin Freeman, Director of Music at St. Vladimir's Seminary. The event, on Saturday, November 10, will be held at St. George Church in W Roxbury from 9:30am-3:00pm. All are welcome, even if not a current church musician. RSVP by Sunday, 10/28.  For questions, contact Charlie Marge at Charlie.Marge@verizon.net

LITURGY RETREAT – A Fall Liturgy Retreat for Church School Students and Families will be held on Monday, November 12 (This is the observed day for Veteran’s Day this year, when most students have the day off and some adults are off from work.) This year’s theme is Liturgy and the Arts.  Come and explore the intersection of Liturgy with Hymnography, Culinary Arts, Architecture, Iconography, Textile Arts, and Prayerful Arts. $5/student, $10/family (includes Breakfast snacks, Lunch, and supplies). To register, contact Doreen Bargoot (dbargoot@aol.com)

PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for Wednesday, December 5 at 7:30pm.

FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – Help support our Canned Food Drive!  From October through December 31, bring in canned goods and place them in the plastic bins in the room outside the kitchen. (Canned goods only, please.) They will be distributed to food pantries in our area.

HOSPITALITY GROUP NEEDS MORE VOLUNTEERS – St. Mary’s Donald DiFiore Memorial Hospitality Group works to build community among the larger St. Mary’s congregation, so that we can come together in service, celebration and fellowship outside of liturgy and coffee hour.  We need members to join our ranks, and help with planning and running fellowship events such as Lenten Potluck Suppers, the Dormition Feast, special coffee hours, our annual Picnic, etc. Even if you could commit to just one event per year, this would immeasurably help strengthen the sense of community and family in our parish. We also welcome new ideas for fellowship gatherings – anything that brings us together in communion. If interested, please email Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu).

BE A GREETER - We could use your help in being a Greeter. This is a great opportunity to meet all the parishioners of St. Mary’s.  As a Greeter, you will welcome people into the church and help to direct visitors upstairs to the Liturgy, as well as keeping an eye on the Vestibule, Hallways and Entrance ways during Church.  Arrive at church 15 minutes before Liturgy (9:45am).  Greeting time ends when Communion starts. Sign up for one Sunday or several Sundays. If you are interested, contact Buddy Mabardy at buddy@cjmabardy.com or 781-729-6303, or the church office at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.

JOIN US ONLINE - 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 or online). If you have questions or comments about this ministry please contact us at live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
   
REFLECTION

If indeed the flesh possesses no useful function, why did Christ heal it? And why, in particular, did he go so far as to raise the dead to life? What was his purpose? Was it not to show us how the resurrection was to take place? How, moreover, did he raise the dead? Was it souls or bodies? Clearly, it was both together.
   - Justin

...a man has no right to be called faithful, if his faith is a bare word and if he has not in him a faith made active by love or the Spirit. Thus faith must be made evident by progress in works, or it must act in the light and shine in works, as the divine Apostle says: "Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18), thus showing that the faith of grace is made evident by works performed in accordance with the commandments, just as the commandments are fulfilled in deed and are made bright through the faith which is in grace.
   - St. Gregory of Sinai, Texts on Commandments and Dogmas no. 119