Update for the week Thursday, July 4 - Wednesday, July 10, 2019
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY’S
SUNDAY 6/30 – Orthros 8:45am, Divine Liturgy 10:00am. Following Divine Liturgy, Trisagion Prayers will be offered for Fr. Gregory Phelan (30 years), St. Mary’s parish priest from 1981-1989.
THIS WEEK ELSEWHERE
SACRED MUSIC INSTITUTE – This year’s Sacred Music Institute will be held Wednesday-Sunday, July 10-14, at Antiochian Village. The theme this year is “Sacraments and Song.” Contact Charlie Marge if you would like to register: charlie.marge@verizon.net.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
DORMITION – Paraclesis for the Dormition will be held on Wednesday, August 7, at 6:30pm
ADULT CAMP – Antiochian Village Adult Camp is summer camp for adults at the Village, Friday-Monday, September 13-16. Adult Camp is open to all adults ages 21+ who want to spend the weekend in an Orthodox Christian Environment growing in their faith. Cost of $195 includes lodging, food and activities. More information can be found at https://avcamp.org/other-programs/adult-camp.
REMINDERS
PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Wednesday, July 17 at 7:30.
ANTIOCHIAN ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION – This year’s Convention will be in Grand Rapids, MI, July 21-28, 2019. See https://ac2019gr.org
CHURCH SCHOOL – Please contact Deno Takles, our new Church School Superintendent (at takles67@yahoo.com) if you would like to help with the Church School. We are looking for a Teacher and an Assistant for Grades 2/3 and a Teacher for Grades 4/5 starting in the fall.
CONGRATULATIONS TO PLC CONTESTANTS – Our Teen, Pre-teen and Adult Bible Bowlteams won FIRST PLACE at the Parish Life Conference, competing against our sister churches in the Diocese of Worcester and New England. The Teen Team participants were Benjamin Crea, Nicholas Mazzoni and Nicholas Bezzerides; the Pre-teen team participants were Joseph Soloman, Saron Soloman, Elnathan Daniel and Ruth Samson. The Adult participants were Furtuna Risom and Charlie Marge. Additionally, Nicholas Mazzoni won the Junior Division in the Oratorical Festival. Many thanks to coach Violet Robbat, who spends many, many hours preparing and coaching the teens for the competition. Congratulations to them all!
DORMITION FAST and FEAST – The fast preceding the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Theotokos, our patronal feast day, begins on Thursday, August 1 and continues through Wednesday, August 14. On the eve of the Feast, Wednesday August 14, we will have Vespers at 4:15pm, Orthros with Lamentations at 5:30pm, and Festal Divine Liturgy at 7:00pm, followed by a Dormition feast in the church hall, hosted by Mary Winstanley O’Connor
TANGLEWOOD OUTING – Join your music-loving friends from St. Mary’s and carpool out to Tanglewood after Liturgy on Sunday, August 4. We’ll picnic on the lawn and listen to music by Rachmaninoff and Sibelius, featuring pianist Yefim Bronfman with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. For more information see https://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/100161. The concert starts at 2:30; lawn tickets are $22.00 - pay at the door; children are free. 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, contact Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com.
TRANSFIGURATION – Note change: Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Transfiguration will not be celebrated at St. Mary’s on Monday, August 5. The Feast will be celebrated at St. George W. Roxbury with Orthros at 5:30p and Divine Liturgy at 6:30p.
NEW SKETE PILGRIMAGE – The annual New Skete Pilgrimage is set for Saturday, August 10 this year (the Saturday after Transfiguration). In years past, a number of St. Mary people have gone out for the weekend (this year, 8/9-11, 2019) 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. 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. In addition to the services, there are tours of the church and talks by various members of the communities about their lives. The main talk will be given by Gayle Woloshak, Ph. D. who is a Professor of Radiation Oncology, Radiology, and Cell and Molecular Biology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. (In addition, she is Past President of the Orthodox Theological Society of America and Treasurer of the International Orthodox Theological Association and wears MANY other “hats” in the Orthodox world. (Her ecclesial resume is quite long…) Her talk is entitled, “Good Earth: Caring for God’s Creation." There are also the dogs, great hiking trails, nearby tubing, and more (e.g. usually a picnic at Hedges Lake on that Sunday), etc. More information about the Pilgrimage can be found here: https://newskete.org/events.
Once again, Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) will be coordinating the Boston helpers and as much housing as she can. (In particular, any women wanting to "camp out" at the nuns’, let her know. The Emmaus house is now a guest house - anyone wishing to stay there should contact Br. Gregory directly at brgregory@newskete.org) Housing is first come, first served.
FAMILY CAMP – You’re invited to Diocese Family Camp Friday 10/4 through Sunday 10/6 at St. Methodios Faith & Heritage Center in Contoocook, NH,. Families from our Diocese come together for a weekend of camp activities, prayer, relaxation, fellowship, and learning. More information and pictures can be found at www.soyofallcamp.org Registration information will be posted soon.
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
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
The one who is perfect in love and has reached the summit of detachment knows no distinction between one's own and another's, between faithful and unfaithful, between slave and freeman, or indeed between male and female. But having risen above the tyranny of the passions and looking to the one nature of men he regards all equally and is equally disposed toward all. For in him there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither male nor female, neither slave nor freeman, but Christ is everything and in everything.
- Maximus the Confessor
Let us not render evil for evil, and we shall not receive our due for our sins. For we find the forgiveness of our trespasses in the forgiving of our brothers; and the mercy of God is hidden in mercifulness to our neighbor. Therefore the Lord said, “Forgive, and you shall be forgiven,” and, “With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” See how the Lord bestowed on us the method of salvation and has given us eternal power to become sons of God!
- Maximus the Confessor