Weekly Newsletter for the week Friday, February 13, 2009 through Thursday, February 19, 2009

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

FR. ANTONY TO BE AWAY - Fr. Antony will be away in El Salvador with College Students for OCF'S Real  Break from Saturday, February 21 through Saturday, February 28, 2009.  In case of emergency, contact Fr. Timothy Ferguson at St. George Church, West Roxbury at 617-323-0323.

UPCOMING RETREAT OPPORTUNITIES - New Skete Monastery is offering a one-day Lenten retreat on Saturday, March 14, entitled, "Self-discovery and Spiritual Growth."  The day will consist of presentations on aspects of self discovery, spiritual direction and sacramental confession and include time for discussions, meditation and reflection.  An opportunity for sacramental confession will also be available.  A donation of $15 is asked to help cover the expenses for the day.  The number of retreatants is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.  To register for the retreat, contact Robin Hetko at robin.hetko@gmail.com.  In addition, the monastery will celebrate the Liturgy of St. James (the ancient rite of Jerusalem) on that Sunday (March 15).  Those wishing to visit the monastery for the weekend (to take advantage of both opportunities), please contact Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) for housing arrangements.

Also,  May 22-24 (Memorial Day weekend),  the Fellowship of St. John the Divine is sponsoring a weekend retreat Friday through Sunday at New Skete Monastery. The details of the retreat are still in the planning stages, but SAVE THE DATE!  Please RSVP to Tiffany Conroy (trattus1@gmail.com or 617-990-7162), or contact her for more information.

PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE - St. George Church in Lawrence will be hosting the 2009 Parish Life Conference for the  Diocese of New England,  June 25-28, at the Wyndham Hotel in Andover , MA .  Singles and Doubles:  $95.  Triples: $105 and Quads: $115.  Hotel Reservation Deadline is June 4, 2009; mention Parish Life Conference for special rates.   More information can be found on St. George's website at www.stgeorgelawrence.org/Conf2009     

ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION - The national convention for the whole Archdiocese will be held July 19 - 26 at Desert Springs JW Marriot Hotel, Palm Desert , California, hosted by St. Michael Church, Van Nuys. Check out their website at www.archdioceseconvention2009.org  for more information.

REMINDERS

MEATFARE SUNDAY BREAKFAST - The annual Meatfare Sunday Breakfast sponsored by  the Fellowship of St. John the Divine will be  Sunday, February 22.  The suggested donation  -$7 per person, $14 per family - will help support the many activities of the Fellowship at St. Mary's, including the annual Lessons and Carols evening; Learning in Lent lecture series; Wednesday evening potluck suppers after Pre-Sanctified Liturgies during Lent; the annual Father John vonHolzhausen lecture; Coffee House ministry; coffee hours and special meals;  this weekly St. Mary Update e-mail newsletter; and much more.

ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN'S MONTH - March is Antiochian Women's Month throughout the Archdiocese. Women of the parish will be reading the Epistle, holding the Communion cloths and bread baskets, taking the collection, and delivering the homily.  If you can help, please contact Marilyn Robbat in the church office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org

MESSAGE TO ST. MARY WOMEN FROM FR. ANTONY -For Women's Month this year I hope to have four women from the Ladies Club and/or the Fellowship of St. John deliver short homilies as usual with this difference.  The homilies should be on one of these themes or topics:

  1. The themes of the particular Sunday of Great Lent or
  2. The life of a female saint, her ministry, its impact on the Church and implications for women's ministry in our times.

We will have two resource people other than me on call for reference if any questions or the need for materials arise:  Teva Regule and David Vermette.  The homilies will need to be presented to me a week in advance so I will have a chance to review them.  I sincerely hope some of you will choose to participate in this important ministry.  The work of women in the Church is vital.  Your voices need to be heard.

LENTEN FOOD SALE - The Women's Club is now taking orders for Spinach Triangles, Hoomos and Mjadara (lentils with rice).  Please use the order form in the Sunday bulletin. Order deadline is Sunday, March 1.   If you would like to help cook, join us on Saturday, March 14  at 9:30 a.m.

PRE-LENTEN RETREAT - A Pre-Lenten Retreat will be held on Saturday, March 7,  at St. George Orthodox Church, Norwood MA , sponsored by diocesan Antiochian Women. Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at Boston University, will speak on Orthodox Christian Unity: What, Why, Why Not Yet?  See the registration form on the Church Bulletin Board. The requested donation, including lunch, is just $15; registration deadline is Sunday, February 28.  All are welcome - this is not for women only!

BLESSING OF HOMES - Fr. Antony will be blessing homes after Epiphany (January 6)  and between Holy Pascha (April 8) and Pentecost (May 27).  We bless homes to reveal the home as what God created it to be, a way to heaven; to rid the home of every evil;  to show that the family is a small church unit in Christ; to consecrate the home and all activity in it to God; and to fill the home and all who live in it with the fullness of God.  To schedule the blessing of your home please use the form in the weekly Bulletin or the monthly Cornerstone, or call the church office at 617 547-1234.

BATTERED WOMEN'S SHELTER - The Women's Club is requesting your support with monetary donations toward the purchase of items for our annual Baskets for the Battered Women's Family Shelter.  Each year, gifts baskets are made up of household items and given to the families to facilitate their moves into new homes and apartments.  Please see Louise Homsy or Shirley Bezreh at the Bengarri.  Make checks payable to St. Mary Women's Club and earmark:  Battered Women.  Thank you.

CROSSROADS - High School Juniors and Seniors:  The Office of Vocation & Ministry at Hellenic College is now accepting applications for its summer CrossRoad program.  Two sessions are offered:  June 20 - 30 and July 7 - 17, 2009.  For more information and application see  www.crossroad.hchc.edu or call 617-850-1309.  Application deadline is March 1, 2009 for first consideration.

2009 WEEKLY OFFERING ENVELOPES - Some are still are waiting for pick-up outside of the Church Office.  Look for your name alphabetically.  Remember:  if you have chosen to pay periodically, you have not been assigned weekly envelopes.  If you wish to change your payment arrangements, see or call Marilyn Robbat in the Church Office 617-547-1234.

CALENDARS - 2009 Church Calendars have arrived.  Please take one per family.

2009 PLEDGE CARDS - Please take the time to fill out your 2009 pledge card, which was mailed out recently, and return it to the Church Office as soon as possible in the self-addressed stamped envelope provided.  We especially need your pledge this year - not just a bare minimum, but a percentage of your income (10% is the biblical ideal). Everyone, including students and new arrivals, is encouraged to make a stewardship commitment to St. Mary's.  If you do not have a pledge card, please contact the Parish Office so that you may receive a New Member Packet.  Or you can take advantage of the new convenient electronic pledge card on the Stewardship page of our parish website:  https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/stewardship.php

ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE CAMP 2009 - Schedules have been announced for the 2009 camping program at the Village - see http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp.html Two scholarships are available - see Fr. Antony for details.

PARKING - Please note:  If you do not plan on staying for the entire Coffee Hour on any given Sunday, please do not park in the Church Parking Lot. The first in will be the last out! Similarly, if you park in the driveway please plan to leave very promptly.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE

There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshippers and those in need.  Consider serving in one of these ways:

PARTICIPATION

Liturgical Service - Each Sunday, members of the congregation are needed to read the Epistle and assist during Communion by holding the Communion Cloths and Holy Bread Baskets.  All Orthodox Christians in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to participate. We usually need one Epistle reader and six people to hold cloths and baskets.  If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during the Communion, please contact Jeff Wasilko, 781-820-0882, jeffw@smoe.org

Coffee Hour - People are needed every week to provide coffee, juice and cookies, or more if desired, and set it up Sunday morning. To sign up for an available Sunday, please put your name on the signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall or call Marilyn Robbat in the Parish Office and she will write your name in. If you need any help with figuring out what to bring or do, check the list below the signup sheet (also printed in the Bulletin), or ask Marilyn at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.

VOLUNTEERING

Holy Resurrection Open Doors - The Holy Resurrection Open Door Meal Ministry in Allston needs volunteers every Monday evening (there is a special need in the summer).  The official hours of the project are 4:30 pm-7:30 pm, but it is fine to come anytime and leave any time.  Best times would be 5:30-5:45 to 7:15-7:30 pm.  You can serve meals, coffee and tea to the people who arrive for dinner (6-7 pm) or just stay behind the scenes doing set-up and clean-up.  It is a very rewarding, hands-on, face-to-face way to serve the community with (mostly) other Orthodox Christians-we even chant the Our Father together before the meal begins. Church info can be found at  http://hrocboston.org.  

 Questions? Please contact Liz Straghalis at liztutella@gmail.com  phone 617-974-5005,  or Tiffany Conroy at trattus1@gmail.com, 617-990-7162.

St Paul's Food Pantry - Two to four volunteers help each week in the food pantry at St Paul 's Roman Catholic Church in Harvard Square , Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45.  If you are interested in helping, please contact Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684.

DONATIONS

Food and Clothing - Holy Resurrection in Allston takes donations of non-perishable food items and clothing to distribute at the Open Door Ministry on Monday evenings.  You can bring your donations by on Monday nights between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm or contact Tiffany Conroy, trattus1@gmail.com, 617-990-7162, for more information.

- St. Paul 's Food Pantry in Harvard Square , where volunteers from St. Mary help every Saturday, depends upon regular donations of canned and packaged foods.  To help, contact Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684.

Monetary Contributions -  The Agape Canister Program is an Orthodox non-profit development program of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center .  It is dedicated to meeting the needs of children, families, and communities throughout the world, regardless of race, color, or creed. All funds collected by the Agape Canister Program are earmarked for medical care and clinics, water wells, agricultural development, food and clothing, support personnel (e.g. doctors, nurses, teachers), the construction of schools, and the education of indigenous people in their own communities.  Please contribute each Sunday - A clear plastic box is on the Bengarri.

"As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me," says our Lord.

THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS

FOOD PANTRY - February 14:   Christian Alcala
LITURGICAL SERVICE - February 15
:   Epistle:  Robert Kowalik
COFFEE HOUR - February 15:   Fr. Antony & Khourieh Carol Hughes

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

Saturday, February 14:  Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, February 15:
  Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; 
            NO Church School (school vacation week)

SCRIPTURE READINGS for February 15, Sunday of  the Prodigal Son: 

Epistle:  St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 6:12-20

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?  ... Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body and in your spirit which belong to God.

Gospel: Luke 15:11-32

The Lord said this parable: "There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living."

LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday, February 21: No Vespers at St Marys
Sunday, February 22
,  Meatfare Sunday:  Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am;  followed by FSJD Meatfare Breakfast;  Church School lesson 15
Saturday, February 28:
No Vespers at St. Marys
Sunday, March 1
,  Cheesefare Sunday:   Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 16; Forgiveness Vespers 6:00 pm
Monday, March 2,
 beginning of Great Lent:  Great Canon of  St. Andrew 7:00 pm; Lenten Compline at St. George, Norwood 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday,  March 3:
  Great Canon of  St. Andrew 7:00 pm
Wednesday, March 4:
  Presanctified Liturgy 6:30 pm, followed by Pot Luck Supper (also March 11, 18, & 25)
Thursday, March 5: 
Great Canon of  St. Andrew 7:00 pm
Friday, March 6:
Akathist Service 7:00 pm, followed by Learning In Lent Speaker - Fr. Antony Hughes
Sunday, March 8,
  Sunday of Orthodoxy:  No services at St. Marys (note change)

INSIGHT

How can you call God just, when you read the passage on the wage given to the workers?  "Friend, I do thee no wrong; I will give unto this last even as unto thee who worked for me from the first hour. Is thine eye evil, because I am good? "' How can a man call God just, when he comes across the passage on the prodigal son, who wasted his wealth in riotous living, and yet only for the contrition which he showed, the father ran and fell upon his neck, and gave him authority over all his wealth? None other but His very Son said these things concerning Him lest we doubt it, and thus He bore witness concerning Him. Where, then, is God's justice, for while we were sinners, Christ died for us!

   -  Saint Isaac the Syrian

At least from this time forth arise and do not put off, my beloved soul, holy repentance, contrition of heart and penance for your sins. Putting them off year after year, month after month, day after day, you will not at all desire with your whole heart to repent, and you will not find one to have compassion on you.

   -  St. Paisius Velichkovsky

A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ.  Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Savior Himself. He deigned to say, "not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to salvation; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety righteous ones. " Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He deigned to say to the Pharisee  Simon, "to one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love even a small debt will be demanded. "

   - St. Herman of Alaska

I love you, O Lord, with all my heart and soul. For I know you love the sinner when he comes to repentance and, with his eyes full of tears, sighing and sobbing, he cries out to You,  "O our Lord, deliver me form fire! I pray Thee, accept the tears of my misery. Voluntarily have I sinned before Thee, yet voluntarily do I also repent. "

   - St. Ephraim