Weekly Newsletter for the week Friday, August 14, through Thursday, August 20, 2009
THIS WEEK
DORMITION FEAST DAY CELEBRATION - Saturday, August 15 is our Parish Feast Day: Dormition of the Theotokos. Join us as we celebrate the Vigil for the Dormition this Friday, August 14, with Vespers at 4:15 pm, Orthros with Lamentations at 5:30 pm; and Festal Divine Liturgy at 7:00 pm, followed by a Parish Dinner at 8:15 pm. Cost for the dinner is $5.00 for adults and students; children 12 and under are free. Please RSVP by Thursday, August 6 to the Church Office at 617-547-1234. Paid reservations are preferred - checks payable to St. Mary Church.
PARISH COUNCIL - The next meeting of the Parish Council will be this coming Wednesday, August 19, at 7:30 pm, in the small hall next to the kitchen.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
DIOCESAN TEEN SOYO - Trip to the Pawtucket Red Sox game on Thursday, August 20th. Game starts at 7:00 pm and tickets are $10. Transportation will be provided. RSVP to Erick or Liz immediately or by Wednesday, August 5th if your teen is interested in attending, (617-645-2116 & 617-974-5005)... don't miss out on this great opportunity to kick back and relax before heading back to school in September!
ORTHODOX CONFERENCE ON MISSIONS & EVANGELISM - The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Department of Missions and Evangelism is proud to welcome as our keynote speaker for the 2009 Orthodox Conference on Missions and Evangelism His Beatitude the Most Blessed JONAH, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada. The conference will be held
Sept. 4 - 7, 2009 at Antiochian Village . Theme: The Necessity of Orthodox Unity in America to Bringing America to Orthodoxy. For more information and to register, see http://www.antiochian.org/missions/conference .
REMINDERS
ST. MARY 80th ANNIVERSARY VIDEO - UPDATE - We are looking for
materials (photos, video, etc.) and historical information for our research
committee - both recent and not-so recent! Over the next several weeks,
we will have several tables and people downstairs during coffee hour leading
these efforts.
1. Materials - if you have photographs, documents, booklets,
brochures and/or video of the past 80 years at St. Mary's, please contact
Juliet Burch (juliet.burch@gmail.com) who is coordinating
the archiving committee, and will ensure your materials are returned to you
once they have been scanned. If you have video, please let them know the
format it is currently in (VHS, Mini-DV, Hi8, or DVD). Juliet and her
team will be on hand Sunday to collect any materials you may have - Please bring
them in a clearly marked box or bag so that your items may be archived and
returned.
2. Research Questionnaire - If you have any information on the
past 80 years (both recent history and not-so-recent), we need your
help!!! There are two ways to fill out this questionnaire - Online or in
person. If you have any questions regarding the
questionnaire, please contact Tiffany Conroy (trattus1@gmail.com). If you would
like to be interviewed on-camera, you MUST complete this questionnaire.
Online: Fill out the
questionnaire online at http://StMaryVideo.ErickStraghalis.com (note: there is no "www" in the URL). It should only take
about fifteen minutes.
In Person: Several team members will
be on hand to walk people through the questionnaire, during coffee hour.
For all other questions, please contact Erick Straghalis (stmaryvideo@erickstraghalis.com). Thank you and God Bless!
COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Please sign up to provide a coffee hour this summer - it can be as simple as coffee, juice, and cookies, and it's easier now when attendance is lighter. Signup sheets are on the bulletin board downstairs outside the Hall, or call Marilyn in the office. When no one volunteers there is no coffee, no fellowship, no hospitality.
LITURGICAL SERVICES HELP NEEDED - If you've ever assisted with Liturgical Services (holding the Communion Cloth or the bread basket), and you see one of those positions unfilled this summer, please feel free to step up and fill it.
WOMEN'S CLUB SUMMER READING - This summer Women's Club members (and anyone else who'd like to join us) will be reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, a New York Times best seller. Read the book over the summer, and join us in the fall, Monday, September 14, for an enjoyable evening of discussion, refreshments and fellowship!
SONIA'S RUN - You are invited to take part in an inaugural 5K road race to benefit the Theophany School, in honor of its beloved friend Sonia Belcher, on Saturday, September 19, 2009. "Sonia's Run ... Building on a Dream" will start and end at St. George Church, West Roxbury, and includes both a 5k Run starting at 9:00 am and a Kids' 50-yard Dash which starts at 8:30 am. For more information, go to: www.SoniasRun.org
METROPOLITAN VISITING ST. GEORGE, NORWOOD - Metropolitan PHILIP will visit St. George, Norwood, on September 19th and 20th. On Saturday evening, Vespers will be at 6:00 pm, followed by a banquet at the Apollo Restaurant in Norwood to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Ladies of Saint George. On Sunday, His Eminence will serve the Liturgy at 10:00 am, including the one-year memorial for Father Nifon Abraham. Dinner on Saturday is $55 and includes your choice of roasted prime rib or broiled haddock. Please send your reservation to the Ladies of Saint George, c/o Beverly DiFlaminies, 35 Elm Street, Norwood, 02062. For information phone 781-762-4396, see their web-site, www.StGeorgeNorwood.org or email Linda Thomas at LMThomas9@gmail.com
BISHOP ALEXANDER TO VISIT - On the evening of Saturday, October 3, 2009, we will welcome His Grace Bishop ALEXANDER for a visit to St. Mary's. The evening will begin with Vespers at 6:00 pm, followed by a Welcome Reception and Cocktail Party at 7:30 pm. The ticket price of $35.00 per person will include a wide array of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, open bar, dessert and Arabic dancing. Prepaid reservations only - no tickets will be sold at the door. Tickets will be limited to 175 people. For tickets and table reservations of eight, contact Renay DiFiore at (617) 327-6361, Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com or Mary Winstanley O'Connor at either (617) 523-1010 or moconnor@koilaw.com.
On Sunday, October 4, His Grace will be with us for Orthros at 8:45 am and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am, followed by a celebratory Coffee Hour.
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
August 15: Socrates Deligeorges and Lan Hu
LITURGICAL SERVICE
August 16: Epistle: Volunteers are needed! 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
August 16: The Fahmy Family
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Friday, August 14: Vigil for the Dormition of the Theotokos - Vespers 4:15 pm, Orthros with Lamentations 5:30 pm, Festal Divine Liturgy 7:00 pm; Parish Dinner 8:15 pm (advance registration required for dinner)
Saturday, August 15: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, August 16: Summer hours - Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
SCRIPTURE READINGS for August 16:
Epistle: St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 4:9-16
When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; ... I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers.
Gospel: Matthew 17:14-23
... And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move hence to yonder place,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting."
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, August 22: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 23: Summer hours - Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Sunday, August 29: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 30: Last Sunday of Summer Hours
INSIGHT
A man ... wrestles with many ... demons; and often the demon, whom many men could not master with iron bands, has been mastered by the man himself with words of prayer which is in him of the Holy Spirit; and the mere breathing of the Exorcist becomes as fire to that unseen foe. A mighty ally and protector, therefore, have we from God; a great Teacher of the Church, a mighty Champion on our behalf. Let us not be afraid of the demons, nor of the devil; for mightier is He who fights for us.
- St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures: Lecture 16 no. 19
... Thou art not the sole author of the evil, but there is also another most wicked prompter, the devil. He indeed suggests, but does not get the mastery by force over those who do not consent.
- St. Cyril, Archbishop Of Jerusalem, Second Catechetical Lecture: On Repentance And Remission Of Sins, And Concerning The Adversary
Citizens fear enemy invasions so long as they have no help from the king. When the news comes that a military commander has entered their town, they cease to worry in the knowledge that the authorities will take care of them. Even if they hear that the enemy approaches, they are not afraid since they have a protector. In the same way, if we believe in God, we do not fear the demons, for God sends us His help.
- St. Barsanuphius and St. John, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart