Update for the week Friday, May 6, 2011 through Thursday, May 12, 2011
Happy Mother’s Day!
THIS WEEKEND
VESPERS AT ST. GEORGE – You are invited to Vespers at St. George, West Roxbury, with Bishop Antoun (in place of Metropolitan PHILIP, who is ill) on Saturday, May 7, starting at 7:30 pm. There will be no Vespers at St. Mary.
CREATIVE ARTS FESTIVAL –All group and individual entries to the Antiochian Archdiocese Creative Arts festivals must be turned in to Andrea Popa by this Sunday, May 8. Entries will be displayed for the parish during the Church School Graduation on May 15. Guidelines for submissions in the creative arts (sculpture, painting, fabric, photography, etc.), as well as poetry and creative writing can be found at: http://www.antiochian.org/festivals.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
COED BABY SHOWER - Help Larisa and Marc Patacchiola prepare to welcome their daughter Ellie! You’re invited to a co-ed baby shower on Sunday, May 22 at 12:30 pm, in the Parish Hall. Larisa and Marc are hoping to be able to bring Ellie home from Taiwan next month, or possibly in July, when she will be about 7-8 months. They are registered at Amazon.com and Babies R Us. RSVP to Ann Bezzerides (abezzerides@gmail.com) or Lea Crea (leacrea@hotmail.com).
BOOK DRIVE FOR ALBANIA – We’re having a charitable collection of gently used books to begin the upper elementary library (Grades 4-9) at Protagonist School in Tirana, Albania. This school was founded and is maintained by the Orthodox Church of Albania under His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios. Please deposit books in the box outside of the Church Office May 1 – June 15. See Shannon Sakellariou or srsakellariou@gmail.com with any questions.
ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN - The Antiochian Women’s General Assembly Meeting (10:00 am) and Luncheon (Noon) will be held at the Parish Life Conference on Friday, June 17, 2011. Please remember to return your reservation form (Cost of Luncheon: $30) along with your Registration Fee of $10.00 by June 1. Checks should be made payable to Church of St. John of Damascus. Reservation Forms are also available by contacting our Church Office.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - St. George Church, West Roxbury announces Vacation Bible School, Monday, June 28 through Thursday, July 1, 8:45 am-1 pm. Registration is open to preschoolers (at least 3 yrs old and potty trained) through 4th grade. Registration: $15/1 child; $20/2 children; $25/3 children Volunteers needed. Contact Elisabeth Lourie at elisabeth@stgeorgeofboston.orgor 617-323-0322 if you have any questions or would like to help.
COOKBOOK AVAIILABLE – St. John Church, Dedham, is offering their Centennial Cookbook (back by popular demand!): 350 Arabic, other ethnic & American Recipes. Padded hardcover, 3-ring binder book, Durable metal binding snaps open to add pages, Book Stand included $25.00 each (add $5 for shipping) or also available from the St. John’s Church Office 781-326-3046. For more information, contact cookbook@stjohnd.org Download order form at www.stjohnd.org/pdf/cookbook.pdf or check St. Mary Bulletin Board
MEMORY ETERNAL - We regret to inform you that Violet Robbat’s grandmother, Rose J. (Homsy) Haddad of Natick, fell asleep in the Lord on April 29, 2011, two weeks after her 111th birthday. Rose was the wife of the late John A. Haddad, mother of George J. Haddad of NJ, Mitchell J. Haddad and his wife Marion of Natick, Jamila H. Nawfel of ME, Alfred J Haddad and his wife Marjorie of Arlington, the late Lillian Khouri, Russell J. Haddad and Gloria Matook. She was mother-in-law of Arlene Haddad of Natick and the late Antoon Khouri, Rachel Haddad, Dr. Elias Nawfel, and Frederick Matook, and "Taita" of 21 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren. Rose is predeceased by 5 brothers and 4 sisters. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Rose's Funeral service was held Tuesday May 3, 2011 at the Church of St. John of Damascus in Dedham, with interment at Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Rose's memory may be made to the Church. Notes of condolence may be sent to Violet & Richard Robbat & Family at 15 Tufts Rd. Lexington, MA 02421.
REMINDERS
CHURCH SCHOOL GRADUATION– The Church School year will come to an end next Sunday, May 15. A brief graduation ceremony and a blessing will take place at the end of liturgy.
Graduation festivities, with food and activities, will follow in the church hall. Volunteers will be needed to assist with the tie-dye station and with crafts. A sign-up sheet will also be available on Sunday for anyone wishing to assist with food contributions for a sandwich bar and ice cream sundae bar. Please see Andrea Popa or Arlene Marge this Sunday if you are interested in helping out.
“FELLOWSHIP OF NEW SKETE” – New Skete is forming a
"Third Order" group for those wishing to have a closer spiritual
relationship with the monastery and incorporate monastic values in their
own lives (in their own life circumstances). An inaugural retreat will
be held at New Skete May 27–29, 2011.From their proposal: "At the
heart of the vision of New Skete has always been the desire to live the
Christian life as fully as possible by becoming true disciples of the
Gospel. While this expressed itself initially through the life and
witness of the three monastic communities, there have always been
friends who sense a deep connection with the values of New Skete and who
wish to be involved in its ministry from the context of their own
lives. The Fellowship of New Skete supports such individuals who seek to
deepen their spiritual lives through a more formal connection with the
monastic life of New Skete...." A group formed in Portland a few years
ago. How this will look in other contexts is still to be determined.
This retreat is for those interested in the possibility of such a
connection with the monastery (no commitment necessary at this time). A
few of us for the Boston area will be going out for this. Anyone
interested, please let Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) know by next Sunday, May 15 so she can add you to the list and relay any further developments.
NO VESPERS – There will be no Saturday Vespers services at St. Mary during the month of May.
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE– This year’s New England Parish Life Conference will be held Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, at the Resort & Conference Center in Hyannis, hosted by St. John of Damascus Church in Dedham. Register today - discounted hotel rates are only guaranteed through May 1, and early bird discount through May 14. Look for us on Facebook: “2011 Parish Life Conference,” or visit us at www.stjohnd.org/conference2011. You can email questions to the conference chairpeople at Conference2011@stjohnd.org
NO FASTING – There is no fasting on Wednesday or Friday, not only during Bright Week (April 25-30), but until the Feast of the Ascension (June 2) – for the whole forty days that Christ remained on earth following his resurrection. This is the decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch. (This cessation of fasting, however, is purely voluntary; you may fast if you wish.)
STREAMING VIDEO - Did you watch any of our live streaming video through Lent and/or Holy Week? Tell us what you think! We'd love to hear your feedback. Send a message to Erick Straghalis at estraghalis@gmail.com or post a comment on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StMaryCambridge
SCHOLARSHIPS and AWARDS:
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North Americaannounces
the availability of scholarships for those graduating from high school,
as well as those that will be in college during the 2011-2012 academic
year. Scholarships are as high as $2,500 each. Deadline is May 15. Applications are now available on the Archdiocese website at www.antiochian.org/Scholarships
Antiochian Women: Scholarships are available to Antiochian Women 25 years of age or older, who choose to continue their education. You must be a member in good standing of the Antiochian Archdiocese, be actively involved in your parish, be applying for an academic or trade study program and demonstrate financial need. Scholarship applications are available in the office. Deadline to apply is May 27, 2011.
N. G. Beram Veterans Association: The N. G. Beram Veterans Association is pleased to announce the continuation of its Scholastic Achievement Awardsfor the 45th year. This program was established to encourage, promote and support the education of students of Arabic-speaking backgrounds. High school seniors can obtain the application along with the instructions by visiting the web page at: www.stjohnd.org/ngberam. All applications must be postmarked no later than June 1, 2011.
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED– St Mary’s Church School needs teachers for several classes for next year, as well as persons interested in helping with administration or event planning. If you would like to be considered for a teaching or coordinating role, please contact Andrea Popa at maryandreapopa@gmail.comor Arlene Marge at lanciani@alum.mit.edu.
BECOME A GREETER FOR ST MARY’S -The Parish Council has enacted the Greeter Program, similar to other churches, to greet and aid parishioners, guests and visitors each Sunday. 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. If you would like to help and volunteer as a Greeter once every few months, please contact Buddy Mabardy at 781-729-6303 or email at Buddy@cjmabardy.com
WEEKLY ENVELOPES – If you currently receive weekly envelopes to fulfill your pledge and you either (a) don’t use them, or (b) are planning on not using envelopes next year, please send an e-mail to Charlie Marge (marge@alum.mit.edu). We are currently trying to decide how many boxes of envelopes to order for 2012. Thanks for your help!
CROSSROAD – Attention High School Juniors & Seniors: CrossRoad is an exciting summer vocation exploration program designed to help students discern their life callings and match their God-given gifts with the needs of the world. CrossRoad session dates for summer 2011 are June 18-28 (first session) and July 5-15 (second session). For more information and to download an application: www.crossroad.hchc.edu
MISSION TEAM OPPORTUNITIES- The Orthodox Christian Mission Center has announced their 2011 Mission Teams. Teams will be heading to 9 locations around the globe to share the teachings of the faith and offer the gift of service through hands-on experience. For more information go to http://teams.ocmc.orgor call the OCMC at 877-463-6784.
BE PART OF A FAMILY MISSION TEAM –This year the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is proud to announce a collaboration with the Center for Family Care (of the Greek Archdiocese) by offering a Family Mission Team. For two weeks, July 17-29, 2011, families from North America, along with Albanian families, will participate in this outreach assisted by OCMC missionaries and Albanian church leaders. The primary focus is to offer a “family witness” while sharing the faith and growing as a family in Christ. Consider being part of this first OCMC and Center for Family Care collaboration and family mission witness! Visithttp://teams.ocmc.org, or e-mail teams@ocmc.org, for more information or to apply.
2011 ARCHDIOCESAN CONVENTION– The 50th Antiochian Archdiocese Convention will be held July 24-31 at the Marriott Chicago Downtown, Chicago, Illinois. For more information see www.archdioceseconvention2011.orgor email info@archdioceseconvention2011.org
2015 ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION- St. Mary has obtained the permission of Metropolitan PHILIP to bid on the 2015 Archdiocese Convention. The Parish Council is preparing a bid to have the convention be held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, MA from Sunday, July 19, through Sunday, July 26. The determination as to which church will be chosen will be made at the July 2011 National Convention. The convention co-chairs will be Mary Winstanley O’Connor and Raymond Sayeg. Mary and Ray are looking for volunteers to assist with a number of committees – see the list in Sunday’s bulletin. The Parish Council will need all parishioners to provide their time and talent to make this convention a significant success. Please call Mary at her office at 617-523-1010 or email her at moconnor@koilaw.com with any questions or your willingness to participate. Or contact Ray at his office at 617-742-1184 or email him at rsayeg@dennerpellegrino.com
REGULAR REMINDERS
STREAMING VIDEO- Please note that 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 online). If you have questions or comments about this ministry please contact us atlive@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
DONATE VIA eGIVE – Recently we have had special collections for Japan, for Seminarians, and most recently for the Antiochian Women’s project: the Convent of St. Thekla. If you didn’t have a chance to contribute to those collections, or would like to give more, you can do so through eGive at www.egive-usa.com. If you have not yet set up an account, you can do it there, or contact Charlie Marge (marge@alum.mit.edu) for help. The Recipient Organization is “St. Mary’s Orthodox Church,” and when you get to Step 4 after selecting that, you have the option of designating how your gift will be used.
PROTECT YOUR VALUABLES - Please do not leave valuables unattended in the Church Hall or Coat Room.
FIRST IN, LAST OUT– Please do not park in the small lot
behind the church unless you intend to stay through the end of coffee
hour. The only way out is the single lane driveway. Please pull all the
way in to the parking space, and please do notblock the driveway – if the lot is full, you can park on the street or in the lot at the corner of Prospect Street and Bishop Allen Drive.
PRISON MINISTRY – If you would like to find out more about Prison Ministry at St. Mary Church, please subscribe to our mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/ocpm-concord
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 and six people to hold cloths and baskets. If
you would like to read the Epistle or assist during 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.orgor 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 atliztutella@gmail.com phone 617-974-5005, or Tiffany Conroy at trattus1@gmail.com.
St Paul’s Food Pantry - Volunteers are needed each week
in the food pantry at St Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Harvard
Square, Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45.
Prison Ministry – If you would like to find out more about Prison Ministry at St. Mary’s Church, please subscribe to our mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/ocpm-concord
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, for more information.
Canned Goods-The annual Food For Hungry People canned food drive is held October through December each year. Bring in your canned goods to the Church and place them in the large, blue plastic containers outside the Church Office – they will be distributed to local food pantries in our area.
"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
LITURGICAL SERVICE: Epistle:
Stephani Colby; Left Cloth: Greg Hakim and TBD; Right Cloth: Rose
Njuguna and Melissa Nassiff; Left Bread: TBD; Right Bread: Jeanne
Brickman
COFFEE HOUR – The Parish Council, in honor of Charles Arbeely
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, May 7: NO Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, May 8: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00; Church School lesson 23
SCRIPTURE READINGS forMay 8, Holy Myrrhbearers Sunday:
Epistle: The First Universal Letter St. John the Theologian 1:1-7
… This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that
God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have
fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live
according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his
Son cleanses us from all sin.
Gospel: Mark 15:43-47; 16:1-8
… And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and
anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the
tomb when the sun had risen. … And entering the tomb, they saw a young
man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were
amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of
Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place
where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter …
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, May 14: NoVespers at St. Mary
Sunday, May 15: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00; Church School Graduation and Closing of Church School festivities
Saturday, May 21: NoVespers at St. Mary
Sunday, May 22: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00
Saturday, May 28: NoVespers at St. Mary
Friday-Sunday, June 17-19: Parish Life Conference in Hyannis
Sunday-Sunday, July 24-31: Archdiocese Convention in Chicago
INSIGHT
You
have heard, dearly beloved, that holy women who had followed the Lord
came to the sepulcher with spices. They had loved Him when He was alive,
and they showed Him their eager tenderheartedness even when He was
dead. Their deed points to something that must be done in our holy
Church. Thus as we hear of what they did, we must also think of our
responsibility to imitate them. We too, who believe in Him Who died,
approach His sepulcher with spices if we are strengthened with the sweet
smell of the virtues, and if we seek the Lord with a reputation for
good works. And the women who came with spices saw angels, since those
who advance toward God through their holy desires, accompanied by the
sweet smell of the virtues, behold the citizens from on high.
- St. Gregory the Great,Forty Gospel Homilies
The women, with mingled joy and fear, rejoicing and sorrow, turned away
from the tomb, as the Bible teaches, to meet the apostles; and they
said: "Why are you disheartened? Why do you hide your faces? Lift up
your hearts; Christ is risen. Form choruses and say along with us: 'The
Lord is risen.' He has shone forth, He Who was created before the dawn."
So not be downcast, but take courage. Spring has appeared - come to
bloom, ye branches, producing fruit and not misery. Let us all clap our
hands and say: "He has returned to life, He Who offers resurrection to
the fallen."
- St Romanos the Melodist, On The Resurrection VI
Whenever we enter the church and draw near to the heavenly mysteries, we
ought to approach with all humility and fear, both because of the
presence of the angelic powers and out of the reverence due to the
sacred oblation; for as the Angels are said to have stood by the Lord's
body when it lay in the tomb, so we must believe that they are present
in the celebration of the Mysteries of His most sacred Body at the time
of consecration."
- Venerable Bede
Do you wish to honor the body of the Savior? Do not despise it when it
is naked. Do not honor it in church with silk vestments while outside
you are leaving it numb with cold and naked. He who said "this is my
body," and made it so by his word, is the same that said, "You saw me
hungry and you gave me no food. As you did it not to one of the least of
these, you did it not to me." Honor him then by sharing your property
with the poor. For what God needs is not golden chalices but golden
souls."
- St. John Chrysostom