Update for the week Friday, May 20, 2011 through Thursday, May 26, 2011
THIS WEEKEND
COED BABY SHOWER - Help Larisa and Marc Patacchiola prepare to welcome their daughter Ellie! You’re invited to a co-ed baby shower this Sunday, May 22 at 12:30 pm, in the Parish Hall. Larisa and Marc are hoping to be able to bring Ellie (Elianna Pei-Jyun Patacchiola) home from Taiwan next month, when she will be 7 or 8 months old. They are registered at Amazon.com and Babies R Us. RSVP to Ann Bezzerides (abezzerides@gmail.com) or Lea Crea (leacrea@hotmail.com).
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
PARISH COUNCIL– The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, May 25.
NO VESPERS – There will be no Saturday Vespers services at St. Mary on June 4 or June 11.
REMINDERS
BAPTISM– On Saturday May 28th at 2:30pm, Nadia Straghalis will be baptized at St. Mary's. Nadia's parents, Erick and Elizabeth Straghalis, cordially invite the parish family to join in celebrating this Sacrament with them. Refreshments will follow in the church hall. (No gifts, please.)
BLESSING OF GRAVES– On Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, Fr. Antony will be blessing graves at Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park, MA. starting at 9:00 am. If you would like him to bless the graves of loved ones in other cemeteries, please let him know by calling the Church Office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail frawhj@gmail.com
“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 Sunday,May 15 so she can add you to the list and relay any further developments.
COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED– Volunteering always falls off this time of year, but the need for fellowship and hospitality stays strong. Please sign up to sponsor a coffee hour, individually or with friends. It can be as simple as coffee, juice, and cookies, and plenty of help is available. Signup sheets are on the bulletin board downstairs outside the Hall. Isn't it your turn by now?
NO VESPERS – There will be no Saturday Vespers services at St. Mary during the month of May.
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.)
BOOK DRIVE FOR ALBANIA– We’re having a charitable collection of gently used books (in English) 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 through June 15. See Shannon Sakellariou or srsakellariou@gmail.comwith 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.
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
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.
SCHOLARSHIPS and AWARDS:
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.
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
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
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - St. George Church, West Roxbury announces Vacation Bible School, Monday, June 28 through Thursday, July 1, 8:45 am-1:00 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 are also needed. Contact Elisabeth Lourie at elisabeth@stgeorgeofboston.orgor 617-323-0322 if you have any questions or would like to help.
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-
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 below
or 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, for the Antiochian Women’s
project: the Convent of St. Thekla, and other causes. 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 and Communion help: Rose Njuguna, Michelle Chin, Melissa Nassiff and others
COFFEE HOUR – Baby shower for Marc and Larisa Patacchiola and their soon-to-arrive daughter
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, May 21: NoVespers at St. Mary
Sunday, May 22: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00
SCRIPTURE READINGS forMay 22, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman:
Epistle: Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30
in those days, those apostles who were scattered because of the
persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and
Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none except Jews. But there
were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch
spoke to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the
Lord was with them, and a great number that believed turned to the Lord.
… and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called
Christians.
Gospel: John 4:5-42
At that time, Jesus came to a city of Samaria, … Jacob's well
was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down
beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of
Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." For his
disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman
said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of
Samaria?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. … The woman said
to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped
on this mountain; and you say that Jerusalem is the place where men
ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is
coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship
the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know,
for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for
such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who
worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, May 28: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, May 29: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00
Monday, May 30: Memorial Day – Blessing of Graves at Fairview Cemetery, Hyde Park starting at 9:00 am
Wednesday, June 1: Evening Liturgy for the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord 6:30 pm
Sunday, June 12: Feast of Pentecost
Friday-Sunday, June 17-19: Parish Life Conference in Hyannis
Sunday-Sunday, July 24-31: Archdiocese Convention in Chicago
INSIGHT
God
is everywhere. His truth and His love pervade all things as the light
and the heat of the sun pervade our atmosphere. But just as the rays of
the sun do not set fire to anything by themselves, so God does not touch
our souls with the fire of supernatural knowledge and experience
without Christ.
- Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
We, as reverent partakers of the host, are also changed; we "en-God"
ourselves in consuming the Eucharist. Once we drink from the holy cup,
the timeless God enters into us, and we too become eternal chalices
meant to contain and distribute him in love. Our mortality takes on
immortality; we realize our role as Spirit-bearers and sharers, created
from the beginning to disseminate light and joy forever.
- S.T.Georgiou, Mystic Street
Watchfulness is a spiritual method which, if diligently practiced over a
long period, with God’s help, completely frees us from impassioned
thoughts, impassioned words and evil actions. Insofar as it is possible,
it leads to a sure knowledge of the unknowable God, and helps us to
penetrate the divine and hidden mysteries. It enables us to fulfill
every divine commandment in the Old and New Testaments and bestows upon
us every blessing of the age to come.
- St. Hesychios
The whole truth of Christianity has been fully revealed; it has not yet
been fully understood or fully lived. The life of the Church is the
Truth of God Himself, breathed out into the Church by His Spirit, and
there cannot be any other truth to supersede and replace it.
- Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
You who are hidden and concealed within me, reveal within me your hidden mystery;
manifest to me your beauty that is within me. O you who have built me as
a temple for you to dwell in, cause the cloud of your glory to
overshadow inside your temple, so that the ministers of your sanctuary
may cry out, in love for you, ‘holy!’ as an utterance which burns in
fire and spirit, in a sharp stirring which is commingled with wonder and
astonishment,
activated as a living movement by the power of your being.
- John of Dalyatha (aka John Saba, the "Elder"), Prayer