Update for the week Friday, July 8, through Thursday, July 14, 2011
THIS WEEKEND
NO VOLUNTEERS = NO COFFEE– 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. No one has volunteered for this Sunday, so there will be no coffee hour this week.
TANGLEWOOD OUTING– Several of us from St. Mary’s will be carpooling out to Tanglewood after Liturgy this Sunday, July 10. You’re welcome to join us, if you can provide your own transportation. For more information and to let us know you're coming (so we can save enough space on the lawn), contact Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
MEMORY ETERNAL -Louis Hodges, a long time member of St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Cambridge, MA, fell asleep in the Lord on Friday, July 1, 2011. Louis was the husband of Rose (Farah) Hodges and father of Jeanne B. Salem and her husband, James Wesley Salem of Roslindale, George Hodges and his wife Patricia of Walpole and the late James L. Hodges. He was the grandfather of five and is survived by a sister and several nieces and nephews. Funeral Services were held Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in West Roxbury, officiated by V. Rev. Fr. Antony Hughes. Interment was at Fairview Cemetery in Boston. Contributions may be made in his memory to the American Cancer society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.
REMINDERS
SUMMER HOURS – During the summer, Orthros is at 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am, and the church office will only be open on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm.
2011 ARCHDIOCESE 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
CHURCH WILL BE CLOSED – St. Mary Church and offices will be closed Monday through Friday, July 25-29, during the Antiochian Archdiocese Convention. Also, there will be no Vespers at St. Mary on Saturday, July 30.
BIBLE BOWL CHAMPS – Congratulations to Thomas Marge, Anthony Marge and Theo Smith, and their coach Violet Robbat, who won the Bible Bowl at the New England Diocese Parish Life Conference. Next they will represent the Diocese at the Archdiocese Convention Bible Bowl in Chicago on Wednesday evening, July 27. We wish them much success!
NEW SKETE PILGRIMAGE –The Monastic Communities and Chapel Community members of New Skete Monastery in Cambridge, New York (www.newskete.org), invite you to join them for a day of prayer and reflection celebrating their feast day on Saturday, August 13, 2011 (rain or shine). The theme of the pilgrimage is "Preparing for Life: Exploring End of Life Questions." As is the rule of monastic life, the day will begin and end with prayer—Matins at 8:30 am, followed by the celebration of the Diving Liturgy 9:30 am (Close of Transfiguration) and end with Vigil of the Resurrection (Preparation for Dormition) at 5:00 pm. In addition, a special Healing Service with Anointing will be held at 4:00 pm. Fr. George Gray, Priest at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Portland, Oregon, and a lecturer on end of life issues will deliver the feature presentation and Sr. Macrina, Ph. D. of the Nuns of New Skete, will give the response and lead the discussion. In addition, the day will include tours of the monastery churches, a talk on monastic life, a demonstration of the monks' dog training program and opportunities for puppy socialization, as well as time for hiking, conversation, reflection and quiet. Activities for children and teens are also planned. Traditional ethnic and American style food will be available for purchase. (The Monks, Nuns, and Companions of New Skete are a Stavropegial monastery under Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America.) For more information, contact Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu).
In years past, a number of us have gone out for the weekend to help the Chapel Community with the "leg-work" for the day. They are hoping a number of us will do so again this year. Let Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) know if you are interested as she will be coordinating the Boston helpers and arranging housing for all of us. For those wishing to stay the weekend, there is a parish picnic on that Sunday afternoon to which we are all invited. DEADLINE: RSVP to Teva no later than Friday, July 29, 2011.
In addition, a few of us will be trekking out there two weekends before the event (7/29-31) to help with the clean-up on that Saturday. Let Teva know right away if you can help for the clean-up weekend as well.
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
CHURCH SCHOOL HELP NEEDED– St Mary’s Church School needs teachers or co-teachers for several classes for next year, as well as two administrative assistants to help with administrative tasks such as Church School calendar and registration. If you would like to be considered for a teaching or assisting role, please contact Andrea Popa at maryandreapopa@gmail.comor Arlene Marge at lanciani@alum.mit.edu.
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.
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:
GREETERS –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
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.org or 617-547-1234.
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
"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: If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during Communion, please contact Jeff Wasilko, 781-820-0882, jeffw@smoe.org.
COFFEE HOUR – No volunteers, no coffee
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, July 9: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, July 10: Summer Hours - Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
SCRIPTURE READINGS forJuly 10:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 6:18-23
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to
righteousness. But then what return did you get from the things of which
you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you
have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return
you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of
sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Gospel: Matthew 8:5-13
… But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to
have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will
be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I
say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes,
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard him, he
marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not
even in Israel have I found such faith.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, July 16: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, July 17: Summer Hours - Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Monday-Sunday, July 25-31: Archdiocese Convention in Chicago (church and offices closed Monday – Friday)
Saturday, July 31: No Vespers at St. Mary
INSIGHT
As long as you pretend to live in pure autonomy, as your own master,
without even a god to rule you, you will inevitably live as the servant
of another man or as the alienated member of an organization.
Paradoxically it is the acceptance of God that makes you free and
delivers you from human tyranny, for when you serve Him you are no
longer permitted to alienate your spirit in human servitude. God did not
invite the Children of Israel to leave the slavery of Egypt; He commanded them to do so.
- Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Therefore, we believe in one God, one principle, without beginning,
uncreated, unbegotten, indestructible and immortal, eternal, unlimited,
uncircumscribed, unbounded, infinite in power, simple, uncompounded,
incorporeal, unchanging, unaffected, unchangeable, inalterate,
invisible, source of goodness and justice, light intellectual and
inaccessible;
power which no measure can give any idea of but which is measured only
by His own will, for He can do all things whatsoever He pleases;
maker of all things both visible and invisible, holding together
all things and conserving them, provider for all, governing and
dominating and ruling over all in unending and immortal reign; without
contradiction, filling all things, contained by nothing, but Himself
containing all things, being their conserver and first Possessor;
pervading all substances without being defiled, removed far beyond all
things and every substance as being supersubstantial and surpassing all,
super-eminently divine and good and replete,
appointing all the principalities and orders, set above every
principality and order, above essence and life and speech and concept;
light itself and goodness and being insofar as having neither being, nor
anything else that is derived from any other; the very source of being
for all things that are, of life to the living, of speech to the
articulate, and the cause of all good things for all; knowing all things
before they begin to be;
one substance, one godhead, one virtue, one will, one operation,
one principality, one power, one domination, one kingdom; known in three
perfect Persons and adored with one adoration, believed in and
worshipped by every rational creature, united without confusion and
distinct without separation, which is beyond understanding.
We believe in Father and Son and Holy Spirit in whom we have been
baptized. For it is thus that the Lord enjoined the apostles: ‘Baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.’
- St. John Damascene, Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith