Update for the week Friday, July 22, through Thursday, July 28, 2011
THIS WEEKEND and NEXT WEEK
CONVENTION - The 50th Antiochian Archdiocese Convention is this coming week, July 24-31, at the Marriott Chicago Downtown, Chicago, Illinois. Fr. Antony and Kh. Carol will be leaving after Liturgy this Sunday.
In case of emergency while Fr. Antony is away, please contact Dino Takles, Vice President of the Parish Council, at 617-650-2417 (cell).
St. Mary Church and offices will be closed Monday through Friday, July 25-29, during the Convention, and there will be no Vespers at St. Mary on Saturday, July 30. (Fr. Antony will be back for Liturgy as usual on Sunday the 31st.)
Thomas Marge, Anthony Marge and Theo Smith, with their coach Violet Robbat, will represent the New England Diocese at the Archdiocese Convention Bible Bowl in Chicago on Wednesday evening, July 27. We wish them much success!
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
DORMITION – The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is our Patronal feast day. The Dormition fast begins on Monday, August 1, and continues through Sunday, August 14. During the fast there will be a Paraclesis Service at 6:30 pm each Wednesday evening, August 3 and August 10. On Sunday, August 14, we will celebrate the Feast.
TRANSFIGURATION – On Friday, August 5, at 6:30 pm there will be an Evening Liturgy for the Feast of the Transfiguration, with Blessing of Grapes. Saturday, August 6, there will be regular Vespers at 5:00 pm.
REMINDERS
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 next 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.
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.
SUMMER HOURS FOR CHURCH AND OFFICE – During the summer, Orthros is at 8:15 am, and Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am. The church office will only be open on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. Regular hours will resume in September.
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: Epistle: Mary Long; Left Cloth: Jonathan Hill and Deno Takles; Right Cloth: Peter and Melissa Nassiff; Left Bread: Larissa Patacchiola; Right Bread: Amy Clay.
COFFEE HOUR – FSJD
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, July 23: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, July 24: Summer Hours - Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
SCRIPTURE READINGS forJuly 24:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 12:6-14
Brethren, having gifts that differ according to the grace given
to us, let us use them … Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold
fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; … Bless
those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Gospel: Matthew 9:1-8
… when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my
son; your sins are forgiven. … But that you may know that the Son of man
has authority on earth to forgive sins," he then said to the paralytic,
"Rise, take up your bed and go home." And he rose and went home. When
the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had
given such authority to men.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, July 30: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, July 31: Summer Hours - Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Monday, August 1: Dormition Fast begins
Wednesday, August 3: Paraclesis 6:30 pm
Friday, August 5: Evening Liturgy for the Feast of the Transfiguration, with Blessing of Grapes 6:30 pm
Saturday, August 6: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 7: Summer Hours - Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Wednesday, August 10: Paraclesis 6:30 pm
Sunday, August 14: Liturgy for the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos
INSIGHT
Love sinners and do not despise them for their faults. Remember that you
partake in an earthly nature, and do good to all. Let your manner be
always courteous and respectful to all. For love does not know how to be
angry or lose its temper or to find fault with anyone out of passion.
- St. Isaac of Syria
If we have a deep, rich spiritual practice the reservoirs of our hearts
will be filled to overflowing with compassion and love. We will store up
patience to share when it is most needed and tolerance for the despised
and rejected when we encounter them. The stronger our daily practice,
the more we have to give.
- V. Rev. Antony Hughes, Sermon for Sunday, September 30, 2007
A spiritual person is always an agent of love.
- St. Gregory Nazianzen
Instead of loving what you think is peace, love other men and love God
above all. And instead of hating the people you think are war-makers,
hate the appetites and the disorder in your own soul, which are the
causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny,
hate greed – but hate these things in yourself, not in another.
- Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation