Update for the week Friday, August 5, through Thursday, August 11, 2011
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW BISHOPS – During the 50th Convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese, His Eminence Metropolitan Philip announced that the Synod had elected three archimandrites of the Archdiocese for elevation to the episcopacy, and two of them are sons of St. George of Boston. The newly elected are: the Rt. Rev. Archimandrite John Abdalah, who will serve as the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Worcester and New England; the Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Anthony Michaels, who will serve as the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest; and the Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Nicholas Ozone, who will serve as the auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn and assist His Eminence at the Archdiocese headquarters in Englewood, NJ. More information is available on the Archdiocese site at http://www.antiochian.org/node/26111
HONORED– Three of our own St. Mary parishioners were made top officers of Archdiocesan organizations during the Convention:
- Violet Robbat was installed as President of the North American Board of Antiochian Women.
- Jennifer Nahass was announced as the new Executive Director of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), with offices at Hellenic College/Holy Cross in Brookline.
- Mary Winstanley O’Connor was installed as first woman Chair of the Order of St. Ignatius.
Congratulations to all our honorees!
2015 CONVENTION – Our bid to host the 2015 Convention was presented by Fr. Antony Hughes, Mary Winstanley O’Connor and Raymond Sayeg, and was accepted! The 52nd Antiochian Archdiocese Convention will be held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel from Sunday, July 19 – Sunday, July 26, 2015, hosted by St. Mary Church, Cambridge, MA.
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 the Sunday Bulletin. The Parish Council will need all parishioners to provide their time and talent to make this convention a significant success. Please contact Mary at her office (617-523-1010 or moconnor@koilaw.com) or Ray at his office (617-742-1184 or rsayeg@dennerpellegrino.com) with any questions or with your willingness to participate
REMINDERS
BIBLE BOWL - Our Bible Bowl team –Thomas Marge, Anthony Marge and Theo Smith, coached by Violet Robbat admirably represented the New England Diocese at the Archdiocese Convention Bible Bowl in Chicago on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 in a very tight competition. We are very proud of them all!
DORMITION – The Dormition of the Blessed Theotokos is our patronal feast day. The Dormition fast began 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 with a Festal Divine Liturgy, followed by a celebratory coffee hour provided by Charlie Arbeely.
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.
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 next 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.
COFFEE? – Volunteer!
SUMMERHOURS FOR CHURCHAND 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.orgor 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– Rose Hodges & Family
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
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
SCRIPTURE READINGS forAugust 7:
Epistle: St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 1:10-17
BRETHREN, I appeal to you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all
of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you
be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
Gospel: Matthew 14:14-22
… Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them
something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and
two fish." … taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to
heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the crowds. And
they all ate and were satisfied.
Wednesday, August 10: Paraclesis 6:30 pm
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, August 13: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, August 14: Festal Orthros 8:15 am; Lamentations 9:30 am, followed by Liturgy for the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Theotokos
Saturday, August 27: No Vespers at St. Mary
INSIGHT
In response to what they heard from Christ, the apostles acted with
speed. At His command, they immediately had the crowd recline in set
order and in suitable fashion. The ground served them both as tables and
beds. Christ had brought to Him the five loaves of bread, and
straightway, lifting His eyes to the Father, He said: "I am doing Thy
deeds; for I am Thy Son; for in the beginning, I created the whole world
together with Thee and the Holy Spirit; for I am the heavenly bread of
immortality."
- St Romanos the Melodist, On the Multiplication of Loaves
With the blade of the sword of the cherub was the path to the Tree of
Life shut off, but to the peoples the Lord of that Tree has given
Himself as food. Whereas Eden's other trees were provided for the
former Adam to eat, for us the very Planter of the Garden has become the
food for our souls. Whereas we had left that Garden along with Adam
when he left it behind, now that the sword has been removed by the lance
we may return there.
- St. Ephraim the Syrian
"I am father, I am brother, I am bridegroom, I am dwelling place, I am
food, I am raiment, I am root, I am foundation, everything you want, I
am. Be in need of nothing, I will be even a servant, for I came to
minister, not to be ministered unto; I am friend, and member, and head,
and brother, and sister, and mother; I am all; just cling closely to me.
I was poor for you, and a wanderer for you, on the Cross for you, in
the tomb for you, above I intercede for you to the Father; on earth I
have come for your sake as an ambassador from my Father. You are all
things to me, brother, and joint heir, and friend, and member. What more
would you want?"
- St. John Chrysostom, Homily 76 on the Gospel of Matthew
We must offer the bloodless sacrifice, the sacrifice of
self-surrendering love not only in a specific place, upon the altar of a
particular temple; the whole world becomes the single altar of a single
temple, and for this universal liturgy we must offer our hearts, like
bread and wine, in order that they may be transformed into Christ’s
love, that he may be born in them, that they may become “divine-human”
hearts and that he may give these hearts of ours as food for the world,
that he may bring the whole world into communion with these hearts of
ours that have been offered up. … Then truly in all ways Christ will be
all in all.
- Mother Maria Skobtsova, Essential Writings