Update for the week Friday, October 21, through Thursday, October 27, 2011
THIS WEEKEND
ORTHODOXY ON TAP- The 20/40 Fellowship of St. George Boston invites you to the second of a three-part series of lectures and discussion at Roggies Brew and Grille (356 Chestnut Hill Ave in Cleveland Circle, Boston), tonight - if you get this in time, Thursday October 20, at 7:30pm. Tonight’s speaker will be Dr. Anthony Bashir. Next week, October 27, the speaker will be Dr. Philip Mamalakis. Admission is free, full bar and food menu will be available. Open to all (21+) in the Boston area.
HELP MAKE SFEEHA– Please come to the church this Saturday, October 22, starting at 9:00 am to help make meat pies with the Women's Club. Lots of help will be needed – young and old, women and men are all welcome - and it's always lots of fun. Come learn some techniques, help and have lunch!
If you placed an order for Sfeeha, you can pick it up on Sunday, October 23. Any orders not picked up will be frozen.
ORATORICAL FESTIVAL PRESENTATION – This Sunday Theo Smith will give his Parish Life Conference Senior Oratorical Presentation.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
THANKS FROM THE TEENS –Thanks to your generosity, $494 was raised for Special Olympics Sports Camp last Sunday!
HELP NEEDED FOR TEEN EVENTS - Chaperones are needed on Saturday, October 29
to help take kids to St. George Church for the Fall Delegates meeting
(see Reminders, below) and also to the pumpkin farm afterward. Please
let Nadia know at nabuelezam@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering your time that day. It'll be lots of fun!
Also, if you can help the teens prepare the Spaghetti Dinner before/during liturgy on Sunday, November 14, or go shopping for the ingredients before Sunday morning, please contact Nadia. This would be a wonderful help!
CHURCH SCHOOL COFFEE HOUR AND OPEN HOUSE - St Mary's Church School will be hosting a Harvest Coffee Hour and Church School Open House on Sunday, October 30, following liturgy. Come meet your child's church school teacher and learn about ways to participate in church school and liturgical events. Families wishing to contribute to the coffee hour potluck, please contact Lea Crea at leacrea@hotmail.com
MEMORY ETERNAL - Earl Dearman, father of Linda & Rob Arnold and grandfather of Maggie and Katie Arnold, passed away Sunday night. Calling hours will be Friday, October 21, between 5 and 7 pm at Tripp's Funeral Home in Pawtucket, RI. The funeral will take place 10:00 am Saturday morning at Darlington Congregational Church in Pawtucket. Interment will be at Highland Memorial Park in Johnston, RI. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Stroke Association, the Darlington Congregational Church or World Vision International. May his memory be eternal.
MEMORY ETERNAL - We regret to advise that Edward R. Giambrocco, uncle of Arlene Marge, passed away on Monday, October 17. Calling hours will be held on Saturday, October 22, from 8:30 - 10:30 am at Silas F. Richardson & Son Funeral Home in Leominster. A funeral will be held on Saturday, October 22, at 11:00 am at St. Richard of Chichester Church in Sterling, MA, and burial, with military honors, at Hillside Cemetery in Sterling. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Sterling Firefighters Fund, P. O. Box 515, Sterling, MA 01564. May his memory be eternal.
REMINDERS
HELP MAKE KIBBEH – Please come to the church next Friday, October 28, starting at 9:00am to help make kibbeh with the Women's Club. If you placed an order for kibbeh, you can pick it up on Sunday, October 30. Any orders not picked up will be frozen.
FALL DELEGATES MEETING – The Fellowship of St. John the Divine, Teen SOYO and Antiochian Women will have a General Assembly on Saturday, October 29, at St. George, West Roxbury. Morning Prayers at 10:00 am; Meetings following at 10:30 am
TEEN SOYO PUMPKIN PICKING – After the Delegates meeting on Saturday, October 29, our teens will go on a hay ride and pumpkin-picking (note change from apple-picking!) with members from the entire diocese. This will be a great opportunity for fellowship and fun.
BIBLE STUDY - Interested in joining an Orthodox Adult Bible Study Group conducted by Fr. Antony? Start date will be late November/early December; meetings will be on a weekday night from 7 - 8:30 pm, once per month at a private residence. Please contact the Church Office –secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.orgor call617-547-1234 – no later than Sunday, October 30.
OCTOBER IS YOUTH MONTH and SEMINARY MONTH - Our Teens will be helping with Liturgical Service by reading the Epistle, taking the Collection, assisting at Communion and giving sermonettes.
FELLOWSHIP OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE –Please consider joining the Fellowship! It’s a great way to meet new people and feel like an integral part of our Parish life. We do not hold regular meetings, but we work together on a variety of projects and events. For example, after coffee hour every Sunday we all pitch in to put away tables and chairs. You can join our members’ email news list by contacting Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com. Also, check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/FSJD1
WOMENS CLUB - The next meeting of the Women’s Club will be Tuesday, November 1, in the kitchen. All women are welcome.
ORTHODOX INSTITUTE – The Orthodox Institute for 2011 will be held at Antiochian Village Thursday through Sunday, November 3-6. Topic: Scripture through the lens of the Holy Land. Keynote Speaker will be Fr. Thomas Hopko and Tour Guide Dr. Maria Khourey. Additional speakers will be our own Dr. Ann Bezzerides, as well as Kh. Gigi Shadid, Dr. NicolaeRoddy and Kh. Myra Kovalak. For more information see www.antiochian.org/christianeducation/oi2011
FUNDRAISER HAFLI – Come to a fundraiser Haflifeaturing Mitchell Kaltsunas and ensemble on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 7:30 pm, here at St. Mary’s.This event will raise funds to help send our childrento Antiochian Village. Your donation of $35.00 per person includes a mazza/appetizer plate, beer, wine and soft drinks.Reserved tables of 8 may be booked in advance ($250.00 per table, prepaid) and are available by calling Mary Winstanley O’Connor at (617) 523-1010, emailing her at moconnor@koilaw.comor calling the church office at (617) 547-1234. Tickets are limited. The evening is donated and all funds raised will be used for camper scholarships.
TEEN SOYO SPAGHETTI DINNER – The Teen SOYO Spaghetti dinner is set to take place on Sunday, November 13th, following Liturgy. Come enjoy a meal of Spaghetti, Meatballs (just before the Fast!), Salad and Bread, Dessert and Coffee/Beverage. Your Goodwill donation will be much appreciated.
N.G. BERAM AWARDS BANQUET – The N.G. Beram Veterans Association’s Scholastic Achievement & Distinguished Service Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 26, 2011, from 12:30-5:00 pm at the Holiday Inn in Dedham. For adbook information seewww.stjohnd.org/ngberamor call 781-784-3341.
CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS - The Elevation of Bishops-Elect John Abdalah, Anthony Michaels and Nicholas Ozonewill take place on December 11 at the Patriarchal Church of Our Lady of Balamand Monastery, Lebanon. If you are interested in traveling for this historic event, please contactFawaz El Khoury 508-864-4000 or 508-351-9000 as soon as possible. There is a limited number of spaces available.
CANNED FOOD DRIVE–The annual FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE Canned Food Drive will be held October through December, 2011. 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. 42 pounds of food will feed a family of four for 3 days - since 1984 we have collected over 3,281,200 pounds of food!
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE – Next year’s Parish Life Conference will be held at The Cliff House, Ogunquit, Maine, June 21-24, 2012. Amazing Room Rate: $149 (Regularly $310) Reservations open October 15: Call 207-361-1000 or visit their website www.CliffHouseMaine.com/attendees User Name: PARISH Password: pa986B
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 – Did you know that you can make your donations to St. Mary through eGive, and haveno more envelopes or checks to worry about ? If you have not yet set up an account, you can do it at www.egive-usa.com, or contact Charlie Marge (marge@alum.mit.edu) for help. The Recipient Organization is “St. Mary’s Orthodox Church.”
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:
BE A GREETER - The Parish Council is continuing the Greeter Program, similar to other churches, to greet and aid parishioners, guests and visitors into the Church 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, arriving at Church at 9:45 am. Greeting time ends when Communion starts. We need volunteers. If you would like to be a Greeter, a Sign-Up Sheet is posted on the Church Bulletin Board. If you have any questions, please contact Buddy by e-mail buddy@cjmabardy.com or call him at 781-729-6303. “I was a stranger, and you invited me in………” (Matthew 25:35)
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: The youth of our parish
COFFEE HOUR: FSJD
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, October 22: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 23: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 5
SCRIPTURE READINGS for October 23:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 1:11-19
Brethren, I would have you know that the gospel which was preached
by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I
taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. … But when
he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through
his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might
preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood…
Gospel: Luke 8:26-39
At that time, as Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes,
there met him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had
worn no clothes and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. … Now a
large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged
him to let them enter these. So he gave them leave…
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, October 29: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 30: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 6
Sunday, November 6: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 7
Saturday, November 12: Church School Family Vespers and Confession
INSIGHT
God has not left us in utter ignorance. … He has revealed knowledge of himself to us in accordance with our capacity.
- St. John of Damascus, The Orthodox Faith
In Eastern Christian practice, from antiquity to the present,
meditation and contemplation are the paths to knowledge of God. Divine
revelation offers a foundation for all such meditation and
contemplation, of course, but the Orthodox emphasis falls not on speech
about but on silence before God and his revelation. The person who would
know God must drink deeply of, and not just analyze, what God has made
known about himself and his ways toward humankind; one must by saturated
with it through wonder rather than seek to connect its elements in
curiosity.
- James R. Payton Jr, Light from the Christian East
Scripture offers today what it has always offered. It is God’s Word
incarnate in human words, images and figures, inspired by the Holy
Spirit, that provides believers in Jesus Christ with insight into the
“mystery of Christ” which provides the deepest and fullest knowledge of
God possible to people on the planet earth. We must remember that for
Orthodox Christians, the Bible is the book of God’s People, the Church
of the Old and New Testaments. It is a collection of many different
writings, of many different kinds, all of which refer to and are
fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth as God’s unique Son and Word, Israel’s
Messiah and the Lord and Savior of the world. Orthodox Christians read
and interpret all of Scripture through the “lens” of the crucified and
glorified Christ. And we read and interpret it by the inspiration of the
same Spirit who inspired its writing in the first place. And we
understand it only to the extent that we believe it and strive to
practice what it teaches in our personal lives.
- Fr Thomas Hopko, interview http://www.antiochian.org/sites/antiochian.org/files/hopko_intervie1-2.pdf
We read the Gospels not merely to get a picture or an idea of Christ
but to enter in and pass through the words of revelation to establish,
by faith, a vital contact with the Christ Who dwells in our souls as
God.
- Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation