Update for the week Friday, October 28, through Thursday, November 3, 2011
THIS WEEKEND
Thursday
ORTHODOXY ON TAP- The 20/40 Fellowship of St. George Boson
invites you to the last 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),ThursdayOctober 27, at 7:30pm. Tonight’s 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.
Friday
HELP MAKE KIBBEH – A few people are needed this Friday, October
28, starting at 9:00 am to help make kibbeh with the Women's Club.
If you placed an order for kibbeh, you can pick it up in the kitchen
on Sunday, October 30. Any orders not picked up will be frozen.
Saturday
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.
Sunday
ORATORICAL FESTIVAL and CAMPERS’ PRESENTATION – This Sunday,
the last Sunday of Youth Month, Tatiana Dalton will give her Parish Life
Conference Junior Oratorical Presentation. Also, our Antiochian
Village Campers will present a short program.
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 Andrea Popa at maryandreapopa@gmail.com
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 call 617-547-1234 – no later than this Sunday, October 30.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
HELP NEEDED FOR TEEN EVENTS - Chaperones are needed this 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 (nabuelezam@gmail.com) know 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!
NATIVITY FAST - The Nativity Fast, also known as the season of Advent, begins Tuesday, November 15. This is the forty days of fasting and prayer in preparation for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Every Wednesday during this period there will be a Paraklesis service at 6:30 pm.
FAMILY VESPERS and CONFESSION - All Church School families are invited to attend Family Vespers & Confession on Saturday, November 19. Pizza will follow in the church hall. Salad and dessert contributions are appreciated. Families are encouraged to bring a canned food item to contribute to the Church’s Food for the Hungry People Drive.
BAKE SALE – The Women’s Club will hold a Thanksgiving Charity Bake Sale on Sunday, November 20. All proceeds will benefit the Convent of Saidnaya in Syria. If you can help bake something, please contact Priscilla Goss at 781-762-1527. Plan on purchasing all your holiday breads, cakes, Arabic pastries, etc.!
MEMORY ETERNAL - We regret to advise of the falling asleep in the Lord of Mary Mabardie of Ridgewood, NJ, on Saturday, October 22, 2011 at Massachusetts General Hospital. Mary was the cousin of Zahie & Eddie Mabardi, Selma Winstanley, Mary Mabardi and Agnes Battit. She was a member of St. Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church of Bergenfield, New Jersey. Funeral was held today here at St. Mary Church, Cambridge, on Thursday, October 27, 2011 with interment in Brooklyn, NY. May her memory be eternal.
REMINDERS
OCTOBER IS YOUTH MONTH and SEMINARY MONTH – Throughout the month, our Teens have been helping with Liturgical Service by reading the Epistle, taking the Collection, assisting at Communion and giving sermonettes.
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. Nicolae Roddy and Kh. Myra Kovalak. For more information see www.antiochian.org/christianeducation/oi2011
FUNDRAISER HAFLI – Come to a fundraiser Hafli featuring 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 children to 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.
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
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 at live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
DONATE VIA eGIVE– Did you know that you can make your donations to St. Mary through eGive, and have no 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.comor 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
GREETER: Gregg Morree
LITURGICAL SERVICE: The youth of our parish
COFFEE HOUR: Church School families
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, October 29: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 30: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am, Daylight Savings Time; Church School lesson 6
SCRIPTURE READINGS for October 30:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 1:11-19
… For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I
persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I
advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so
extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
Gospel: Luke 16:19-31
… The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's
bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in
torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in
his bosom. … But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you in your lifetime
received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but
now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. … And he said, 'Then I
beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five
brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place
of torment. … but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will
repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, November 5: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, November 6: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Eastern Standard Time; Church School lesson 7
Sunday, November 13: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 8; Pageant rehearsal #1
Saturday, November 19: Church School Family Vespers and Confession
INSIGHT
A person can be raised up above the earth by two wings, one is
simplicity and the other is purity of heart. You must be simple in your
actions and pure in your thoughts and feelings. With a pure heart you'll
seek God and with simplicity you'll find Him and be glad. A pure heart
passes through Heaven’s gate with ease.
- Elder Amphilochios Makris - http://agrino.org/cyberdesert/makris.htm
No Passion is so ... ridiculous as avarice, 'the root of all evils' (I Tim. 6:10):
for those who with great labor mine silver, and then hide it in the
earth again, remain without any profit. That is why the Lord says, 'Do
not store up treasures on earth' (Matt. 6:19); and again: 'Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also' (Matt. 6:21).
For the intellect of man is drawn by longing towards those things with
which it habitually occupies itself, whether these be earthly things, or
the passions, or heavenly and eternal blessings.
- St. Peter of Damascus, The Philokalia, Book 1: A Treasury of Divine Knowledge
Let us cut sin out of our heart, and we will find within us the Kingdom of Heaven.
- St. Philotheos of Sinai
… God teaches you to be as merciful to those in need as He is
merciful to you. It is dangerous and sinful to ignore the voice of God,
to remain unrepentant and unimproved during times of hardship, to fail
to thank God, or not to help others when you have plenty. Even more
ruinous is to do the opposite of that to which God is leading us: to
grumble and become embittered in difficult circumstances or to forget
God and live only for pleasure in fortunate surroundings.
- St. Innocent of Irkutsk, The Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven