Update for the week Friday, December 2, through Thursday, December 8, 2011

THIS WEEKEND

ST. MARY PARISH CHRISTMAS CARD – Save yourself time, and let us do the work - let the Women’s Club send a lovely Christmas Card on your behalf to our parishioners.  You will receive this card with the names of parishioners, like yourself, who are wishing a Blessed Nativity and a Merry Christmas to all.  Use the on the Bengarri or send a note, with your check in any amount, to St. Mary Church - Women’s Club, 8 Inman St., Cambridge, MA  02139.  All proceeds benefit the Antiochian Women Project for 2011-2012:  The Convent of St. Thekla.   Deadline is this Sunday, December 4, 2011

PAGEANT REHEARSALS – Rehearsal #1 for the Church School Nativity Pageant will be held this Sunday, December 4, after the children have enjoyed some of the special coffee hour for the St. Nicholas festivities.  Rehearsal #2 will be on December 11 during coffee hour; dress rehearsal will be held Saturday, December 17, at 2:30; and performance will be Sunday, December 18.

WOMEN’S CLUB DINNER - The Women’s Club Annual Christmas Dinner will be on Monday, December 5, at Joe’s American Bar & Grill , Rte. 1, Dedham at 7:00 p.m. 

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

BALLOT INFORMATION –  Parish Council ballots have been mailed out to parishioners eligible to vote; please vote for up to five individuals and return them by Monday, December 12. Note that Joseph (Buddy) Mabardy and Arthur Mabbett were inadvertently left off of the ballot, but they are not eligible for election.  Buddy is not eligible to serve since he has served two three-year terms.  Arthur is serving through 2012 and will be eligible for re-election in 2013.

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Tuesday, December 13.

JUST A FEW WEEKS TO GO  – The annual FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE Canned Food Drive runs from Octoberthrough 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!

IOCC PRESENTATION– On Sunday, December 18, Louis A. Zagami, Development Officer of the International Orthodox Christian Charities, will speak about the IOCC’s history and programs and support.

REMINDERS

NATIVITY FAST - The Nativity Fast, also known as the season of Advent, began on 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 is a Paraklesis service at 6:30 pm.

BIBLE STUDY – Fr. Antony will lead a Bible study group beginning Thursday, December 15, at 7:00 pm, at the home of Arthur & Beverly Mabbett, 37 Powder House Rd. Ext, Medford (phone 781-391-6530).  If you would like to attend, please RSVP to the Church Office, 617-547-1234. 

YOUTH EQUIPPED TO SERVE– YES, a program of FOCUS North America, is coming to Boston Friday through Sunday, December 16-18.  For more info and to register go to  www.yesnorthamerica.org.  If you have any questions you can contact Katrina Bitar, Program Director, at Katrina@focusna.org

LESSONS AND CAROLS with POTLUCK - The Fellowship of St. John the Divine cordially invites you to Western Rite Evensong with Lessons and Carols - a service of prayers, scripture readings and Christmas Carols - on Saturday,  December 17, 2011, at 5:00 pm.  The service will be followed by a festive Lenten Pot Luck Supper.  People whose last name begins with A – P please bring a Main Dish or Salad; people whose last name begin with Q – Z  please bring Dessert. Drinks will be provided. For more information, contact Tiffany Conroy at trattus1@gmail.comor  Natasha Smith at nasmith05@rcn.com.

SYRIAN LEBANESE WOMEN’S CLUB – The  Syrian Lebanese Women’s Club of Greater Boston will hold its Annual Holiday Party at St. John’s, Dedham, on Saturday, December 17, from noon to 3:00 pm.  Donation:  $25.  All proceeds to benefit Scholarship Program.  RSVP by November 24 to Camille Florio 781-344-8469.

NATIVITY PAGEANT – This year the Church School’s Nativity Pageant and Festivities will be held on Sunday, December 18, 2011.

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

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:  Mike Decerbo

LITURGICAL SERVICE:  Melissa Nassiff, Bob Kowalik, Barbara Shoop, Nicholas Bezzerides, and others to be determined

COFFEE HOUR:  Natasha Smith - Church School St. Nicholas festivities

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

Saturday, December 3:  Great Vespers 5:00 pm

Sunday, December 4:  Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School’s St. Barbara and St. Nicholas festivities

SCRIPTURE READINGS for December 4:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 3:23-29; 4:1-5
Brethren, before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
… But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Wednesday, December 7: Paraklesis service 6:30 pm

LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday, December 10: Great Vespers 5:00 pm

Sunday, December 11:  Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Wednesday, December 14: Paraklesis service 6:30 pm

Saturday, December 17:  Western Rite Evensong with Lessons and Carols 5:00 pm, followed by Potluck Supper

Sunday, December 18:  Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School Pageant

Wednesday, December 21: Paraklesis service 6:30 pm

Friday, December 23:  Royal Hours for the Nativity 9:00 am

Saturday, December 24:  Orthros 5:30 pm;  Liturgy of St. Basil  7:00 pm

Sunday, December 25,  Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, Christmas Day: No Services

INSIGHT

The Church is careful toward external prescriptions of the Faith, like a man when he walks among clay vessels and is careful not to break them. The Church is even more careful about the justice and mercy of God as a man who, walking among the clay vessels, values them and protects them, not because of the earth from which the vessels are made, but because of their priceless contents which are contained in them. Empty vessels that are never filled with any drink, are as worthless as is the empty legal formalisms of the Pharisees.
   - Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, The Prologue from Ochrid

The nature of things is measured by the interior disposition of the soul; that is, the kind of person one is will determine what he thinks of others. He who has attained to genuine prayer and love no longer puts things into categories. He does not separate the righteous from sinners, but loves all equally, and does not judge them, just as God gives the sun to shine and the rain to fall both on the just and the unjust.
   - St. Nikitas Stethatos, from the Philokalia

Zeal is not reckoned among men to be a form of wisdom, but one of the illnesses of the soul, namely narrow-mindedness and deep ignorance. The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of infirmities of men.
   - St. Isaac of Nineveh

Ultimately…the secret is perfect abandonment to the will of God in all things you cannot control, and perfect obedience to Him in everything that depends on your own volition, so that in all things, in your interior life and in your outward works for God, you desire only one thing, which is the fulfillment of His will.
   - Fr. Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

The one who is perfect in love and has reached the summit of detachment knows no distinction between one's own and another's, between faithful and unfaithful, between slave and freeman, or indeed between male and female. But having risen above the tyranny of the passions and looking to the one nature of men he regards all equally and is equally disposed toward all. For in him there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither male nor female, neither slave nor freeman, but Christ is everything and in everything.
   - Maximus the Confessor