Update for the week Friday, December 30, 2011 through Thursday, January 5, 2012
Update for the week Friday, December 30, 2011 through Thursday, January 5, 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
THIS WEEKEND
LAST CHANCE FOR FOOD DRIVE – The annual FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE Canned Food Drive runs from Octoberthrough the end of December. 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!
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT FOR ST. MARY- Pledge Cards were mailed out recently. You may make your pledge for 2012 either by returning the Pledge Card to the church or by filling out the ePledge card on our web site (www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org) as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2012.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
PARISH COUNCIL - Congratulations to the newly elected members of the Parish Council: Diane Mabardi, Charlie Marge, Melissa Nassiff, Marc Patacchiola and Raymond Sayeg.
PRE-LENTEN RETREAT – The Antiochian Women of the Diocese invite you to a Pre-Lenten Retreat on Saturday, February 11, 2011, at St. George Church in Norwood. Featured speaker will be His Grace, Bishop John. His topic will be “Relationships: Discovering Myself in God and in My Neighbor.” To register, call Erin Kimmett at 781-775-0789. $15 registration fee includes lunch. All (men as well as women) are welcome.
MIDWINTER MEETINGS – The North American Board of
Antiochian Women and the North American Council of the Fellowship of St.
John the Divine will hold their midwinter meeting February 17-19, in Naples, FL, in conjunction with the Consecration of St. Paul Church there.
Teen SOYO’s meeting will be the same weekend, at Antiochian Village.
REMINDERS
HIERARCHICAL DIVINE LITURGY WITH OUR NEW BISHOP – Everyone is invited to St. George Cathedral, Worcester next Thursday, January 5, at 6:00 pm to celebrate the Feast of Holy Theophany with the Blessing of the Waters (Orthros: 4:45 pm) with His Grace, Bishop John. A Welcoming Reception will follow, with food and refreshments. All are welcome. For more information, contact the Cathedral Office 508-752-9150 or e-mail StGeoWorc@aol.com.
FASTING SUSPENDED - From Christmas Day until January 4th, inclusive, there is a general dispensation from all fasting.
COFFEE HOUR SIGNUP – A new signup sheet for coffee hours has been posted on the bulletin board outside the coat room. There are plenty of dates to choose from – sign up now for the date you will sponsor the coffee hour!
PLEDGE ENVELOPES and CALENDARS - Pledge envelopes and church calendars are available for pickup on the table downstairs outside the hall. Look for your name in alphabetical order. If you have chosen to pay periodically or through eGive, you have not been assigned a weekly envelope. Calendars are also available on the Bengarri.)
BIBLE STUDY – Fr. Antony’s Bible study will continue meeting monthly, with the next meeting on Thursday, January 19, at 7:00 pm, at the home of Arthur & Beverly Mabbett, 37 Powder House Rd. Ext, Medford (phone 781-391-6530). We will begin studying the Gospel of Mark.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to the Church Office, 617-547-1234.
PARISH MEETING – The Annual Meeting of the Parish will be held Sunday, January 22, after Liturgy. All members are urged to attend.
CHINESE NEW YEAR BREAKFAST– Join the FSJD for the 2012 Chinese New Year Missions Breakfast, to benefit the Chinese Translation Project via the Orthodox Fellowship of All Saints of China (OFASC), on Sunday, January 29, 2012. Suggested minimum donation is $5.00 per adult. RSVP to Nelson Mitrophan Chin at mitrophan@orthodox.cnor sign up on the sheet at the Bengarri by Wednesday, January 25.
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) 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.
FELLOWSHIP OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE – Join the Fellowship! It’s a great way to meet new people and be 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
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 new 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
GREETERS: To Be Determined
LITURGICAL SERVICE: To Be Determined
COFFEE HOUR: FSJD
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, December 31: No Vespers; New Year’s Eve
Sunday, January 1, 2012: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; No Church School
SCRIPTURE READINGS for January 1:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians 2:8-12
Brethren, see to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and
empty deceit… For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and
you have come to fullness of life in him, who is the head of all rule
and authority.
Gospel: Luke 2:20-21, 40-52
…. And the child [Jesus] grew and became strong, filled with
wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. Now his parents went to
Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. Andwhen he was twelve
years old… the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. …After three days,
they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to
them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his
understanding and his answers. … And Jesus increased in wisdom and in
stature, and in favor with God and man.
Thursday, January 5, Eve of Theophany: Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with the Blessing of the Waters, with His Grace, Bishop John, at St. George Cathedral, Worcester, 6:00 pm (Orthros 4:45 pm). Reception to follow.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, January 7: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 8, 2012: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy with second Blessing of the Waters 10:00 am; Church School students remain upstairs for Blessing of the Water
Saturday, January 14: No Vespers
Sunday, January 22: Annual Parish Meeting
INSIGHT
The divine is there where human understanding cannot reach. … The divine
nature … transcends every cognition and representation. It cannot be
likened to anything humans know.
- St. Gregory of Nyssa
Ineffable Creator, You who are the true source of life and wisdom and
the Principle on which everything depends, be so kind as to infuse in my
obscure intelligence a ray of your splendor that may take away the
darkness of sin and ignorance. Grant me keenness of understanding,
ability to remember, measure and easiness of learning, discernment of
what I read, rich grace with words. Grant me strength to begin well my
studies; guide me along the path of my efforts; give them a happy
ending. You who are true God and true Man, Jesus my Savior, who lives
and reigns forever. Amen
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Prayer for Scholars
God is praised as "Logos" [word] by the sacred scriptures not only as
the leader of word, mind, and wisdom, but because He also initially
carries within His own unity the causes of all things and because He
penetrates all things, reaching, as scripture says, to the very end of
all things. But the title is used especially because the divine Logos is
simpler than any simplicity and, in its utter transcendence, is
independent of everything. This Word is simple total truth. Divine faith
revolves around it because it is pure and unwavering knowledge of all.
It is the one sure foundation for those who believe, binding them to the
truth, building the truth in them as something unshakably firm so that
they have an uncomplicated knowledge of the truth of what they believe.
- St. Dionysios the Areopagite, The Divine Names
The fruit of stillness is perfect freedom, perfect love, humility and wisdom.
- St. Gregory of Sinai