Update for the week Friday, November 9, through Thursday, November 15, 2012

Update for the week Friday, November 9, through Thursday, November 15, 2012

THIS WEEK

MISSIONS LECTURE – This Thursday, November 8, the Missions Institute at Hellenic College/Holy Cross will present a lecture entitled Mission to Guatemala, Receiving the Mayan People into the Orthodox Church. Guest speakers will be visiting missionaries Fr. John Chakos, an Orthodox missionary to Guatemala, and Fr. Andres Giron, a native of Guatemala. The lecture will begin at 7:00 pm in the Library Reading Room, preceded by a wine and cheese reception. All are invited to attend. To view the lecture online, visit http://bit.ly/HCHCMissionsLecture   For more information see the Missions Week flyer at http://holycross.hchc.edu/assets/files/NewsandEvents/Missions%20Week%202012.2.pdf

FAMILY VESPERS – St. Mary's Church School will hold its fall Family Vespers on Saturday, November 10. This is a good opportunity for families to attend the Saturday Vespers service together. Following the service, parishioners are invited to stay for pizza dinner and an activity. Father Antony will also hear confessions.
   During this family event, we will be giving more information about the new Liturgical Service Ministry, which encourages church school children and teens to participate in liturgical service in new roles. Church school families attending the vespers will have a chance to do a walk-through of liturgical roles and ask questions before the new ministry begins on Sunday, November 11.
   Families planning to attend the Vespers are asked to RSVP to Doreen Bargoot at dbargoot@aol.com no later than Friday, November 9.

LITURGICAL SERVICE MINISTRY – Beginning Sunday, November 11, the Church School will begin a new Liturgical Service Ministry to encourage church school children and teens to participate more actively in liturgical service roles. All church school participants will be assigned to a liturgical service team, with one team of children and teens participating in assigned roles in the service each week. A description of the new ministry, endorsed by both Fr. Antony and Bp. JOHN, can be found in this Sunday’s bulletin. Questions can be directed to Teva Regule at teva@mit.edu  or Doreen Bargoot at dbargoot@aol.com

TEEN SOYO SPAGHETTI DINNER - The annual Spaghetti Dinner sponsored by Teen SOYO will take place on Sunday, November 11, 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.

AL-KAFAAT GALA DINNER – Please come to a gala dinner to help Al-Kafaat, a private, nonprofit and nondenominational organization that delivers education and rehabilitation services across seven different campuses in Lebanon. Under the Patronage of Metropolitan Philip and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in North America, Al-Kafaat is raising funds across North America to build a new compound. The dinner, on Saturday, November 17 at 6:00 pm (following Vespers at 5:00 pm – note new time), is sponsored by St. George of Boston, 55 Emmonsdale Rd, West Roxbury. Tickets are $125 – contact Violet Robbat at 781-862-4388 or vmkrobbat@yahoo.com no later than Monday, November 12.  To find out more about Al-Kafaat go to http://www.al-kafaat.org.

WOMEN’S CLUB – The next meeting of the Women’s Club will be Tuesday, November 13, at 7:30 in the kitchen.

PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Women’s Club will be Wednesday, November 14, at 7:30 in the kitchen.

NATIVITY FAST - The Nativity Fast, also known as the season of Advent, begins Thursday, 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.

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

ALTAR BOYS - Father Antony would like all altar boys who are interested in serving to come to a meeting to be held this Sunday after Church.  Subdeacon John, Subdeacon Steve, Subdeacon Adam and Fr. Antony will be discussing the new program and listening to any and all concerns before implementing any changes that have to do with altar boys.  Please come and share with us your ideas or concerns. We will share ours with you as well.

DIOCESAN CHRISTMAS CONCERT - After a six-year hiatus, the New England Diocesan Christmas Concert is back by popular demand!  Come hear sacred hymns of the Nativity and Christmas Carols sung by our Chanters and Choir Members from throughout our Diocese of Worcester and New England.  The concert will be held on Saturday December 1, at 7:00 pm at the Church of St. John of Damascus, 300 West St, Dedham, MA as a part of St. John’s Feast Day Weekend with Bishop JOHN.  For more information, contact Charlie Marge, marge@alum.mit.edu.

REMINDERS

PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS - If you are interested in serving on the Parish Council for 2013, contact Fr. Antony or Mary Winstanley O’Connor on or before Friday, November 16.  You must be a member in good spiritual and financial standing for at least 2 years.

BAZAARS – Several churches in the area have upcoming bazaars and other fund raisers:

St. Mary, Pawtucket, RI:  Annual Bazaar – Friday through Sunday, November 9-11. Friday 5:00 to 8:00 pm; Saturday 11:00 am to 8:00 pm; Sunday 11:30 am to 3:00 pm.  Arabic food & pastry, American foods, village market, bargain basement, Christmas booth, St. Mary’s famous cashews, silent auctions, beer & wine, cash raffle & grand raffle.  For more information:  401-726-1202 or www.stmarypawtucket.org

St. George Church, West Roxbury:   Ladies Society Penny Sale – Saturday, November 10.

St. Michael’s Church in Cotuit:  International Food Festival – Saturday, November 17, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Traditional Syrian, Lebanese, Russian, Albanian, and Greek foods will be available for take-out. Also a delicious Spanikopita Luncheon will be served.  Come to the Cape and see St. Michael’s  newly dedicated “Fr. Nicholas Manikas Hall” at the same time.

WINE & CHEESE LECTURE SERIES – The Fellowship of St. John the Divine at St. John Church, Dedham, is sponsoring a Wine & Cheese Lecture Series beginning Friday, November 16. Topic of Part 1 will be Bringing the Eucharist into your Interfaith Relationships, with guest speaker Bishop JOHN. Wine & cheese at 6:30; Lecture at 7:00 pm.

CHARITY BAKE SALE –The Women’s Club will hold its annual Thanksgiving Charity Bake Sale on Sunday, November 18, 2012 (the Sunday before Thanksgiving).  Plan on purchasing all your holiday breads, pies, goodies, Syrian pastries and much more!  All proceeds will benefit the Convent of Saidnaya in Syria.  Call Priscilla Goss 781-762-1517, if you can help bake or donate something to sell.

BERAM AWARDS BANQUET - The Nicholas G. Beram Veteran's Association 66th Anniversary Celebration and 46th Scholastic Achievement Awards Banquet will be held Saturday, November 24, 2012, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm at the Holiday Inn in Dedham.  Our own Mary Winstanley O’Conner will receive a Distinguished Service Award.

COME SEE THE MESSIAH – Join friends from St. Mary’s for the Handel and Haydn Society’s  annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday afternoon, December 2, at 3:00 p.m.  Group tickets are just $20. We will carpool to Symphony Hall after Liturgy and have lunch together before the concert.  Those who have done this before have thoroughly enjoyed it - not only do we hear a world-class orchestra and chorus with famous soloists singing glorious words (taken directly from the Bible), but we also have an opportunity to spend time getting to know some fellow parishioners we normally may not encounter.  Good seats go fast - please contact Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com   or order your own tickets online at http://www.handelandhaydn.org.  

CONFESSIONS –  Confessions are heard each Saturday evening before and after Vespers, which start at 5: pm,  OR by appointment.

CANNED FOOD DRIVE The annual FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE food drive will be held October through December, 2012. 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!

REGULAR REMINDERS

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.”

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.

VIDEO STREAMING FOR EVENTS – Now you can video stream your wedding or baptism live from St. Mary’s to friends and family who can't attend your event in person.  The cost for Event Video Streaming is $150 for members, $300 for non-members, and includes a password- protected viewing page and setup and breakdown of the streaming service for your event by a trained staff member.   You can also get a copy of your streamed event on CD: $50 for members, $100 for non-members. Fees are payable to the church. Streaming is subject to staff availability. For general questions on the video streaming ministry or event streaming, please contact live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.  To schedule your event and/or request Event Video Streaming, please contact the Church Office.

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 not block the driveway – if the lot is full, you can park on the street.

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:

BECOME A GREETER – If you do not sing in the choir, or chant, serve in the Altar or at the Bengarri, and  are not a Church School teacher,  please consider serving the Church as a GREETER!  Greeters arrive at 9:45 am., get a Greeter Name Tag  from the Bengarri, pin it on and greet visitors/parishioners at the Church Entrance and direct them upstairs to the Church, or to the CloakRoom or RestRooms.  Greeting time ends when Communion starts.  Send your name and e-mail address to Buddy Mabardy: buddymabardy@cjmabardy.com or phone him 781-729-6303. 

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.org or 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 SUNDAY'S VOLUNTEERS

GREETER:  Michael Decerbo

LITURGICAL SERVICE:   To be determined

COFFEE HOUR:   Teen SOYO Spaghetti Dinner

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

Saturday, November 10:  Church School Family Vespers and Confession

Sunday, November 11:  Orthros 8:45 am; Enquirers’ Class 9:00 am;  Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 7;  followed by Teen SOYO Spaghetti Dinner

SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday, November 11:
   Epistle: St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 4:6-15
Brethren, it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.

   Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
At that time, a lawyer … desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man … fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. … a priest … passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, … But a Samaritan… had compassion… and took care of him… Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Thursday, November 15:  Nativity Fast begins

LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday, November 17: No Vespers at St. Mary – Vespers at St. George in West Roxbury 4:30 pm, followed by dinner for Al-Kafaat

Sunday, November 18:  Orthros 8:45 am; Enquirers’ Class 9:00 am;  Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 8;  Women’s Club Thanksgiving Bake Sale following Liturgy

Tuesday, November 20:  Evening Liturgy for the Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple  6:30 pm

Wednesday, November 21:  Paraclesis Service 6:30 pm

Wednesday, November 28:  Paraclesis Service 6:30 pm

REFLECTION

Lord, give me the strength to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely on your Holy Will. Reveal your will to me every hour of the day. Bless my dealings with all people. Teach me to treat all people who come to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all. In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings. In unexpected events, let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me the strength to bear the labors of this day. Direct my will, teach me to pray. Pray Thyself in me. Amen.
   - St. Philaret

The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging in your closet belongs to the man who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the man who has no shoes; the money which you put into the bank belongs to the poor. You do wrong to everyone you could help but fail to help.
   - St. Basil of Caesarea

Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.
   - Mother Teresa

Happy is the man in whom there is love for God, for he bears God within himself. The one in whom there is love is with God, above all things. Whoever has love in himself does not fear. He is never mad at anyone, nor does he exalt himself above anyone. He does not calumniate anyone, nor does he listen to the calumniator. He does not compete with anyone, is not jealous, does not rejoice in the fall of another, does not slander the fallen, but sympathizes with him and helps him. He does not disdain his brother who is fallen into need, but helps him and is ready to die for him. Whoever has love fulfills the will of God.
   - St. Ephraim the Syrian, Spiritual-Moral Letters

As long as any one has the means of doing good to his neighbors, and does not do so, he shall be reckoned a stranger to the love of the Lord.
   - St. Irenaeus of Lyons