Update for the week Friday, March 22, through Thursday, March 28, 2013
THIS WEEK
SERVICE CANCELLED – The Canon of St. Andrew originally scheduled for Thursday evening, March 21, will not be held.
AKATHIST and Learning In Lent – On the first five Fridays of Lent we pray the Akathist to the Theotokos at 7:00 pm. The first four of these will be followed by the Fellowship of St John the Divine’s annual lecture series, Learning in Lent. Our speaker this Friday, March 22, will be Bishop JOHN.
HELP MAKE SPINACH TRIANGLES – Please come to the church on Saturday
morning, March 23, starting at 9:30 am to help make Spinach Triangles
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.
If you ordered Hoomos (hummus), Mjadara (lentils with rice), or Spinach Triangles, they will be ready for pickup on Sunday, March 24.
ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN’S MONTH – March is Antiochian Women's Month throughout the Archdiocese. Women of the parish will be reading the Epistle, holding the Communion cloths and bread baskets, taking the collection, and delivering the homily. The sermon for this Sunday (the day before the Annunciation) will be given by Nadia Abuelezam.
SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY – A Procession of Icons will follow Divine Liturgy this Sunday. Please bring an icon for the Procession.
ORTHODOX RELIGIOUS AWARDS FOR SCOUTS – The next meeting for scouts working on religious awards (See http://eocs.org/religious-awards/youth-emblems) will be this Sunday, March 24, beginning at 12:00 noon in the church library. Marie Bernardi is coordinating this effort; if you have questions about participating, please contact Marie at mbernardi114@comcast.net or Andrea Popa at maryandreapopa@gmail.com.
LITURGY WORKSHOP FOR YOUNG PEOPLE – Please sign up your children and teens for the “Living the Liturgy” workshop (see “Workshop For Children And Teens” under Reminders, below) by this Sunday, March 24, so adequate food and supplies can be provided.
ANNUNCIATION LITURGY – There will be an Evening Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Annunciation of the Holy Theotokos on Monday, March 25, at 6:30 pm.
PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY and Lenten Potlucks – Every Wednesday during Lent there is a Presanctified Liturgy at 6:30 pm, followed by a Potluck Supper sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine. Do plan to come and bring something to share. Any Lenten fare is welcome: main courses, sides, salads, desserts, as well as beverages and snacks. This is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship during Lent, plus we get to sample each other's Lenten recipes. FSJD coordinators for the potluck on Wednesday, March 27 are Ashley Hodge (purpleashes@gmail.com) & Kailen Hodge (kailen718@gmail.com).
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
NO COFFEE HOUR – There will be no coffee hour this Sunday, because no one volunteered to provide one (unless someone steps up at the last minute). Please gather a few friends and sign up on the bulletin board outside the coat room, or call Marilyn in the office at 617-547-1234. It doesn’t have to be fancy; coffee, juice and cookies would be enough.
MEMORY ETERNAL – We regret to advise of the falling asleep in the Lord of Frieda Z. Corey on Monday, March 18, 2013. Visiting Hours (Wake) will be at the Church today, Thursday, March 21, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Funeral Services will be held this Friday, March 22, at 10:00 am at St. Mary, with interment at Wyoming Cemetery in Melrose. In lieu of flowers, donations in Frieda’s memory may be made to St. Mary Church, Cambridge.
SUBDEACON STEVE – Subdeacon Steve Walker was moved to a rehab facility Wednesday morning. He is now at Epoch Senior Health Care, 615 Heath St, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. The phone number for his room is 617-879-2989. He’s happy to receive phone calls and visits now, as well as cards and notes.
BIBLE STUDY – The next meeting of the Bible Study group at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, will be Thursday, March 28 (instead of March 21 as originally announced). For more information contact Greg Patrick (greg@dailytradealert.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com).
TEEN LENTEN RETREAT – There will be a Lenten retreat for teens with Bishop ANTHONY at Contoocook, NH, Friday through Sunday, March 29-31.
ADULT LENTEN RETREAT – There will be a Lenten retreat for adults at St. Michael Church, Cotuit, on Saturday, April 13. Protopresbyter Alexander Veronis will speak on Living in Tradition & Mission. $20 covers retreat & luncheon. See Registration Forms on our Church Bulletin Board, or call Lorraine Reiley at 508-240-2412 for more information.
SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS – The Nicholas G. Beram Veterans Association announces its 47th annual Scholastic Achievement Awards, a program to encourage and support the education of students of Arabic speaking backgrounds. High school seniors can obtain an application with instructions by visiting the web page at: www.stjohnd/ngberam or by contacting our Church Office. All applications must be postmarked no later than June 1, 2013.
REMINDERS
WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS - St. Mary's Church School invites families to attend a workshop designed for children and teens, entitled Living the Liturgy, on Friday, March 29,
2013 (Western Good Friday), from 9:30-3:00 at St. Mary's. The day will
feature making of Prosphora (holy bread), a "teaching" proscomedia
service (seeing the preparation of bread and wine for Eucharist), alter
tour, morning prayer "reader" service, liturgical ministry
practice/review and age-appropriate break-out activities to learn more
about the liturgy. Lunch will be provided and a donation of $5/child or
$10/family is requested.
Please let us know by this Sunday, March 24, if your family plans to attend so we have an idea of the group size. RSVP to Andrea Popa at maryandreapopa@gmail.com or 857-526-6706.
Please also let her know if you are a parent or teacher and can assist
with activities for the day. To inquire about carpooling for the day,
please contact Panayiotis Sakellariou at psakellariou@yahoo.com
or 617-606-0750. (Please note: This event is scheduled for Western
Good Friday, a day off school for many, and is different from the
Children’s Retreat which we always hold on Orthodox Holy Friday – this
year May 3, 2013.)
SUBDEACON STEVE – Subdeacon Steve Walker was moved to a rehab facility Wednesday morning. He is now at Epoch Senior Health Care, 615 Heath St, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. The phone number for his room is 617-879-2989. He’s happy to receive phone calls and visits now, as well as cards and notes.
MAGAZINES FOR PRISON MINISTRY – Please donate unwanted past issues of Orthodox magazines such as The Word, OCMC or other periodicals to our prison ministry to hand out to inmates. Please remove any personal mailing address for security purposes and give them to Mitrophan Chin.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE - The Syrian-Lebanese Women’s Club of Greater Boston will make available a number of scholarship awards in the amount of $1000.00 each to young women of Syrian and Lebanese origin, residing in Massachusetts within a 50 mile radius of Boston, who plan to pursue a four-year college education. Applications are available in the Church Office or by calling or e-mailing Mary Winstanley O’Connor 617-523-1010 or moconnor@koilaw.com). Completed applications must be postmarked by Sunday, March 31, 2013.
ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN – The next quarterly meeting of the Antiochian Women of our Diocese will be held on Saturday, April 6, at St. George Cathedral, 30 Anna St., Worcester. Lunch will follow the meeting.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – You are urged during this season of prayer, self-discipline and fasting, to be very generous in your contribution to the Food for Hungry People program of our Archdiocese . Money Boxes for collecting alms at home will be on the Bengarri; please pick one or two up and place them throughout your home, fill them up, and return them on Palm Sunday, April 28. Please be generous!
CROSS†ROAD – CrossRoad is a summer institute for high school juniors and seniors on the campus of Hellenic College/Holy Cross. Participants take part in daily classes, visit neighboring Orthodox parishes and participate in service activities. CrossRoad now offers two sessions this coming year (2013): CrossRoad June: June 22-July 1 AND CrossRoad July: July 8-18. Download an application and view a video clip at www.crossroad.hchc.edu
ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE SUMMER CAMP – Summer Camp registration for 2013 is now open. For information see http://antiochianvillage.org/camp/programs/summercamp.html To register see http://antiochianvillage.org/camp/programs/registration.html. Please don't wait to register - camp fills up very quickly. Please note that you are not registered until you have paid the $100 deposit and receive a confirmation email. Scholarships are available – contact Fr. Antony.
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE – The 2013 Parish Life Conference for our diocese will be held June 27 – 30, 2013, at the Wyndam Hotel in Andover, MA. Room Rate is just $99.00 per night. Your host is St. George Church, Lowell, MA. Save the date, and watch for further details.
ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION – The 2013 national convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese will be held July 21-28 in Houston TX, hosted by St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. For information and registration see http://www.achouston2013.com.
ORTHODOX MISSION TEAMS – The Orthodox Mission Center
has announced their 2013 Mission Teams. Mission teams will be heading
to 10 locations around the globe to share the teachings of the faith and
offer the gift of service through hands-on experience. For more
information call the OCMC at 877-463-6784 or e-mail teams@ocmc.org, or see
http://www.ocmc.org/about/open_teams.aspx. Note that the July mission to Albania is led by our own Panayiotis and Shannon Sakellariou.
PLEDGE CARDS – If you have not yet made your pledge for 2013, please return your signed card right away. Or you can make your pledge online at https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/stewardship.php
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.”
If you missed the opportunity to contribute to some of the special
collections held recently, you can still do so online – Special
Categories have been set up in eGive for these one-time donations.
Parishioners can also use their credit cards to make one-time donations on our website: https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/contact/donate.php Just type the donation target (e.g. Hurricane Sandy) in the Additional Notes area.
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.
PROTECT YOUR VALUABLES – Please do not leave valuables unattended in the Church Hall or Coat Room.
CONFESSIONS – Confessions are heard each Saturday evening before and after Vespers, which start at 5:00 pm, or by appointment.
PARKING – If you park in the Church parking lot, you need to plan on remaining until after the Coffee Hour or other church function. Do not park in the Church parking lot if you need to leave immediately after church.
Additionally, do not park beyond the sign that prohibits parking at
the corner of Inman Street and Bishop Allen Drive. It is difficult for
large vehicles to turn the corner if cars are parked there. Failure to
heed this warning may result in the City preventing parishioners from
parking on Inman Street. Your cooperation is appreciated.
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: Barbara Shoop
COFFEE HOUR: No coffee hour – no one volunteered.
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Thursday, March 21: Great Canon of St. Andrew 7:00 pm
Friday, March 22: Akathist (Madayeh) Service 7:00 pm, followed by Learning in Lent lecture – speaker: Bishop JOHN
Saturday, March 23: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, March 24, Sunday of Orthodoxy: Orthros 8:45 am; Enquirers’ Class 9:00 am; Divine Liturgy 10:00 am, followed by Procession with Icons
SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday, March 24:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40
Brethren, by faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with
the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. And what
more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak,
Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets … And all these,
though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised,
since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they
should not be made perfect.
Gospel: John 1:43-51
… [Jesus] found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." … Philip found
Nathanael, and he said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the
law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip
said to him, "Come and see."
Monday, March 25: Evening Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Annunciation of the Holy
Theotokos 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 27: Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 6:30 pm, followed by Pot Luck Supper
Friday, March 29: Akathist (Madayeh) Service 7:00 pm, followed by Learning in Lent lecture
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, March 30: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, March 31: Orthros 8:45 am; Enquirers’ Class 9:00 am; Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School
Wednesday, April 3: Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 6:30 pm, followed by Pot Luck Supper
Friday, April 5: Akathist (Madayeh) Service 7:00 pm, followed by Learning in Lent lecture
REFLECTION
“You shall not make an image of anything in the heavens above, or in the earth below, or in the sea” (cf. Exodus 20:4),
in such a way that you worship these things and glorify them as gods.
For all are the creations of the one God, created by Him in the Holy
Spirit through His Son and Logos, who as Logos of God in these latter
times took flesh from a virgin's womb, appeared on earth and associated
with men, and who for the salvation of men suffered, died and rose
again, ascended with His body into the heavens, and “sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on High” (Hebrews 1:3), and who will
come again with His body to judge the living and the dead. Out of love
for Him you should make, therefore, an icon of Him who became man for
our sakes, and through His icon you should bring Him to mind and worship
Him, elevating your intellect through it to the venerable body of the
Savior, that is set on the right hand of the Father in heaven. … You
must not, then, deify the icons of Christ and of the saints, but through
them you should venerate Him who originally created us in His own
image, and who subsequently consented in His ineffable compassion to
assume the human image and to be circumscribed by it.
- St. Gregory Palamas, On Holy Icons
Icons do not make Christ present; they rather show us that He is. They
are an aid to help us set our minds on things above, not on earthly
things.
- Archpriest Peter E. Gillquist
During a service, the priest does not only cense the icons of the
Savior, the Mother of God, and the Saints. He also censes the
icon-people, the image of God in the people who are present. And as they
leave the church precincts, these people remain as much the images of
God, worthy of being censed and venerated. Our relations with people
should be an authentic and profound veneration. … The "churching" of
life is the sense of the whole world as one church, adorned with icons
that should be venerated, that should be honored and loved, because
these icons are true images of God that have the holiness of the Living
God upon them.
- St. Maria Skobtsova
The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God. … I do not worship
matter. I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake,
who willed to take His abode in matter, who worked out my salvation
through matter. Never will I cease honoring the matter which wrought my
salvation! I honor it, but not as God. Because of this I salute all
remaining matter with reverence, because God has filled it with his
grace and power. Through it my salvation has come to me.
- St. John of Damascus