Update for the week Friday, August 16 through Thursday, August 22, 2013
THIS WEEK
OFFICE CLOSED – The Church office is closed on Thursday and Friday this week, August 15-16. (The deadline for the August 18 Bulletin was 11:00 am on Wednesday, August 14.)
TEEN SOYO – There will be a kick-off party for the teens on Saturday, August 17. The Bargoots have graciously offered to host at their home in Hull. We will have a BBQ lunch and head to the beach for the afternoon. All teens (grades 9-12) and their parents are welcome to join. Please contact Hannah Oakley or Greg Hakim for more details at 843-283-3873 or hoakley18@gmail.com .
VESPERS - There will be a service of Great Vespers at St. Mary this Saturday, August 17, at 5:00 pm
SUMMER HOURS – During July and August, Sunday services start half an hour earlier than usual: Orthros starts at 8:15 am, and Divine Liturgy 9:30 am. On Sunday, September 1 we will return to regular hours: Orthros 8:45, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL – St. George Orthodox Church, West Roxbury will be hosting a Vacation Church School from Monday, August 19 through Thursday, August 22 for pre-school through 5th grade. Registration donation is $15 for one child; $20 for two children; $25 for three children. Check the Church bulletin board downstairs for more information and registration forms, or contact John Abud at 617-323-0323 or abudjohn@gmail.com.
BIBLE STUDY – The Bible Study at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, meets every other Thursday and is based on a lecture series originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio. Join us at 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 22, in the church library as we discuss the Latin fathers, Ambrose (http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/st-ambrose-of-milan/), Augustine, and Jerome http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/st-augustine-and-st-jerome/). Please don't feel like you have to listen to all of the lessons or answer all of the questions in order to come participate in the discussion - just come and enjoy the fellowship! For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com). New members are always welcome!
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
DORMITION TROPARION – This YouTube video presents the Troparion of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, which we celebrated this week, sung in Greek, Romanian, Arabic, Church-Slavonic, English and Spanish, along with the text of each version, and a series of icons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6ksQS6qcKE (Total length is just under 6 minutes.) The English version is St. Mary’s music sung by our own Boston Byzantine Choir!
“WELCOME BACK COLLEGE STUDENTS" BREAKFAST – After Liturgy on Sunday, September 22, 2013, the Fellowship of St. John the Divine (FSJD) will host a special breakfast to welcome college students back to their "Church home away from home." Please join us in welcoming and supporting students who strive to remain connected to the Church while away from their families. All are welcome! A suggested minimum donation of $5 will be gratefully accepted from non-students.
DANCING WITH THE AABA STARS- On Friday, October 11, 2013 the American Arabic Benevolent Association will present the annual “Dancing with the Stars.” Representing St. Mary’s Church will be Amanda Noonan, daughter of Karen Winstanley Noonan. This event is a fundraiser to benefit senior affordable housing at Cheriton Heights in West Roxbury. The event will take place at The Norwood Theatre, Norwood, MA. Ticket price is $45.00 per person. For tickets, sponsoring or information contact David Franciosi, 617-347-1005. Sponsor seating will have 10 seats reserved plus an AABA Gift bag. Sponsors names will appear in program and donations may be applied as points to dancer.
REMINDERS
FSJD MEETING – The next Fellowship of St. John the Divine meeting will be Sunday, August 25 in the church hall during coffee hour. We will be reviewing the new calendar for many of St. Mary's 2013-2014 events and activities. Please contact our President, Julie Wasilko (julie31415pi@gmail.com), with any questions or suggestions. All are welcome.
CHURCH SCHOOL – The Church School is still looking for a few teachers, assistants and substitutes for the 2013-2014 school year. Teachers are provided with all the materials they will need. If you are interested, please see Barbara Shoop or contact her in the Church office (617-547-1234 or secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org) as soon as possible.
Church School registration (age 3 and up) will be Sunday, September 8, and Church School classes start Sunday, September 15, 2013.
There will be a Church School Teachers/Assistants/Substitutes meeting immediately following Registration on September 8. Please plan on attending this very important meeting.
PILGRIMAGE – The annual St. Thekla pilgrimage at the Antiochian Village has been expanded this year to include supplication to St. Raphael, who is buried on the grounds of the Village. The Pilgrimage will be September 20-22, 2013; registration is due by September 1. For information and registration form see http://www.antiochian.org/sites/antiochian.org/files/2013_brochure.pdf
MARRIAGE SEMINAR WITH BISHOP JOHN – St. Mary will host the first evening of a two-day marriage seminar to be held Friday and Saturday, September 13-14. On Friday at St. Mary, Evening Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross with His Grace Bishop JOHN, at 6:30 pm, will be followed by the first session which will last approximately an hour and a half. A light dinner will be provided. The second session will be held at the Chancery in Westborough on Saturday morning from 10:00 am to 3:30, with lunch provided. Everyone, married or unmarried, is welcome and encouraged to attend and learn about the Orthodox approach to marriage. To register, contact Fr. Antony at frawhj@gmail.com. A fee of $25.00 is required to cover the cost of food.
SONIA’S RUN –The 5th annual Sonia’s 5K Run/Walk at St. George Church, West Roxbury, will be held on Saturday, September 21, beginning at 9:00 am. All proceeds will benefit Sonia’s dream of finding a permanent home for Theophany school. For more information see http://theophanyschool.org/ways-to-help/sonias-run
FR. ANTONY’S 20th ANNIVERSARY - Be with us on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 & 6, 2013, as His Grace, Bishop John joins us to celebrate Fr. Antony’s first 20 years at St. Mary and his first 25 years in the priesthood!
On Saturday, October 5, Great Vespers at 5:00 pm will be followed by a Banquet with Bishop John in the Church Hall. Tickets – Adults: $50.00 per person includes dinner, beer, wine & entertainment; Children under 18: $25.00 per person. (All proceeds will be used to send our children to Antiochian Village in July, 2014). No tickets will be sold at the door – for reservations please see Marc Patacchiola or Deno Takles or call Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010. Prepaid tables of 8 may be reserved in advance.
Sunday, October 6: Orthros at 8:45 am; Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am, followed by a Coffee Hour.
We are looking for Sponsors for the Banquet: Platinum $2000, Gold $1000, And Silver $500. To date we have $4500 in sponsors and are looking for an additional $2000 in Sponsorships. See Mary Winstanley-O’Connor if you are interested in being a Sponsor for this joyous event.
ROOM OR APARTMENT WANTED: (1) A visiting parishioner, Sarah Chiu, is looking for a room/apt to rent for 1-2 years while she is studying in the area. She has two cats. She can be contacted at 207-229-1886 or clssarah@gmail.com.
(2) A Master’s student at Holy Cross, Katherine Mowers, is looking for a room to rent for the academic year. She can be reached at 202-276-5311 or Katherine000@gmail.com.
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
PARKING RESTRICTIONS – Please do not park in the Church parking lot if you need to leave quickly after church. Cars parked there will be staying until the end of coffee hour.
Additionally, do not park beyond the sign that prohibits parking at the corner of Inman Street and Bishop Allen Drive. (An orange cone will be placed in that No Parking area.) 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.
And remember, there is no parishioner parking in the church parking lot Monday through Friday until after 6:00 pm.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE
There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshipers, and those in need. Consider serving in one of these ways:
BE 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 15 minutes before Liturgy, 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. All Orthodox Christians in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to participate. We usually need one Epistle reader and four people to hold the cloths. 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.
Also - 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.
Our own Deacon Jeff Smith can be heard in a recent interview with Ancient Faith Radio at http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/features/prison_ministry_awareness_sunday1
VIDEO EDITING – Volunteers are wanted to assist with video editing of sermons and lectures.
We are looking for volunteers to assist with some basic video editing to post the sermons and lectures from St. Mary's online. If you have experience with digital video editing, please let Jamil Samara or Erick Straghalis know you are interested - email live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
PHOTOGRAPHERS AND GRAPHIC DESIGNERS – Are you a photographer or a graphic designer? Would you be willing to share your talents with St. Mary Church and her ministries? We are looking for you to help photograph the divine services and events and to design promotional material for events and programs at our parish. Please contact Jamil Samara at webmaster@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org with any questions, and to let him know that you are interested in getting more involved.
"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: Melissa Nassiff
Coffee Hour: The Arnold and Rodriguez families
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, August 17: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 18: Orthros 8:15 AM, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday, August 18:
Epistle: St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 1:10-17
Brethren, I appeal to you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. …
Gospel: Matthew 14:14-22
At that time, when Jesus went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” ... and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, August 24: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 25: Orthros 8:15 AM, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Saturday, August 31: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, September 1: Regular Worship Schedule Resumes – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Sunday, September 8: Church School registration, followed by meeting for teachers, assistants & substitutes
Friday, September 13: Evening Liturgy for Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross
6:30 pm with His Grace Bishop JOHN, followed by Marriage Seminar.
Sunday, September 15: Church School classes begin
REFLECTIONS
Avoid arrogance, quarrel and pride while dealing in Church matters; instead, let your humility shine before others. Those who place their trust in God, and satisfy the people, are blessed.
- St Gregorios Chathuruthy
He [multiplies loaves] not only once but also a second time, in order that we should know his strength. This strength by which he feeds the multitudes when he wishes and without bread finds its source in his divinity. He does this in order to bring them to believe that he himself is the one who earlier had fed Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. And Jesus not only fed them with a few loaves of bread, but he even produced a surplus of seven baskets, so that he might be shown as incomparably surpassing Elijah, who himself also caused a multiplication of the widow’s small quantity of oil and flour.
- St Theodore of Heraclea
With the blade of the sword of the cherub was the path to the Tree of Life shut off, but to the peoples the Lord of that Tree has given Himself as food.
Whereas Eden's other trees were provided for the former Adam to eat, for us the very Planter of the Garden has become the food for our souls.
Whereas we had left that Garden along with Adam when he left it behind, now that the sword has been removed by the lance we may return there.
- St. Ephraim the Syrian
God alone is sufficient in Himself to satisfy all of men's hunger and thirst. The heavens are God's, the earth is God's. The Lord of all good is the greatest good; the Creator of all sweetness is the greatest sweetness; the Bearer of all wisdom is the greatest wisdom; the Source of all power and mercy is the greatest power and mercy; the Creator of every kind of beauty in heaven and on earth is the greatest beauty. No kind of good can enter the heart of man - whether openly or in a dream - that is not already in God to the highest degree. Therefore, my brethren, let us ask God that we may receive all; let us seek God that we may find all; let us become rich in God that we may be rich in all.
- Prolog of Ochrid