Update for the week Thursday, June 4, through Thursday, June 11, 2015
THIS WEEK
FRIDAY, 6/5 - There is no fasting this week, following the Sunday of Pentecost.
SATURDAY, 6/6 – There will be no Vespers at St. Mary this Saturday, June 6, or on June 20, July 11, or July 25.
SUNDAY, 6/7 – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; followed by Church School graduation. All children who attended Church School for most of the school year will be recognized as they move up to the next grade or graduate.
+ Please join us for the 2015 Chinese Martyrs Missions Breakfast after Church School graduation, to benefit the Chinese Translation Project via the Orthodox Fellowship of All Saints of China (OFASC). Suggested minimum donation: $5 per adult (checks made payable to “St. Mary Orthodox Church,” earmarked “Hospitality/Chinese Missions”). Please be generous in supporting this worthwhile effort, and enjoy the Chinese food.
+ This weekend is Fr. Antony's birthday, and there will be a card for everyone to sign at the donations table on the way in to the hall. There will also be birthday cake for dessert!
TUESDAY, 6/9 - There will be a very important meeting of all Convention committees on Tuesday, June 9, at 7:00 pm at the church.
Thursday, 6/11 - The Bible Study group meets next Thursday, June 11, at 7:00 pm in the church library. This group meets every other Thursday, and is based on a very interesting course originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled Search the Scriptures. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mailto:mksayeg@gmail.com ) or Fr. Antony (mailto:mksayeg@gmail.com ). New members are always welcome.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
PLEASE HELP SUNDAY MORNING – Volunteers are needed to help with the Chinese Breakfast - kitchen helpers, food servers, setup and cleanup crews are all needed. Contact Mitrophan Chin at stmitrophan@yahoo.com to volunteer, or show up in the kitchen Sunday morning.
NEW PICNIC VENUE (NEXT SUNDAY)!! - Come join the St. Mary’s Hospitality Group and your fellow parishioners at nearby RIVERSIDE PRESS PARK (Memorial Drive & River St, Cambridge) after church on Sunday, June 14th (new rain date: June 28)! Bring a blanket, some eats or drinks to share, balls, frisbees, tennis rackets/balls, even bathing suits if you want splash in the sprinklers! Riverside Press Park is a 15 min walk south of the Church (a straight walk to the Charles down River St). Come spend time with your church family. Open to all ages! If you would like to help us out, please email Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu).
FIRE VICTIMS NEED HELP – St. Mary parishioners Amanda and Peter Bourell and their four children have been displaced from their home in Roxbury because of a fire over the weekend. Miraculously no one was hurt, but they are still sorting through their belongings to figure out what is salvageable. They are currently living in a hotel, but need a less expensive place to stay while their home is being restored, which will probably take until mid-October. If you know of a place where they might live temporarily, or if you or a friend are going away for the summer and would be open to having them stay in your home, please let Ann Bezzerides (abezzerides@gmail.com) or Larisa Patacchiola (larisademshuk@yahoo.com) know. And please pray for this family, who are devastated by the loss.
SACRED MUSIC INSTITUTE - The 30th Anniversary SMI will be held July 8-12 at the Antiochian Village, with Metropolitan JOSEPH as the Keynote Speaker. To register, go to http://registration.antiochianvillage.org/Registration/Welcome.aspx?e=7413B331578E5950B91A801CA88B0AFF
LITURGY BEFORE THE CONVENTION – On Sunday, July 19, there will be no Liturgy at St. Mary's Church. Liturgy will be held at St. George Cathedral, Worcester with Patriarch JOHN and Metropolitan JOSEPH. All are welcome to attend.
PATRISTICS INSTITUTE – You are invited to take part in the ninth annual Summer Program in Patristic Studies sponsored by the Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. This five-day program is for theology and religious studies students, including masters-level students and undergraduates, and others, including clergy and lay people, with a background in religious studies, who would like to pursue their interests in the early Church. This year’s program will be held from July 19 – 24, 2015 on the campus of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. See http://www.hchc.edu/assets/files/patristics/2015%20AnnouncmentProgram_150502.pdf for more information.
REMINDERS
HOUSING HELP NEEDED – An Orthodox family of 3, new to the area, is looking for a place to live starting on June 14. If you know of a place to rent or temporary place to stay, please contact Richard Barrett, rrbarret@indiana.edu or 812-219-0286. (Richard led the recent Diocesan Vocal Workshop).
+ A young woman who will be starting a Master's program in Speech and Language Pathology at Emerson College this fall is looking for housing, and is open to both studio and 2-bedroom options; she is on the lookout for a roommate as well. She will not have a car so an apartment close to the T would be ideal. Please contact Elyse Timothy, elyse.timothy@gmail.com
DIOCESE CHOIR - A second Diocese Choir rehearsal with Paul Jabara, to prepare for the Parish Life Conference and the National Convention, will be held Monday June 15, 7pm, at St. John of Damascus, Dedham
CHILDREN STAY UPSTAIRS - Parents, please be sure that your children remain in church after Communion; there is no church school during the summer months. Children should not be in the church hall at any time during Liturgy unless supervised by their parents.
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE - The 2015 Diocese of Worcester Parish Life Conference will be hosted by St. Mary Church of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Thursday to Sunday, June 18-21. All events will be held at Providence Marriott, Providence, RI. Go to http://stmarypawtucket.org/conference for registration and information.
+ Church services will not be held at St. Mary that weekend, but will be held at the Marriott in Providence. Registration is not required to attend these services.
+ The St. Mary Church office will be closed during the Parish Life Conference.
DIVINE COMPASSION AND THE ICON – You are invited to a lecture entitled “Divine Compassion and the Icon,” part of the St. Catherine’s Vision Lectureship Series, on Saturday, June 20 at Hellenic College, Brookline. For more information visit www.saintcatherinesvision.com.
GREEK FESTIVIAL - Archangels Greek Orthodox Church is having a Greek Festival June 26-28, with Greek music, dancing, food, bookstore and more. Time: 11:00am-11pm, Sunday noon-8pm. 25 Bigelow Ave. Watertown. For more info call 617-924-8182.
FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN - On Saturday, June 27 at St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester, volunteers from all over the Diocese will be measuring and scooping 100,000 meals of MannaPack Rice, a scientifically formulated food that is culturally acceptable worldwide, for starving children. Organizations in nearly 70 countries distribute these meals to children in greatest need. We need 500 volunteers on that day as well as donations to help meet the $22,000 goal for the cost of the MobilePack Rice. This Humanitarian project is being conducted in conjunction with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit. You can help in these ways:
- Volunteers - Registration will be live 6 weeks prior to the event at www.fmsc.org/mobilepack
- Donations - submit online at http://www.fmsc.org/mobilepack or checks, made out to FMSC, Memo line Mobil Pack #1506-99, can be given at the Bengarri or church office.
Please consider volunteering and/or making a donation to this worthy cause. If you would like to learn more you can contact Fr. Milad Selim at St. George Worcester 508-752-9150 or fr.milad.selim@gmail.com
ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION - As you know, our parish will be hosting the 2015 Archdiocesan Convention at the Sheraton-Boston Hotel in Copley Square Tuesday through Sunday, July 21-26, 2015. There are numerous and various committees on which you may volunteer. We will require everyone’s involvement at St. Mary’s to make this convention truly a success spiritually, socially and financially. If you are interested in participating, please see either Father Antony or the co-chairs, Raymond Sayeg and Mary Winstanley O’Connor.
The convention room rate is $199.00 per night, plus tax. To book rooms at the hotel, register for the convention, and purchase convention event tickets and tickets for Boston excursions, go to www.acboston2015.com. Rooms are booking quickly for this historic convention. Please call the church at (617) 547-1234 with any questions.
PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, August 26 at 7:30 pm at the church.
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED - We are in need of teachers for the fall, in particular Pre-School and Kindergarten/1st grade. Anyone interested in teaching, or being an assistant or substitute, please contact Barbara@dsaarchitects.com.
NEW ORTHODOX JOURNAL – Fr. Antony highly recommends a new quarterly journal of Orthodox Christian thought, entitled “The Wheel.” The current, inaugural issue can be seen at http://www.wheeljournal.com/current/. Check it out!
THEOPHANY SCHOOL REGISTRATION - Theophany School is now enrolling for Fall 2015. They are excited to announce Theophany School's expansion into Elementary School and offering Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade Enrollment for this Fall. For more information visit their website at http://www.theophanyschool.org or contact them at 781-444-3058 or theophanyschool@gmail.com
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Andrew Bargoot
Liturgical Service:
Epistle: Bob Kowalik
Procession: Gabi Mazzoni, Andrew Bargoot, Joachim Chin, Voula Flesas, Toby Chin, Micaela Mazzoni, and Doreen Bargoot
Communion: James Wilcox, John Odom, Linda Arnold, Teva Regule, Maggie Rodriguez, and one other TBD
Coffee Hour: Chinese Martyrs Missions Breakfast
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY, the Sunday of All Saints
Epistle:
BRETHREN, all the saints through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ...Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. ... they were killed with the sword; ...Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfection of our faith.
- Hebrews 11:33-12:2
Gospel:
The Lord said to his disciples, "Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven. ... every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first."
- Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30
REFLECTION
By the death of martyrs religion has been defended, faith increased, and the Church strengthened; the dead have conquered, the persecutors have been overcome. And so we celebrate the death of those of whose lives we are ignorant.
- St. Ambrose of Milan, On Belief in the Resurrection
Unto you, O Lord, the author of creation, the universe offers the God-bearing martyrs as the first-fruits of nature. By their prayers, through the Theotokos, preserve your Church in profound peace, O most merciful one.
- Kontakion for All Saints
If you endure the daily ascesis, every time you coerce your soul to bear a cold word, a derision, a reproach, you become a confessor. Every time you have patience you receive a crown, and it is considered by God to be a daily martyrdom for you.
- Elder Joseph the Hesychast
Let the icons of the saints bring to your mind how many intercessors you have always praying for you before God, and how many allies fighting for you in your unceasing battles. Having themselves courageously fought the enemies throughout their lives and overcome them, they have revealed and shown you the art of waging war. If, with their help, you are alert in fighting your battles, you will, like them, be crowned with victory in the eternal glory of heaven.
- Lorenzo Scupoli, Unseen Warfare