Update for the week Thursday, February 22 - Wednesday, February 28, 2018

THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY

THURSDAY, 2/22 – Little Compline with the Canon of St. Andrew is CANCELLED 

SUNDAY 2/25, the Sunday of Orthodoxy – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; followed by Procession with Icons; Church School music lesson between communion and procession
   + Please welcome Fr. Gregory Harrigle, who will be officiating at Liturgy
   + Deadline for Women’s Club Lenten Food Sale orders

WEDNESDAY, 2/28 - Pre-Sanctified Liturgy at 6:30 pm (every Wednesday through March 28), followed by Potluck Supper sponsored by the Hospitality Group.
   + Do come to the Potluck Supper 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.  This week’s potluck lead is Melissa Nassiff, mnassiff@gmail.com   
 
THIS WEEK ELSEWHERE

MONDAY 2/26 – Diocesan Compline will be offered at 7:00pm on Monday at St. George, Lowell
 
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

LEARNING IN LENT – Please join us after the Akathist Service on Fridays, March 2, 9 and 16 for our "Learning in Lent" series exploring various aspects of our faith.  A simple meal will be provided.  The dates, topics and speakers are as follows:
   - Friday, March 2 - "Towards Oneness with God:  Watchfulness and Contemplation during Lent" (Dr. Ioana Popa)
   - Friday, March 9 - "The Rites of Initiation - Baptism, Chrismation, and Eucharist - in the Fourth century and Today" (Teva Regule, MDiv, PhD)
   - Friday, March 16 - "Why do people choose to become Orthodox?" (Bob Kowalik, MTS and St. Mary's Catechist)
   - On Friday, March 23 we will pray the full Akathist hymn; there will be no speaker on that date

TEEN RETREAT – St. John of Damascus is having a Teen Lenten Lock-in Retreat on Friday-Saturday, March 9-10. Open to all teens grades 7-12.  Time: Friday 6:30- Saturday morning.  Cost: $10 includes Dinner, Breakfast and Snacks. Registration forms available in our church office.  Any questions e-mail St. John’s at churchoffice@stjohnd.org

WOMEN’S RETREAT – Sts. Martha and Mary Sisterhood of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church, 62 Harvard Ave., Allston, invites you to a Lenten Women’s Retreat on Saturday, March 17, 9am-4pm.  Fr. Maximos will speak on “Prayer without Distraction”. Cost: $35, $20 for students, includes lunch. To register go to http://tinyurl.com/ikh5ash

PASCHA BAKE SALE – The Women’s Club Annual Pascha Bake Sale will be held on Sunday, March 25

FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – During this season of prayer, self-discipline and fasting, please be very generous in your contribution to the Food for Hungry People program of our Archdiocese. Collection Boxes for collecting alms at home will be on the Bengarri; please pick up one or two and place them throughout your home, fill them up, and return them on Palm Sunday, April 1.
 “Whoever gives a hand to help his neighbor is helped by God’s own hand” - St. Isaac the Syrian

 
REMINDERS

LENTEN FOOD SALE – The St. Mary Women’s Club is once again having a Lenten Food Sale, featuring Spinach Triangles, Hoomos, and Mjadara. Please use the order form in the Sunday bulletin. Order deadline is Sunday, February 25; pickup will be Sunday, March 4.
   + Baking of spinach triangles will be Saturday, March 3.  Please come and help, starting at 9:30 am. Lunch will be provided.

VESPERS and YOUNG ADULTS – On Saturday, March 3 there will be a Vespers service at 5:00pm, followed by Young Adult Potluck and Trivia Night.

DIOCESAN COMPLINE - Diocesan Compline services will be offered every Monday evening during Lent at 7:00pm in a different church of the Diocese.  The schedule is: 2/26 Lowell, 3/5 West Roxbury, 3/12 Cotuit, 3/19 Dedham and 3/26 Worcester.

PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, March 14, at 8:00pm

SCHOLARSHIPS - Students graduating in 2018 from high school who are children of membersof St. Mary’s may apply for the Diocese of Worcester and New England Scholarship.  Deadline is March 31, 2018. Contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 or email at moconnor@koilaw.com for more information, including what it means to be a member.
   + Scholarships ($1,000) are available from the Syrian-Lebanese Women’s club of Greater Boston to young women of Syrian and Lebanese origin, residing in Massachusetts within 50-mile radius of Boston, who plan to pursue a four-year college education.  Scholarships are based on outstanding academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, charitable and civic involvement and good character; and applicants must be in good academic standing in her school and possess those personal attributes, which best serve the community.  Applications are available through the Church Office and must be postmarked by March 31, 2018.  If you have any questions, contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 or email at moconnor@koilaw.com .

PASCHA - The date of Pascha this year is April 8, 2018.

BIBLE STUDY – During Lent, the Bible Study/Adult Education group will come together as a community for the PreSanctified liturgies (instead of our usual meetings) on Wednesdays, followed by the Pot-luck supper. Those experiences are truly rich and we invite everyone to join us. After Pascha the bi-weekly meetings of the Bible Study group will resume on Wednesday, April 11.

METROPOLITAN JOSEPH TO VISIT - His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH will be at St. Mary’s Friday - Sunday, April 27-29 2018 for a Hierarchical visit for our 90th year celebration and to celebrate Liturgy.

YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY - The Young Adult Ministry is an active, dynamic group that hosts monthly social, spiritual, and outreach events and programs. We have lots of great plans for 2018, and we hope you'll join us! To learn more or to get involved contact Jamil (617-501-4427) or Adam (315-719-2101), or go to youngadults@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.

COFFEE HOUR MADE EASY! - To make sponsoring a Coffee Hour a little bit easier, St. Mary’s offers a delivery service through “Instacart”, for the basic foods necessary to host a Coffee hour.  Simply select a date, mail a check to the office and we will order the food and have it delivered to the church on that Sunday between 9:00 and 10:00 am.  You will need to be at the church to accept the order and you will be required to set up for the coffee hour and clean up both the kitchen and hall at the end of the coffee hour.  Two menus will be offered.  Menu one will include: bagels, mini muffins, fruit, hummus/Syrian bread, juice and coffee for $160.  Menu two will include: bagels, juice and coffee for $70. Prices do not include a 20% tip for delivery and are subject to change based on current market pricing of items.  Cream cheese, peanut butter, jam and coffee creamer are included with each menu.  As usual, St. Mary’s will provide the plates, cups, napkins, utensils, serving platters, and sweetener for coffee.  If you are interested in taking advantage of this service and signing up for a coffee hour please contact the office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.

JOIN US ONLINE - 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 or online). If you have questions or comments about this ministry please contact us at live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
 
REFLECTION

By His own example, the Lord showed us how great a weapon fasting is. With this weapon, He vanquished Satan in the wilderness, and with it was victorious over the three chief satanic passions with which Satan tempted Him: love of ease, love of praise, and love of money. These are three destructive greeds, the three greatest traps into which the evil enemy of the human race lures Christ's soldiers.
   - St. Nikolai Velimirovic.

Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him. If you see a friend being honored, do not envy him. Do not let only your mouth fast, but also the eye and the ear and the feet and the hands and all the members of our bodies. Let the hands fast, by being free of avarice. Let the feet fast, by ceasing to run after sin. Let the eyes fast, by disciplining them not to glare at that which is sinful. Let the ear fast, by not listening to evil talk and gossip. Let the mouth fast from foul words and unjust criticism. For what good is it if we abstain from birds and fishes, but bite and devour our brothers? May He who came to the world to save sinners strengthen us to complete the fast with humility,  have mercy on us and save us.
   - Saint John Chrysostom