Update for the TWO weeks Friday, July 30, through Thursday, August 12, 2010
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
FR. ANTONY AWAY; NO SERVICES – Because of a family emergency, Fr. Antony will be in Tennessee this week, leaving after church this Sunday. All services scheduled for the week (Paraklesis, Transfiguration Liturgy, and Vespers) are cancelled.
In case of emergency, call Fr. Timothy Ferguson at St. George Church in West Roxbury, 617-323-0323.
The Liturgy for the Feast of the Transfiguration with Blessing of Fruit will be celebrated at St. George, West Roxbury, on Thursday, August 5 at 6:30 pm.
NO ST. MARY UPDATE NEXT WEEK– Because of vacation scheduling this newsletter covers the next two weeks; no Update will be issued for August 6. However, special notices will be issued if necessary.
HELP NEEDED: FOOD PANTRY COORDINATOR– Two to four volunteers from St. Mary are scheduled to help each week in the food pantry at St Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Harvard Square, Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45. If you are interested in helping, please volunteer to be the new coordinator - contact outgoing coordinator Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684. Our grateful thanks to Christian for serving in this capacity for the past several years.
WOMEN’S CLUB SUMMER READING - This summer Women's Club members (and anyone else who'd like to join us) will be reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Read the book over the summer, and join us in the fall, on a date to be announced, for an enjoyable evening of discussion, refreshments and fellowship!
BIBLE BOWL OUTCOME– Although our team did not win (the winning team, from Yonkers, NY, scored an incredible 104 out of 105!), they did even better than last year, and again this year they were the youngest team. We congratulate Thomas Marge, Theo Smith, and GabrielSmith on their hard work and thank Violet Robbat for all the time she spent preparing them.
DEFIBRILLATOR TRAINING- Due to a generous donation, the church is about to install a new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machine downstairs in the church hall, and plans on hosting a professional training session for the AED machine in the fall for our parishioners. This training would be at no cost to parishioners and would last approximately 30-45 minutes.
In the alternative, the Parish council is requesting feedback from
parishioners about interest in a combination CPR and AED class wherein
attendees could receive their certification in these areas. This class
would carry a small cost, would be sanctioned by the Red Cross or other
entity, and would last about 4-6 hours. We need to know how many
parishioners are interested in order to schedule the training.
Please see Raymond Sayeg (rsayeg@dennerpellegrino.com) or Eric Straghalis (estraghalis@gmail.com) if you are interested in these classes.
REMINDERS
BLOOD DRIVE IN HONOR OF JAMIL – There will be a blood drive this Saturday, July 31, at St. George Church, West Roxbury from 9:00 am – 2:30 pm, in honor of both Jamil Samara and his father, George. Schedule an appointment by calling the St. George Church Office 617-323-0323 or Sean Santry at 617-517-4866 sean@seansantry.com
SACRED MUSIC INSTITUTEAND CONCERT– The annual Sacred Music Institute at Antiochian Village is being held July 28 – August 1, and will include a 25th anniversary concert this Saturday, July31, featuring the Sacred Music Chamber Choir and our own Boston Byzantine Choir.
NEW SKETE PILGRIMAGE - The Monastic
Communities and Chapel Community members of New Skete Monastery in
Cambridge, New York, invite you to join them for a day of prayer and
reflection celebrating their feast day next Saturday, August 7, 2010 (rain or shine). The theme of the pilgrimage is "Hidden Holiness."
As is the rule of monastic life, the day will begin and end with
prayer--Matins at 8:30 am, followed by the celebration of the Divine
Liturgy at 9:30 am and end with Vigil at 5:00 pm. In addition, a
special Healing Service with Anointing will be held at 3:30 pm. Fr.
Michael Plekon, Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at Baruch
College and an Associate Priest at Saint Gregory the Theologian Orthodox
Church, Wappinger Falls, NY, will deliver the feature presentation, "Living the Holy Life in Our Time,"
in the afternoon. This theme has been very much on Father's mind for
several years prompting him to write the book with the title, *Hidden
Holiness." Dr. Olga Solovieva, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion
at Skidmore College, will moderate the discussion. In addition, the
day will include tours of the monastery churches, a demonstration of the
monks' dog training program, as well as time for hiking, conversation,
reflection and quite. Activities for children and teens are also
planned. Traditional ethnic and American style food will be available
for purchase.
In years past, a number of us have gone out for the weekend to help
the Chapel Community with the "leg-work" for the day. They are hoping a
number of us will do so again this year. Let Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu)
know if you are interested as she will be arranging housing for all the
Boston helpers. For those wishing to stay the weekend, there is a
parish picnic on that Sunday afternoon to which we are all invited.
In addition, a few of us will be trekking out there this weekend (7/30-8/1)
to help with the clean-up on that Saturday. Some plan to join the St.
Mary group at Tanglewood Sunday afternoon on the return trip home. Let
Teva know if you can help for the cleanup weekend as well.
COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – Please sign up to provide a coffee hour – it can be as simple as coffee, juice, and cookies, and it’s easier now when summer attendance is lighter. Plenty of help is available! Signup sheets are on the bulletin board downstairs outside the Hall, or call Marilyn in the office at 617-547-1234 or secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
SEEKING VIDEO STREAMING VOLUNTEERS – The video
streaming ministry has been a great success! A special thank you to
Erick Straghalis, Marc Patacchiola, and Nadia Abuelezam who have been
instrumental in making this possible.
Marc and Erick are looking for more volunteers who can help set up
the streaming service prior to Liturgy on Sunday mornings and
potentially during other events (speakers, vespers, etc.). Volunteers
would rotate weekly, taking turns setting up the camera, computer and
microphones each week. Some technical expertise may be required, but
training will be provided. If you are interested, please contact Erick
Straghalis (estraghalis@gmail.com). Thank you!
CARE PACKAGES FOR “OUR” MARINE– Fr. Antony's "spiritual
son" Scott is still in the Marines, and has been deployed to
Afghanistan. The Fellowship of St. John the Divine is once more helping
collect items for care packages for him and his fellow Marines. Thanks
to the generosity of St. Mary parishioners, the Fellowship has been able
to send several care packages already. We hope to send a box every
month or so, so please continue to donate the items he needs. He has
especially asked for Gatorade powder (dark blue kind if
possible), Tuna, Beef jerky, Sunflower seeds, Sour skittles, Protein
bars, and Non perishable food.
A box has been set up outside the church offices for your donations, and we would also welcome monetary contributions to help with postage, shopping, etc.
- make checks payable to Fellowship of St. John the Divine or to St.
Mary Church (earmarked FSJD), and give them to any member of the FSJD
Steering Committee (Tiffany Conroy, Mike Decerbo, Melissa or Peter
Nassiff, Socrates Deligeorges or Steve Walker), or mail them to the
Church. Thank you for your caring concern and prayers for Scott and his
fellow Marines!
STREAMING VIDEO- Divine Liturgy at St. Mary is broadcast live every week! Do come to church… but if you can’t, then join us on your computer. To see live broadcasts go tohttps://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/livestream. Divine Liturgy starts at 10:00 am every Sunday through the end of June, and at 9:30 during the summer.
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 or in the lot at the corner of Prospect Street and Bishop Allen Drive.
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:
PARTICIPATION
Liturgical Service - Each Sunday, members of the
congregation are needed to read the Epistle and assist during
Communionby 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 reader and eight 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 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.orgor 617-547-1234.
VOLUNTEERING
Holy Resurrection Open Doors - The Holy Resurrection
Open Door Meal Ministry in Allston needs volunteers every Monday evening
(there is a special need in the summer). The official hours of the
project are 4:30 pm-7:30 pm, but it is fine to come anytime and leave
any time. Best times would be 5:30-5:45 to 7:15-7:30 pm. You can serve
meals, coffee and tea to the people who arrive for dinner (6-7 pm) or
just stay behind the scenes doing set-up and clean-up. It is a very
rewarding, hands-on, face-to-face way to serve the community with
(mostly) other Orthodox Christians—we even chant the Our Father together
before the meal begins. Church info can be found at http://hrocboston.org. Questions? Please contact Liz Straghalis atliztutella@gmail.com phone 617-974-5005, or Tiffany Conroy at trattus1@gmail.com.
St Paul’s Food Pantry - Two to four volunteers help each week in the food pantry at St Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Harvard Square, Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45. If you are interested in helping, please volunteer to be the new coordinator - contact outgoing coordinator Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684.
DONATIONS
Food and Clothing – Holy Resurrection in Allston takes donations of non-perishable food items and clothing
to distribute at the Open Door Ministry on Monday evenings. You can
bring your donations by on Monday nights between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm or
contact Tiffany Conroy, trattus1@gmail.com, for more information.
"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
LITURGICAL SERVICE – Epistle: Jonathan Hill; Communion cloth and bread: Maggie Arnold, Rose Njuguna, and others.
If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during Communion through the rest of the summer, please contact Jeff Wasilko, jeffw@smoe.org. If you have held the bread or communion cloth before, and see an empty space, feel free to step in and help.
COFFEE HOUR – Ascolu Eritrean Food (Diace)
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, July 31: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 1: Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am (Summer hours); Dormition Fast begins
SCRIPTURE READINGS for August 1:
Epistle: St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 4:9-16
Brethren, God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men
sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to
angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in
Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we
in disrepute.
Gospel: Matthew 17:14-23
… Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we
not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because you have no faith. For
truly, I say to you, if you have faith, even as a grain of mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will
move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind never comes
out except by prayer and fasting."
Wednesday, August 4: NO Paraclesis Service at St. Mary
Thursday, August 5: NO Evening Liturgy for the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration at St. Mary
Saturday, August 7: NO Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, August 8: Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am (Summer hours)
Epistle: St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 9:2-12
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard
without eating any of its fruit? Who tends a flock without getting some
of the milk? Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law say the
same? For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox
when it is treading out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is
concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for
our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher
thresh in hope of a share in the crop.
Gospel: Matthew 18:23-35
The Lord said this parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a
king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the
reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and
as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and
children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant
fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I
will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him the lord of that
servant released him and forgave him the debt. … 'You wicked servant! I
forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you
have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' "
Wednesday, August 11: Paraclesis Service 6:30 pm
LOOKING AHEAD
August 1 – August 14: Dormition Fast
Saturday, August 14: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 15, Our Patronal Feast Day: Orthros 8:15 am, Lamentations 9:30 am, followed by Festal Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Theotokos; followed by a celebratory coffee hour
Saturday, August 21: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, September 5: Regular hours resume: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Sunday, September 12: Church School registration
Sunday, September 19: Church School classes start
INSIGHT
Through the fall our nature was stripped of divine illumination and
resplendence. But the Logos of God had pity upon our disfigurement and
in His compassion He took our nature upon Himself, and on Tabor He
manifested it to His elect disciples clothed once again most
brilliantly. He shows what we once were and what we shall become through
Him in the age to come, if we choose to live our present life as far as
possible in accordance with His ways.
- St. Gregory Palamas
According to Orthodox teaching, the promise about seeing the Son of Man coming in his kingdom [Mt 16:28]
must be understood as fulfilled in what transpired in the
transfiguration. … [T]he transfiguration is a tremendously important
event: it shows who Christ is, what he will achieve in salvation, what
he will be like when he appears and what his people will ultimately
become. … [O]n Mount Tabor divine glory shone through Christ’s humanity.
His humanity, without ceasing to be humanity, was transformed by and
suffused with divine glory: Christ’s humanity was deified. This showed forth his deity as the Son of God incarnate, in confirmation of St. Peter’s confession a few days earlier (Mt. 16:16).
However, the glory manifested was not simply the glory he had from
eternity as the Son of God; rather, as the last Adam, he had so acquired
likeness to God that divine light shone forth through his humanity
itself.
- James R. Payton, Jr., Light from the Christian East
Our Lord saves us by becoming what we are, by sharing totally in our
humanity, thereby enabling us to share in what he is. Thus through a
reciprocal exchange of gifts he takes our humanity and communicates to
us his divine life, reestablishing that communion between Creator and
creation which sin has destroyed.
- Timothy Ware (Bishop Kallistos), How are we Saved?
Theosis means so relying on divine grace that we live in God and he in
us. Orthodoxy affirms the indwelling of the triune Godhead within
Christians in an intensely realistic fashion: in the divine energies,
God himself – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16-17, 23) –
dwells and works within humans, enabling them to become increasingly
like him. This indwelling occupies the entire person, body and soul. As
God created humans to participate in both realms, and as he made them
his image-bearers in both body and soul, so he intended that his
likeness pervade both the immaterial and the material components of
human beings.
- James R. Payton, Jr., Light from the Christian East