Update for the week Thursday, February 20, through Thursday, February 27, 2014
THIS WEEK
SPRING DELEGATES MEETING – The Spring Diocesan Delegates Meetings of Teen SOYO and Fellowship of St. John the Divine, but not Antiochian Women (since they met last month), will be held at St. George Church, West Roxbury, on Saturday, February 22. Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am, meetings immediately following.
NO VESPERS – There will be NO service of Great Vespers at St. Mary this Saturday, February 22.
GUEST PRIEST – We are pleased to welcome Fr. Gregory Harrigle as our guest priest thisSunday, February 23.
MEATFARE SUNDAY BREAKFAST - Please join us this Sunday, February 23 for the FSJD's Meatfare Sunday coffee hour. The suggested donation – $8 per person, $15 per family – will help support the many activities of the Fellowship at St. Mary's, including the annual Lessons and Carols evening; Wednesday evening potluck suppers after Pre-Sanctified Liturgies during Lent; the annual Father John vonHolzhausen lecture; Coffee Hours and special meals; the weekly St. Mary e-Newsletter; and more. Contact Chef Socrates (dr.socrates@gmail.com ) to let him know if you can help with food preparation the day before (February 22) from 12:00-2:00 pm, or with cooking or serving on Sunday. We will need 6 volunteers.
NO CHURCH SCHOOL – There will be no church school classes this Sunday, February 23.
BOSTON BYZANTINE MUSIC FESTIVAL - The Boston Byzantine Music festival, onMonday and Tuesday, February 24 and 25, 2014, will feature concerts by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir and by the ensemble En Chordais, with lectures by Dr. Emmanouil Giannopoulos, Assistant Professor at the Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Ioannina, and Dr. Kyriakos Kalaitzidis, Faculty of Music Studies, University of Athens. For more information and tickets see http://www.maryjahariscenter.org/events/boston-byzantine-music-festival-2014/ Tickets are $40 per concert or $70 for both concerts; students $15 per concert with valid ID.
WHAT IS FAMILY MINISTRY - The Center for Family Care's next webinar, entitled “What is Family Ministry?”, will feature their Associate Director, Melissa Tsongranis, exploring the who, what, where, and why of family ministry in the hope of the realization at the parish level. It will be Tuesday, February 25 at 1:30 pm (EST). To register visit: http://gowoa.me/i/BjNy
BIBLE STUDY – The Bible Study at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, meets every other Thursday in the church library, and is based on a series of talks originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com ). New members are always welcome. Join us today, Thursday, February 27, at 7:00 pm as we conclude the pre-history portion of Genesis, and start part 1 of an overview of the Old Testament (listen to the podcasts at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/genesis-part-16/ andhttp://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/genesis-part-17/ this lesson was postponed from February 13 because of the snowstorm.)
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS – If you know someone who did not get the message that the church was closed last weekend, please encourage them to sign up for the St. Mary e-Newsletter. They can do that at https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/news/subscribe_email or by contacting the editor, Melissa Nassiff, at mnassiff@gmail.com
PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, March 19, at 8:00 pm, at the church.
NATIONAL CONVENTION – Letters have been mailed to all parishioners outlining the many opportunities for you to contribute to the 2015 Antiochian Archdiocesan National Convention. Please consider participating: volunteer your time and talent and/or financially support the event by sponsoring one of the many activities or placing an ad in the souvenir journal/ad book. Please complete the Volunteer Sign-up Sheet that was mailed to you and return it to Shirley Bezreh at the Bengarri/Narthex. Extra Sign-up Sheets are available on the table outside the hall.
REMINDERS
MARCH IS ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN’S MONTH. Our women will be reading the Epistle, taking the Collection each Sunday, and assisting during Communion. We are inviting all Women of St. Mary Church to be included: If you wish to participate, sign up on the sheet at the Bengarri or contact Mary Ellen Mabardy (781-729-6303) or the church office (617-547-1234).
CROSSROADS - CrossRoads is a summer institute for high school juniors and seniors on the campus of Hellenic College in Brookline. Participants take part in daily classes, visit neighboring Orthodox parishes, and participate in service activities. CrossRoads offers two sessions. Download an application and view a video clip at www.crossroad.hchc.edu. Application priority deadline is Saturday, March 1.
LENTEN FOOD SALE – The Women's Club is now taking orders for Spinach Triangles, Hoomos (hummus), and Mjadara (lentils with rice). Please use the order form in the Sunday bulletin. Order deadline is Sunday, March 2; pickup date is Sunday, March 16. Also, please plan to come help make the Spinach Triangles on Saturday, March 15, at 9:30 am.
CONVENTION PLANNING – In our ongoing preparation to host the 2015 National Convention, Ray Sayeg’s committees will meet at the home of Mary Winstanley O’Connor on Tuesday, March 4 at 7:00 pm (not 2/5 as previously announced). Mary Winstanley O’Connor’s committees will meet at her home on Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 pm (not 2/12as previously announced).
LENTEN POTLUCKS – Every year during Lent, the Fellowship of St. John the Divine sponsors a potluck supper after each weekly Wednesday evening Pre-Sanctified Liturgy. 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. Please stay for supper even if you can't bring food--there's room at the table for everyone.
We still need leads for the March 26, April 2, and April 9 potlucks. (Note that being the leadmeans simply providing a main dish and coordinating what others bring if they ask. Also, please recruit someone to coordinate cleanup.) Please contact Julie Wasilko (julie31415pi@gmail.com ) to sign up to be a potluck lead.
WOMEN'S CLUB – The next Women’s Club meeting will be Tuesday, March 11, at 7:30 at the church. We welcome all women of the parish to join us in the Women’s Club. Everyone is welcome! Any woman interested in joining may call Mary Ellen Mabardy at 781-729-6303 for more information.
MARRIAGE SEMINAR FOR COUPLES - The Diocese of Worcester and New England is sponsoring a seminar for couples preparing for marriage at St. John of Damascus church onFriday and Saturday, March 14 and 15. His Grace Bishop JOHN is the featured speaker. Cost is $30 per couple. See registration form in the Sunday bulletin - make check payable to NER Deanery and mail along with the registration form to St. John of Damascus Church, 300 West St., Dedham, MA 02026.
vonHOLZHAUSEN LECTURE – The Fellowship of St. John the Divine invites you to its annual Fr. John vonHolzhausen lecture on Sunday, March 30, at 1:00 pm (following Divine Liturgy at 10am and Coffee Hour at 12pm). Our speaker, Jan N. H. Perkins, MDiv, will speak on the topic, “If you Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It:” How Christ Transcends Good and Bad.
CHILDCARE DURING vonHOLZHAUSEN LECTURE – If you would be interested in onsite childcare while you attend the vonHolzhausen Lecture, please email Diana Yousef, Fellowship VP (yousefd@post.harvard.edu ) ASAP. Indicate how many children and their ages. FSJD and Teen SOYO are considering the possibility of offering childcare for FSJD-sponsored events. Once we have a headcount, we can determine how many teens and what a shared cost might be.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE - Scholarships ($1,000) are available 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, 2014. If you have any questions, contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 or email at moconnor@koilaw.com.
ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE - For important announcements about Summer Camp registration, check out their FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/AntiochianVillage ) because the 2014 Summer Camp registration is now open. You may register online or the old-fashioned way with paper applications. Please note that you are not registered until theyreceive a deposit and you receive a confirmation email. Please visit their Registration Page for instructions on how to register. We look forward to summer 2014 and can't wait for our campers to return. For more information go to http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp.html.
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
- Participate in Liturgical Service*
- Provide a Coffee Hour
- Join the Prison Ministry
- Help with Video Editing
- Share your talent as Photographer Or Graphic Designer
For information about these opportunities, and who to contact, see https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/volunteering
*Also, during the school year, the Church School students participate in our liturgical celebration by holding candles at the Gospel reading; processing with candles, a festal icon, and the baskets of Antidoron (i.e. extra bread) at the Great Entrance; and then presenting the Antidoron for a blessing during the Hymn to the Theotokos.
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Andrew Bargoot
Church School Liturgical Service: Candle Bearers: Robel Mahari & Gabi Mazzoni; Icon Bearer: Joseph Solomon; Bread Baskets: Tycho Traumann-Davis & Danait Teclezghi; Team Leader: Zanta Ephrem; Adult Supervisor: Azeb Mitiku
Coffee Hour: FSJD Meatfare Breakfast
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, February 22: NO Vespers
Sunday, February 23, Meatfare Sunday: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; No Church School; FSJD annual Meatfare Breakfast following Liturgy
SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday, February 23, Judgement Sunday (Meatfare Sunday):
Epistle: St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 8:8-9:2
Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. …
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
… Then he will say to those at his left hand, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you ...” Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
LOOKING AHEAD
Thursday, February 27: Bible Study 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 2, Forgiveness Sunday: Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with Bishop JOHN; Forgiveness Vespers 6:00 pm
Monday, March 3: Great Lent begins; NO Great Canon of St. Andrew 7:00 pm (note change)
Tuesday, March 4: Great Canon of St. Andrew 7:00 pm
Wednesday, March 5: Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 6:30 pm, followed by Pot Luck Supper
Thursday, March 6: Great Canon of St. Andrew 7:00 pm
Friday, March 7: Madayeh (Akathist) 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 12: Lazarus Saturday
Sunday, April 20: Pascha
Thursday-Sunday, June 19-22: Parish Life Conference, Plymouth, MA
REFLECTIONS
[The fourth Sunday of preparation for Lent] is called "Meat-Fare" because during the week following it a limited fasting – abstention from meat – is prescribed by the Church. This prescription is to be understood in the light of what has been said [previously] about the meaning of preparation. The Church begins now to "adjust" us to the great effort which she will expect from us seven days later. She gradually takes us into that effort – knowing our frailty, foreseeing our spiritual weakness. …
It is love that constitutes the theme of "Meat-Fare Sunday." The Gospel lesson for the day is Christ's parable of the Last Judgment (Matt. 25:31-46). When Christ comes to judge us, what will be the criterion of His judgment? The parable answers: love – not a mere humanitarian concern for abstract justice and the anonymous "poor," but concrete and personal love for the human person, any human person, that God makes me encounter in my life. …
The parable of the Last Judgment is about Christian love. Not all of us are called to work for "humanity," yet each one of us has received the gift and the grace of Christ's love. We know that all men ultimately need this personal love – the recognition in them of their unique soul in which the beauty of the whole creation is reflected in a unique way. We also know that men are in prison and are sick and thirsty and hungry because that personal love has been denied them. And, finally, we know that however narrow and limited the framework of our personal existence, each one of us has been made responsible for a tiny part of the Kingdom of God, made responsible by that very gift of Christ's love. Thus, on whether or not we have accepted this responsibility, on whether we have loved or refused to love, shall we be judged.
-Alexander Schmemann, Great Lent
The final coming of Christ will be the judgment of all men. His very presence will be the judgment. For those who love the Lord, His Presence will be infinite joy, paradise and eternal life. For those who hate the Lord, the same Presence will be infinite torture, hell and eternal death. According to the saints, the "fire" that will consume sinners at the coming of the Kingdom is the same "fire" that will shine with splendor in the saints. It is the fire of God’s love; the "fire" of God Himself, who is Love. … Thus it is the Church's spiritual teaching that God does not punish man by some material fire or physical torment. God simply reveals Himself in the risen Lord Jesus in such a glorious way that no man can fail to behold His glory. It is the presence of God’s splendid glory and love that is the scourge of those who reject His radiant power and light.
- Fr. Thomas Hopko
When you see a poor person, remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ by which He declared that it is He Himself who is fed. For though that which appears is not Christ, yet in that person’s form it is Christ Himself who receives and begs.
- Saint John Chrysostom
Love reveals itself in works of mercy. Among such works are to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to visit and help the sick and the imprisoned, to give refuge to the homeless, and to be concerned about orphans. All this should be done with sincere and unselfish love, without any boasting or expectations of gratitude. The Savior teaches regarding this: "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly" (Matt. 6:3-4).
- St. Innocent of Irkutsk, Indication of the Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven