Update for the week Thursday, October 16, through Thursday, October 23, 2014

THIS WEEK

OPERATION LACE-UP – Focus North America needs your help in sorting and distributing several hundred pairs of brand new athletic shoes to homeless and impoverished children in the Boston area. (For more information about the program see http://focusnorthamerica.org/programs/operation-lace-up/ ) Come this evening - Thursday, October 16 - at 6:30pm for shoe sorting, and/or Saturday, October 18 at 8:00am for shoe distribution. Please RSVP for location details – contact Nikos Petrogeorge at npetrogeorge@focusna.org

BAZAAR AND FOOD FAIR - St. George Church, West Roxbury is holding its 38th Annual Bazaar & Food Fair this Friday - Sunday, October 17-19 from 10am-9pm (Sun. 12noon-3pm). Admission is free. Middle Eastern Cuisine, Country Store, craft items, raffles, white elephant table and much more. See the flyer at http://www.stgeorgeofboston.org/assets/files/WeeklyFlyers/bazaar_2014.pdf

SEMINAR - St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Salem, MA is holding a seminar on “Death & Becoming HumanFriday & Saturday, October 17 & 18. Participation is free. For more information go to www.orthodoxsalem.com.

HELP NEEDED – The furniture for the chapel at the National Convention is ready to be picked up in Newtonville for storage in our church basement.  We will need at least four (4) volunteers to do the work.  The target date is Saturday, October 25.  Please let Father Antony know if you would be willing to help. (frawhj@gmail.com)

ENQUIRERS CLASS - The St. Ignatius Catechetical Group (Enquirers’ Class) meets every Sunday at 9:00am in the library (next door to Fr. Antony’s office). The group is for non-Orthodox adults who are interested in exploring the Christian Faith as it has been – and continues to be – understood, preached, and lived by members of the Holy Orthodox Church who descend from the early Christian community of Antioch, where “the disciples were for the first time called Christians” (Acts 11:26). Bob Kowalik will be teaching the group using materials developed and piloted by St. Mary catechist emeritus David Vermette. If you would like to participate, please talk to Bob during coffee hour; or get in touch by phone 617-889-3436 or e-mail r.kowalik@comcast.net. For those seeking to be received into the Orthodox Church, participation in the group and Fr. Antony’s blessing are required.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS AWARENESS – This Sunday is Special Olympics Awareness Day. The teens will be taking a special collection.

CHARITY BAKE SALE – The Women’s Club will hold a Charity Bake Sale this Sunday, October 19, immediately following Liturgy, in the church hall. All proceeds will benefit the charitable projects we sponsor, from the YWCA Family Shelter in Cambridge to the Antiochian Women’s project “Operation Lace Up” providing children with shoes nationwide.

TEEN BREAKFAST SEARCH – This Sunday the Teen SOYO will be going on a “breakfast search” in Harvard Square, where they will visit and hand out coffee and breakfast to people in need. They'll leave during coffee hour and be back around 2:00pm.

WOMEN'S CLUB SFEEHA SALE – The Women's Club is offering for purchase freshly made Sfeeha (ground lamb-meat pizza pies with onion, pine nuts & seasonings). Order deadline is Sunday, October 19. Please use the order form in your Sunday bulletin. Pickup date is Sunday, October 26.

COME SEE THE MESSIAH! - Join friends from St. Mary’s for the Handel and Haydn Society’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday afternoon, November 30, at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are just $25 – even less if we have a big enough group. We will carpool to Symphony Hall after Liturgy and have lunch together before the concert. Those who have done this before have thoroughly enjoyed it - not only do we hear a world-class orchestra and chorus with famous soloists singing glorious words (taken directly from the Bible), but we also have an opportunity to spend time getting to know some fellow parishioners we normally may not encounter.  Good seats go fast - please contact Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com by Sunday, October 19.

2015 CONVENTION COMMITTEE – St. Mary will be hosting the 2015 National Convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. The next meeting of the Convention Committee will be on Tuesday, October 21, at 7:30pm at the church.

BIBLE STUDY - Join us next Thursday, October 23 at 7:00 pm in the church library, as we discuss ritual impurity and its connection (or lack thereof) to Orthodox women, using the podcasts found at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/leviticus-part-5-2/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/leviticus-part-6-2/.
   The Bible Study at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, meets every other Thursday, and is based on a 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:frawhj@gmail.com). New members are always welcome.


NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONGRATULATIONS – St. Mary is proud to announce that Thomas Marge has been awarded a 2014 Scholastic Achievement Award by the Nicholas G. Beram Veterans Association. The award will be presented at the 48th Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 29 at the Holiday Inn in Dedham. Thomas also received the 2014 Francis Maria Scholarship. Metropolitan Joseph awarded that scholarship to Thomas at the Antiochian Village on July 19th.

BE A MEMBER - If you are not a Member of St. Mary’s, please consider becoming a member and pledging to enable St. Mary’s to fulfill her ministry and to keep up with her increasing annual expenses. Please see Fr. Antony, Deno Takles or Barbara Shoop for a Member Packet or if you have any questions. Member packets are also available on the wall, to the right of the Bengarri. If you are currently a member of St. Mary’s we want to thank you for continued participation both spiritually and financially.

BAZAAR – The Church of St. John of Damascus, Dedham, will hold its annual Bazaar Friday-Sunday, November 7-9. Fri. 12 noon-9pm, Sat. 10am-9pm and Sun. noon-2pm. Live and silent auctions, Middle Eastern Cuisine, Country Store, craft items, kid’s games and face painting.

MEN'S RETREAT - The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Center for Family Care will host a day-long men's retreat, "Finding Peace and Wisdom in our Prayer Time," on Saturday, November 8, 2014, at the campus of Saint Basil Academy in Garrison, New York. The schedule will begin with Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at approximately 3:30 p.m. The retreat leader will be Holy Cross alumnus Rev. Dr. Alexander Goussetis, whose latest book, Seed for the Sower, is now available from Holy Cross Orthodox Press. For more information or to RSVP, please visit www.family.goarch.org/mensministry or call 845-424-8175.

BYZANTINE MUSIC FESTIVAL - The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross invites you to its Second Boston Byzantine Music Festival, presenting a dynamic and engaging collection of performances that explore the musical tradition of the Byzantine Empire and its points of contact with the music of Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire. A series of free lectures and workshops related to the concerts will be presented throughout the day on November 14 and 15. For details and to buy tickets see www.BostonByzantineMusic.org


REMINDERS
YOUTH MONTH – October is Youth Month throughout the Archdiocese. Our Liturgical Service volunteers will be teens, college students and young adults - they will carry the candles, icon, and bread baskets during the Procession, will read the Epistle, and will hold the cloths and blessed bread during Communion each Sunday.
   All teens will sit together during Liturgy throughout the month of October – find us in the center row, towards the back of the church. Please contact Hannah or Greg if you would like to volunteer for liturgical service.

FLOROVSKY LECTURE – The Orthodox Theological Society will present a lecture on “Tradition as Reason and Practice” on Friday, October 24 at 7:30 pm, in the Maliotis Center at Holy Cross School of Theology. Lecturer will be Dr. Aristotle Papanikalaou. This event is free and open to the public.

HELP MAKE SFEEHA – Please come to the church on Saturday morning, October 25, starting at 9:30 am to help make meat pies with the Women's Club. Lots of help will be needed – young and old, women and men are all welcome - and it's always lots of fun. Lunch will be provided.

DIOCESE MEETINGS RESCHEDULED – The Fall Diocesan Delegates Meetings of Teen SOYO and Antiochian Women, originally scheduled for October 4, will be held on Saturday, October 25, at Emmanuel Church, Warren, MA. Morning Prayer (Western Rite) will be at 9:30 am, meetings at 10:30 am. A hot lunch will be served at noon – please RSVP to Fr. Chris at frchris@emmalueloc.org or 413-436-5582.
   The rescheduled meeting for the Fellowship of St. John the Divine will be held at Bishop John's residence on Tuesday, November 18 at 6:30. More details to come.

TEEN SOYO MINI-GOLF TRIP – On Saturday, October 25, teens from across the Diocese will enjoy an afternoon of mini-golfing at the McGolf range in Dedham. After we have conquered all 18 holes, we will celebrate Great Vespers for the feast of St. Demetrios the Myrrh-Streaming together at St. George Church in West Roxbury.  Times will be announced at a later date.

WOMEN'S CLUB – The Women’s Club will be going out to the Cheesecake Factory in Chestnut Hill for an October dinner meeting on Monday, October 27, at 7:00. We welcome all women of the parish to join us! Any woman interested in going out, please call Mary Ellen Mabardy (781-729-6303) or the church office (617-547-1234) for more information. The Women’s Club does charitable work both locally and internationally, and supports the Church School. We would love for you to join us. Call Mary Ellen or the church office if you have any questions or want to be a part of this wonderful group of Women.

PARISH COUNCIL – The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 29 at 7:45 pm at the church.

E-GIVE FOR SEMINARIANS - If you missed the collection for Antiochain Seminarians last Sunday, October 12, a special category on eGive has now been set up for this purpose.

MEDICINE, PSYCHOLOGY, AND RELIGION CONFERENCE - The Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion presents "Exploring the Mind-Body-Soul Connection: Spirituality in Illness and Healing" at Hellenic College Holy Cross, Thursday-Saturday, November 6–8, 2014. For more information see https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B464h2ZqeC_oeTl0NEdoSHIzRzg/edit

PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS - If you are interested in serving on the Parish Council please speak to Deno Takles or Fr. Antony by Saturday, November 8th. To be eligible to serve you must be a member of St. Mary’s for two years and in good financial standing.

FALL LITURGY RETREAT FOR CHURCH SCHOOL STUDENTS & FAMILIES – Save the date: On Tuesday, November 11 (Veterans Day), from 9:30 - 3:00 pm there will be a retreat at St. Mary entitled The Liturgy of the Body. The retreat will explore the theme of the "Body" from different perspectives—physical, ecclesial, social, etc. In particular, we will look at the body in Worship, the body at Work (e.g. making Prosphora for the church), the body in the Body of Christ (with a particular focus on understanding baptism), and the body of the Community in Motion (e.g. learning dances from the various ethnic traditions here at St. Mary). Open to all children, teachers, parents and friends. Donation: $5/Child; $10/Family, helps to cover the expense of lunch, snacks and materials.

FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE - Canned Food Drive: October, 2014 – December 31, 2014. Since 1984, we have collected over 3,281,200 pounds of food. Please bring in canned goods ONLY and place them in the plastic bins in the room outside the kitchen. They will be distributed to food pantries in our area.


THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Andrew Bargoot

Liturgical Service: Young people of St. Mary: Georgia Cambria, Katya Soot, Nicole Maloof, Diana Iovan, Andrea Blinkhorn, Tenbit Mitiku, and others

Coffee Hour: Women's Club Charity Bake Sale


LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, October 18: Great Vespers 5:00 pm

Sunday, October 19: Enquirers Class (St. Ignatius Catechetical Group) 9:00 am; Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; followed by Church School lesson 4; Women's Club Charity Bake Sale

Scripture Readings for Sunday, October 19:
   Epistle: 2 Corinthians 11:31-33; 12:1-9
… a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

   Gospel: Luke 7:11-16
… As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!"

Thursday, October 23: Bible study 7:00 pm


LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, October 25: Great Vespers 5:00 pm

Sunday, October 26: Enquirers Class (St. Ignatius Catechetical Group) 9:00 am; Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; followed by Church School lesson 5

Saturday, November 1: Great Vespers 5:00 pm

Sunday, November 2: Enquirers Class (St. Ignatius Catechetical Group) 9:00 am; Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; followed by Church School lesson 6


REFLECTION
The greatest saints have always shown the perfect combination of nearness to our Lord on the one hand, and a deep sense of their own unworthiness and weakness on the other.
   - Abbe de Tourville, Letters of Direction

… he who claims to believe in Christ must rejoice in all Christ's judgments. Am I in health? I thank my Creator. Am I sick? In this case, too, I praise God's will. For "when I am weak, then am I strong," and the strength of the spirit is made perfect in the weakness of the flesh. Even an apostle must bear what he dislikes, that ailment for the removal of which he besought the Lord thrice. God's reply was: "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Lest he should be unduly elated by his revelations, a reminder of his human weakness was given to him.
   - St. Jerome, Letters

Humility is also the offspring of spiritual knowledge, and such knowledge is born of trials and temptations. To the man who knows himself is given the knowledge of all things; and to the man who submits to God, all things will be subject when humility reigns in his members. For it is precisely through undergoing many trials and temptations, and through patiently enduring them, that a man acquires experience; and as a result he comes to know both his own weakness and the power of God.
   - St Peter of Damaskos

Everyone who loves God shows himself patient and steadfast in times of suffering. Whoever bears them bravely becomes strong and obedient to God; and whoever enters the path of following the will of God conquers his natural weakness. On the other hand, whoever does not recognize his own powerlessness is proud and not inclined to submit himself to the will of the Lord. Whoever does not submit to it and hopes only in his own power, does not receive the power and help of God; and not having been strengthened in spirit, cannot become patient. Whoever does not endure misfortune and afflictions has no faith; and whoever does not have faith, does not love God.
   - St. Alexis of Senaki, Concerning Afflictions

Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men.  Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks.  Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you yourself shall be a miracle.  Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God.
   - Phillips Brooks