Update for the week Thursday, September 3, through Thursday, September 10, 2015

As Father Antony continues to recover from the heart attack he suffered recently, he and his family appreciate that you keep them in your prayers, but please continue to refrain from phone calls and visits to allow him to recover and continue resting.

THIS WEEK

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, 9/4-9/6 – The 35th anniversary celebration of the Antiochian House of Studies (AHOS) will be this weekend at the Antiochian Village.

SATURDAY, 9/5 – No Vespers.
   + There will be no Vespers at St. Mary until further notice, while Fr. Antony is recovering. He appreciates your understanding and hopes to be back with us soon.

SUNDAY, 9/6 – Orthros 8:45 am. Divine Liturgy 10:00

MONDAY, 9/7 - With the Blessing of Metropolitan JOSEPH, Bishop JOHN will Ordain ArchDeacon Nicholas Belcher to the Holy Priesthood during the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy to be celebrated at St. George, West Roxbury on Labor Day, September 7, at 10:00 am (Orthros at 8:45). Following the Liturgy, St. George will host a reception in the Church Hall to honor Fr. Nicholas. 

   + Note change: There will NOT be a Divine Liturgy at St. Mary on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos as was originally scheduled. 

TUESDAY, 9/8, The Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos Those wishing to attend services may do so at Holy Cross Chapel, 50 Goddard Ave., Brookline, beginning at 7:00am

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY - While Fr. Antony is recuperating, in case of emergency please call Fr. John Teebagy at 781-326-3046. 

CHURCH SCHOOL - Our Teachers/Assistants for the 2015-2016 Church School year are:
Pre-K - Larisa Patacchiola/Klorela Alcala
Kindergarten/Grade 1 - Esther Porr (leaving in November)/Katya Soot/TBD

Grade 2/3 - TBD/Shannon Sakellariou
Grade 4/5 - Natasha Smith/Jack Souweha
Grade 6 - Marianna Sayeg/Dino Takles
Grade7/8 - Peter Nassiff/Tom Perkins

Discussion Group (Gr. 9-12) - Greg Hakim/Hannah Oakley
   + The Church School still needs another assistant (for K/1) and a teacher (for 2/3) for the fall. If we do not have a teacher for grades 2/3 we may not be able to accommodate these children in church school. Please contact the church office or Barbara Shoop at Barbara@dsaarchitects.com if you can help with the Church School.

COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – Please get your friends together and sign up to provide a coffee hour. Some do it to celebrate a special event or anniversary, but you don’t need a reason, and it can be as simple as coffee, juice, and cookies. When no one volunteers, there’s no coffee!  Signup sheets are on the bulletin board downstairs outside the Hall. After next week, there are many Sundays available. Call the Church Office if you have any questions: 617-547-1234.

PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 29 at 7:30 pm at the church.

BAZAAR & FOOD FAIR – Come to the St. George Bazaar & Food Fair, Friday through Sunday, October 16-18, 55 Emmonsdale Rd., West Roxbury. Admission is free. There will be Middle Eastern cuisine, country store, crafts, kids’ corner and raffles.

REMINDERS

PARKING AROUND CITY HALL - Please be aware that workers are repairing the City Hall windows and are working on Sundays to complete this task. Therefore, parking spaces around City Hall will be scarce as contractors are utilizing these spaces for their trucks and equipment.

WELCOME BACK BREAKFAST/COFFEE HOUR – Please join us after Liturgy next Sunday, September 13 (the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross) in the Hall downstairs to once again welcome students back to the area after summer, and to showcase all the different volunteer organizations within St. Mary's. This year, the food will be on the rectangular tables along the wall, as usual. Each group will have a sign by their donated food, and each group is encouraged also to have an informational flyer. If you are a group leader and have not yet been contacted by Julie Wasilko about what your organization is bringing, please reach out to her at julie31415pi@gmail.com.
   + Registration for new Church School students, age 3 and over, will take place after Liturgy during the Welcome Back coffee hour on Sunday, September 13. Church School classes will begin on Sunday, September 20.

WOMEN'S CLUB – The Women's Club will meet Monday, September 14 at 7:30 in the church. At this meeting we will formulate our yearly calendar, so come with any ideas you may have. We usually meet just once a month, and we welcome all women of the parish to join us! The Women’s Club does charitable work locally, nationally and internationally, and also supports the Church School. Call Marilyn Robbat (781-729-3033) or the church office (617-547-1234) if you have any questions or want to be a part of this wonderful group of women.

MEN'S RETREAT - The Annual Men’s Retreat with Bishop JOHN is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, September 18-20, at St. Methodios Spiritual Center in NH. The theme of the Retreat is “Sin, Repentance, Reconciliation and Redemption”. The cost for lodging and all meals is $199. For more information pick up a flyer at the Bengarri or contact Jeff St. Jean at 413-348-2878.

SONIA'S RUN/WALK – The 7th annual Sonia’s 5K Run/Walk and Fall Fair will be held on Saturday, September 19, at St. George Orthodox Church, West Roxbury, MA. This race is held annually to benefit the Theophany School in honor of our beloved friend Sonia Belcher. The proceeds from Sonia's Run go towards Theophany School's "Building on a Dream" campaign, to fulfill Sonia's dream of a permanent home for Theophany School. For more information see http://www.soniasrun.org/

FALL RETREAT – You are invited to the Fall Retreat sponsored by the Antiochian Women of the diocese on Saturday, September 26 at St John of Damascus Church in Dedham.  Featured Speaker Father Ted Pulcini will talk about Hearing Your Call and Responding To It. The Retreat is open to Women, Men, Families and Friends.  Advance registration and payment of $20 is requested, by September 10, to Kh Erin Kimmett, 17 Austin St,  Norwood 02062 – see schedule and registration form in this week's Sunday bulletin.

HCHC OPEN HOUSE - Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology will hold its Fall open house on Saturday, September 26. Prospective undergraduate and graduate students are invited to be their guests for a half day of worship, learning and fellowship. More information is available on their website www.hchc.edu/visit.

POTLUCK PICNIC – All St. Mary parishioners are invited to a potluck picnic sponsored by the Hospitality Group, on Sunday, September 27 (note new date) at Dana Park (10-20 McTernan St, Cambridge) – the same park as previous picnics! Bring a blanket, some eats or drinks to share, balls, frisbees, even bathing suits if you want splash in the sprinklers! Dana Park is a 5-10min walk south of the Church (walk down Magazine St), with an enclosed playground, hoops, water spouts, and beautiful green. This is a great opportunity to relax and spend time with our church family. OPEN TO ALL AGES!!! For people who need assistance getting to the park, we can coordinate rides. If you have questions or would like to help us out, please email Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu).

PAN-ORTHODOX YOUNG ADULT RETREAT - Join a diverse group of Orthodox young adults October 2-4, 2015 in Syracuse, NY for a Pan-Orthodox Young Adult Retreat to explore and reflect on the mystery of the human person and why knowing ourselves matters! The Syracuse Pan-Orthodox Young Adult Retreats are sponsored by Holy Transfiguration (Bulgarian) Orthodox Church and St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church as part of an ongoing program to provide forums for young orthodox adults to network and socialize with one another, address their common problems and interests, and grow in their faith. To register contact Mike Tishel at michael.tishel@gmail.com, or see www.thepersonproject.com

BIBLE STUDY – The Bible Study will not meet in September; we will resume bi-weekly meetings in October on Thursday, October 15 and Thursday, October 29, in the church library.
   St. Mary's Bible Study group is based on a very interesting and accessible course originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled Search the Scriptures – see http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info. New members are always welcome. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com)

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:

Greeter: Welcome people into the church and help to direct visitors upstairs to the Liturgy, as well as keeping an eye on the vestibule, hallways and entrance ways during Church. To volunteer contact Buddy Mabardy at 781-729-6303 or e-mail: buddy@cjmabardy.com, or call the church office at 617-547-1234

Liturgical Service – Epistle: The Epistle is read each Sunday by a volunteer parishioner. To volunteer please contact Jeff Wasilko, jeffw@smoe.org

Liturgical Service – Procession: Church School children or parishioners carry the candles, icon, and bread baskets in the great procession. For information about this ministry contact Teva Regule at teva@mit.edu

Liturgical Service – Communion: Volunteers are needed every Sunday to hold the Communion cloths and the Holy Bread baskets during Communion. To volunteer please contact Jeff Wasilko, 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 contact Barbara Shoop in the Parish Office at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.

Prison Ministry: For information about the Prison Ministry at St. Mary you can subscribe to our mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/ocpm-concord. If you are interested in helping with this ministry, talk with Fr. Antony or Deacon Jeff. Another way to help is to donate Orthodox books, icon cards, and magazines (for security, please remove any personal mailing address) – Mitrophan Chin collects these to share with the inmates.

THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS

Greeter: George Mayah

Liturgical Service: 

Epistle: TBD

Procession: Peter Nassiff, Melissa Nassiff, Maggie Rodriguez, Jeanne Brickman, Jan Randall, Esther Porr 

Communion: TBD

Coffee Hour: Peter and Melissa Nassiff

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY

   Epistle: 

Brethren, it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 

   - 1 Corinthians 1:21-2:4 

   Gospel:

The Lord spoke this parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’ But they made light of it and went off ...

   - Matthew 22:2-14 

REFLECTION 

Help me, Lord, to be vigilant so that I may not neglect thy life! Why do you [my soul] spend its numbered days in dissipation? Can it be that you do not know that you will be called in a moment? What will you do there, after leading a careless life here? With what response will you justify yourself when you stand before the throne of the terrible Judge? The enemy deceives you and day by day he steals away your inheritance, but you fail to comprehend this.

   - St. Ephraim

Let us humble ourselves in soul and body, in thought and will, in words and ideas, in our outer bearing and our inner state. For unless we strive to do this we will turn our advocate, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God, against us. For the Lord “ranges Himself against the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6); and: “He who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12); and: “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). So we must be careful.

   - St. Philotheos of Sinai 

Some might object, saying, how can we who are sinful and weak be like Jesus Christ or the saints! We live in the secular world and have families and many responsibilities. Oh, brethren! This is a cunning excuse and an insult to our Creator. To justify our carelessness by such reasoning means to accuse our Maker of being unable to create us properly. After all, the saints, like us, were not sinless at first but participated in worldly affairs, labored and had various obligations and families to care about. Surely they were not perfect in everything. They had their share of temptations and low moments. Notwithstanding this, living in circumstances similar to ours and having their ups and downs, they steered toward the main objective of their life: the Kingdom of Heaven. Undoubtedly, we also, if we truly desire to, can be good citizens, faithful spouses, loving parents, and simultaneously good Christians. Our faith will not be an obstacle but, on the contrary, will aid all our good undertakings. The essence of Christianity is pure and selfless love, which is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

   - St. Innocent of Irkutsk, The Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven