Update for the week Thursday, October 22, through Thursday, October 29, 2015
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S
SATURDAY, 10/24 – No Vespers. There will be no Vespers at St. Mary until further notice, while Fr. Antony continues his recovery. He appreciates your prayers and understanding and hopes to be back with us soon.
SUNDAY, 10/25 – Adult catechism 9:00; orthros 8:45 am, divine liturgy 10:00; church school lesson 5
+ Order deadline for Sfeeha - ground lamb-meat pizza pies with onion, pine nuts & seasonings, made by the Women's Club - is this Sunday, 10/25. Please use the order form in the Sunday bulletin, or contact the church office for a copy. Please come help make the pies on Saturday, November 7. Pick-Up Date is Sunday, November 8.
TUESDAY, 10/27 - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for this Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the church.
THURSDAY, 10/29 – The Bible Study group meets next Thursday at 7:00 pm in the church library. This week’s discussion will continue looking at the book of Elijah, using the podcasts at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/elijah-part-2/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/elijah-part-3/
The Bible Study at St. Mary meets every other Thursday, and is based on a very interesting 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:mksayeg@gmail.com ). New members are always welcome.
THIS WEEK ELSEWHERE
ABBA CONCERT - The American Arabic Benevolent Association (ABBA) will be presenting a concert with Gina Dimia, one of North Shore’s greatest entertainers, at the Norwood High School Theatre on Friday, October 23 at 8:00 pm. A pastry buffet will follow the concert. For tickets contact David Franciosi at dfranciosi@aol.com or 617-347-1007.
DELEGATES MEETING - The Fall Diocesan Delegates Meetings of Teen SOYO, Fellowship of St. John the Divine, and Antiochian Women will be held on Saturday, October 24, at St. George Cathedral in Worcester, MA. See New Announcements, above, for more info on the Teen SOYO meeting.
+ This year, for the Teens, the meeting will be combined with a lock-in the night before (Friday, October 23). It's a great opportunity to meet other teens from around the region and participate in a weekend of fun and fellowship. All teens are invited to attend. Please RSVP to newenglandteensoyo@gmail.com.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
HELP MAKE SFEEHA – Please come to the church on Saturday morning, November 7, 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.
TEEN SOYO SPAGHETTI DINNER – The teens invite you to a spaghetti dinner on Sunday, November 8, following Liturgy. The menu includes Spaghetti, Meatballs (just before the Nativity fast!), Salad, Bread, Dessert and Coffee/Beverage. Suggested minimum donation of $5.00/person will be greatly appreciated - no charge for Teen SOYO members.
WOMEN'S CLUB – The next meeting of the Women's Club will be Monday, November 9, at 7:30.
MESSIAH AT GROUP RATES - Join friends from st. Mary’s for the Handel and Haydn Society’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday afternoon, November 29, at 3:00 pm. Note: Tickets are just $20, because there are enough of us going now to qualify for group rates! We will carpool to (or meet at) Symphony Hall after Liturgy and have lunch together at a nearby restaurant 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 right away at mnassiff@gmail.com.
FAMILY SHELTER - The Women’s Club provides the Cambridge YWCA Family Shelter with baskets filled with household goods, to help residents ready to move to their own apartments. We ask for your help by providing monetary donations to offset the cost of the items. Please give your donation to Marilyn Robbat or Barbara Shoop or mail it to the Church office c/o the Woman’s Club.
REMINDERS
ADULT CATECHISM – Open registration is now available for the Adult Catechism program at St. Mary's Church. Classes will be held every Sunday morning at 9:00 am, beginning today, October 18, and running regularly through April 2016. These classes are free and open to new members of our community who are exploring the Orthodox Faith. Contact Richard Robbat at learn@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org for more information and registration.
YOUTH MONTH – October is Youth Month throughout the Archdiocese. Our teens will be taking an active role in the Liturgy his month by helping with communion, taking collection and reading the Epistle. To get involved, please see Greg or Hannah Hakim.
PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS - If you are interested in serving on the Parish Council please speak to Deno Takles or Fr. Antony by Saturday, October 31. To be eligible to serve you must be a member of St. Mary’s for two years and in good financial standing.
TEENS TO SKY ZONE – The first Teen SOYO event will take place on Sunday, November 1 at Sky Zone. Teens must RSVP and have a signed permission slip to attend. Talk to Greg or Hannah Hakim for more details (greghakim@gmail.com)
BAZAAR – The Church of St. John of Damascus will hold its annual bazaar on Friday-Sunday, November 6-8. Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, Christmas Crafts, Country Store, Raffles and more. For more information visit them at www.stjohnd.org/bazaar .
DIVINE COMPASSION CONFERENCE – Women: Healing, Authority and Ministry in the Orthodox Church is the topic of Divine Compassion Conference III, on Saturday, November 7, 9:00am-4:00pm at Hellenic College, Brookline. Donation: $35 includes lunch. Register online at www.divinecompassionconferenceiii.eventbrite.com.
MEN'S RETREAT – The Second Annual Archbishop Michael Memorial Men's Retreat, Responding to God's Call, sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, will be held Saturday, November 7, 2015, St. Basil Academy in Garrison, NY, from 9:30 am - 3:00 pm. Retreat Leader will be Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos. For more information, please contact: familycare@goarch.org (845) 424-8184
LITURGY RETREAT – A Fall Liturgy Retreat for Church School children and families will be held on Wednesday, November 11, 2015, from 9:30-3:00 pm. (This is Veteran’s Day - a day off of school for many students and off of work for some adults.) The theme of this event is “Let us love one another... Liturgy as Philanthropy.” We will be exploring how we love and care for one another by our prayers, petitions, and actions in the Divine Liturgy and in the "liturgy after the Liturgy." We will show our love for our Church Family by making Prosphora (Holy Bread) and our love and care for our neighbor through a number of service projects. Planned projects include a YES (Youth Equipped to Serve) "lunch" search (Teens), assembling soup mixes for St. Paul's Pantry, Knitting for the Needy, composing Greeting Cards for parish shut-ins and more. Donation: $5/student, $10/family; Also, we ask each participant to bring a non-perishable food item that will then be given to the needy.
For more information: Contact Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu), Shannon Sakellariou (srsakellariou@gmail.com) or Natasha Smith (nasmith05@gmail.com) To register: Contact Doreen Bargoot (dbargoot@aol.com)
MARRIAGE SEMINAR – A Seminar for Couples preparing for marriage will be held on Saturday, November 21, at the Chancery, 2 Lydia’s Path, Westborough, MA. Bishop JOHN will be the featured speaker. $35/couple. RSVP by November 14: make checks payable to NER Deanery, and mail to St. John of Damascus Church, 300 West St., Dedham, MA 02026.
vonHOLZHAUSEN LECTURE – How does a punk rock drummer from Washington, D.C. end up helping to archive Syrian history? This year's annual Fr. John vonHolzhausen Lecturer will answer that question on Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 12:30 pm, in a talk entitled Music, Photographs and Stories from Syria. Our speaker, Jason Hamacher, is an internationally recognized musician, photographer, writer, and public speaker, and massage therapist. His work has taken him across the globe documenting the sights and sounds of culture, music, people and food. Jason was profiled last year in a fascinating NPR interview – see http://www.npr.org/2014/08/07/338586411/before-war-a-punk-drummer-preserved-syrian-chants This event is free and open to the public; donations to St. Mary’s Hospitality Group are welcome.
DIOCESAN CHRISTMAS CONCERT - A Christmas Concert, sung by the combined choirs and chanters of the Diocese of Worcester and New England, will be held on Saturday, December 5 at 6:00 pm at St. George Cathedral in Worcester immediately following Vespers, and on Sunday, December 6 at 3:00 pm at St. John of Damascus in Dedham. Mark Haddad, choir director at St. John’s, will be conducting the Diocesan Choir with Charles Marge of St. Mary’s conducting the Diocesan Chanters. This will be a beautiful event open to parishioners, families, and friends as well as the public. Please plan on joining us! For more information or questions, please contact: Mark Haddad at mhh42@me.com or Charlie Marge at marge@alum.mit.edu.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – Once again St. Mary's is holding its annual Canned Food Drive: October, 2014 – December 31, 2015. 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:
Epistle: TBD
Procession: Gizelle Hourani, Rachel Thomas, Brian Hazerjian, Marianna Sayeg, Matthew Keaveney
Communion: Young People of the Parish
Coffee Hour: Peter & Melissa Nassiff
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY
Epistle:
You know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ ... For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- Galatians 2:16-20
Gospel:
Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And as he stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes, and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. ... Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. And they begged Jesus not to command them to depart into the abyss. ... Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine ... Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked Jesus to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so he got into a boat and returned. ...
- Luke 8:26-39
REFLECTION
Every man who enjoys sinful thoughts falls willingly when he welcomes ... the suggestions of the enemies and when he expects to justify himself solely by his visible deeds, while within he is the abode of the spirit of wickedness, who teaches him every evil. The body of such a man will be full of shameful uncleanness - for he becomes a prey to devilish passions, which he does not repulse from himself. Demons are not visible bodies, but we become their bodies when our souls accept dark thoughts from them. For, having accepted these thoughts, we accept the demons themselves and make them bodily manifest.
- St Anthony the Great, from "Early Fathers From the Philokalia"
You say your incapacity to resist temptations, your slowness to conquer your passions, and your general moral debility depresses you greatly, which only proves that you count on acquiring salvation by your own merits. I, however, would have you bear this in mind: you - such as you are today - could perhaps rid yourself of every one of the sins that depress you; but only at the price of developing one that is the root of them all. And yet the thought of this one has apparently never depressed you, because you have never suspected it was there. For good reason, it is your pride.
- St. Macarius, Elder of Optina
I consider no other labor as difficult as prayer. When we are ready to pray, our spiritual enemies interfere. They understand it is only by making it difficult for us to pray that they can harm us. Other things will meet with success if we keep at it, but laboring at prayer is a war that will continue until we die.
- Abba Agathon
The Holy Fathers say with one voice: The first thing to keep in mind is never in any respect to rely on yourself. The warfare that now lies before you is extraordinarily hard, and your own human powers are altogether insufficient to carry it on. If you rely on them you will immediately be felled to the ground and have no desire to continue the battle. Only God can give you the victory you wish.
- The Way of the Ascetics
… you must never be afraid, if you are troubled by a flood of thoughts, that the enemy is too strong against you, that his attacks are never ending, that the war will last for your lifetime, and that you cannot avoid incessant downfalls of all kinds. Know that our enemies, with all their wiles, are in the hands of our divine Commander, our Lord Jesus Christ, for Whose honor and glory you are waging war. Since He Himself leads you into battle, He will certainly not suffer your enemies to use violence against you and overcome you, if you do not yourself cross over to their side with your will. He will Himself fight for you and will deliver your enemies into your hands, when He wills and as He wills, as it is written: 'The Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you' (Deuteronomy 23:14).
- Lorenzo Scupoli, Unseen Warfare