Update for the week of August 3-10, 2017

THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S

SUNDAY 8/6, the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am.

   + 40-day Trisagion prayers will be prayed for George Sioras

WEDNESDAY 8/9 - On Wednesday, August 9 there will be a Paraclesis for the Dormition at 6:30 pm

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONGRATULATIONS – Marianna & Matthew Keaveney are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter Eleanor Marie on July 30th.  Mom, Dad and baby, as well as grandparents Ray and Melissa Sayeg, are all doing well.

SONIA’S RUN - Sonia’s Run and Fall Fair in memory of Sonia Daly Belcher, St. George’s, West Roxbury will be held on Saturday, September 23. Registration begins at 8:30am, race starts at 9:30am.  All proceeds from the run to benefit Theophany School. Vendor tables are available. To register for the run or for more information go to www.soniasrun.org .

90TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION – St. Mary will celebrate its 90th Anniversary on Friday through Sunday, September 29-October 1, with His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH. Join us on Saturday, 9/30 at 7:00pm for a celebratory dinner with His Eminence in the church hall. Music provided by Fouad Hajjar. Tickets $40.00 per person includes dinner, beer, wine, soft drinks & dessert. Tickets will be limited. Prepaid Tables of 8 may be reserved in advance by calling Barbara Shoop at the church office. For individual tickets, see any member of the Parish Council or call the church office. No tickets sold at door.

DIOCESE FAMILY CAMP – Our first Diocese Family Camp will be held the weekend of Friday-Sunday, October 13-15, 2017 at the St. Methodios Faith & Heritage Center in Contoocook, NH. Our Family Camp is modeled after the program at Antiochian Village. We will have daily services, Christian Education for children, a Keynote Speaker (TBD) for the parents, and sports and games for the whole family to participate. Experienced AV Staff Members are being recruited to serve as counselors for the weekend.  More registration details, promotional flyer, bulletin insert, and tentative schedule are online at http://antiochian.org/FamilyCampNE . There is also a facebook event under the Diocese Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1425084937546643

REMINDERS

NEW SKETE PILGRIMAGE - The New Skete Pilgrimage is set for Saturday, August 12 this year – the Saturday after Transfiguration.  The theme this year is “We shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51).  The guest speaker is Dr. Roberta Ervine.  Her talk is entitled, “We Shall All Be Changed: Armenian Artist-Theologians Ponder the Transfiguration."  In years past, a number of us have gone out for the weekend (this year, 8/11–13, 2017) to help the Communities with this event—to be extra sets of "helping hands" for the day.  They are hoping a number of us will do so again this year. In the past, this has been a wonderful community building activity for all of us.  Moreover, if you have never been to the monastery, this may be a good way to be introduced to their life and work.  In addition to the services, there are tours of the church and talks by various members of the communities about their lives.  There are also "the dogs," great hiking trails, nearby tubing, etc. More information about the day can be found here: http://www.newskete.org/pilgrimage.html 

ICON EXHIBITS – You are invited to an exhibit at the Museum of Russian Icons entitled From the Vault: Icons of Ethiopia, which features a mix of Ethiopian icons, silver hand crosses, and artifacts from the Museum’s collection dating from the 19th and 20th century. This exhibit ends on Sunday, August 13.

   + Also at the Museum of Russian Icons, Fantastic Beasts in Iconography spotlights the many types of natural and unnatural creatures in iconography, exploring their origins, symbolism, stories, and myriad representations. This exhibit is family friendly, with images and activities that are appealing, accessible, and educational for both adults and children. This exhibit runs until Sunday, September 24.

   + Special rates are available for group tours. Just call their Group Tour Manager, Amy Consalvi for information: 978.598.5000 x125. And more details of the exhibits are available on their website www.museumofrussianicons.org.

DORMITION - On Monday, August 14, the Vigil for the Dormition of the Theotokos, we will celebrate our Patronal Feast Day with Vespers at 4:15 pm, Orthros with Lamentations at 5:30 pm, and Festal Divine Liturgy at 7:00 pm.

   + Immediately after the Liturgy please join us in the church hall for a Dormition Feast, sponsored by the Hospitality Group. Cost: $8 person/$16 family. Make checks payable to St. Mary's with "Hospitality Group" on the memo line. 

   + The Hospitality Group needs 5 volunteers for the Dormition feast on Monday, August 14 - if you can help, please contact Diana Yousef at dymartinek@gmail.com . We look forward to seeing you there!

DINNER AND HAFLI - Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Church, West Roxbury, invities you to their Annual Dormition dinner and Hafli featuring George Maalouf on Tuesday, August 15 at 8:00pm.  Tickets are $25/person.  To reserve your tickets call Gracia Skaf at 617-470-8050.

PARISH COUNCIL  - The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for Wednesday, August 16, at 7:30.

OCF LEADERSHIP PROGRAM – The Orthodox Christian Fellowship is sponsoring a Summer Leadership Program designed for Orthodox college students, Wednesday-Saturday, August 16-19 at  St. Iakovos Retreat Center, Kansasville, WI. Cost: $300.  To register go to www.ocf.net

SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY – Save the date for a training session on building social justice ministry teams in the church on September 16, 2017 at St. Mary Orthodox Church in Cambridge, MA. More information will be forthcoming at www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org

WOMEN’S CLUB – The first Women’s Club meeting of the church year will be Monday, September 18 (note revised date) at 7:30. At this meeting we will formulate our yearly calendar, so come with any ideas you may have.  We meet only once a month, and welcome all women of the parish to join us.  The Women’s Club does charitable work both locally, nationally and internationally, and supports the Church School.   Call Priscilla (781-762-1527) or the church office (617-547-1234) if you have any questions or are interested in joining us.

CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS - We have found a teacher and Assistant for 4th/5th grade.  Thanks to Theo Smith and Fortuna Risom. We are always in need of substitutes.   Please consider being a Substitute and helping with this very important ministry.  Contact Barbara Shoop @ Barbara@dsaarchitects.com or secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234 if you are interested.

YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY - The Young Adult Ministry is an active, dynamic group that hosts monthly social, spiritual, and outreach events and programs. We have lots of great plans for 2017, and we hope you'll join us! If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Jamil at 617-501-4427 or youngadults@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.

GREETER MINISTRY- The Greeter Ministry is always looking for new people to greet on Sunday Mornings.  As a Greeter, you will 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.  Arrive at Church 15 minutes before Liturgy (9:45am).  Greeting time ends when Communion starts. As a greeter you get to meet all the parishioners of St. Mary’s, whether old or new to the church. We hope you will consider joining this ministry! If you are interested, contact Buddy Mabardy at buddy@cjmabardy.com or 781-729-6303, or contact the church office at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547- 1234.

COFFEE HOUR MADE EASY! - To make sponsoring a Coffee Hour a little bit easier, St. Mary’s offers a delivery service through “Instacart”, for the basic foods necessary to host a Coffee hour.  Simply select a date, mail a check to the office and we will order the food and have it delivered to the church on that Sunday between 9:00 and 10:00 am.  You will need to be at the church to accept the order and you will be required to set up for the coffee hour and clean up both the kitchen and hall at the end of the coffee hour.  Two menus will be offered.  Menu one will include: bagels, mini muffins, fruit, hummus/Syrian bread, juice and coffee for $160.  Menu two will include: bagels, juice and coffee for $70. Prices DO NOT include a 20% tip for delivery and are subject to change based on current market pricing of items.  Cream cheese, peanut butter, jam and coffee creamer are included with each menu.  As usual, St. Mary’s will provide the plates, cups, napkins, utensils, serving platters, and sweetener for coffee.  If you are interested in taking advantage of this service and signing up for a coffee hour please contact the office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.

REFLECTION

You were transfigured on the mount, O Christ our God, and your disciples, in so far as they were able, beheld your glory; so that, when they should see you crucified, they would remember that your suffering was voluntary, and could declare to all the world that you are truly the effulgent Splendor of the Father.

   - Kontakion of the Transfiguration

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. … The 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.

   - James R. Payton, Jr., Light from the Christian East