Diocese Update - April 2025 | St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church of Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Diocese Update - April 2025

Diocese PLC - Saturday, June 21

Promo Flyer - PDF JPG

Bible Bowl & Oratorical Festivals - June 21 in Norwood

We hope every parish in the diocese will have at least one team participate in the Bible Bowl, and at least one person participate in the Oratorical Festival. Bible Bowl Topic: Gospel of Luke

Find out more here: https://www.teensoyo.org/bible-bowl Oratorical Theme: "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” - Luke 1:38
Find out more here: https://www.teensoyo.org/oratorical

Camp St. Joseph - August 11-16, 2025 - Sign up today!

With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan SABA, we are excited to announce Camp St. Joseph of Damascus will be held August 11-16, 2025 for campers ages 8-17. The camp will be honored by the presence of His Grace Bishop JOHN at camp, providing spiritual guidance and leadership to all campers and staff. Subdeacon William Ozone, the Diocese Youth Director, will serve as the Camp Director, along with Assistant Camp Director Soraya Bandeli, and Head Counselors Nick & Nadia Kimmett.

Registration for Camp Saint Joseph of Damascus is open! For more details, please visit our website at www.campstjoseph.org

Diocese Intern for Youth & Young Adult Ministries

We are excited to welcome Sophia Salamy as our new Youth and Young Adults Ministries Intern. This role will assist the Diocese Youth Director with administrative, marketing, and outreach related to our Camp St. Joseph, Diocesan SOYO, and help lay the groundwork to begin more ministries next fall.

Sophia Salamy is a sophomore in the highly esteemed Carroll School of Management at Boston College and is the daughter of Fr. Chris & Kh. Alyson Salamy of St. George Church in Phoenix. Prior to this role, she was a counselor at the Antiochian Village and served as Chairman for the North American Council of Teen SOYO. Please join me in welcoming Sophia to the team!

Gathered As One Body Conference: May 1-3, 2025

Join us May 1-3, 2025, for the first-of-its-kind, national Orthodox Christian conference regarding disabilities in the U.S. Gathered As One Body: Disability, Accessibility, & Inclusion in the Orthodox Church is for anyone interested in enhancing ministry efforts and accessibility into church life for people with disabilities and their families will benefit from the presentations and workshops.
Key Highlights:

Keynotes & Reflections featuring Archbishop Elpidophoros, Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago, and other Orthodox leaders
Practical Workshops & Panels on church accessibility, advocacy, caregiving, and inclusive parish strategies
Theological & Spiritual Insights exploring disability in Orthodox theology and community life
Real-World Inclusion Stories from thriving disability ministries and initiatives

Event Details:

May 1, 2025 | 6:00 PM – Taxiarchae Greek Orthodox Church (Watertown, MA)
May 2 & 3, 2025 | 9:00 AM – St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (Weston, MA)

For more information contact hei@hchc.edu. To register, scan the QR code in the flyer or click here.

Diocese Council Zoom - May 6 @ 7pm via zoom

The next Diocese Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6 at 7:00 pm via Zoom. All clergy and laity are invited to attend to help His Grace Bishop John in the planning of events for our Diocese. For more information, please contact Bishop John.

Scholarships for Antiochian Students

The Antiochian Archdiocese shares this listing of scholarships from a variety of sources for the benefit of applicants and benefactors. Contact the benefactors directly for rules, qualifications and deadlines for their scholarships. Please visit the Antiochian Archdiocese website for more details.

Orthodox Parents Network - For Parents of Youth in our Diocese

Billy Ozone, Diocese Youth Director, is starting the Orthodox Parents Network, an organization that empowers parents across the Diocese to take an active role in promoting and supporting Teen SOYO events and Youth Programs. Please encourage those in your parish to sign up using the link to join below:

Orthodox Parents Network WhatsApp Group

Please contact Billy Ozone (william.ozone@gmail.com) with any questions.

Save the Date!

April 5: Diocese Antiochian Women Meeting @ St George, Worcester
June 6-8: St. George Worcester Middle Eastern Festival
June 21: Diocese PLC in Norwood
June 29-July 11: Session 2 at Antiochian Village
July 13-25: Session 3 at Antiochian Village
July 20-27: Archdiocese Convention hosted by St. George in Cicero, IL
July 27-August 8: Session 4 at Antiochian Village
August 9-16: Special Olympics Sports Camp at Antiochian Village
August 11-16: Camp St. Joseph in Lennox, MA

Are other leaders from your parish on this monthly email list?

In an effort to increase communication throughout our Diocese, this email is sent monthly with announcements and events from our Diocese. Please share this email with the other leaders from your parish to increase awareness of the happenings in our Diocese. To sign up for this email, please click this link:
https://antiochian.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5ad87d26ad4719ed09d747b2b&id=d114d24719