Weekly Newsletter for the week Friday, May 4, 2007 through Thursday, May 10, 2007

Christ is Risen!  Truly He is Risen! 

THIS WEEKEND

BENEFIT CONCERT - The Boston Byzantine Choir will give a benefit concert for St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church in Arlington this Saturday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m., to help pay off the mortgage on their beautiful new location.  The program of Paschal hymns will be preceded by Paschal Vespers at 6:00 p.m. (Note - no Vespers at St. Mary's that evening).  Suggested donation $10.  St. Athanasios is located at the corner of Mass Ave and Appleton Streets in Arlington .  For more information see Charlie Marge:  charlie.marge@verizon.net . 

COFFEE HOUR FOR ORPHANAGE - On this Sunday, May 6, the Fellowship of St. John the Divine will sponsor a coffee hour to help raise funds for a much-needed new orphanage building for the Hogar Rafael Ayau in Guatemala.  Many of you know Orthodox families who have adopted children from this orphanage, and therefore know firsthand of the amazing work that happens there.  Michelle & Mitrophan Chin will present a video of their summer 2002 missionary trip to the Hogar during the coffee hour.  You can learn a little more about the orphanage at http://www.hogarafaelayau.org/   If you are able to contribute food items or your time (cooking, set-up, clean-up), please contact FSJD Chair Abra Greene at abrayanti@gmail.com or call 617-718-9616.

The cost is your free-will donation (for a tax-deductible receipt, make check payable to OCMC with memo "Hogar Rafael Ayau - MFC"). Please be generous! 

REMINDERS

THE SOUNDS OF ARAB CLASSICAL MUSIC - A concert in the Evelyn Abdalah Menconi Memorial Cultural Series, featuring The Bassam Saba Ensemble, will be held this Tuesday, May 8, at the National Heritage Museum , Lexington , MA .  Reception 6:00 - 6:45 p.m. Program:  7:00 - 9:00 p.m.  Tickets:  $25   Students & Seniors:  $20. All proceeds  from ticket sales will support the relief/reconstruction effort in Lebanon .  For program information, call 781-762-4160. 

NO FASTING - There is no fasting on Wednesday or Friday, not only during Bright Week, but for the whole forty days until the Feast of the Ascension on May 17.  (This is the decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch .)  This cessation of fasting, however, is purely voluntary;  you may fast if you wish.

VON HOLZHAUSEN LECTURE & DINNER  - Please join us for the 2007 Father John Von Holzhausen Memorial Lecture & Dinner on Saturday, May 19, after Vespers (5:00 pm).   Jeff Kaiser, former St. Mary's parishioner and currently a PhD candidate at McGill University , will speak on "With Eyes Unveiled: Seeing the Glory of God in the New Testament."  This event is sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine at St. Mary's, and is open to anyone who wishes to come. 

PARISH PICNIC - On Sunday, May 20, immediately following Divine Liturgy, we will be celebrating the close of the Church School year with a "family style" picnic in the Church parking lot, under a big tent.  Festivities will include Bar-B-Que hot dogs & hamburgers; Silly Willy the Clown with a magic show, balloon sculptures & face painting; DJ's Peter and Nick Gonchar; raffle prizes; crafts, backgammon, and more. The entire parish is invited to attend. Please contact Michelle Mabardy at mmmabardy@aol.com or 781-860-8899  if you can help.

FOOTLAMPS - The next talk in the Footlamps Monthly Lecture Series will be held Saturday, May 19,  at St. Michael Church, Cotuit , MA . Speaker will be Dr. John Chirban.  Open to everyone. Vespers service begins at 5:00 pm followed by lecture and light refreshments. Suggested Donation $5.  For more information and to RSVP please Contact Ghada Khouri at 781-275-7244 or nerfellowship@yahoo.com

PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE - The 2007 Diocesan Parish Life Conference will be June 28 through July 1, at the Radisson Hotel in Plymouth , MA . Theme:  Missions and Outreach. Keynote speaker will be Fr. Michael Keiser.  All proceeds will go toward establishing a Mission Endowment Fund for our Diocese.  This year the entire Diocese is hosting the conference, led by co-chairpersons Paul Nahass (pnahass@comcast.net) and Michael Marge (michael_marge@yahoo.com)  To see the schedule of events and register for the conference, click on  www.WorcesterDiocese.net - you can register either online or on paper.  To register for the hotel call 508-747-4900.  Please register for both by May 28 in order to get Early Bird rates for the conference, and the  special room rate of $119 per night for the hotel.

NO VOLUNTEERS = NO COFFEE - Several upcoming Sundays are available,  so please sign up to sponsor a coffee hour, individually or with friends.  Some do this to celebrate a special event or anniversary, others simply as an act of hospitality. It can be as simple as coffee, juice, and cookies.   Signup sheets are on the bulletin board downstairs outside the Hall. 

LITURGICAL SERVICE - Each Sunday, members of the congregation are needed to read the Epistle and assist during Communion by holding the Communion Cloths and Holy Bread baskets.  Six people are needed each week, in addition to the reader.  If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during the Communion, contact Maria McDowell at 617-921-6395 or email: mariagwyn@gmail.com

SCHOLARSHIPS - Attention High School Seniors:  The Fellowship of St. John the Divine gives out scholarships each year to high school seniors who are planning to attend a four-year college in the fall.  Please contact the Church Office at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org  or (617) 547-1234 so that an application may be mailed to you directly from the FSJD.

 

INSIGHT

Here we present "Ancient Paths," a Bible study combining patristic passages and Scripture.  It is provided to us periodically by Deacon Neal Hughes.  Deacon Neal maintains his own mailing list for "The Ancient Paths;" if you would like to receive them all, you may contact him at  nhughes@cn.edu  and request to be included on his list.

On holiness:

"The eyes of the saint make all beauty holy and the hands of the saint consecrate everything they touch to the glory of God, and the saint is never offended by anything and judges no man's sin because he does not know sin. He knows the mercy of God. He knows that his own mission on earth is to bring that mercy to all men."

   Fr. Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, p.26 

Then Hezekiah answered and said, "Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near, and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD." So the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.

   The Book of Second Chronicles 29:31

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

   The First Epistle of St. Paul to Timothy 4:4 & 5 

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.

   The Epistle of St. Paul to Titus 1:15

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

   The Gospel According to St. John 9:5-7

LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK 

May 5:  No Vespers at St. Mary's - Vespers and BBC at St. Athanasios Church, Arlington 6:00 p.m.
May 6:  Orthros 8:45 a.m.; Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m., followed by Missionary coffee hour

SCRIPTURE READINGS for  April 6, Sunday of the Samaritan Woman:

Epistle:  Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30  ... Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch . For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.  (The entire reading may be found at  http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/lectionary.asp?type=epistle&code=9&event=884

Gospel: John 4:5-42  Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony. "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard ourselves, and we know that this is indeed Christ the Savior of the world."  (The entire reading may be found at  http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/lectionary.asp?type=gospel&code=29&event=884&DL=EN  ) 

LOOKING AHEAD

May 12:  Great Vespers 5:00 P.M.
May 13:  Orthros 8:45 a.m.; Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m., followed by Missionary coffee hour
May 16: Evening Liturgy for the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord 6:30 p.m.
May 17: Feast of the Ascension of our Lord.  Wednesday & Friday fasting resumes
May 19:  von Holzhausen lecture (Vespers, dinner and lecture), sponsored by FSJD
May 20:  Parish Picnic and Closing of Church School/Graduation
May 27: Feast of Pentecost
June 28 through July 1:  Parish Life Conference 

VOLUNTEER SCHEDULES
 

FOOD PANTRY

Two to four volunteers help each week in the food pantry at St. Paul 's RC Church in Harvard Square , Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45.  If you are willing to help, contact Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com or (617) 876-5684.

May 5:  Nadine Rebovich and Christian Alcala

EPISTLE READERS

The Epistle each Sunday is read by a member of the congregation.  If you would like to be one of the readers,  please contact Maria McDowell at mariagwyn@gmail.com or 617 921-6395.

May 6:  Peter Nassiff 

COFFEE HOUR

To sign up for an available Sunday, please put your name on the signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall or call Marilyn in the Office 617-547-1234 and she'll write your name in.

May 6:  FSJD fundraiser for Rafael Ayau Orphanage
May 13:
May 20:  Parish picnic

TABLES AND CHAIRS

These volunteers will take the lead each week in getting the tables and chairs put away and the floor swept after Coffee Hour.  Please help them - the more people there are doing it, the easier it is for all.  To volunteer, please contact Abra Greene  at abrayanti@gmail.com

May 6:   FSJD
May 13:  Andy Whittacre
May 20:  Parish Picnic