Weekly Newsletter for the week Friday, January 16, 2009 through Thursday, January 22, 2009
FR. ANTONY AWAY - Fr. Antony will be out of town from this Sunday after Liturgy through Wednesday, January 21, 2009. In case of emergency, please contact Fr. Timothy Ferguson of St. George Church, West Roxbury at 617-323-0323.
PARISH COUNCIL - The new 2009 Parish Council will be sworn in on Sunday, January 25, before the Parish Meeting (postponed from last Sunday because of the snowstorm). Congratulations to newly elected members Buddy Mabardy and Arthur Mabbet, and re-elected members Andrew Bargoot and Shirley Bezreh. Officers of the Parish Council for 2009 are Ray Sayeg, President; Andrew Bargoot, Vice President; Nicholas Bezreh, Treasurer; Melissa Nassiff, Recording Secretary and Renay DiFiore, Corresponding Secretary.
DIOCESAN MEETINGS - The winter meetings of Antiochian Women, Fellowship of St. John the Divine and Teen SOYO in the New England Diocese will be held on Saturday, January 31, at St. John Church , Dedham . Morning Prayers will start at 10:00 a.m.; meetings are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by lunch.
FOOTLAMPS - The next lecture in the 2008-2009 Footlamps series, sponsored by the Diocesan Fellowship of St. John the Divine, will be during lunch at the Diocesan Meetings on Saturday, January 31, at St. John Church , Dedham . The speaker will be Maria Khoury, author of Orthodox Christian children's books and the author of Witness in the Holy Land, a publication reflecting personal experiences living under military occupation with her husband the honorable Mayor David Canaan Khoury and three children. Her articles have been published world-wide in numerous newspapers and magazines and have been translated into various languages, bringing awareness of the Christian presence in the Holy Land . All are invited to attend; a good will donation is appreciated.
CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR ORPHANS - Thanks to all of you who contributed and/or signed the 80 Christmas cards to the children of the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage. The kids will be thrilled. Thanks especially to the Parish Council who generously donated $200, raising our total donation to $240 for the orphanage.
PARKING - Please note: If you do not plan on staying for the entire Coffee Hour on any given Sunday, please do not park in the Church Parking Lot. The first in will be the last out! Similarly, if you park in the driveway please plan to leave very promptly.
ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE CAMP 2009 - Schedules have been announced for the 2009 camping program at the Village - see http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp.html Note that an Early Bird discount applies for Summer Camp if paid in full by February 1. Two scholarships are also available - see Fr. Antony for details.
REMINDERS
COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - When no one volunteers, we don't have a coffee hour. So please sign up to sponsor a coffee hour, individually or with friends. Some do this 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. Signup sheets are on the bulletin board downstairs outside the Hall.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING - The Annual Meeting of St. Mary Parish will be held on Sunday, January 25, 2009, immediately following Divine Liturgy. All members of the parish are urged to attend. In case of inclement weather, the snow date will be Sunday, February 1.
CHINESE NEW YEAR BREAKFAST - On Sunday, February 1, the Fellowship of St. John the Divine will sponsor the 2009 Chinese New Year Missions Breakfast, to benefit the Chinese Translation Project via the Orthodox Fellowship of All Saints of China. Through Chinese Missions fund-raising events by participating parishes world-wide, OFASC is looking to underwrite Orthodox publication of practical articles for living the Orthodox Christian life.
The suggested minimum donation is $5.00 per adult (checks should be made payable to "St. Mary Orthodox Church - Fellowship" and earmarked to Chinese Missions). Please RSVP, with the number of people attending and any diet restrictions, to Nelson Mitrophan Chin at mitrophan@orthodox.cn by Wednesday, January 28. Also RSVP if interested in donating a dessert or food item, or to provide a helping hand with setup, food prep or cleanup.
2009 PLEDGE CARDS - Please take the time to fill out your 2009 pledge card, which was mailed out recently, and return it to the Church Office as soon as possible in the self-addressed stamped envelope provided. We especially need your pledge this year - not just a bare minimum, but a percentage of your income (10% is the biblical ideal). Everyone, including students and new arrivals, is encouraged to make a stewardship commitment to St. Mary's. If you do not have a pledge card, please contact the Parish Office so that you may receive a New Member Packet. Or you can take advantage of the new convenient electronic pledge card on the Stewardship page of our parish website: https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/stewardship.php
2009 WEEKLY OFFERING ENVELOPES are ready for pick-up outside of the Church Office. Look for your name alphabetically. Remember: if you have chosen to pay periodically, you have not been assigned weekly envelopes. If you wish to change your payment arrangements, see or call Marilyn Robbat in the Church Office 617-547-1234.
CALENDARS - 2009 Church Calendars have just arrived. Please take one per family.
OUR MARINE IN IRAQ - The Fellowship is still collecting items for care packages to send to Scott, a friend of Fr. Antony who is a Marine in Iraq . Thanks to all who have donated things, the Fellowship has been able to send six boxes to him so far. Please continue to give more, so we can continue to send packages to him and his fellow Marines. He has asked for junk food, dark blue gatorade powder, protein bars, tuna, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, sour skittles, and non-perishable food, and long white socks. A box has been set up in the entry to the Church Offices for your donations. Thank you!
CROSSROADS - High School Juniors and Seniors: The Office of Vocation & Ministry at Hellenic College is now accepting applications for its summer CrossRoad program. Two sessions are offered: June 20 - 30 and July 7 - 17, 2009. For more information and application see www.crossroad.hchc.edu or call 617-850-1309. Application deadline is March 1, 2009 for first consideration.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE
There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshippers and those in need. Consider serving in one of these ways:
PARTICIPATION
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. All Orthodox Christians in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to participate. We usually need one Epistle reader and six people to hold cloths and baskets. If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during the Communion, please contact Jeff Wasilko, 781-820-0882, 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 call Marilyn Robbat in the Parish Office and she will write your name in. If you need any help with figuring out what to bring or do, check the list below the signup sheet (also printed in the Bulletin), or ask Marilyn at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.
VOLUNTEERING
Holy Resurrection Open Doors - The Holy Resurrection Open Door Meal Ministry in Allston needs volunteers every Monday evening (there is a special need in the summer). The official hours of the project are 4:30 pm-7:30 pm, but it is fine to come anytime and leave any time. Best times would be 5:30-5:45 to 7:15-7:30 pm. You can serve meals, coffee and tea to the people who arrive for dinner (6-7 pm) or just stay behind the scenes doing set-up and clean-up. It is a very rewarding, hands-on, face-to-face way to serve the community with (mostly) other Orthodox Christians-we even chant the Our Father together before the meal begins. Church info can be found at http://hrocboston.org .
Questions? Please contact Liz Straghalis at liztutella@gmail.com phone 617-974-5005, or Tiffany Conroy at trattus1@gmail.com, 617-990-7162.
St Paul's Food Pantry - Two to four volunteers help each week in the food pantry at St Paul 's Roman Catholic Church in Harvard Square , Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45. If you are interested in helping, please contact Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684.
DONATIONS
Food and Clothing - Holy Resurrection in Allston takes donations of non-perishable food items and clothing to distribute at the Open Door Ministry on Monday evenings. You can bring your donations by on Monday nights between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm or contact Tiffany Conroy, trattus1@gmail.com, 617-990-7162, for more information.
- St. Paul 's Food Pantry in Harvard Square , where volunteers from St. Mary help every Saturday, depends upon regular donations of canned and packaged foods. To help, contact Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684.
- Food For Hungry People Canned Food Drive - During October through December, 2008, please bring in your canned goods to the Church and place them in the large, blue plastic container outside the Church Office. Our Teens will then weigh them and distribute them to local food pantries in our area. Remember.....42 pounds of food will feed a family of four for three days!
Care Packages for a Marine in Iraq - Fr. Antony's "spiritual son" Scott is in the Marines and has been sent to Iraq , and the Fellowship is helping collect items for care packages for him. Scott will share what he receives with his fellow Marines, and has sent a list of things he would especially like to receive. The Fellowship has purchased some of those items, but would be happy to receive contributions of the following:
Non perishable junk food, Tuna, Beef jerky, Sunflower seeds, Sour skittles, Long white socks, and also, of course, prayers.
A box has been set up in the entry to the Church Offices for your donations.
Monetary Contributions - The FSJD would also welcome monetary contributions to help with postage, shopping, etc. for the care packages (see above). Make checks payable to Fellowship of St. John the Divine or to St. Mary Church (earmarked FSJD), and give them to any member of the FSJD Steering Committee (Tiffany Conroy, Mike Decerbo, Melissa or Peter Nassiff, Socrates Deligeorges or Steve Walker), or mail them to the Church. Thank you for your caring concern and prayers for Scott and his fellow Marines!
- The Agape Canister Program is an Orthodox non-profit development program of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center . It is dedicated to meeting the needs of children, families, and communities throughout the world, regardless of race, color, or creed. All funds collected by the Agape Canister Program are earmarked for medical care and clinics, water wells, agricultural development, food and clothing, support personnel (e.g. doctors, nurses, teachers), the construction of schools, and the education of indigenous people in their own communities. Please contribute each Sunday - A clear plastic box is on the Bengarri.
- The International Orthodox Christian Charities has issued an emergency appeal for its continuing response to the two tropical storms and two hurricanes which made landfall in the U.S. in just four weeks. Cash funds will go towards immediate clean-up and recovery efforts. Donations can be made by calling IOCC's donation hotline toll-free at 1-877-803-4622; by making a gift on-line at www.iocc.org ; or by mailing a check or money order payable to "IOCC" and writing "US Emergency Response" in the memo line to IOCC, P.O. Box 630225 , Baltimore , Md. 21263-0225 .
"As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me," says our Lord.
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
- FOOD PANTRY: January 17: David Vermette and Ilyana Sawka
- LITURGICAL SERVICE: January 18: Epistle:
- COFFEE HOUR: January 18: No volunteers = no coffee
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Friday, January 16: Evening
Liturgy for the Feast of St. Anthony the Great 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 17:
Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 18:
Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 11
SCRIPTURE READINGS for January 18:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter
to the Hebrews 13:7-16
Brethren, remember your
leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their
lives, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
and for ever.
Gospel: Luke 17:12-19
At that time, as Jesus
entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted
up their voices and said: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." ... Then
one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a
loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, January 24:
Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 25:
Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; followed by Parish Meeting; Church
School lesson 12
Sunday, February 1: 2009
Chinese New Year Missions Breakfast
INSIGHT
A man has no right to be called faithful, if his faith is a bare word and if he has not in him a faith made active by love or the Spirit. Thus faith must be made evident by progress in works, or it must act in the light and shine in works, as the divine Apostle says: "Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18), thus showing that the faith of grace is made evident by works performed in accordance with the commandments, just as the commandments are fulfilled in deed and are made bright through the faith which is in grace.
- St. Gregory of Sinai (Texts on Commandments and Dogmas no. 119)
"Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). The works of faith are love, peace, longsuffering, mercy, humility, bearing one's cross and life by the Spirit. True faith cannot remain without works. One who truly believes will also surely perform good works.
- St. Seraphim of Sarov
Let us also live in imitation of all the Saints, to have them always as aids and protectors. Let us imitate their struggles and virtues and especially humility, faith, hope and love.
- Elder Joseph the Hesychast
Such are the souls of the saints: they love their enemies more than themselves, and in this age and in the age to come they put their neighbor first in all things, even though because of his ill-will he may be their enemy. They do not seek recompense from those whom they love, but because they have themselves received, they rejoice in giving to others all that they have, so that they may conform to their Benefactor and imitate His compassion to the best of their ability; "for He is bountiful to the thankless and to sinners" (cf. Luke 6:35).
- St. Peter of Damascus