Weekly Newsletter for the week Friday, January 9, 2009 through Thursday, January 15, 2009
Weekly Newsletter for the week Friday, January 9, 2009 through Thursday, January 15, 2009
THIS WEEKEND
Parish Council - The new 2009 Parish Council will be sworn in this Sunday. Congratulations to newly elected members Buddy Mabardy and Arthur Mabbet.
Christmas Cards for Orphans - If you'd be interested in sponsoring Christmas cards to the orphans from Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage, please see Linda Arnold or Michelle Chin. The Christmas cards will be provided and donations will be voluntary. Please feel free to take the Christmas cards home to sign or fill out at church and return them to either Linda or Michelle. There are approximately 80 orphans there and we would like for each one to receive a card. Last week 20 cards were signed; that leaves 60 more that need your help.
For more info on the orphanage, please see their website: http://www.hogarafaelayau.org
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
PARISH COUNCIL - The next monthly meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, January 14, at 7:30 pm, in the small hall outside the kitchen.
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.
REMINDERS
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!
NEW CHANDELIERS - The new chandeliers are up, and new sconces are on order! The cost for the electrical work and installation of the new lighting is $48,000 - this price includes removal of the existing chandeliers, updating the electrical wiring to current code, new electric winches, new dimming panels, installation of the new chandeliers, and the electrical work for the new sconce lighting in the rear of the church under the balcony. It's not too late to donate to this most worthy project. We have started receiving donations on the wiring and installation phase; however we need the support of the entire parish. We welcome any additional donations and once again, are thankful for your continued support and generosity. Please see Mary Winstanley O'Connor or Ray Sayeg.
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 10: Lan Hu, Socrates Deligeorges, and Kern Ormond
LITURGICAL SERVICE
January 11: Epistle: Ilyana Sawka; Left Cloth: James and Brooke Wilcox; Right
Cloth: TBA;
Left Bread: Lan Hu; Right Bread:
Socrates Deligeorges
COFFEE HOUR
January 11:
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, January 10: Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 11: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am with 2nd Blessing of the Waters; Church School lesson in the Sanctuary
SCRIPTURE READINGS for January 4:
Epistle: St. Paul's Second Letter to the Ephesians 4:7-13 Brethren, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."
Gospel: Matthew 4:12-17 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; ... From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
LOOKING AHEAD
Friday, January 16: Evening Liturgy for 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
Sunday, January 25: Parish Meeting following Liturgy
Sunday, February 1: 2009 Chinese New Year Missions Breakfast
INSIGHT
...repentance is the ever more acute awareness of the love of God and of our inadequate response. It is not an act that can be finished, but a constant state of the soul which deepens the nearer it approaches the end.
Paul Evdokimov, The Ages of the Spiritual Life
Remember, O my soul, the terrible and frightful wonder: that your Creator for your sake became Man, and deigned to suffer for the sake of your salvation. His angels tremble, the Cherubim are terrified, the Seraphim are in fear, and all the heavenly powers ceaselessly give praise; and you, unfortunate soul, remain in laziness. At least from this time forth arise and do not put off, my beloved soul, holy repentance, contrition of heart and penance for your sins.
- St. Paisius Velichkovsky
A saving medicine for the cure of your wounded soul is sincere repentance, done with humility and contrition of heart, with tears and sighs, with hate and aversion towards sin, and a firm decision to no longer sin... God's compassion is greater than your sins...
- Elder Joseph the Hesychast
The deeper the contrition, the better. But however deep the contrition, never admit a shadow of doubt about forgiveness. Forgiveness is already fully prepared and the record of all sins has been torn up on the Cross. Repentance and contrition alone are expected of every man, before he too can participate in the power of the redemption of the sins of the world through the Crucifixion.
- Lorenzo Scupoli, Unseen Warfare