Update for the week Friday, September 27, through Thursday, October 3, 2013
THIS WEEK
BAKE SALE – The Women’s Club will hold a Charity Bake Sale this Sunday, September 29 immediately following Liturgy, in the church hall. All proceeds will benefit the charitable projects we sponsor, from the YWCA Family Shelter in Cambridge to the Antiochian Women’s project “Operation Lace Up” which provides children with shoes nationwide.
TEEN SOYO ELECTIONS – Teen SOYO elections will take place this Sunday during Church School. They will be electing a President, Vice President/Social Chair, Treasurer/Fundraising Chair and Secretary/Service Chair.
BIBLE STUDY GROUP OUTING – This Sunday the FSJD Bible Study Group, and anyone who would like to join them, will be heading to the Museum of Science after coffee hour to see the “Dead Sea Scrolls” exhibit. The exhibit cost is $32 for adult non-members ($29 for seniors), and $8 for adult members.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
E-GIVE – Two new donation categories have been added under St. Mary's eGive account: “Antiochian Solidarity Day for Syrian Relief: Sep 15” - which you can use if you missed the special archdiocese collection on September 15, or if you want to give more; and
“Antiochian Village Fundraiser: October 5” - which you can use to pay for your tickets to the banquet/fundraiser in celebration of Fr. Antony's anniversary, or if you want to contribute more to the fund to help St. Mary kids go to camp at the Village.
TEEN SOYO APPLE PICKING – The teens will be going apple picking at Honey Pot Orchards on Sunday, October 6 after coffee hour, and will return to the church around 5:00pm. Let Hannah (hoakley@gmail.com) or Greg (greghakin@gmail.com) know if you will be going by Monday, September 30, so we can arrange transportation.
YOUTH MONTH – October is Youth Month throughout the Archdiocese. The teens will be helping out with Liturgical Service each week. Please see Greg or Hannah if you would like to participate.
REMINDERS
QUIET PLEASE – Please refrain from entering the hall during Church School class time, as it is distracting to Teachers and their Students.
BIBLE STUDY – The Bible Study at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, meets every other Thursday in the church library, and is based on a series of podcasts originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio. Join us at 7:00 pm next Thursday, October 3, as we continue discussing Genesis (http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/genesis-part-4/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/genesiBs-part-5/ ). For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com). New members are always welcome. Don't worry if you don't have time to listen to all the material, you can still participate in the discussion!
FR. ANTONY’S 20th ANNIVERSARY - Be with us on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 & 6, 2013, as His Grace, Bishop John joins us to celebrate Fr. Antony’s first 20 years at St. Mary and his first 25 years in the priesthood!
On Saturday, October 5: Great Vespers at 5:00 pm, chanted by the Boston Byzantine Choir, will be followed by a Banquet with Bishop John in the Church Hall. (All proceeds will be used to send our children to Antiochian Village in July, 2014). Sorry, all tickets for the banquet have been sold.
Sunday, October 6: Orthros at 8:45 am; Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am, followed by a Coffee Hour.
We are looking for Sponsors for the Banquet: Platinum $2000, Gold $1000, And Silver $500. To date we have $4500 in sponsors and are looking for an additional $2000 in Sponsorships. See Mary Winstanley-O’Connor if you are interested in being a Sponsor for this joyous event.
ENQUIRERS’ CLASS - The St. Ignatius Catechetical Group (Enquirers’ Class) will begin meeting next Sunday, October 6 at 9:00 A.M in the library, next door to Fr. Antony’s office. The group is for non-Orthodox adults who are interested in exploring the Christian Faith as it has been – and continues to be – understood, preached, and lived by members of the Holy Orthodox Church, who descend from the early Christian community of Antioch where “the disciples were for the first time called Christians” (Acts 11:26). Bob Kowalik will be teaching the group, using materials developed and piloted by St. Mary catechist emeritus David Vermette. If you would like to participate, please talk to Bob during coffee hour; or get in touch by phone 617-889-3436 or e-mail r.kowalik@comcast.net.
KIBBEH SALE - The Women’s Club is offering for purchase freshly made Kibbeh (8½” x 11” tray made with ground lamb-meat and burghul). Everything is cooked with the finest of ingredients and ready to eat now or freeze for the holidays! To order, fill out the order form in your Sunday Bulletin and return it by next Sunday, October 6 with your check for $35 payable to St. Mary Women’s Club. You may pass it in at the bengarri on Sunday OR mail it to: St. Mary Church, Women’s Club, 8 Inman St., Cambridge, MA 02139, Attn: Shirley Bezreh. Checks must accompany all orders.
Your order will be ready for pick-up on Sunday, October 20. Any orders not picked up then will be frozen.
SEMINARIAN WELCOME RECEPTION AND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION – The Antiochian Women of the Diocese of Worcester & New England cordially invite you to attend their 40th Anniversary Celebration and Seminarian Welcome Reception on Sunday, October 6, 2013, with His Grace, Bishop John.. Vespers begin at 4:00 pm, with Reception following. This event will be held at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 55 Emmonsdale Rd., West Roxbury, MA
WOMEN’S CLUB – The next Women’s Club meeting will be Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30 pm in the Church kitchen.
DANCING WITH THE AABA STARS- On Saturday, October 12, 2013 the American Arabic Benevolent Association will present the annual “Dancing with the Stars.” Representing St. Mary’s Church will be Amanda Noonan, daughter of Karen Winstanley Noonan. This event is a fundraiser to benefit senior affordable housing at Cheriton Heights in West Roxbury. The event will take place at The Norwood Theatre, Norwood, MA. Ticket price is $45.00 per person. For tickets, sponsoring or information contact David Franciosi, 617-347-1005. Sponsor seating will have 10 seats reserved plus an AABA Gift bag. Sponsors names will appear in program and donations may be applied as points to dancer.
SYRIA RELIEF BENEFIT – Come to St. Mary Church of Pawtucket, RI on Saturday October 12 for an evening of prayer, food, and support for the relief effort desperately needed in and around Syria. The sweeping violence in Syria has left more than six million people in urgent need of help and more than four million children, women and men displaced in their own country. Your efforts will help the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) respond quickly to those in need by providing emergency relief items such as food, heating, fuel and basic necessities like blankets and hygiene kits. All proceeds to benefit IOCC efforts to help the more than 6 million in urgent need.
The evening begins with a pan-Orthodox vespers at 5:00 pm, followed by Dinner and a presentation from IOCC's Development officer Lou Zagami. Even if you cannot attend, sponsorships and other opportunities for involvement are available. If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer at the event, please contact Jamil Samara at 617-501-4427 or jamil@jamilsamara.com, or Joe Samra at 401-440-0029 or joesamra@gmail.com. Register online at www.iocc.org/pawtucket
FALL DELEGATES MEETING – The Fall General Assembly Meeting of delegates from the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, Teen SOYO and Antiochian Women will be held here at St. Mary Church, on Saturday, October 26, 2013.
COFFEE HOUR CHANGES – Before you leave after coffee hour, please put away your own chair and help put away the table. As you know, "many hands make light work!”
From now on, if no one volunteers to provide a coffee hour there will be no coffee hour that Sunday. There are a few empty Sundays still - please get a few friends together and sign up right away! (Signup sheet is on the bulletin board downstairs.)
STREAMING VIDEO – St. Mary’s Church services are broadcast live each week through an internet video stream. If you can't attend a service in person or want to share this ministry with a friend or loved one, the live stream can be viewed at www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/live during regularly scheduled service times (see the schedule of services below or online). If you have questions or comments about this ministry please contact us at live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
PARKING RESTRICTIONS – Please do not park in the Church parking lot if you need to leave quickly after church. Cars parked there will be staying until the end of coffee hour.
Additionally, do not park beyond the sign that prohibits parking at the corner of Inman Street and Bishop Allen Drive. (An orange cone will be placed in that No Parking area.) It is difficult for large vehicles to turn the corner if cars are parked there. Failure to heed this warning may result in the City preventing parishioners from parking on Inman Street. Your cooperation is appreciated.
And remember, there is no parishioner parking in the church parking lot Monday through Friday until after 6:00 pm
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:
BE A GREETER – If you do not sing in the choir, or chant, serve in the Altar or at the Bengarri, and are not a Church School teacher, please consider serving the Church as a Greeter! Greeters arrive 15 minutes before Liturgy, get a Greeter Name Tag from the Bengarri, pin it on and greet visitors/parishioners at the Church Entrance and direct them upstairs to the Church, or to the cloakroom or restrooms. Greeting time ends when Communion starts. Send your name and e-mail address to Buddy Mabardy: buddymabardy@cjmabardy.com or phone him 781-729-6303.
LITURGICAL SERVICE – Each Sunday, members of the congregation are needed to read the Epistle and assist during Communion by holding the Communion Cloths. All Orthodox Christians in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to participate. We usually need one Epistle reader and four people to hold the cloths. If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during 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 new 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 monthly Cornerstone), or ask Marilyn at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.
PRISON MINISTRY – If you would like to find out more about Prison Ministry at St. Mary’s Church, please subscribe to our mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/ocpm-concord.
Also - please donate unwanted past issues of Orthodox magazines such as The Word, OCMC or other periodicals to our prison ministry to hand out to inmates. Please remove any personal mailing address for security purposes and give them to Mitrophan Chin.
Our own Deacon Jeff Smith can be heard in a recent interview with Ancient Faith Radio at http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/features/prison_ministry_awareness_sunday1
VIDEO EDITING – Volunteers are wanted to assist with video editing of sermons and lectures. We are looking for volunteers to assist with some basic video editing to post the sermons and lectures from St. Mary's online. If you have experience with digital video editing, please let Jamil Samara or Erick Straghalis know you are interested - email live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
PHOTOGRAPHERS AND GRAPHIC DESIGNERS – Are you a photographer or a graphic designer? Would you be willing to share your talents with St. Mary Church and her ministries? We are looking for you to help photograph the divine services and events and to design promotional material for events and programs at our parish. Please contact Jamil Samara at webmaster@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org with any questions, and to let him know that you are interested in getting more involved.
"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
Greeter: Martin and Meg Scrivener
Coffee Hour: Women's Club Bake Sale
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, September 28: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, September 29: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am, Church School lesson 3; followed by Women’s Club bake sale
SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday, September 29:
Epistle: St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 1:21-24; 2:1-4
... I call God to witness against me - it was to spare you that I refrained from coming to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. ... I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
Gospel: Luke 6:31-36
The Lord said, "And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, October 5: Great Vespers 5:00 pm, chanted by the Boston Byzantine Choir, followed by Fr. Antony’s 20th Aniversary Banquet with His Grace, Bishop John
Sunday, October 6: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; no Church School
Saturday, October 12: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 13: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; no Church School
Saturday, October 19: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 20: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 4
Saturday, October 26: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 27: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 5
REFLECTIONS
Everyday experience shows that even people who in their inner depths accept Christ’s commandment to love one’s enemies do not put it into practice. Why? First of all, because without grace we cannot love our enemies. But if, realizing that this love was naturally beyond them, they asked God to help them with His grace they would certainly receive this gift.
- St. Silvanus the Athonite
He who loves his enemy subdues the waves of the sea and stills the storm. Therefore love your enemy, and you will be a new wonderworker, saving his soul and your own... Begin from henceforth to love everyone. The Son of God will be your guarantor. Without a doubt you will become a son of the Most High. I desire this sonship for myself and for everyone. Amen.
- St. Dimitry of Rostov
Virtue in the sight of others is to bear with those who oppose us, but virtue in God's sight is to love them. This is the only sacrifice acceptable to God.
- St. Gregory the Great
Why does the Lord command us to love our enemies and to pray for them? Not for their sake, but for ours! For as long as we dwell on how someone offended us, we will have no peace.
- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.
- Mother Teresa
Beg God for the gift to love one another. Love all people, even your enemies, not because they are your brothers and sisters but so they may become such.
- St Augustine
Love sinners, but hate their deeds, and do not disdain sinners for their failings, so that you yourself do not fall into the temptation in which they abide... Do not be angry at anyone and do not hate anyone, neither for their faith, nor for their shameful deeds... Do not foster hatred for the sinner, for we are all guilty... Hate his sins, and pray for him, so that you may be made like unto Christ, who had no dislike for sinners, but prayed for them.
- St. Isaac the Syrian