Update for the week Thursday, January 16, through Thursday, January 23, 2014
THIS WEEK
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 talks originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com ). New members are always welcome. Join us tonight (Thursday, January16) at 7:00 pm as we discuss Genesis Part 12 (http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/genesis-part-12/) and Part 13 (http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/genesis-part-13/ ).
CHURCH SCHOOL AND TEENS – This Sunday, January 19, the teens will remain upstairs for the sermon after Liturgy, while all other church school students will go downstairs for their regular classes (Lesson 13).
ONLINE SAFETY WEBINAR - Join the GOA Center for Family Care on Tuesday, January 21 from 1:30-2:30pm (EST) for a webinar featuring Theo Nicolakis, Chief Information Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, on "Online Safety & Digital Citizenship". This webinar will explore how you can keep your family safe in an ever-changing digital world, when the explosion of social media and mobile technologies has made safety and privacy issues even more complicated. To register visit: https://centerforfamilycare.wufoo.com/forms/online-safety-digital-citizenship-webinar/
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
TEEN SOYO ACTIVITIES - The Teens will be going ice skating on Sunday, January 26, following the Parish Meeting. We will organize transportation, so please let Greg (greghakim@gmail.com) or Hannah (hoakley18@gmail.com) if you would like to join us!
Also, the Teens will be going bowling on Friday, February 7 (time and place to be determined). Please let Hannah or Greg know if you would like to join in the fun.
THANK YOU - In this year's Food for Hungry People food drive the Teens collected 253.2 pounds of canned goods. A big “thank you” to everyone who contributed!
CONVENTION PLANNING – In our ongoing preparation to host the 2015 National Convention, Ray Sayeg’s committees will meet at the home of Mary Winstanley O’Connor on Wednesday, February 5, at 7:00 pm. Mary Winstanley O’Connor’s committees will meet at her home on Wednesday, February 12, at 7:00 pm.
WOMEN'S CLUB - The next Women’s Club meeting will be Tuesday, February 11, at 7:30 at the church. We welcome all women of the parish to join us in the Women’s Club. Everyone is welcome! Any woman interested in joining may call Mary Ellen Mabardy at 781-729-6303 for more information.
SPRING DELEGATES MEETING – The Spring Diocesan Delegates Meetings of Teen SOYO, Fellowship of St. John the Divine and Antiochian Women will be held at St. George Church, West Roxbury, on Saturday, February 22. Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am, meetings immediately following.
REMINDERS
PARISH MEETING - The Annual Meeting of the Parish will be held next Sunday, January 26, after Liturgy. (Snow date: Sunday, February 2) It is important that all members of St. Mary's Church attend this meeting, and vote on the 2014 budget.
MESSAGE FROM FR. ANTONY - Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Many of you have attended St. Mary's for years and have contributed much to the community and now we are asking those of you who have not signed pledge cards to please step up to the plate and do so. Since we have lost our major hall renters, the parish is particularly in need of your help to keep the parish strong financially.
The rental of the church hall has been a major factor in our financial health, but this is not a truly healthy situation. We should be able to do all we can and then some through the contributions of our people.
Please don't neglect this responsibility. If you love your parish, pledge today!
With love,
Fr. Antony
Pledge Cards – If you have not yet returned your pledge card, please do so ASAP. Or you can make your pledge online at https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/stewardship.php
BLESSING OF HOMES – Fr. Antony will be blessing homes after Epiphany (January 6) and between Pascha (April 20) and Pentecost (June 8). We bless homes to reveal the home as what God created it to be, a way to heaven; to rid the home of every evil; to show that the family is a small church unit in Christ; to consecrate the home and all activity in it to God; and to fill the home and all who live in it with the fullness of God. To schedule the blessing of your home, please use the form in the weekly Bulletin or call the church office at 617 547-1234.
ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN – There will be a Diocesan Meeting of the Antiochian Women with Bishop JOHN next Saturday, January 25, at 10:30am at the Chancery, 2 Lydia’s Path, Westborough, MA. Luncheon will follow the meeting.
DIOCESAN FAMILY DAY – There will be a celebration of Diocesan Family Day at Saint John of Damascus in Dedham on Saturday, February 1. The day begins at noon with a luncheon for everyone; followed by various events (Fr. Benjamin Kjendal speaking on “My Journey to Christ” and Fr. Chris Nerrau on “Life in God: A Journey from Legalism to Liberty,” plus more), and concluding with Great Vespers at 5:00 pm. Family Day is coordinated by the Diocesan Mission Council. For information contact Father Joseph Kimmett (stgeorgenorwood@gmail.com or geonorwood@aol.com ) or Greg Abdalah (abdalah.g@gmail.com)
This year the Antiochian Women Pre-Lenten Retreat will be held in conjunction with Diocesan Family Day at Saint John of Damascus. We are blessed to welcome V. Rev. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor of Saint Vladimir's Seminary, as our featured speaker. His topic will be “Mary, Mysteries, & Mission – Rediscovering our Christian Identity.” Advance Registration by January 23 is required just for this retreat - contact ErinMaryK@aol.com.
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS - There will be a brief Teacher’s Meeting on Sunday, February. 2, immediately following Liturgy, in the Library. It is very important that all Teachers and Assistants attend.
CHINESE NEW YEAR BREAKFAST - Please join the FSJD on Sunday, February 9 after Liturgy, for the 2014 Chinese New Year Missions Breakfast to benefit the Chinese Translation Project via the Orthodox Fellowship of All Saints of China (OFASC). Volunteers will be needed to help decorate, setup, serve, cook and/or donate a food item. Please RSVP to Mitrophan Chin at mitrophan@orthodox.cn by Wednesday, February 5. We look forward to your support of this worthwhile project and to seeing you at this event!
PARISH COUNCIL – Newly elected officers of the Parish Council are Dino Takles, President; Ray Sayeg, Vice President; Nick Bezreh, Treasurer; and Mark Patacchiola, Recording/Corresponding Secretary.
Newly elected members of the Council are Greg Hakim, Karen Noonan, Paul Demerjian, Buddy Mabardy and Jamil Samara Congratulations to them all!
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, February 19, 2014, at 7:30.
MEATFARE SUNDAY BREAKFAST - Please join us on February 23 for the FSJD's Meatfare Sunday coffee hour ($8/person, $15/family). Contact Chef Socrates (dr.socrates@gmail.com ) to let him know if you can help with food preparation the day before, or food set-up or serving on Sunday. We will need 6 volunteers.
ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE - For important announcements about Summer Camp registration, check out their FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/AntiochianVillage) because the 2014 Summer Camp registration is now open. You may register online or the old-fashion way with paper applications. Please note that you are not registered until they receive a deposit and you receive a confirmation email. Please visit their Registration Page for instructions on how to register. We look forward to summer 2014 and can't wait for our campers to return. For more information go to http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp.html.
REAL BREAK – OCF Real Break aims to prepare college students to be socially informed Orthodox Christian citizens of this world, while directing their focus on the world to come, the kingdom of heaven. Built on a foundation of fellowship, education, worship, and service, Real Break provides students the opportunity to understand the true meaning of seeing Christ in the other – traveling to all parts of the world deepening their faith, serving those in need, and cultivating relationships with like-minded peers. To find detailed information regarding the 2014 Real Break trips and to register, please visit www.ocf.net/realbreak. Be a part of this year's life-changing week-long Real Break experience.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE - Scholarships ($1,000) are available to young women of Syrian and Lebanese origin, residing in Massachusetts within 50-mile radius of Boston, who plan to pursue a four-year college education. Scholarships are based on outstanding academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, charitable and civic involvement and good character; and applicants must be in good academic standing in her school and possess those personal attributes which best serve the community. Applications are available through the Church Office and must be postmarked by March 31, 2014. If you have any questions, contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 or email at moconnor@koilaw.com.
PARKING RESTRICTIONS – Parishioners must not park in the City Hall Electric Car Charging Station across from the Church. This spot must be available at all times to Cambridge residents who have electric cars.
Also, there is no parishioner parking in the Church parking lot Mondays through Fridays until after 6:00 pm.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE
There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshipers, and those in need. Consider serving in one of these ways:
- Be a Greeter
- Participate in Liturgical Service*
- Provide a Coffee Hour
- Join the Prison Ministry
- Help with Video Editing
- Share your talent as Photographer Or Graphic Designer
For information about these opportunities, and who to contact, see https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/volunteering
*Also, during the school year, the Church School students participate in our liturgical celebration by holding candles at the Gospel reading; processing with candles, a festal icon, and the baskets of Antidoron (i.e. extra bread) at the Great Entrance; and then presenting the Antidoron for a blessing during the Hymn to the Theotokos.
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Mike Decerbo
Coffee Hour: Alyssa Shoop
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, January 18: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 19: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 13. Teens remain upstairs for the sermon.
SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday, January 19:
Epistle: St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians 3:4-11
Brethren, when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory ... Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.
Gospel: Luke 17:12-19
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." When He saw them He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. 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's feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus: "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" And He said to him: "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, January 25: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 26: Orthros 8:45 am, Enquirers' class 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 14. Annual Parish Meeting following Liturgy.
Sunday, February 2, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple: Church School Teachers/Assistants brief meeting following Liturgy.
Sunday, Februrary 9: FSJD Chinese New Year Missions Breakfast following Liturgy
Sunday, February 23: Meatfare Sunday
Sunday, February 2: Forgiveness Sunday
Monday, February 3: Great Lent begins
Thursday-Sunday, June 19-22: Parish Life Conference, Plymouth, MA
REFLECTIONS
When you supplicate Him Him with faith, He will hear you, and you will learn that it is God who rescued you. Then you will understand that your Creator strengthens you and guards you.
- St. Isaac the Syrian
I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds. And you have to start from the ground up.
- Pope Francis
Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.
– St. Augustine
Everyone is in the Lord's power, and Christ is all things to us. If you desire to heal your wounds, he is your doctor; if you are on fire with fever, he is your fountain; if you are burdened with iniquity, he is your justification; if you need help, he is your strength; if you fear death, he is your life; if you desire heaven, he is your way; if you are fleeing from darkness, he is your light; if you are seeking food, he is your nourishment: Taste and see that the Lord is good. Happy is the man who takes refuge in him.
- St. Ambrose of Milan
Since thou art a divine river of mercy, like unto a fathomless gulf of plentiful sympathy, O Bountiful One, manifest the divine streams of thy mercy, and heal all men. Pour forth abundantly fountains of wonders and cleanse all; for resorting ever unto thee, we fervently implore thy grace.
- Kathisma for Wednesday of Holy Week