Update for the week Thursday, June 12, through Thursday, June 19, 2014
THIS WEEK
THIS WEEKEND – This Saturday, June 14, there will be Great Vespers at 5:00 pm. On Sunday June 15 – Fathers Day and the Sunday of All Saints – Orthros is 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am.
BIBLE STUDY – Come join us next Thursday, June 19, at 7:00 pm in the church library as we continue our study of Exodus. Listen to the podcasts at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/exodus-part-3/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/exodus-part-4/ . The Bible Study at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, meets every other Thursday, and is based on a series of talks originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled Search the Scriptures. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com ). New members are always welcome.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
PENTECOST PICNIC FEEDBACK – Thanks to everyone who came and contributed to last week's picnic – it was so much fun that most of those who came want to do it again soon! About 40 people, mostly singles, couples, and families with children, trekked down to Dana Park after church and enjoyed food, soccer, frisbee, splashing in the wading pool, and conversation in a relaxed, comfortable setting. Testimonial from one 6-year-old: "This is the best picnic ever!" Watch for news of another one soon!
MEMORIALS – Trisagion Prayers for Donald DiFiore (40 days) and for Fr. Gregory Phelan (25 years) will be prayed Sunday, July 13, 2014.
SPEAKER SERIES – You are invited to the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Speaker Series in Salem, MA, on Tuesday, July 8, and Thursday, July 10. Very Reverend Dr. Paul Tarazi, Professor of Old Testament at St. Vladimir’s, will lead you through 1 Corinthians. For more information see http://orthodoxsalem.com/ There is no charge, but seating is limited. Time: 6:30-9:00 pm. Contact: Fr. Theophan at 978-744-5869 or fr.theophan.whitfield@gmail.com.
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED – If you are interested in teaching Church School next year, or being an assistant or substitute teacher, please contact Barbara Shoop at Barbara@dsaarchitects.com.
“RAISING SONS” WEBINAR – The Greek Archdiocese Center for Family Care is pleased to announce that their "Raising Sons: Understanding the Inner Life of Boys" webinar featuring George Papageorge, M.A., MFT is now archived on their website! Click below to watch this great presentation: http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/family/files/webinars/raisingsonsfolder/understandingboys
REMINDERS
NO FASTING – The week following the Sunday of Pentecost is fast-free.
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE – This year's Parish Life Conference (PLC) will be held at the Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor, 180 Water St., Plymouth, MA 02360, next Thursday through Sunday, June 19-22, hosted by St. George Church of Boston. See www.stgeorgeofboston.org/plc2014 for the schedule and more information.
NEW - Online registration will be up and running through Monday, June 16 and a headcount is needed for ticketed events, so please go to https://www.antiochianevents.org/event/106 and register today!
St. Mary Church will be closed during that time - join us at the PLC for Vespers at 5:00 pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday; Matins at 9:00 am Friday and Saturday; and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am Sunday.
Choir members - please sing with our Diocese of New England Choir at the PLC. The schedule of rehearsals is as follows: Wednesday, June 4, 7:30pm, at St. John’s, Dedham; Tuesday, June 17 (note date change), 7:30pm, at St. George’s, W. Roxbury; and Rehearsal at PLC Saturday, June 21, 4 -5 pm in the Chapel. Questions? See or contact Charlie Marge: marge@alum.mit.edu.
HIS EMINENCE METROPOLITAN KALLISTOS WARE TO SPEAK – Metropolitan Kallistos will be the keynote speaker at the Divine Compassion Conference to be held at Holy Cross Hellenic College on Friday, June 20, 2014 at 7:00 pm. This conference seeks to cultivate a deeper theological appreciation regarding ways Divine Compassion, the eleos of God, affects the participation of women and men in the life of the Church today. The title of His Eminence's address will be "Divine Compassion and the Ministry of Women." For tickets and event details see https://divinecompassionwomenofthechurch.eventbrite.com
PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25.
ROOM NEEDED – A young woman from Romania is looking for a room to live in during the month of June while she tries to find a job in the area. If you have a room she could use, or know of one, please contact Ana at mynedelcu@yahoo.com, or call 617-806-6008.
CANDIDATES FOR METROPOLITAN - On June 5th, 2014, the Special Convention of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America was convened in Chicago, Illinois, and voted to nominate three candidates who will be eligible for election as the Metropolitan of this Archdiocese. The three candidates who received the highest vote totals are, in alphabetical order, Bishop Basil, our own Bishop John, and Archbishop Joseph. (A biography of each bishop can be found on the Archdiocese website: http://www.antiochian.org/bishops ). These three names will be presented to the Patriarch and the Holy Synod of Antioch, where the metropolitan will be chosen.
CHURCH SCHOOL CONGRATULATIONS – St. Mary’s Church School is pleased to announce that all five projects submitted to the Diocese of Worcester and New England Creative Arts Competition won awards. There were three achievement levels: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Grades K/1, 2, 3, and 4/5 won Silver, and Grade 6 won Gold. We want to recognize the teachers and their children for their participation. WELL DONE! Award ribbons will be given to the children in the fall at a special presentation.
TANGLEWOOD OUTING – Join your music-loving friends from St. Mary’s as we carpool out to Tanglewood after Liturgy on Sunday, July 20. We’ll picnic on the lawn and listen to music by Beethoven and others, with violinist Joshua Bell and new BSO conductor Andris Nelsons. For more information see http://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/60929. (Rain date August 10: http://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/60938.) The concert starts at 2:30; lawn tickets are $21.00 (pay at the door). Bring lawn chairs if you want them, and picnic food for yourself and to share. For more information and to let us know you're coming, especially if you'll need a ride, contact Melissa Nassiff by email (mnassiff@gmail.com) or phone (508 877-7483).
RECOMMENDED NEW BOOK – Frank Schaeffer has written a new book, entitled Why I Am An Atheist Who Believes In God: How to Create Beauty, Give Love and Find Peace. Fr. Antony says this about it: “The title is provocative, of course, but refers to the Orthodox insistence on the primary place of the apophatic approach in speaking about God and to Frank's honest struggle to find an authentic, world-embracing faith that makes sense. Highly recommended.”
HELP PROVIDE A WARM WELCOME – Two things we do every week - all through the summer too! - to welcome visitors and newcomers, and to strengthen the bonds of fellowship with all who worship at St. Mary, are: 1.) Greet everyone who enters the church, and 2.) Provide coffee hour after Liturgy. We need more help with both of these ministries. To become a greeter please contact Buddy Mabardy at 781-729-6303 or email at Buddy@cjmabardy.com ; to provide a coffee hour please sign up on the sheet downstairs on the bulletin board or contact Barbara in the office at 617-547-1234 or secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org .
HELP FOR THE TRAUMANN-DAVIS FAMILY – Anyone who would like to help Elisabeth Traumann (wife of Seraphim Davis and mother of Isis, Thais and Tycho Traumann-Davis) with meals, transportation, etc. may visit the family's Lotsa Helping Hands community at: https://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/713408/ If delivering a meal to Somerville would be difficult, you can bring it to Seraphim (or in his absence, to Natasha Smith) at the church on Sunday mornings, as long as you coordinate with them ahead of time. For updates on Elisabeth’s condition, just friend Elisabeth on Facebook and then check this Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/197726897092134/
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, June 14: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, June 15: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Scripture Readings for the Sunday of All Saints, June 15:
Epistle: Hebrews 11:33-40; 12:1-2
All the saints through faith … won strength out of weakness, ... Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. ... And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfection of our faith.
Gospel: Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30
The Lord said to his disciples, "Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven. … he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." ... And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first."
LOOKING AHEAD
Thursday-Sunday, June 19-22: Parish Life Conference, Plymouth, MA – St. Mary Church and office will be closed; all services will be held at Radisson Hotel, Plymouth, MA.
Saturday, June 28: Great Vespers 5:00 pm
Sunday, June 29: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Sunday, July 6: Summer hours begin - Orthros: 8:15 am, and Liturgy: 9:30 am.
Saturday, July 19: No Vespers at St. Mary
REFLECTION
Fortunate is the man who has come to have God as his helper and to have his hopes in Him alone. Let the Devil bear malice towards him, let all men persecute him and plot against him, let all his adversaries fight against him - he never fears anyone, because his has God as his helper. He remains always a victor, always glorified, always happy, always rich, always cheerful and joyful, even if he happens to fall into extreme poverty and into a great many adverse and grievous circumstances of this present life. For inasmuch as he hopes in Almighty God, he does not despair, he is not sorry, is not anxious, but expects help from Above. Fortunate, then, is such a man and worthy to be deemed happy, just as the Prophet-king David regards such a man as happy, saying: "Blessed is he whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God." Such were all the Prophets, the Apostles, the Martyrs, the Holy Ascetics and all the Saints from the beginning of time.
- St. Nikephoros of Chios
God's saints are near to believing hearts and, like the truest and kindest friends, are ready in a moment to help the faithful and pious who call upon them with faith and love.
- St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ
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
Let the icons of the saints bring to your mind how many intercessors you have always praying for you before God, and how many allies fighting for you in your unceasing battles. Having themselves courageously fought the enemies throughout their lives and overcome them, they have revealed and shown you the art of waging war. If, with their help, you are alert in fighting your battles, you will, like them, be crowned with victory in the eternal glory of heaven.
- Lorenzo Scupoli, Unseen Warfare
…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