Update for the week Thursday, August 7, through Thursday, August 14, 2014
THIS WEEK
NEW SKETE PILGRIMAGE - The Monastic Communities of New Skete Monastery in Cambridge, New York (www.newskete.org), invite you to their Annual Pilgrimage on Saturday, August 9, 2014, between 8:30am - 6:00pm. The day will include Church Services, Church Tours, a Photo Exhibit, and a Healing Service with Anointing as well as talks by the monastics on Monastic Life and Iconography and by Chapel Community members on their relationship with the monastery. This year’s guest speaker will be Sr. Vassa Larin. She is a noted liturgical scholar and is now known popularly from her YouTube videos, "Coffee with Sr. Vassa." Her talk is entitled, "Mystery and History: Two Pillars of Tradition." A event flier can be found here: http://www.newskete.org/pdfs/2014%20Pilgrimage%20Schedule%20Poster%20FINAL.pdf
PARACLESIS – On Wednesday, August 13 there will be a Paraclesis service at 6:30 pm.
HELP WITH DECORATION FOR DORMITION - Trish Orlovsky would appreciate assistance decoration the Bier for Dormition on Thursday, August 14, from 9:00-11:30 am. Also help carry it up from the basement the Sunday before the feast so floral foam can be cut and fitted before we affix the flowers. Two other people would be a great help making this beautiful for the Feast. Flowers will be provided. Please email Trish if you can help at t_orlovsky@hotmail.com
OUR PATRONAL FEAST: DORMITION OF THE THEOTOKOS – We celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, our Patronal Feast, on the Eve of the Feast, Thursday, August 14. This marks the end of the Dormition Fast. The Vigil for the Dormition of the Theotokos will include Vespers at 4:15 pm, Orthros with Lamentations 5:30, and Festal Divine Liturgy at 7:00 pm, followed by a “Dormition Feast feast.”
The Fellowship of St. John the Divine will be providing the meal, and needs 5 volunteers to help – please contact Socrates Deligeorges at dr.socrates@gmail.com if you can help.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
BIBLE STUDY – The Bible Study will not meet on Thursday, August 14, but come join us Thursday, August 28, at 7:00 pm in the church library as we conclude our study of Exodus. Listen to the podcasts at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/exodus-part-11/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/exodus-part-12/ The Bible Study at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, meets every other Thursday, and is based on a course originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled Search the Scriptures. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mailto:mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (mailto:frawhj@gmail.com). New members are always welcome.
2015 CONVENTION COMMITTEE – St. Mary will be hosting the 2015 National Convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. The next meeting of the Convention Committee will be on Wednesday, September 10, at 7:45 at the church.
ST. THEKLA AND ST. RAPHAEL PILGRIMAGE - Registration is open for the annual St. Thekla & St. Raphael Pilgrimage, held at the Antiochian Village on Friday-Sunday, September 26-28, with His Grace Bishop Thomas of the Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic presiding. Lodging for both adults and children is available for the weekend. Registration form and additional information is available at http://www.antiochian.org/sites/default/files/2014_brochure.pdf
REMINDERS
GREETERS NEEDED - In the next few weeks a Greeter Schedule for the Fall and Winter months will be assembled. Please let Barbara in the office or Buddy Mabardy know that you would be available to give your time to greet on Sunday. It is necessary to have NEW greeters as we can’t rely on the same people all the time. It would be great to have another 10 people to volunteer one hour on a Sunday. Please consider being a Greeter and helping with this important ministry. Thanking you in advance for your positive response!! Please contact Buddy Mabardy at 781-729-6303 or e-mail: buddy@cjmabardy.com. Or call the Church office 617-547-1234.
FELLOWSHIP PICNIC - Come join FSJD on Sunday, August 17 for some fellowship and fun in the sun! WHAT TO BRING: blankets or lawn chairs, some eats or drinks (for yourself or to share), balls, frisbees, bathing suits (if you want splash in the sprinklers)! TIME: after church (rain-date September 14). LOCATION: Dana Park again (10-20 McTernan St, Cambridge, 5-10 minute walk from Church). Dana Park has an enclosed playground, hoops, water spouts, and beautiful green. WHY: This is a great opportunity to relax and spend time with our church family!!!
If you would like to help us out, please email Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu ).
PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, August 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the church.
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED – The Church School is looking for Teachers, Assistants and Substitutes for the 2014-2015 school year. In particular, we are looking for 2 Assistants for 2nd and 3rd Grade. As an assistant you would help the Teacher during Church School as required or substitute when the Teacher is absent. Teachers are provided with all the materials they will need. Anyone interested in Teaching or being an Assistant or Substitute please contact Barbara@dsaarchitects.com. Being a Church School Teacher/Assistant can be a very rewarding and exciting opportunity.
THEOPHANY SCHOOL - The Theophany School in Needham is looking for a preschool teacher for our youngest preschool classroom on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 8:30am-2:30pm throughout the school year. If you have any interest please call 781-444-3058 or e-mail Emily Pappas (theophanyschool@gmail.com )
ROOMS NEEDED – Two women who will be starting graduate school this fall have contacted us asking for help in finding rooms and/or roommates. Please help them if you can:
1. Lianour Barakat, a Syrian student from the Antiochian Orthodox church in Mezze, Damascus, will be a graduate student at Northeastern this fall and is looking for a room or roommates in the Boston area. Please feel free to contact Lianour at 857-389-4313 or by e-mail: lia.barakat@gmail.com .
2. A young woman from Kentucky will be starting at Harvard this fall to work on an Ed.M. degree, and needs a place to live. If you, or anyone you know, are looking for a female roommate in the Cambridge/Somerville area, please let Fr. Antony know (frawhj@gmail.com) and he will put you in touch with her.
MEN'S RETREAT WITH BP. JOHN – There will be a Men’s Retreat with His Grace, Bishop John, at the St. Methodios Center in New Hampshire on September 19-21. The retreat will be a four-part call to action addressing Jesus’ final commandment. Cost: $199, includes meals. Contact Jeff St. Jean at 413-348-2878 or mensgroup@stoc.org for more info.
SONIA'S RUN/WALK – The 6th annual Sonia’s 5K Run/Walk., at St. George Orthodox Church, West Roxbury, MA, will be held on Saturday, September 20. The 5k road race is held annually to benefit the Theophany School in honor of beloved friend Sonia Belcher. The proceeds from Sonia's Run go towards Theophany School's "Building on a Dream" campaign, to fulfill Sonia's dream of a permanent home for Theophany School. For details, registration, etc see http://www.soniasrun.org/ or contact Theophany School at 781-444-3058.
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 Orthodox books, icon cards, and magazines to our prison ministry to share with inmates. Please remove any personal mailing address for security purposes and give them to Mitrophan Chin. Note: Our inmates are specifically interested in the recent June 2014 issue of The Word magazine, as they recognize Fr Antony, Bp John and couple of parishioners in one of the photos taken at St Mary's. They recollect with fondness the hierarchical Orthodox baptismal service performed a couple of years ago, for the first time in a Massachusetts correctional facility, for one of the inmates (Michael in baptism), and still remember the chanters Abraham and Thecla.
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Liturgical Service - Candle Bearers: Solomon Rison & Furtuna Risom; Icon Bearer: Solomon kids; Bread Baskets: Marcella Hastings & Cyatherine Alias; Adult Supervisor: Azeb Mitiku
Epistle: Melissa Nassiff; Communion Cloth and Bread: Axel Schmidt and others TBD
Coffee Hour – No coffee hour; no one volunteered
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, August 9: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, August 10: Summer hours - Orthros: 8:15 am, and Liturgy: 9:30 am
Scripture Readings for Sunday, August 10:
Epistle: First Corinthians 3:9-17
... For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-34
.... And in the fourth watch of the night he [Jesus] came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus ...
Wednesday, August 13: Paraclesis for the Dormition 6:30 pm
Thursday, August 14, Vigil for the Dormition of the Theotokos (Patronal Feast): Vespers 4:15 pm, Orthros with Lamentations 5:30, Festal Divine Liturgy 7:00 pm, followed by Dormition feast
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, August 23: No Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, August 24: Last Sunday of summer hours (Orthros 8:15 am, Liturgy 9:30 am)
Thursday, August 28: Bible Study
Sunday, August 31: Regular hours resume – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Thursday, September 11: Bible Study
Sunday, September 14: Church School Registration
REFLECTION
Since “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (I Cor. 8:1), unite love with knowledge and you will free yourself from arrogance and be a spiritual builder, edifying both yourself and all who draw near you.
- St. Maximos the Confessor
Love and humility form a holy pair; what the first builds, the second binds, thus preventing the building from falling asunder.
- Saint John Climacus
Humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and bond of all virtue.
- St. John Chrysostom
Each day examine yourself: What have you sown for the age to come: wheat or weeds? Having tested yourself, arrange to become better the next day, and spend the rest of your life in that manner. In the event that you spent today badly, did not honestly pray to God, did not feel even once contrition in your heart, did not become humble in thought, gave no alms and did no act of charity, but instead did not refrain from anger, from words, from food and drink, or if you sank your mind in unclean thoughts, honestly examine all of this, condemn yourself for it, and firmly resolve that tomorrow you will be more careful to do good and to avoid evil.
- St. Moses of Optina