Update for the week Thursday, December 4, through Thursday, December 11, 2014
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S
THURSDAY 12/4 – The next Bible Study meeting will be tonight - Thursday, December 4 - at 7:00 pm in the church library, as we begin our study of Numbers using the podcasts found at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/numbers-part-1/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/numbers-part-2/
The Bible Study at St. Mary, sponsored by the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, meets every other Thursday (next meeting will be December 18), and is based on a very interesting 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.
SATURDAY 12/6 – Great Vespers 5:00 pm
SUNDAY 12/7 – Enquirers Class (St. Ignatius Catechetical Group) 9:00 am; Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am.
+ We will celebrate St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (whose feast day is December 6) with a short Church School lesson after Communion this Sunday, and our traditional St. Nicholas festivities.
+ The second Church School Christmas Pageant rehearsal will be this Sunday during coffee hour, with Dress Rehearsal next Saturday, December 13, at 2:30pm. If your child is interested in participating, please see Sarah Byrne-Martelli. We also need parents to assist at all rehearsals. The Pageant will be Sunday, December 14, after Liturgy. (No Church School classes that day.)
+ The deadline for the St. Mary Parish Christmas card is this Sunday, December 7. Let the Women’s Club send a lovely card on your behalf to our parishioners. All proceeds benefit Antiochian Women Project 2014-2015: Nurturing the Seeds of Orthodoxy (Monastic Communities and Regional Camping and Learning Centers) You will receive this card with the names of parishioners, like yourself, who are wishing a Blessed Nativity and a Merry Christmas to all. Please use the form in the Sunday Bulletin.
+ All Angel Tree gifts must be brought to church and placed in the Angel Tree Bin in the parish hall no later than this Sunday! Please wrap the gift(s) and attach the tree tag with the recipient information. Those who still wish to purchase without having a designated child assignment are greatly encouraged to do so, using the gift suggestions in the Sunday Bulletin as a guide. If you do not have an assigned child, please bring your gifts to church unwrapped by December 7th. In that way, we can determine from our information which child or children would most benefit from your added generosity. Thanks so much to everyone for such willing hearts!
+ Volunteers are needed to assemble and decorate the Church Christmas tree this Sunday, after Liturgy. Please stay and offer your assistance.
WEDNESDAY 12/10 – We are now observing the Nativity Fast, also known as the season of Advent – the forty days of fasting and prayer in preparation for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Every Wednesday during this period there is a Paraclesis service at 6:30 pm.
THIS WEEK ELSEWHERE
FRIDAY – SUNDAY 12/5-7 - The Enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph and related events will take place during the weekend of December 5 through 7, 2014, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York. His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, will preside during this weekend. The actual enthronement will take place in conjunction with a Prayer of Thanksgiving on Saturday, December 6, and will be broadcast for viewing live online. (Visit www.Antiochian.org during the services to watch the video.) See http://www.antiochian.org/enthronement for complete information about the weekend.
SATURDAY 12/6 - A conference on "Women and Diaconal Ministry in the Orthodox Church: Past, Present, Future," sponsored by the St. Phoebe Center for the History of the Deaconess, will be held at Union Theological Seminary in NYC on Saturday, December 6, 2014. This conference will focus particularly on women in diaconal ministry – what they have done, are doing, and could possibly do in the future to help build up the Body of Christ – and is open to anyone interested in diaconal work, including men and women, clergy and laity. (Note: one of the speakers will be our own Teva Regule.) For more information and registration, see http://www.orthodoxdeaconess.org
This conference is a particular follow-on to the yearly conference of the Sophia Institute focusing on "Healing, Reconciliation, and Forgiveness in Eastern Orthodox Perspectives," held the previous day – see http://sophiainstitutenyc.org/conference) Participation at both events is encouraged.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
NATIVITY SERVICES – We will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas) on the eve of the feast, Wednesday, December 24, with Royal Hours for the Nativity at 9:00 am, Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil at 11:00 am; Orthros at 6:45 pm, and Festal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil at 8:00 pm. (There are no services on December 25.)
PASTORAL VISIT – His Grace Bishop John will join us for a Pastoral Visit and Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday, January 4.
MEMORY ETERNAL – We regret to inform you of the falling asleep in the Lord of Elias J. (“Louis”) Lewis of West Roxbury on Monday December 1, at the age of 97. He was the beloved husband of Linda (Shagoury), loving father of Joanne Simonelli & her Husband Bart, Robert Lewis and his Wife Jean and Kenneth Lewis, and was survived by five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Friday, December 5 at St. Mary, with Interment at Fairview Cemetery, Boston. Contributions in Elias’ memory may be made to St. Mary Orthodox Church. May his memory be eternal.
REMINDERS
VILLAGE AT HOME - On Saturday, December 13, we will bring a day at Antiochian Village to New England. Village at Home gives our teens and children time to experience the typical routine of a camper. Time and location to be announced.
ANNIVERSARY BANQUET - A banquet to honor Father Timothy Ferguson of St. George Antiochian Church in West Roxbury, will be held on Saturday, December 13, on the occasion of his 35th Anniversary of his Ordination to the Holy Priesthood. Great Vespers will begin at 5:30pm followed by a reception and banquet in the church hall. $35 for adults and $10 for children up to 18. For reservations contact Amal Hourani, 781-793-0219, ahourani19@comcast.net by December 6th.
Note: There will be no Vespers at St. Mary on this date.
SYRIAN LEBANESE WOMEN'S CLUB - The Syrian Lebanese Women’s Club will hold their Annual Christmas Party at St. John of Damascus Church, Dedham, on Saturday, December 13, at 12:00 noon. A Middle Eastern Luncheon is planned. Cost is $25. All proceeds will benefit the SLWC Scholarship Fund. Contact Carolyn Ganim at 781-329-0830 for reservations.
DIOCESAN LESSONS AND CAROLS AT ST. MARY'S - Please join us for a Diocesan Christmas Concert, which will be our Western Rite Lessons & Carols service with the Hallelujah Chorus, on Sunday, December 14 at 5:00pm. If you are a singer, join us for rehearsals: Sunday, November 30, 7pm – 9pm @ St. Johns’ in Dedham; and Dress Rehearsal with brass quintet on Sunday, December 7, 4pm – 6pm @ St. Mary’s in Cambridge. If you would like to sing or have questions, please e-mail Charlie Marge: marge@alum.mit.edu
As the host parish, we need everyone's help either setting up in the church hall beforehand, or helping us clean up afterwards. And please bring food for the potluck after the service:
- People whose last name begins with A – D: Bring water/seltzer/juice.
- People whose last name begins with E – Z: Bring a main dish or salad.
- Charlie is coordinating desserts to be provided by the choirs.
Thanks for your help! For questions or more information, contact Julie Wasilko (julie31415pi@gmail.com).
TEEN SOYO – An Ice Skating trip for the teens is planned for Sunday, December 14 after church. Watch for further details.
DONATIONS FOR THE HOLY NATIVITY – If you would like to donate toward the Poinsettias and Nativity decorations please use the form in the Sunday Bulletin to provide us with the necessary information. Donations will be printed in the December 21, 2014 Bulletin. Deadline is December 16, 2014.
PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, December 17 at 7:30pm at the church.
PARACLESIS – The final Paraclesis service this year will be Wednesday, December 17, at 6:30 pm.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE - Canned Food Drive continues through Wednesday, December 31, 2014. Since 1984, we have collected over 3,281,200 pounds of food. Please bring in canned goods ONLY and place them in the plastic bins in the room outside the kitchen. They will be distributed to food pantries in our area.
CONGRATULATIONS - We are happy to announce the birth of Antony Pavel Vasiliu to Alexandra and Bogdan Vasiliu of Belmont. Both he and his mother are healthy and doing well. We heartily invite you to extend your support and congratulations to them. Alexandra is relatively new to this country and we are happy to welcome her and her son to our parish family. If you would like an address or phone number to reach them, please let Fr. Antony know.
CONVENTION COMMITTEE – The next meeting of the National Convention committee is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, 2015. In case of snow, the meeting will be January 28.
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Jeanne Brickman
Liturgical Service:
Procession: Gabi Popa, Micaela Mazzoni, Nico Bezzerides, Nick Mazzoni & Maia Popa, Gabi Mazzoni, Panayiotis Sakellariou
Epistle: Walter Porr
Communion: John Odom, Melissa Nassiff, Dena Fehrenbacher and others TBD
Coffee Hour: The Mabardy Family in loving memory of Robert L. Mabardy
Editor's Note – The newsletter sections entitled “Liturgical Schedule for This Week” and “Looking Ahead,” which formerly appeared here, have been incorporated into “This Week at St. Mary's” and “Reminders,” respectively. We hope you find this makes the newsletter a little more efficient, eliminating some redundancy. Comments may be addressed to the Editor at FSJD.StMary@gmail.com
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY, December 7
Epistle: Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. ... Therefore it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light." ...
- Ephesians 5:8-19
Gospel: ... And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; … But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! ...
- Luke 13:10-17
REFLECTION
As grass and fire cannot coexist in one place, so mercy and legalism cannot exist in the same soul.
- St Isaac of Nineveh
We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
- Anonymous
Do not judge and do not belittle anyone, because from this the heart grows faint and the mind is blinded, and from this, negligence appears and unfeelingness of heart is born. Keep ceaseless vigil, learning in the law of God, for through this the heart is warmed by heavenly fire, as is said: "In my meditation a fire was kindled."
- St. Barsanuphius
You cannot put straight in others what is warped in yourself.
- St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation
To judge sins is the business of one who is sinless, but who is sinless except God? Who ever thinks about the multitude of his own sins in his heart never wants to make the sins of others a topic of conversation. To judge a man who has gone astray is a sign of pride, and God resists the proud. On the other hand, one who every hour prepares himself to give answer for his own sins will not quickly lift up his head to examine the mistakes of others.
- St. Gennadius of Constantinople
Zeal is not reckoned among men to be a form of wisdom, but one of the illnesses of the soul, namely narrow-mindedness and deep ignorance. The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of infirmities of men.
- St. Isaac of Nineveh