Update for the week Thursday, February 19, through Thursday, February 26, 2015
THIS WEEK
THURSDAY, 2/19 - The Bible Study group meets tonight - Thursday, February 19 - at 7:00 pm in the church library. We will conclude our study of Joshua.
The Bible Study at St. Mary meets every other Thursday, 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:mksayeg@gmail.com ). New members are always welcome.
SATURDAY, 2/21 - Great Vespers at St. Mary 5:00 pm
+ Young Adults Event at Bishop John's - Bishop John is opening his home to all young adults of the Diocese this Saturday evening at 6:30 to prepare us for Great Lent. We will have pizza, fellowship and a discussion led by His Grace about forgiveness in advance of Forgiveness Sunday. The address is 2 Lydia's Path, Westboro, MA. Please RSVP to brendanferguson76@gmail.com.
SUNDAY, 2/22 – Cheesefare Sunday – Enquirers Class (St. Ignatius Catechetical Group) 9:00 am; Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 15
+ Scout Sunday, previously postponed because of snow, will now be observed this Sunday. All our Scouts will be participating in the Liturgical Services by reading the Epistle, taking the Collection and assisting at Communion. If your son or daughter is involved in Scouting and would like to participate too, please e-mail Charlie Marge: marge@alum.mit.edu.
+ The last thing we do before beginning the Lenten fast is forgive each other, and ask everyone to forgive us. Join us Sunday evening at 6:00 pm for Forgiveness Vespers.
MONDAY, 2/23 – Lent begins
+ Great Compline at St. George, Norwood 7:00 pm (see New Announcements, below)
TUESDAY, 2/24 – Great Canon of St. Andrew 7:00 pm
WEDNESDAY, 2/25 – Presanctified Liturgy 6:30, followed by Potluck Supper (and every Wednesday through April 1). Potluck leader for 2/25 is Melissa Nassiff, mnassiff@gmail.com
THURSDAY, 2/26 – Great Canon of St. Andrew 7:00 pm
FRIDAY, 2/27 – Akathist (Madayeh) service 7:00 pm (and every Friday through March 27)
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
YES FAMILY DAY POSTPONED - The YES (Youth Equipped to Serve) Family Day scheduled for Saturday, February 28 at St. Mary's has been postponed. The snow makes it very difficult to park and unsafe for families to do a service project outdoors. The new date is to be determined.
ANNUAL MEETING RESCHEDULED – The Annual Meeting of St. Mary's Parish, repeatedly postponed because of snow, is now scheduled for Sunday, March 15, immediately after Liturgy. It is important that all members of St. Mary’s Church attend this meeting to approve the 2015 budget.
DIOCESAN COMPLINE – Great Compline services are offered every Monday evening at 7:00 pm in a different church of the diocese. The schedule is as follows: Feb. 23rd St. George, Norwood; March 2nd St. Michael, Cotuit; March 9th St. John of Damascus, Dedham; March 16t h St. George, Lowell; March 23rd St. George, West Roxbury; and March 30th St. George, Worcester (6:30pm).
PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, March 18 at 8:00 pm
REMINDERS
WOMEN'S MONTH – March is Antiochian Women’s Month. Our women will be reading the Epistle (1 woman), taking the Collection each Sunday (2 women) and assisting during Communion (6 women). We are inviting all Women of St. Mary Church to be included: If you wish to participate, sign up on the sheet at the Bengarri or contact Mary Ellen at 781-729-6303 or the church office.
LENTEN POTLUCKS – Every Wednesday during Lent, beginning February 25, the Presanctified Liturgy at 6:30 pm will be followed by a Potluck Supper, if we have a volunteer leader for each week.
Being the leader simply means a) providing a main dish, b) coordinating what others bring if they ask, and c) coordinating setup and cleanup. As with coffee hour, if there is no potluck leader, then there is no potluck. So far only one person has signed up to lead one potluck. Contact Julie Wasilko (julie31415pi@gmail.com) to sign up lead a potluck.
Everyone else, please bring a dish to share. Any Lenten fare is welcome: main courses, sides, salads, desserts, as well as beverages and snacks. This is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship during Lent, plus we get to sample each other's Lenten recipes.
DIOCESAN WINTER MEETING – There will be a General Assembly Meeting of Teen SOYO, Fellowship of St. John the Divine and Antiochian Women on Saturday, February 28 at St. John of Damascus Church, Dedham. After the meeting, for the teens there will be games, fellowship, and lunch – all teens are welcome.
PARISH COUNCIL WORKSHOP - The Diocese of Worcester and New England is holding a Parish Council Workshop at St. John of Damascus Church in Dedham, on Saturday, February 28, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Our own Richard Robbat will be the Facilitator.
MARRIAGE PREPARATION AND ENRICHMENT – You are invited to a Marriage Preparation and Enrichment workshop on Saturday, March 7, 10 am-4pm, at the Chancery, 2 Lydia’s Path, Westborough. Cost: $35 per couple. Mail your check payable to NER Deanery, to St. John of Damascus, 300 West Street, Dedham, MA, 02026.
LENTEN RETREAT – Our teens are invited for the annual Lenten Retreat at the Saint Methodios Retreat Center in Contoocook, New Hampshire, on Friday-Sunday, March 27-29. The speaker will be Father Gregory Christakis, a Greek Orthodox priest from Medford, MA.
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, 2015. If you have any questions, contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 or email at moconnor@koilaw.com .
ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE SUMMER CAMP - Summer Camp registration is now open. Last year most sessions were full by the end of February, so make sure you register right away! There are currently over 300 campers registered. Please visit the Registration Page for instructions on how to register. Please note that you are not registered until they receive a deposit and you receive a confirmation email. For more information go to http://www.antiochianvillage.org/camp.html
ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION – The 52nd Antiochian Archdiocese Convention, hosted by St. Mary Church, will be held Sunday, July 19, 2015-Sunday, July 26, 2015 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, Boston, MA. The convention room rate is $199.00 per night, plus tax. To book rooms at the hotel, register for the convention, purchase convention event tickets and tickets for Boston excursions and obtain forms to place a message in the Souvenir Journal, go to www.acboston2015.com. Rooms are booking quickly for this historic convention. Please call the church at (617) 547-1234 with any questions.
CONVENTION COMMITTEE MESSAGE – Letter from Art Mabbett, Souvenir Journal Co-Chair:
As you know, the Archdiocese Convention is being held in Boston this year from July 19-26th. As the host parish we are preparing a Souvenir Journal. Details of the Journal can be found on the Convention website, www.acboston2015.com and www.antiochianevents.org/journal/110.
Please visit the website and click on the Souvenir Journal Sponsorship in the center of the home page and consider placing an ad. Use the drop down menu and provide copy-text and any desired artwork or photographs to use by completing the on-line form. Sponsorship advertisements can be completed on-line or by mail. If by mail send your advertisement text and any photographs-artwork to Souvenir Journal, St. Mary Orthodox Church, 8 Inman St., Cambridge, MA 02139. Please do not mail original one-of-a-kind photographs! Have a duplicate made and send it. We cannot guarantee the return of any photographs and artwork provided.
We also plan to reach out to local businesses to support the Journal. Please email the contact details of any businesses you frequent to Barbara at the church as soon as possible. We will reach out to them for a possible advertisement.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you. Please also contact me at mabbett@mabbett.com, or 781-275-6050 (business), or 781-391-6530 (home) if you have any questions.
God bless.
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Richard Robbat
Liturgical Service:
Epistle: Andrea Popa
Procession: Gabi Popa, Ben Crea, Nick Mazzoni, Joachim Chin, Nick Crea, Maia Popa, Toby Chin, Easton Bourell, Anthony Marge
Communion: Charlie Marge, Andrea Popa, Lea Crea, Michelle Chin
Coffee Hour: No coffee hour this week
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY - February 22, Forgiveness Sunday
Epistle:
... Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for God is able to make him stand.
- Romans 13:11-14:4
Gospel:
The Lord said, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ...”
- Matthew 6:14-21
REFLECTION
Do we forgive our neighbors their trespasses? God also forgives us in His mercy. Do we refuse to forgive? God, too, will refuse to forgive us. As we treat our neighbors, so also does God treat us. The forgiveness, then, of your sins or unforgiveness, and hence also your salvation or destruction, depend on you yourself. For without forgiveness of sins there is no salvation. You can see for yourself how terrible it is.
- St. Philotheos of Sinai
Considering all these things then, and … remembering that to wipe away sins does not entail much labor and zeal, let us pardon those who have wronged us. For that which others scarcely accomplish – I mean the blotting out of their own sins by means of fasting and lamentations, and prayers, and sackcloth, and ashes – this it is possible for us easily to effect without sackcloth and ashes and fasting, if only we blot out anger from our heart, and with sincerity forgive those who have wronged us.
- St. John Chrysostom
When you have peace and love for all, then your prayer is acceptable, and your offering well-pleasing, and your house blessed and you blessed. But if you are not reconciled with your brother, how can you seek pardon from me? You trample on my words, and do you demand pardon? I, your Master, demand, and you pay no attention, and do you, a slave, dare to offer me prayer, or sacrifice, or first fruits, while you have enmity against someone? Just as you turn your face from your brother, so I too turn my eyes from your gift and your prayer.
- St. Ephrem the Syrian
Abba Zeno said, “If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prays for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies. Through this action God will hear everything that he asks.”
- The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
If you want to cure your soul, you need four things. The first is to forgive your enemies. The second is to confess thoroughly. The third is to blame yourself. The fourth is to resolve to sin no more. If we wish to be saved, we must always blame ourselves and not attribute our wrong acts to others. And God, who is most compassionate, will forgive us.
- Saint Kosmas Aitolos
You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.
- Lewis B. Smedes