Update for the week Thursday, May 14, through Thursday, May 21, 2015

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY, 5/14 – The Bible Study group meets tonight - Thursday, May 14 - at 7:00 pm in the church library. This week’s discussion will focus on Hannah, Samuel, Saul and David.

   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.

THURSDAY-TUESDAY, 5/14-19 - Fr. Antony will be out of town May 14-19. In case of emergency please call Fr. Timothy Ferguson at 617-323-0323.

SATURDAY, 5/16 – This Saturday the New England SOYO is hosting a day of fellowship, service and fun. The day includes bowling, creating scarves that will be donated to those in need on the next YES trip, Vespers, Pizza and hang out time. Teens from all over New England will be in attendance. The event starts at 2:30pm at Academy Lanes (725 South Main Street, Bradford MA 01835) and will end at St. George's in Lawrence (8 Lowell Street, Lawrence, MA 01840). Please let Hannah or Greg know if you can make it.

   + No Vespers at St. Mary's this Saturday

SUNDAY, 5/17 - Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am. Please welcome Fr. Theodore Ehmer, who will be officiating.

   + Bible Bowl participants will meet in the library after Liturgy. The Bible Bowl will be held at the Diocesan Parish Life Conference June 18-21.

   + The teens of St. Mary's have created two St Mary's shirts and will be taking orders this week. The shirts cost $20 each and all proceeds will go to St. Thekla's Monastery in Syria. The first shirt is designed as a testament to St. Mary's diverse community. It's long sleeve and available in adult and kids sizes. The second shirt is short sleeve (available in only adult sizes) and features the Hymn to the Theotokos. Please see the teens during Coffee Hour to place your order or email hoakley18@gmail.com 

WEDNESDAY, 5/20 - We will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord next Wednesday with Evening Liturgy at 6:30 pm.

   + Normal fasting on Wednesday and Friday resumes after the Feast of the Ascension

THURSDAY, 5/21 – The Syrian-Lebanese Women’s Club Awards Ceremony will be held next Thursday, May 21, at 6:30pm at St. John of Damascus Church, 300 West St. Dedham, MA. This year’s guest speaker will be Attorney Albertina Hajjar, President of the American Arabic Benevolent Association.

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

INVESTING IN YOUR MARRIAGE – The Center for Family Care of the Greek Archdiocese invites you to a webinar on Monday, May 18 from 1:30-2:30 pm, featuring Ary Christofidis, PhD, LCP. This webinar is for all couples in all stages of life, and will discuss how including Christ and the teachings of our Holy Church helps couples overcome both day-to-day obstacles as well as evil influences that may negatively affect their union. Register at http://zoom.us/webinar/register/54d59f0d9a8b59ddc5b9141539e44ee6

WOMEN'S CLUB OFFICERS – At its last meeting the St. Mary Women's Club elected/re-elected new officers for the coming year. Congratulations to Marilyn Robbat, President, Melissa Nassiff, Vice President, Shirley Bezreh, Secretary, and Barbara Shoop, Treasurer.

VIGIL FOR PENTECOST – There will be no Vespers at St. Mary on Saturday, May 30. Fr. Antony will be at the Vigil for Pentecost at Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, 165 Park St., Boston, MA. All are welcome. Vigil starts at 5:00pm.

PENTECOST – Sunday, May 31 is the Feast of Pentecost. There is no fasting during the week following the Sunday of Pentecost.

WOMENS CLUB DINNER – The Women's Club will end the year with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in Chestnut Hill on Monday, June 1, at 7:00 pm. All women of the parish are welcome to join them - please call Marilyn Robbat (781-729-3033) or the church office (617-547-1234) for more information.

NO VESPERS – There will be no Vespers at St. Mary on Saturday, June 6

SUMMER CAMP – Theophany School Summer Camp for children ages 2.9 through 6 will be held Monday-Friday, June 8-12. Cost: $275 for first child, $225 for siblings. Contact the School at 781-444-3058 or theophanyschool@gmail.com to enroll.

CONVENTION PLANNING – There will be a very important meeting of all Convention committees on Tuesday, June 9, at 7:00 pm at the church.

HOUSING HELP NEEDED - Orthodox Family of 3, new to the area, is looking for a place to live starting on June 14.  If you know of a place to rent or temporary place to stay, please contact Richard Barrett, rrbarret@indiana.edu or 812-219-0286.  (Richard led the recent Diocesan Vocal Workshop).

   + A young woman who will be starting a Master's program in Speech and Language Pathology at Emerson College this fall is looking for housing, and is open to both studio and 2-bedroom options; she is on the lookout for a roommate as well. She will not have a car so an apartment close to the T would be ideal. Please contact Elyse Timothy, elyse.timothy@gmail.com

REMINDERS

BLESSING OF GRAVES – On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, Fr. Antony will be blessing graves at Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park, MA. starting at 9:00 am.  If you would like him to bless the graves of loved ones in other cemeteries, please let him know by calling the Church Office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail frawhj@gmail.com

PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, May 27, at 7:30 at the church.

ST HERMAN SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE - St. Herman School, 62 Harvard Ave., Allston, MA, invites you to its annual Open House on Friday, May 29. St, Herman School provides Orthodox Christian Education, K-8th Grade.

HAFLI - St. George Orthodox Cathedral, Worcester, will be sponsoring a Hafli featuring Superstar Joseph Attieh on Saturday, May 30. Doors open at 8:00 pm, Mazza and Dinner are at 9:00 pm. For reservations contact Michael Houssan 508-981-4327, email: hafli2009@gmail.com.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE:

   - The Francis Maria Scholarship is available through the Archdiocese Scholarship page, www.antiochian.org/scholarships. Several $2500 scholarships will be awarded to students attending an accredited 4-year college. Applications must be postmarked by Friday, May 15, 2015.

   - Antiochian Women’s Scholarships are available to females 25 years of age and older in good standing of the Antiochian Archdiocese, actively involved in their parish and who demonstrate need. The application deadline is June 1, 2015. Applications are available in the Church Office. E-mail cindy@cnyhondas.com with any questions.

   - Nicholas G. Beram 49th Scholastic Achievement Awards are available for high school seniors of our Arab American Community planning to attend a 4 year college full time. Applications are available in the Church office or on-line at http://www.stjohnd.org/ngberam. Application deadline is June 1, 2015.

CHURCH SCHOOL GRADUATION – The St. Mary Church School Closing and Graduation festivities will be Sunday, June 7 (note the revised date). Please plan on joining us as we close the 2014-2015 Church School year. All Church School children who attended Church School for most of the school year will be recognized as they move up to the next grade or graduate.

CHINESE MARTYRS MISSIONS BREAKFAST – Please join us on June 7 (note the revised date for this event also) for the 2015 Chinese Martyrs Missions Breakfast to benefit the Chinese Translation Project via the Orthodox Fellowship of All Saints of china (OFASC). We look forward to your support of this worthwhile project and seeing you at this event! Suggested minimum donation $5 per adult (Checks made payable to “St. Mary Orthodox Church-Fellowship” earmarked “Chinese Missions”).

ST. MARY POTLUCK PICNIC - Come join the St. Mary’s Hospitality Group and your fellow parishioners at nearby Dana Park (10-20 McTernan St, Cambridge) after church on Sunday, June 14 (rain-date June 21)! Bring a blanket, some eats or drinks to share, balls, frisbees, even bathing suits if you want splash in the sprinklers! Dana Park is a 5-10min walk south of the Church, with an enclosed playground, hoops, water spouts, and beautiful green. This is a great opportunity to relax and spend time with our church family. Open to all ages! If you would like to help us out, please email Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu )

PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE - The 2015 Diocese of Worcester Parish Life Conference will be hosted by St. Mary Church of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Thursday to Sunday, June 18-21.

DIVINE COMPASSION AND THE ICON – You are invited to a lecture entitled “Divine Compassion and the Icon,” part of the St. Catherine’s Vision Lectureship Series, on Saturday, June 20 at Hellenic College, Brookline. For more information visit www.saintcatherinesvision.com.

FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN - On Saturday, June 27 at St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester, volunteers from all over the Diocese will be measuring and scooping 100,000 meals of MannaPack Rice, a scientifically formulated food that is culturally acceptable worldwide, for starving children. Organizations in nearly 70 countries distribute these meals to children in greatest need. We need 500 volunteers on that day as well as donations to help meet the $22,000 goal for the cost of the MobilePack Rice. This Humanitarian project is being conducted in conjunction with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit. You can help in these ways:

   - Volunteers - Registration will be live 6 weeks prior to the event at www.fmsc.org/mobilepack .

   - Donations - submit online at http://www.fmsc.org/mobilepack or checks, made out to FMSC, Memo line Mobil Pack #1506-99, can be given at the Bengarri or church office.

   Please consider volunteering and/or making a donation to this worthy cause. If you would like to learn more you can contact Fr. Milad Selim at St. George Worcester 508-752-9150 or mailto:fr.milad.selim@gmail.comfr.milad.selim@gmail.com.

ARCHDIOCESE CONVENTION - As you all know, our parish will be hosting the 2015 Archdiocesan Convention at the Sheraton-Boston Hotel in Copley Square the week of July 19-26, 2015. There are numerous and various committees on which you may volunteer. We will require everyone’s involvement at St. Mary’s to make this convention truly a success spiritually, socially and financially. If you are interested in participating, please see either Father Antony or the co-chairs, Raymond Sayeg and Mary Winstanley O’Connor.

   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.

NEW ORTHODOX JOURNAL – Fr. Antony highly recommends a new quarterly journal of Orthodox Christian thought, entitled “The Wheel.” The current, inaugural issue can be seen at http://www.wheeljournal.com/current/. Check it out!

THEOPHANY SCHOOL REGISTRATION - Theophany School is now enrolling for Fall 2015. They are excited to announce Theophany School's expansion into Elementary School and offering Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade Enrollment for this Fall. For more information visit their website at http://www.theophanyschool.org or contact them at 781-444-3058 or theophanyschool@gmail.com

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY, The Sunday of the Blind Man 

   Epistle:

... The crowd joined in attacking [Paul and Silas]; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one's fetters were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, "Men, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family. Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.

   - Acts 16:16-34 

   Gospel:

At that time, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay … for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." … We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

   - John 9:1-38 

REFLECTION

Come ye blind, and without money receive lights! Come ye lame, and receive your feet! ye deaf and dumb, receive your voice! come thou also whose hand is cut off; the maimed also shall receive his hands. It is the Son of the Creator Whose treasure-houses are filled with all manner of helps. Let him that is without eyeballs come to Him that makes clay and changes it, that makes flesh, that enlightens eyes. By the small portion of clay He shows that it was with His hand that Adam was formed.

   - St. Ephraim the Syrian

Christ manifested Himself to the world; He filled it with light and joy; He sanctified the waters and diffused His light in the souls of men.

   - St. Proclus

Let no one deceive you! God is light, and to those who have entered into union with Him He imparts of His own brightness to the extent that they have been purified. When the lamp of the soul, that is, the mind, has been kindled, then it knows that a divine fire has taken hold of it and inflamed it. How great a marvel! Man is united to God spiritually and physically, since the soul is not separated from the mind, neither the body from the soul.

   - St. Symeon the New Theologian

When the mind and the heart are united in prayer and the soul's thoughts are not dispersed, the heart is warmed by spiritual warmth in which the light of Christ shines, making the whole inner man peaceful.

   - Saint Seraphim 

To thee I come, O Christ, blinded in my soul’s eyes, like the man blind from his birth, crying unto thee in repentance, thou art the Light of transcendent radiance to those who are in darkness.

   - Kontakion for the Blindman