Update for the week Thursday, July 16, through Thursday, July 26, 2015
THIS WEEK
St. Mary will be closed this Saturday, July 18 through next Sunday, July 26, as we host the 52nd Antiochian Archdiocese Convention!
SATURDAY, 7/18 – Vespers at St. George Orthodox Cathedral, 30 Anna St, Worcester, with His Beatitude JOHN X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America - 5:00 pm
SUNDAY, 7/19 - Orthros 9:00 am, Patriarchal Divine Liturgy with His Beatitude JOHN X and His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH at St. George Cathedral - 10:00 am
+ Following Divine Liturgy, a luncheon will be served in the Cathedral Hall with His Beatitude, our Hierarchs and Clergy. Reservations are required. Contact the Cathedral office at 508-752-9150 for information.
Note: If you cannot attend the Cathedral in person on Saturday or Sunday, you can tune in to a Live Broadcast at http://www.acboston2015.com/live
MONDAY, 7/20 – 52nd Antiochian Archdiocese Convention begins, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. We hope to see you all there to support the hard work your fellow St. Mary parishioners have been putting in over the last couple of years. Come welcome our Hierarchs, His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X and Metropolitan JOSEPH, and all the Bishops and clergy of North America as well as parishioners from all across the country. This will truly be an historic occasion for our parish. We look forward to seeing you all there!
For a complete list of the events taking place during the Convention and their locations, go to http://www.acboston2015.com/schedule
+ Note that registration is required for all attendees, even if you are only attending religious services, except for those on Sunday 7/26. The registration table, on the 3rd floor of the Sheraton, will be open Monday 2:00-9:00, and Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am onward.
+ Religious services will be held in the John B. Hynes Auditorium, adjacent to the hotel.
SUNDAY, 7/26 – Last day of the Convention
+ Orthros and Confessions 9:00 am
+ Patriarchal Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Access to the Hynes Convention Center will be open to the public on Sunday only - no registration will be required to attend Sunday services. For local residents who will join us on Sunday, there are several parking garages available for a fee within the immediate area, including the Sheraton garage which is shared with the Prudential Center and Hynes Convention Center, as well as valet parking at the hotel. Click here to open an interactive map with local parking options.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT
DUCK TOUR DEADLINE EXTENDED – Only a few seats are left for the Duck Boat Tour on the Monday night of the Convention (Monday, July 20), but you can still sign up - the deadline has been extended to this Friday, July 17. Register today for the Convention and sign up for the Duck Tour. Questions? Contact Charlie Marge at marge@alum.mit.edu
REMINDERS
PATRISTICS INSTITUTE – You are invited to take part in the ninth annual Summer Program in Patristic Studies sponsored by the Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. This five-day program is for theology and religious studies students, including masters-level students and undergraduates, and others, including clergy and lay people, with a background in religious studies, who would like to pursue their interests in the early Church. This year’s program will be held from July 19 – 24, 2015 on the campus of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. See http://www.hchc.edu/assets/files/patristics/2015%20AnnouncmentProgram_150502.pdf for more information.
BIBLE STUDY – St. Mary Bible Study group is based on a very interesting course originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled Search the Scriptures – see http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info. The next discussion will cover David and Bathsheba, lessons 93 and 94. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com) New members are always welcome. Note: during the summer this year the Bible Study will meet just once each month. The next meeting will be Thursday, July 30 at 7:00 pm in the Church library.
TANGLEWOOD OUTING – Join your music-loving friends from St. Mary’s as we carpool out to Tanglewood after Liturgy on Sunday, August 2 (the weekend after the Convention). We’ll picnic on the lawn and listen to music by Haydn, Dean and Strauss featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma, with violinist Joshua Bell and new BSO conductor Andris Nelsons. For more information see http://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/69833 . 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).
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 8, 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. In addition, pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit with the New Skete German Shepherds and take a hike on the monks' mountain. Activities for kids are also planned. This year's guest speaker is Dr. Anton Vrame. Dr. Vrame is the Director of the Department of Religious Education for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He will be exploring the trends in society and their effects of Christianity in the US today and into the future. His talk is entitled, "Does the Future Have a Church?”
+ In years past, a number of us have gone out for the weekend to help the Communities with this event—to be extra sets of "helping hands" for the day. They are hoping a number of us will do so again this year. Would you like to help? In the past, this has been a wonderful community building activity for all of us. Moreover, if you have never been to the monastery, this may be a good way to be introduced to their life and work. Contact Reva Regule (teva@mit.edu ) for more information, especially about housing.
PATRONAL FEAST DAY CELEBRATION – Our patronal feast day is the Dormition of the Blessed Theotokos. We will celebrate on Friday, August 14, 2015 (the eve of the Feast) with Vespers at 4:15 pm, Orthros with Lamentations at 5:30 pm, and Festal Divine Liturgy at 7:00 pm, followed by a Dormition Feast in the church hall sponsored by the Fellowship Group (not by the Parish Council as announced earlier). Please join us for this!
PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, August 26 at 7:30 pm at the church.
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED - We are in need of teachers for the fall, in particular Pre-School and Kindergarten/1st grade. Anyone interested in teaching, or being an assistant or substitute, please contact Barbara@dsaarchitects.com.
FSJD SCHOLARSHIP WINNER - Congratulations to Gabriel Smith, recipient of the 2015 New England Region FSJD Scholarship, which was presented to him at the Parish Life Conference in Providence. The scholarships are awarded to high school seniors who are faithful and active Orthodox Christians whose high school records indicate a potential for being successful in an accredited college.
TRAUMANN-DAVIS FAMILY HELP – If you would like to help provide meals for the family of Elisabeth Traumann, who fell asleep in the Lord on July 5, you can go to a website set up by a family friend to coordinate this help: the site is http://www.takethemameal.com, the recipient name is Traumann Davis, and the password is seraphim. It is also possible to order meals through this site to be sent to the family.
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