Update for the week Thursday, September 10, through Thursday, September 17, 2015
As Father Antony continues to recover from his recent heart attack, he and his family appreciate that you keep them in your prayers. But please continue to refrain from phone calls and visits to allow him to recover and continue resting.
THIS WEEK
SATURDAY, 9/12 – No Vespers.
+ There will be no Vespers at St. Mary until further notice, while Fr. Antony is recovering. He appreciates your understanding and hopes to be back with us soon.
SUNDAY, 9/13 – Orthros 8:45 am. Divine Liturgy 10:00
+ Please join us after Liturgy in the Hall downstairs for our Welcome Back Breakfast, to once again welcome students back to the area after summer, and to showcase all the different volunteer organizations within St. Mary's. The food will be provided by these organizations, and each group is encouraged also to have an informational flyer. Please browse through this information as you pick up your food, and choose how you can help out the ministries of St. Mary. (If you are a group leader and have not yet been contacted by Julie Wasilko about what your organization is bringing, please contact her at julie31415pi@gmail.com .)
+ Registration for new Church School students, age 3 and over, will take place after Liturgy during the Welcome Back coffee hour on Sunday, September 13. Church School classes will begin on Sunday, September 20.
MONDAY, 9/14 – The Women's Club will meet this Monday at 7:30 in the church. At this meeting we will formulate our yearly calendar, so come with any ideas you may have. We usually meet just once a month, and we welcome all women of the parish to join us! The Women’s Club does charitable work locally, nationally and internationally, and also supports the Church School. Call Marilyn Robbat (781-729-3033) or the church office (617-547-1234) if you have any questions or want to be a part of this wonderful group of women.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY - While Fr. Antony is recuperating, in case of emergency please call Timothy Ferguson at 617-323-0323 (note the change).
CHURCH SCHOOL - Our Teachers/Assistants for the 2015-2016 Church School year are:
Pre-K - Larisa Patacchiola/Klorela Alcala
Kindergarten/Grade 1 - Esther Porr (leaving in November)/Katya Soot/Georgia Cambra
Grade 2/3 - Maria Abdalah/Shannon Sakellariou
Grade 4/5 - Natasha Smith/Jack Souweha
Grade 6 - Marianna Sayeg/Dino Takles
Grade7/8 - Peter Nassiff/Tom Perkins
Discussion Group (Gr. 9-12) - Greg Hakim/Hannah Oakley
+ Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to teach this year. We especially want to welcome Larisa Patacchiola who will be co-teaching in Pre-K along with Klorela Alcala; Katya Soot and Georgia Cambra who will be co-teaching in K/1 along with Esther Porr (who will be leaving us in November to pursue her career in Maine); and Maria Abdalah, daughter of Bishop JOHN, who will be teaching along with Shannon Sakellariou in grades 2/3. We look forward to their joining us and wish them and all the teachers a blessed and successful year.
+ Church School classes will begin on Sunday, September 20.
FUNDRAISING GALA – On Saturday, October 3, St. George Norwood will be celebrating a “Red Carpet Gala” event to help reach their fundraising goals for church renovations, at Central FIAT of Norwood, 7:00pm. For more information or to purchase tickets visit them at: http://stgeorgenorwood.wix.com/gala-event-2
ABBA CONCERT - The American Arabic Benevolent Association (ABBA) will be presenting a concert with Gina Dimia, one of North Shore’s greatest entertainers, at the Norwood High School Theatre on Friday, October 23 at 8:00 pm. A pastry buffet will follow the concert. For tickets contact David Franciosi at dfranciosi@aol.com or 617-347-1007.
REMINDERS
COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – Please get your friends together and sign up to provide a coffee hour. Some do it to celebrate a special event or anniversary, but you don’t need a reason, and it can be as simple as coffee, juice, and cookies. When no one volunteers, there’s no coffee! Signup sheets are on the bulletin board downstairs outside the Hall. After next week, there are many Sundays available. Call the Church Office if you have any questions: 617-547-1234.
PARKING AROUND CITY HALL - Please be aware that workers are repairing the City Hall windows and are working on Sundays to complete this task. Therefore, parking spaces around City Hall will be scarce as contractors are utilizing these spaces for their trucks and equipment.
MEN'S RETREAT - The Annual Men’s Retreat with Bishop JOHN is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, September 18-20, at St. Methodios Spiritual Center in NH. The theme of the Retreat is “Sin, Repentance, Reconciliation and Redemption”. The cost for lodging and all meals is $199. For more information pick up a flyer at the Bengarri or contact Jeff St. Jean at 413-348-2878.
SONIA'S RUN/WALK – The 7th annual Sonia’s 5K Run/Walk and Fall Fair will be held on Saturday, September 19, at St. George Orthodox Church, West Roxbury, MA. This race is held annually to benefit the Theophany School in honor of our 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 more information see http://www.soniasrun.org/
FALL RETREAT – You are invited to the Fall Retreat sponsored by the Antiochian Women of the diocese on Saturday, September 26 at St John of Damascus Church in Dedham. Featured Speaker Father Ted Pulcini will talk about Hearing Your Call and Responding To It. The Retreat is open to Women, Men, Families and Friends. Advance registration and payment of $20 is requested to Kh Erin Kimmett, 17 Austin St, Norwood 02062 – see schedule and registration form in this week's Sunday bulletin.
HCHC OPEN HOUSE - Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology will hold its Fall open house on Saturday, September 26. Prospective undergraduate and graduate students are invited to be their guests for a half day of worship, learning and fellowship. More information is available on their website www.hchc.edu/visit.
POTLUCK PICNIC – All St. Mary parishioners are invited to a potluck picnic sponsored by the Hospitality Group, on Sunday, September 27 (note new date) at Dana Park (10-20 McTernan St, Cambridge) – the same park as previous picnics! 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 (walk down Magazine St), 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!!! For people who need assistance getting to the park, we can coordinate rides. If you have questions or 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 Tuesday, September 29 at 7:30 pm at the church.
PAN-ORTHODOX YOUNG ADULT RETREAT - Join a diverse group of Orthodox young adults October 2-4, 2015 in Syracuse, NY for a Pan-Orthodox Young Adult Retreat to explore and reflect on the mystery of the human person and why knowing ourselves matters! The Syracuse Pan-Orthodox Young Adult Retreats are sponsored by Holy Transfiguration (Bulgarian) Orthodox Church and St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church as part of an ongoing program to provide forums for young orthodox adults to network and socialize with one another, address their common problems and interests, and grow in their faith. To register contact Mike Tishel at michael.tishel@gmail.com, or see www.thepersonproject.com
BIBLE STUDY – The Bible Study will not meet in September; we will resume bi-weekly meetings in October on Thursday, October 15 and Thursday, October 29, in the church library.
St. Mary's Bible Study group is based on a very interesting and accessible course originally broadcast on Ancient Faith Radio, entitled Search the Scriptures – see http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info. New members are always welcome. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com)
BAZAAR & FOOD FAIR – Come to the St. George Bazaar & Food Fair, Friday through Sunday, October 16-18, 55 Emmonsdale Rd., West Roxbury. Admission is free. There will be Middle Eastern cuisine, country store, crafts, kids’ corner and raffles.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE
There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshipers and those in need. Consider serving in one of these ways:
Greeter: Welcome people into the church and help to direct visitors upstairs to the Liturgy, as well as keeping an eye on the vestibule, hallways and entrance ways during Church. To volunteer contact Buddy Mabardy at 781-729-6303 or e-mail: buddy@cjmabardy.com, or call the church office at 617-547-1234
Liturgical Service – Epistle: The Epistle is read each Sunday by a volunteer parishioner. To volunteer please contact Jeff Wasilko, jeffw@smoe.org
Liturgical Service – Procession: Church School children or parishioners carry the candles, icon, and bread baskets in the great procession. For information about this ministry contact Teva Regule at teva@mit.edu
Liturgical Service – Communion: Volunteers are needed every Sunday to hold the Communion cloths and the Holy Bread baskets during Communion. To volunteer please contact Jeff Wasilko, jeffw@smoe.org
Coffee Hour: People are needed every week to provide coffee, juice and cookies, or more if desired, and set it up Sunday morning. To sign up for an available Sunday, please put your name on the signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall, or contact Barbara Shoop in the Parish Office at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.
Prison Ministry: For information about the Prison Ministry at St. Mary you can subscribe to our mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/ocpm-concord. If you are interested in helping with this ministry, talk with Fr. Antony or Deacon Jeff. Another way to help is to donate Orthodox books, icon cards, and magazines (for security, please remove any personal mailing address) – Mitrophan Chin collects these to share with the inmates.
Hospitality Group: St. Mary's Donald D. Fiore Hospitality Group sponsors various events to welcome visitors and newcomers and to foster a spirit of fellowship and caring among all the people who worship here. To join us or to find out more, contact any of our officers: Julie Wasilko, President julie31415pi@gmail.com, Diana Yousef, Vice President dymartinek@gmail.com, Melissa Nassiff, Secretary and eNewsletter editor mnassiff@gmail.com, Michael Decerbo, Treasurer michaeldecerbo@gmail.com, Socrates Deligeorges, Head Chef dr.socrates@gmail.com
Choir: The St. Mary Church Choir is very open to individuals interested in making a commitment to sing each Sunday at Divine Liturgy. Please feel free to join them and/or introduce yourself to the director, Michelle Mabardy, any Sunday after Liturgy.
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
Greeter: Deno Takles
Liturgical Service:
Epistle: Melissa Nassiff
Procession: Danait Teclezghi, Saimon Teclezghi, Essey Teclezghi, Mulugheta Teclezghi, and Sarah Ghile
Communion: TBD, Mulugheta Teclezghi, and Sarah Ghile
Coffee Hour: Welcome Back Breakfast, sponsored by the Hospitality Group
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS WEEK, the Elevation of the Cross
Epistle:
… Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
- 1 Corinthians 18-24
Gospel:
At that time, when the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God." When Pilate heard these words, he was the more afraid; he ... said to Jesus, "Where are you from? ... Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above ...” When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat ... He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" ... The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. ...
- John 19:6-35
REFLECTION
Our faith is rooted in that strange defeat which became the most glorious victory — the defeat of a man nailed to the cross, who rose again from the dead, who is the Lord and the Master of the world. This is the first triumph of Orthodoxy. This is the content of all our commemorations and of all our joy.
- Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, from http://www.schmemann.org/byhim/orthodoxy1985.html
By the sacrifice of His own body He did two things: He put an end to the law of death which barred our way; and He made a new beginning of life for us, by giving us the hope of resurrection. By man death has gained its power over men; by the Word made Man death has been destroyed and life raised up anew.
- St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation
By the mere planting of thy Cross, O Christ, the foundation of death did shake; for him whom Hades did swallow eagerly, it delivered up with trembling; for verily, thou didst reveal to us thy salvation, O holy One. Wherefore, do we glorify thee, O Son of God. Have mercy upon us.
- Orthros of the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross, Tone 6
Our warfare does not make the living dead, but rather makes the dead to live, because it is conducted in the spirit of meekness and humility. I persecute by word, not by acts. I persecute heresy, not heretics. It is mine more to be persecuted, than to persecute. So Christ was victorious as a Crucified, and not as a crucifier.
- St. John Chrysostom