Update for the week Thursday, September 17, through Thursday, September 24, 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. Thank you.
THIS WEEK
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, 9/18-20 - The Annual Men’s Retreat with Bishop JOHN is scheduled for, 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.
SATURDAY, 9/19 – 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.
+ 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/
SUNDAY, 9/20 – Orthros 8:45 am. Divine Liturgy 10:00
+ Church School classes begin – children should go downstairs immediately after receiving Communion
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY - While Fr. Antony is recuperating, in case of emergency please call Fr. Timothy Ferguson at 617-323-0323 (note the change to Fr. Timothy).
MEMORY ETERNAL: LOUISE HOMSY - We regret to inform you of the falling asleep in the Lord of Sarah Louise Homsy of Somerville, MA on September 12, 2015. Louise was the wife of the late Charles G. Homsy and mother of George and Sam Homsy. She is the grandmother of Matthew, Hannah and Ian Homsy. Louise and her family were lifelong Members of St Mary’s and she was an active member of St. Mary’s Women’s Club and served as the Treasurer of the Club for over 30 years. Visiting hours will be at St. Mary’s Friday, September 18 from 5-8pm. Funeral services will be at the church on Saturday at 10:00am, with interment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Louise’s memory may be made to St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church.
HIERARCHICAL DIVINE LITURGY AND ORDINATION – With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH, His Grace Bishop JOHN will ordain Prior Theodore of the Western Rite Monastery of Our Lady and Saint Laurence to the Holy Diaconate during Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday, September 27, here at St. Mary Church. Prior Theodore was formerly Michael Philips, a St. Mary's parishioner and our catechist. For more information about him and the monastery see http://saintlaurenceosb.org/monastery--oblates.html
BAKE SALE - The Women’s Club will hold a Charity Bake Sale on Sunday, October 18, immediately following Liturgy in the church hall. All proceeds will benefit the charitable projects we sponsor, from the YWCA Family Shelter in Cambridge to the Antiochian Women’s project. Call Marilyn Robbat at 781-729-3033, or the Church Office at 617-547-1234 or email secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org if you can help bake and/or donate.
WOMEN'S CLUB – The next meeting of the Women's Club will be Monday, October 19, at 7:30 pm.
SFEEHA SALE – The Women’s Club is offering for purchase freshly made Sfeeha (ground lamb-meat pizza pies with onion, pine nuts & seasonings). Everything is cooked with the finest of ingredients and ready to eat now or freeze for the holidays! (Note: this product contains pine nuts.) Please use the order form in the Sunday bulletin, or contact the church office for a copy. Order deadline is Sunday, October 25. Pick-Up Date is Sunday, November 8.
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. There are many Sundays available this Fall. 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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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: Bob Kowalik
Liturgical Service:
Epistle: Teva Regule
Procession: Saron Nebiye, Nathan Nebiye, Selina Nebiye, Nazret S., Nebiye W., and Panayiotis Sakellariou
Communion: TBD - volunteers needed
Coffee Hour: The Winstanley family
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS WEEK, Sunday after the Elevation of the Cross
Epistle:
Brethren, you know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, ... For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- Galatians 2:16-20
Gospel:
The Lord said: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. … For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
- Mark 8:34-9:1
REFLECTION
The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny oneself. To deny oneself means to give up one's bad habits, to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world; not to cherish bad desires and thoughts; to quench and suppress bad thoughts; to avoid occasions of sin; not to do or desire anything from self-love but to do everything out of love for God. To deny oneself means, according to the Apostle Paul, to be dead to sin and the world, but alive to God.
- St. Innocent of Alaska, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven
For the man who believes, all things are possible because "Faith is counted as righteousness," and "Christ is the end of the Law." Belief in Him justifies and perfects the believer, for belief in Christ is considered to correspond to the works of the law. It is confirmed and witnessed by the evangelic precepts and so earns for the faithful a participation in eternal life, in Christ Himself.
- St. Symeon the New Theologian
It is true that God, in His unbounded mercy, often does good to men without their faith; but in seeking faith from men, God lays emphasis on the dignity of men as free and rational beings. How is man free and rational if he, on his part, is not ready to contribute to his own salvation? God seeks of men the least that it is possible to seek: faith in the living God, in His love for men and His constant readiness to give to man, and do for him, all that works towards his good.
- Bp. Nikolai Velimirovic, Homilies
...while the Lord's victory is certainly an accomplished fact, my personal participation in that victory is as yet far from complete...My trust is therefore in Christ, not in myself, and I am confident that Christ is faithful and stands firm.
- Bp. Kallistos Ware, How are We Saved?
Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise with a full stomach, all snuggled up in a soft feather-bed, but what is required is to carry one's cross along the way, for the kingdom of God is not attained by enduring one or two troubles, but many!
- Elder Anthony of Optina