Update for the week Thursday, October 1, through Thursday, October 8, 2015
As Father Antony continues to recover from his 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
SATURDAY, 10/3 – 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.
+ 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, this Saturday at 7:00pm. For more information or to purchase tickets visit them at: http://stgeorgenorwood.wix.com/gala-event-2
SUNDAY, 10/4 – Orthros 8:45 am; Hierarchical Divine Liturgy 10:00; Church School lesson 3
+ A special collection will be taken today to support Orthodox Seminarians and Theological Schools.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY - While Fr. Antony is recuperating, in case of emergency please call Fr.Timothy Ferguson at 617-323-0323.
YOUTH MONTH – October is Youth Month throughout the Archdiocese. Our teens will be taking an active role in the Liturgy his month by helping with communion, taking collection and reading the Epistle. To get involved, please see Greg or Hannah Hakim.
TEEN SOYO ELECTIONS - St. Mary's Teen SOYO will be electing new officers for the 2015-16 year during church school this Sunday, October 4. You must be present to run.
NEW SKETE RETREAT UPDATE - The New Skete Fall Retreat on Saturday, October 17, is filling up fast. (See Reminders, below.) Evidently the theme and accompanying Haskell concert are turning out to be very popular - not to mention that the monastery is especially beautiful at this time of year! If you are planning on attending (and have not already done so), please register ASAP. See http://www.newskete.org/retreat.html for more information and registration. Note - the Emmaus Guest House is filled. There is still some room at the nuns', for those who don't mind a more "camping" style of sleeping arrangement. If you would like to stay at the nuns', contact Teva Regule at teva@mit.edu by this Sunday, October 4.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – Once again St. Mary's is holding its annual Canned Food Drive: October, 2014 – December 31, 2015. Since 1984, we have collected over 3,281,200 pounds of food. Please bring in canned goods ONLY and place them in the plastic bins in the room outside the kitchen. They will be distributed to food pantries in our area.
COME SEE THE MESSIAH - Join friends from St. Mary’s for the Handel and Haydn Society’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday afternoon, November 29, at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are just $25 – even less if we have a big enough group. We will carpool to (or meet at) Symphony Hall after Liturgy and have lunch together at a nearby restaurant before the concert. Those who have done this before have thoroughly enjoyed it - not only do we hear a world-class orchestra and chorus with famous soloists singing glorious words (taken directly from the Bible), but we also have an opportunity to spend time getting to know some fellow parishioners we normally may not encounter. Good seats go fast - please contact Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com by Sunday, October 18.
ANNUAL BAZAAR – The Church of St. John of Damascus will hold its annual bazaar on Friday-Sunday, November 6-8. Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, Christmas Crafts, Country Store, Raffles and more. For more information visit them at www.stjohnd.org/bazaar.
MARRIAGE SEMINAR – A Seminar for Couples preparing for marriage will be held on Saturday, November 21, at the Chancery, 2 Lydia’s Path, Westborough, MA. Bishop JOHN will be the featured speaker. $35/couple. RSVP by November 14: make checks payable to NER Deanery, and mail to St. John of Damascus Church, 300 West St., Dedham, MA 02026.
DIOCESAN CHRISTMAS CONCERT - A Christmas Concert, sung by the combined choirs and chanters of the Diocese of Worcester and New England, will be held on Saturday, December 5 at 6:00 pm at St. George Cathedral in Worcester immediately following Vespers, and on Sunday, December 6 at 3:00 pm at St. John of Damascus in Dedham. Mark Haddad, choir director at St. John’s, will be conducting the Diocesan Choir with Charles Marge of St. Mary’s conducting the Diocesan Chanters. This will be a beautiful event open to parishioners, families, and friends as well as the public. Please plan on joining us! For more information or questions, please contact: Mark Haddad at mhh42@me.com or Charlie Marge at marge@alum.mit.edu.
REMINDERS
COFFEE HOUR – People are needed every week to provide coffee, juice and cookies, or more if desired, and set it up Sunday morning. Only a few more Sundays are available this fall! To sign up for an available Sunday, please put your name on the signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall or call Barbara Shoop in the Parish Office and she will write your name in. If you need any help with figuring out what to bring or do, check the list below the signup sheet (also printed in the Bulletin), or ask Barbara at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 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.
BIBLE STUDY – The Bible Study will resume bi-weekly meetings in October on Thursday, October 15 and Thursday, October 29, at 7:00 pm 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, (Fri. & Sat. 10am-9pm, Sun. 12pm-3pm) 55 Emmonsdale Rd., West Roxbury. Admission is free. There will be Middle Eastern cuisine, country store, crafts, kids’ corner and raffles.
NEW SKETE FALL RETREAT - The New Skete fall retreat will be held on Saturday, October 17. The theme is “Silence: Learning to Listen to Life.” A special feature of this year’s retreat will be a piano concert by Haskell Small entitled, “A Journey in Silence: Reflections on the Book of Hours and Bach’s Partitia No. 6 in e minor.” For more information and to register, see: http://www.newskete.org/retreat.html.
As usual, a number of St. Mary people plan to go out for the weekend. (It can be incredibly beautiful at this time of year). If you would like to stay at the monastery (with the nuns), please contact Teva Regule at teva@mit.edu by Sunday October 4. Also, as usual, we will try to coordinate rides. So if you are planning to go, let Teva know so she can put you on the list.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS AWARENESS DAY – Sunday, October 18 is Special Olympics Awareness Day, and the teens will request your financial donations to enable them to sponsor the 35th Annual Special Olympics Sports Camp, which is held annually at Antiochian Village. Please be generous as our teens need to raise in excess of $72,000 to run this wonderful program.
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, Hungry People: At Home and Abroad. 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 at the church. We welcome all women of the parish to join us!
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.
DELEGATES MEETING - The Fall Diocesan Delegates Meetings of Teen SOYO, Fellowship of St. John the Divine, and Antiochian Women will be held on Saturday, October 24, at St. George Cathedral in Worcester, MA.
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. Please come help cook on Saturday, November 7. Pick-Up Date is Sunday, November 8.
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 during Youth Month (October) please contact Greg or Hannah Hakim, greghakim@gmail.com
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 during Youth Month (October) please contact Greg or Hannah Hakim, greghakim@gmail.com
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: Buddy Mabardy
Liturgical Service:
Epistle: TBD
Procession: Thais Traumann-Davis, Maedot Kassa, Tenbit Mitiku, Esther Porr & Diane Iovan
Communion: Young people of the parish
Coffee Hour: The Dalton Family
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY
Epistle:
He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. ...
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Gospel:
The Lord said: " And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ... But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."
- Luke 6:31-36
REFLECTION
“If you want perfect love, go sell all your belongings, give them as charity and go where you find a master and sell yourself as a slave. Can you do this and be perfect?
You cannot do this? Do something else. Don’t sell yourself as slave. Just sell your belongings. Give them all as charity. Can you do it? Still it looks heavy…
Let’s go further on. You cannot give all your belongings. Give half. Give one of the three. Give one of five. Even this looks heavy.
Do something else. Give one out of ten. Can you do it? It still looks heavy.
Do something else. Don’t give charity. Don’t sell yourself as slave. Let’s move further on; don’t take your brother’s coat, don’t take his bread. Don’t persecute him; don’t eat him with your tongue. Can you not do this either?
Let us go even further: You found your brother in the mud and do not want to get him out. OK, you don’t want to do him good. Don’t harm him. Leave him there.” ...
How do we want to be saved, brothers, if one looks heavy and the other looks heavy. Where shall we go further down? We have no place even to descend. God is merciful. Yes, but he is also fair. And he has an iron rod.
- St. Cosmas of Aetolia
When the day is done and the night falls (which, however, we ought to call day: it is night for sinners and day for the just),when the play is over, when we all find ourselves confronted with our own actions and not with our riches or dignity or the honors we have had or the power we have wielded, when we are asked to give an account of our lives and our works of virtue, ignoring both the feats of our opulence and the humility of our need, when we are asked: "Show me your deeds!" then the disguises will fall and we shall see who is truly rich and who is truly poor.
- St. John Chrysostom
The rich man is not one who is in possession of much, but one who gives much.
- St. John Chrysostom