Update for the week Thursday, October 8, through Thursday, October 15, 2015
THIS WEEK
SATURDAY, 10/10 – No Vespers.
+ There will be no Vespers at St. Mary until further notice, while Fr. Antony continues his recovery. He appreciates your prayers and understanding and hopes to be back with us soon.
SUNDAY, 10/11 – Orthros 8:45 am; Divine Liturgy 10:00; No Church School (Columbus Day holiday weekend)
THURSDAY, 10/15 – The Bible Study will resume bi-weekly meetings next Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 pm in the church library. The lessons we'll discuss will be http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/solomon-and-kings/ and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/elijah-part-1/
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)
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONGRATULATIONS – The Teens elected to be Teen SOYO officers for 2015-2016 are Rachel Bargoot, President; James Jabbour, Vice President; Rebecca Sayeg, Secretary; and Jessica Winstanley, Treasurer. Congratulations to them all! The Teen SOYO Officers serve a big role throughout the year in planning social and service events and topics for discussions, and representing our parish at Diocese meetings. If you have ideas for Teen SOYO, reach out to our officers! And be sure to congratulate them!
PARISH COUNCIL - The next Parish Council meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 27 at 7:30 pm at the church.
PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS - If you are interested in serving on the Parish Council please speak to Deno Takles or Fr. Antony by Saturday, October 31. To be eligible to serve you must be a member of St. Mary’s for two years and in good financial standing.
CHURCH SCHOOL PRESENTATION OF SAINTS - On Sunday November 1, immediately following Liturgy, eight of our Church School Children will present a brief history of a particular Saint selected by Fr. Antony. The children will also be dressed in saintly attire for their presentation. The children have been working very hard on their presentations the past couple of months and we hope you will be with us on that Sunday to take part in their achievement.
TEENS TO SKY ZONE – The first Teen SOYO event will take place on Sunday, November 1 at Sky Zone. Teens must RSVP and have a signed permission slip to attend. Talk to Greg or Hannah Hakim for more details (greghakim@gmail.com)
DIVINE COMPASSION CONFERENCE – Women: Healing, Authority and Ministry in the Orthodox Church is the topic of Divine Compassion Conference III, on Saturday, November 7, 9:00am-4:00pm at Hellenic College, Brookline. Donation: $35 includes lunch. Register online at www.divinecompassionconferenceiii.eventbrite.com.
MEN'S RETREAT – The Second Annual Archbishop Michael Memorial Men's Retreat, Responding to God's Call, sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, will be held Saturday, November 7, 2015, St. Basil Academy in Garrison, NY, from 9:30 am - 3:00 pm. Retreat Leader will be Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos. For more information, please contact: familycare@goarch.org (845) 424-8184
DONATIONS FOR SEMINARIANS - If you missed the collection for Antiochian Seminarians and Theological Schools last Sunday, you can donate through eGive; a special category on eGive has been set up for this purpose. See https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/stewardship .
REMINDERS
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.
BAZAAR & FOOD FAIR – You are invited 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.” 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. Also, as usual, we will try to coordinate rides. If you are planning to go, let Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) 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.
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 pm. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY
Epistle:
Titus, my son, ... insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. ...
- Titus 3:8-15
Gospel:
The Lord spoke this parable: "A sower went out to sow his seeds; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it has no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundred fold." ... As Jesus said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
- Luke 8:5-15
REFLECTION
The devil tries to soil and defile every good thing a man would do by intermingling with it his own seeds in the form of self-esteem, presumption, complaint, and other things of this kind, so that what we do is not done for God alone, or with a glad heart.
- St. Symeon Metaphrastis
Allow the Spirit of God to dwell within you; then in His love He will come and make a habitation with you; He will reside in you and live in you. If your heart is pure you will see Him and He will sow in you the good seed of reflection upon His actions and wonder at His majesty. This will happen if you take the trouble to weed out from your soul the undergrowth of desires, along with the thorns and tares of bad habits.
- Evagrius of Pontus
It belongs to us ... to sow the seeds of virtue, but by God's gift and mercy alone the rain of His loving-kindness and grace falls and causes the unfruitful soil of our hearts to bear fruit. When the grain of the word falls on our souls it receives the moisture of God's goodness; it germinates, grows, and becomes a great tree (cf. Matthew 13:31-32), that is, it attains to mature manhood, to “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
- St. Symeon the New Theologian
As then it is His[God's] part to plant and to water, so it is yours to bear fruit: it is God's to grant grace, but yours to receive and guard it. Despise not the grace because it is freely given, but receive and treasure it devoutly.
- St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Whoever bears fruit with works of faith and love, he is a real disciple of Christ.
- Saint John Chrysostom