Update for the week Thursday, August 4 - Thursday, August 11, 2016
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S
SATURDAY, 8/6 - The annual New Skete Pilgrimage is this Saturday, August 6. This year the monastery is celebrating their 50th Anniversary, and Metropolitan Tikhon will be there. See http://www.newskete.org/50th-anniversary.html. A number of St. Mary people are going out for the weekend to help the Communities with this event. Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) is coordinating the Boston helpers.
SUNDAY, 8/7, After-Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ - Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am.
WEDNESDAY, 8/10 - There will be a Paraclesis service for the Dormition of the Theotokos on Wednesday, August 10, at 6:30 pm.
THURSDAY, 8/11 - The Bible Study group will meet next week, Thursday, August 11, at 7:00 pm in the church library. For more information contact Marianna Sayeg (mksayeg@gmail.com) or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com). The meeting after this will be Thursday, August 25. New members are always welcome.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL – St. George Church in West Roxbury invites our children to join them Monday through Thursday, August 15-18, from 9:00am to 12:00pm, for Vacation Church School. This is a 4-day-long summer program for Preschool (at least 3 years old and potty-trained) through 7th grade students to learn more about their faith. The theme for this year is Mary, the Mother of our God. Each day includes a lesson, snack time, singing, playtime, crafts, and lots of fun! Snacks will be provided each morning, but students should pack a lunch. Registration must be received by Monday, August 8 to guarantee a spot for your child. Suggested registration donation is $30 for one child, $50 for two children, and $70 for three children. Click here for the registration form: http://www.stgeorgeofboston.org/assets/files/VCS/VBS2016RegistrationForm.doc
BYZANTINE CHANT WORKSHOP – On Saturday and Sunday, August. 20 and 21, there will be a Byzantine Chant Workshop at St. Michael the Archangel Church on Cape Cod led by vocal instructor Richard Barrett, starting after Matins at 9:00 am Saturday with the final session after Liturgy on Sunday. For more information, to reserve a spot, or for information on nearby lodging, please contact David Easa, preferably by e-mail at LoganTD@aol.com, or by phone at 774-313-0778. The cost is $40 per person.
PART TIME HELP NEEDED – A family is seeking a reliable person to drive their daughter (5 years old) on week-day mornings from their home in Cambridge to the Park School (down the street from Hellenic College). Candidates should have their own car and a clean driving record. They should also genuinely like children, be responsible and conscientious, and have excellent communication skills. For details on dates and time, compensation, and job qualifications & requirements, contact Diana Yousef (dymartinek@gmail.com).
NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS – There will be a Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos on Wednesday, September 7, at 6:30pm.
REMINDERS
CHURCH SCHOOL TEACHER STILL NEEDED – A new teacher is still needed next fall for the Grade 2-3 class. If we have no volunteers to teach this class we will not be able to have a class for the 2nd and 3rd grade children. Please contact Barbara Shoop at barbara@dsaarchitects.com to volunteer or to learn more.
DORMITION of the THEOTOKOS – The Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos is our patronal feast day here at St. Mary’s. For the two weeks before the Feast, until August 14, we fast in preparation for the Feast.
+ On Sunday, August 14, we will celebrate the Feast of the Dormition. Please join us after Divine Liturgy for a Dormition Feast meal, sponsored by the Hospitality Group. Cost is $8 per person/$16 per family; make checks payable to St. Mary's Church with "Hospitality Group" on the memo line. We look forward to seeing you there!
+ We will need 5 volunteers to help prepare and serve the food - if you can help, please contact Socrates Deligeorges at dr.socrates@gmail.com.
LEBANESE FESTIVAL - Our Lady of the Cedars, 61 Rockwood St., Jamaica Plain, invites you to their Lebanese Festival on Friday-Sunday, August 12-14 Three days of entertainment, live music, Arabic food and drink, Gift shop and activities. For more info call 617-522-0225.
VESPERS – While monthly Saturday Vespers will not be held at St. Mary’s on the first Saturday of each month during the summer, as announced previously, note that there will be a Great Vespers service on Saturday, August 13. There will not be Vespers on Saturday, September 3.
FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN - On Thursday-Saturday, August 18-20 at St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester volunteers from all over the Diocese will be measuring and scooping 100,000 meals of MannaPack Rice, a scientifically formulated food that is culturally acceptable worldwide, for starving children. Organizations in nearly 70 countries distribute these meals to children in greatest need. We need 500 volunteers on that day as well as donations to help meet the $22,000 goal for the cost of the MobilePack Rice. This Humanitarian project is being conducted in conjunction with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit.
• Volunteers - Registration will be live 6 weeks prior to the event at www.fmsc.org/mobilepack.
• Donations - Donate online at www.fmsc.org/mobilepack. Also, checks made out to FMSC, Memo line Mobil Pack #1608-054, can be given at the Bengarri or church office.
Please consider volunteering and/or making a donation to this worthy cause. If you would like to learn more you can contact Fr. MiladSelim at St. George Worcester 508-752-9150 or fr.milad.selim@gmail.com
ORTHODOX YOUNG PROFESSIONALS - The Orthodox Young Professionals Conference is a four day conference hosted by the Young Adult Ministry of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Young Orthodox Christians from across the country and all jurisdictions are invited to join together in fellowship and fun. The conference committee has been working since 2015 to plan an amazing opportunity for spiritual growth, future friendships, lasting memories and more. The gathering will be held in New Orleans at the Drury Inn and Suites, Thursday-Sunday, August 18-21, 2016.
A Young Professional is a young adult who is beyond the college years navigating through the daily struggles of life as an Orthodox Christian in their mid-twenties through thirties. Visit the Website: http://www.oypc2016.com
POSITION AVAILABLE - Orthodox Christian Network is looking for a Producer and Program Coordinator in Boston, part-time. The OCN seeks a highly organized, detail-oriented individual who has experience with supervision, program development, production, and web-based content management systems. Be knowledgeable in operation of a DSLR camera. Have experience in multi-track audio editing using pro-level applications (Apple Logic, Adobe Audition, Pro Tools, other similar). If interested submit a cover letter and resume with the subject line “Producer & Program Coordinator Application” to elenialexiou@myocn.net. We will review applicants on a rolling basis until the position is filled. For more information go to http://myocn.net/producerprogramcoordinator/.
WOMEN’S CLUB – Ladies, please consider joining the Women’s Club in the fall. Our first meeting will be Monday, September 12, at 7:30 at the church. At this meeting we will formulate our yearly calendar so come with any ideas you may have. We meet only once a month. We welcome all women of the parish to join us! The Women’s Club does charitable work both locally, nationally and internationally and supports the Church School. Call Marilyn (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.
SONIA’S RUN – The 8th Annual Sonia’s 5K Run/Walk and fall fair will be held at St. George Orthodox Church, West Roxbury, MA, on Saturday, September 17. The 5k road race benefits 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. Be a sponsor, volunteer or vendor. For more information and how you can help visit the website http://www.soniasrun.org.
COFFEE HOUR MADE EASY! - To make sponsoring a Coffee Hour a little bit easier, St. Mary’s is offering a delivery service through “Instacart,” for the basic foods necessary to host a Coffee hour. Simply select a date, mail a check to the office and we will order the food and have it delivered to the church on that Sunday between 9:00 and 10:00 am. You will need to be at the church to accept the order and you will be required to set up for the coffee hour and clean up both the kitchen and hall at the end of the coffee hour. Two menus will be offered. Menu one will include: bagels, mini muffins, fruit, hummus/Syrian bread, juice and coffee for $160. Menu two will include: bagels, juice and coffee for $70. Prices DO NOT include a 20% tip for delivery and are subject to change based on current market pricing of items. Cream cheese, peanut butter, jam and coffee creamer are included with each menu. As usual, St. Mary’s will provide the plates, cups, napkins, utensils, serving platters, and sweetener for coffee. If you are interested in taking advantage of this service and signing up for a coffee hour please contact the office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
+ In addition to the sign-up sheet, our contact Barbara in the church office and the Instacart option, we also have LINDA ARNOLD serving as our volunteer Coffee Hour Coordinator. Her contact information is MMarmee52@aol.com and 978-270-0346. Please feel free to let her know of your interest and be open to hosting a coffee hour especially if you have not done so in the past. She will be happy to guide you through the process!
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE
There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshippers, and those in need. Consider serving in one of these ways:
BE A GREETER – Please consider serving the Church as a Greeter! Greeters arrive 15 minutes before Liturgy, get a Greeter Name Tag from the Bengarri, pin it on and greet visitors/parishioners at the Church Entrance and direct them upstairs to the Church, or to the cloakroom or restrooms. Greeting time ends when Communion starts. Send your name and e-mail address to Buddy Mabardy: buddymabardy@cjmabardy.com or phone him 781-729-6303. Or contact the church office.
LITURGICAL SERVICE – Each Sunday, members of the congregation are needed to read the Epistle and assist during Communion by holding the Communion Cloths and Blessed Bread. All Orthodox Christians in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to participate. We usually need one Epistle reader and four people to hold the cloths. If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during Communion, please contact Jeff Wasilko, 781-820-0882, jeffw@smoe.org.
Also, members of the Church School and others help by carrying the Icon, Candlesticks, and Bread Baskets in procession during the Great Entrance, and presenting the Bread to be blessed during the Liturgy. To volunteer for this service please contact Teva Regule at teva@mit.edu.
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 new signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall, or contact Linda Arnold (mmarmee52@aol.com) or the Church Office (Secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234).
PRISON MINISTRY – If you would like to find out more about Prison Ministry at St. Mary’s Church, please subscribe to our mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/ocpm-concord.
Also - please donate unwanted past issues of Orthodox magazines such as The Word, OCMC or other periodicals to our prison ministry to hand out to inmates. Please remove any personal mailing address for security purposes and give them to Mitrophan Chin.
RIDES TO CHURCH FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS - Do you live near a college or university? Are you able to offer a ride to and from St. Mary Church for a student? Are you a college student in need of a ride? Contact St. Mary’s Young Adult Ministry at 617-564-3344 or rides@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org to sign up or to learn more!
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY
Epistle:
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of your Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
- Romans 15:1-7
Gospel:
As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it." But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons." And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.
- Matthew 9:27-35
REFLECTION
According to Orthodox teaching, the promise about seeing the Son of Man coming in his kingdom [Matthew 16:28] must be understood as fulfilled in what transpired in the transfiguration. … [T]he transfiguration is a tremendously important event: it shows who Christ is, what he will achieve in salvation, what he will be like when he appears and what his people will ultimately become.
- James R. Payton, Jr., Light from the Christian East
He [the Son of God] became man so that man might become God.
- St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word
The central idea of the Eastern Fathers was that of theosis, the divinization of all creatures, the transfiguration of the world, the idea of the cosmos and not the idea of personal salvation... Only later Christian consciousness began to value the idea of hell more than the idea of the transfiguration and divinization of the world... The Kingdom of God is the transfiguration of the world, the universal resurrection, a new heaven and a new earth.
- Nicholas Berdyaev, Salvation and Creativity: Two Understandings of Christianity
You were transfigured on the mount, and your disciples, in so far as they were able, beheld your glory, O Christ our god; so that, when they should see you crucified, they would remember that your suffering was voluntary, and could declare to all the world that you are truly the effulgent splendor of the Father.
- Kontakion of the Transfiguration