Update for the week Thursday, March 9 - Thursday, March 16, 2017
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S
THURSDAY, 3/9 - The Bible Study group will meet tonight at 7:00pm in the church library.
At this meeting and throughout Lent we will be discussing the book, "The Divine Dance" by Richard Rohr. New members are always welcome. Our next meeting will be Thursday, March 23.
FRIDAY, 3/10 – This Friday we will pray the Akathist (Madayeh) at 7:00 pm. The Akathist service will also be held on Fridays, March 17 and 31.
SUNDAY, 3/12 - Daylight Savings Time begins - don’t forget to set your clocks forward one hour.
+ Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Church School lesson 17
+ Homily: The Icon of the Feast of the Transfiguration - Homilist: Ioana Popa
+ Bible Bowl informational meeting for parents, pre-teens and teens right after church in the Library. This year there will be two teams: a Pre-Teen (ages 10-12) Team and a Teen (ages 13-19) Team Practice Sessions will begin next Sunday, March 12, right after church in the Library. We will be studying the Gospel of Mark as printed in the Orthodox Study Bible. Participants must be present for all sessions. The Bible Bowl will be held at our Diocesan Parish Life Conference in June.
MONDAY, 3/13 - The next Women’s Club meeting will be Monday night at 7:30 at the church. We welcome all women of the parish to join us! 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.
WEDNESDAY, 3/15 – Presanctified Liturgy 6:30, followed by Potluck Supper sponsored by the Hospitality Group.
+ Do come to the Potluck Supper and bring something to share. Any Lenten fare is welcome: main courses, sides, salads, desserts, as well as beverages and snacks. This is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship during Lent, plus we get to sample each other's Lenten recipes. Contact Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu ) or Melissa Nassiff (mnassiff@gmail.com ) if you have any questions.
THURSDAY, 3/16 – The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for Thursday, March 16, at 7:30. Any parishioners who wish to attend are welcome.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
THANK YOU FROM THE WOMEN’S CLUB - The Women’s Club would like to thank all those who came out on a freezing Saturday morning last week to help prepare/cook the spinach triangles for our annual Lenten food sale. It’s always a fun day. A total of 74 dozen were made. We would not be able to do this without all your help. A special shout out to Karen Noonan who prepared 25 containers of Hoomos and 42 containers of Mjadara. Look forward to seeing you all next year. Many thanks to all those who purchased food as well.
THANK YOU FROM THE TEENS - The teens have weighed the food donated by our parishioners to the Food for Hungry People collection and they are pleased to report that 318 pounds of canned goods were collected for donation to the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC) food pantry at 11 Inman St. This food pantry is open to all Cambridge residents in need of supplementary food assistance and is open Monday through Thursday.
DIOCESAN RETREAT - Our Diocesan retreat, Parenting Within Orthodox Families, is scheduled to take place at the Cathedral on Saturday, April 1.. This promises to be a great retreat, led by three qualified and faithful Orthodox Christians (including our own Ioana Popa). The retreat is for parents of all ages. Cost is $20 per person, $30 for couples. Register today by contacting the Cathedral Office at 508-752-9150 or email them at stgeorgeworc@gmail.com
LAZARUS SATURDAY – On Saturday, April 8, Matins will be at 8:00am, and Divine Liturgy at 9:00, followed by Communion Breakfast at 10:15. Our annual Church Clean-Up in preparation for Pascha will follow immediately after breakfast. Please plan to come and help.
REMINDERS
WOMEN’S MONTH - March is Antiochian Women’s Month. Our women will be reading the Epistle, taking the Collection each Sunday, and assisting during Communion. We invite all women of St. Mary Church to be included – if you are able to participate, please sign up on the sheet at the Bengarri or contact Marilyn Robbat at 781-729-3033 or mbtrobbat@gmail.com, or the church office at 617-547-1234 or secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
SERMON SCHEDULE - This month a number of women from the parish are sharing their thoughts on “The Iconography of the Great Feasts.” They will focus on the feasts of our Lord, in particular the Nativity, Transfiguration, Pascha, and Pentecost. Upcoming sermons will be:
3/19 – The Icon of the Feast of Pascha (Homilist: Melissa Nassiff)
3/26 – The Icon of the Feast of Pentecost (Homilist: TBD)
TEEN SOYO RETREAT – There will be a Diocese of Worcester and New England 2017 Teen SOYO Retreat, entitled “Packing My Lenten Lunchbox,” Friday-Sunday, March 31-April 2. All teens Grades 7-12 are invited to attend. Location: Saint Methodios Faith and Heritage Center, Contoocook, NH. Cost: $95/teen, $50/advisor. Register by March 17. For information contact Fr. Joseph Kimmett, geonorwood@aol.com or John Abud, abudjohn@gmail.com.
LENTEN WOMEN’S RETREAT - Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church, Allston, MA invites you to a Lenten Women’s Retreat on Saturday, March 18 9:00 am-4:00 pm. Fr. Maximos of Simonopetra Monastery and Holy Cross will speak on Reflections on the Prayer of St. Ephraim. For information visit www.hrocboston.org .
ANNUNCIATION – Evening Liturgy for the Feast of the Annunciation to the Theotokos is Friday, March 24 at 6:30 pm
+ Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Church, West Roxbury, MA invites you to a celebration of the Feast of the Annunciation on Sunday, March 26 at 12:00noon, after Liturgy. Homemade Food, Coffee and dessert, $15/person. Free parking.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE – Scholarships ($1,000) are available from the Syrian-Lebanese Women’s club of Greater Boston to young women of Syrian and Lebanese origin, residing in Massachusetts within 50-mile radius of Boston, who plan to pursue a four-year college education. Scholarships are based on outstanding academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, charitable and civic involvement and good character; and applicants must be in good academic standing in her school and possess those personal attributes, which best serve the community. Applications are available through the Church Office and must be postmarked by March 31, 2017. If you have any questions, contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 or email at moconnor@koilaw.com
PYSANKY (UKRAINIAN EGG) WORKSHOP: The Hospitality Group invites you to join us on April 1 or 2 (one or both afternoons) to learn the beautiful art of Ukrainian Easter egg coloring. Seraphim Davis has generously offered to teach. We are offering two afternoons because last year people needed more time to finish, but participation does not require attending both dates. If you are interested, please respond ASAP to Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu) with the following information: (1) which afternoon(s) would you attend? (2) Will you need a kit with the materials? (3) Will you need childcare? (NOTE: We might need to cap participation, to keep the numbers manageable, so please respond soon with any interest).
YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY - The Young Adult Ministry is an active, dynamic group that hosts monthly social, spiritual, and outreach events and programs. We have lots of great plans for 2017, and we hope you'll join us! If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Jamil at 617-501-4427 or youngadults@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org. Our next meeting will be Saturday, April 1.
BAKE SALE – The Women’s Club will hold their annual Pascha Bake Sale on Sunday, April 2. Plan on purchasing all your Pascha/Easter desserts, pastries and goodies. If you can help bake please call Marilyn Robbat at 781-729-3033 or e-mail the church office at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
DONATIONS FOR HOLY WEEK – For the special services of Holy Week, the Church needs donations of olive oil for the Unction Service (Wednesday), flowers for the tomb of Christ (Friday), flowers to distribute on Great and Holy Friday, rose water to anoint the faithful (Friday), incense, Paschal lilies and other flowers, and candles. Deadline is Palm Sunday, April 9. Please use the donation form in the Bulletin.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE - The 2017 Food for Hungry People program of our Archdiocese began with the start of Great Lent. Collection Boxes for use at home are on the Bengarri; please fill them during Lent and return them on Palm Sunday, April 9. “Whoever gives a hand to help his neighbor is helped by God’s own hand.” (St. Isaac the Syrian)
FISH DINNER – The annual Palm Sunday Fish Dinner, sponsored by the Hospitality Group and donated by Ed and Lisa Brylczyk, will be held on Sunday, April 9. Cost is $8.00 per person; $16 per family. Volunteers will be needed to help with setup, serving, and cleanup. Please plan to help.
MARRIAGE WORKSHOP – The Diocese of Worcester and New England will host a “Marriage Preparation and Enrichment” Workshop on Saturday, April 22, to be held here at St. Mary’s, from 10am-3pm. The Workshop leader will be Bishop JOHN. This workshop is open to anyone, not just those getting married. Register by April 15. To register, email (secretary@stmaryrthodoxchurch.org) with your name and phone number or call Barbara @ 617-547-1234. This workshop is free of charge.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE – Scholarships from the Antiochian Women are available to females 25 years of age and older in good standing of the Antiochian Archdiocese, actively involved in their parish and who demonstrate need. The application deadline is June 1, 2017. Applications are available in the Church Office. E-mail cindy@nimeys.com with any questions.
CHINESE NEW YEAR BREAKFAST - The Chinese “New Year” Breakfast originally scheduled as a celebration of the Chinese new Year of the Rooster, which fell on January 28 this year, has been postponed to Sunday June 4, coinciding with Church School graduation. A Chinese Dumpling Making Party will be held June 3 and children with adult supervision are welcome. Watch for more details or contact Nelson Mitrophan Chin at mitrophan@orthodox.cn.
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE – The 2017 Diocese of Worcester and New England Parish life Conference will be hosted by St. George Cathedral, Worcester. Dates: Saturday, June 17 (Pre-Conference) and Friday-Sunday, June 23-25 (Conference). All events will take place at St. George Orthodox Cathedral. For more information and to register go to https://www.antiochianevents.org/143
COFFEE HOUR MADE EASY! - To make sponsoring a Coffee Hour a little bit easier, St. Mary’s will be 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.
REFLECTION
We know that prayer in and of itself cannot save us, but carrying it out before God can. For when the Lord's eyes are upon us He sanctifies us, as the sun warms everything upon which it shines.
- St. Gregory Palamas
Lying, deceit and slander are crooked, and the rough paths are anger, hatred, envy and remembrance of wrongs, all of which are made straight and level when transformed by the works of repentance. And so “all flesh,” that is, every person of every nation and race who straightens and smoothes himself out through repentance, “shall see the salvation of God.”
- St. Gregory Palamas, Homily on the Eve of Theophany
Christ will bring each one to union with the divinity, if he carries nothing unworthy of the kinship with the divine. For the divinity of him who has truly been divinized belongs to God to whom he has been united and by whom he has been divinized in grace; he has not thrown away his own nature but by that grace he has transcended nature.
- St. Gregory Palamas, On Perfection