Update for the week of September 7 - 14, 2017
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY
THURSDAY 9/7 – Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos will be celebrated this evening, Thursday, September 7, at 6:30pm
SUNDAY 9/10 – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am.
+ Church School registration for new students, and for children who have reached the age of 3, will be held this Sunday immediately after Liturgy. Classes will begin on Sunday, September 17.
+ The Young Adults and the Hospitality Group invite you to join them for a Welcome Back breakfast. Join us after Liturgy in the Hall downstairs to once again welcome students back to the area after summer. Please wear your collegiate colors to church to help the college community feel welcome! Suggested donations for the breakfast: $7/person, $14/family. Questions? Contact Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu).
MONDAY 9/11 – Bible Study resumes, meeting 7:00-8:30pm in the Fellowship Hall downstairs every other Monday. During the coming year we will focus on podcasts that introduce the History of the Bible, the Church Fathers, and the first three books of the Hebrew Scriptures. At this first meeting we will discuss the podcasts found at http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/overview and http://orthodoxbiblestudy.info/inspiration-and-inerrancy-part-1 If you do not have time to listen to the podcasts, but still want to come, please join us! Everyone is welcome to attend.
Note: The church parking lot is rented until 8:00pm. We are allowed to park in open parking spaces only; we cannot stack park or block anyone.
If interested, please contact the new co-leaders: Steve Walker at smwalk@gmail.com or Ioana Popa at drioanapopa@gmail.com, or Fr. Antony (frawhj@gmail.com). The following meeting will be on Monday, September 25.
WEDNESDAY 9/13– Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross will be celebrated on Wednesday at 6:00pm (note early start time).
THIS WEEK ELSEWHERE
SATURDAY 9/9 - St. George Boston is sponsoring a Charles River Sunset Dinner Cruise at 7:30 this Saturday. Cost of Dinner and Boat Rental and donation to the St. George Endowment Funds is $150 perperson. For reservations contact: eileensaliba@gmail.com or 617-699-9987. Space is limited.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
ENQUIRERS’ CLASS – The St. Ignatius Catechetical Group - Enquirers’ Class will begin meeting on Sunday September 24 at 9:00am in the hall. Enrollment will be open until October 15. The group is for non-Orthodox adults who are interested in exploring the Christian Faith as it has been – and continues to be – understood, preached, and lived by members of the Holy Orthodox Church. Bob Kowalik will be teaching the group. If you would like to participate, please talk to Bob during coffee hour; or get in touch by phone 617-889-3436 or r.kowalik@comcast.net. For those seeking to be received into the Orthodox Church, participation in the group and Fr. Antony’s blessing are required.
SFEEHA SALE - The Women’s Club is offering for purchase freshly made Sfeeha (ground lamb-meat pizza pies with onion, pine nuts & seasonings) and Kibbeh (8 ½”x 11” tray made with ground lamb-meat and burghul). Everything is cooked with the finest of ingredients and ready to eat now or freeze for the holidays! Please use the order form in the Sunday bulletin, or contact the church office for a copy. Order deadline is Sunday, October 22. Pick-Up Date is Sunday, October 29.
HELP MAKE SFEEHA – Please come to the church on Saturday morning, October 28, starting at 9:30 am to help make meat pies with the Women's Club. Lots of help will be needed – young and old, women and men are all welcome – and it's always lots of fun.
REMINDERS
YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY MONTH - September is “Young Adult Ministry Month” in our Archdiocese, when Young Adults can become more involved in the life of the parish. (see the Opportunities for Service section below.) To learn more or to get involved, send an email to youngadults@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or call/text Jamil (617-501-4427) or Adam (315-719-2101)
HURRICANE HARVEY APPEAL - Metropolitan JOSEPH has requested that every parish appeal to its parishioners and hold special collections after Liturgy throughout the month of September to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. If you would like to contribute by check please put on the memo line of the check “Hurricane Harvey appeal”. At the end of the month St. Mary’s contribution will be sent to the archdiocese for distribution to our parishes in need and to IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities). You can also donate through “eGive” by selecting “Hurricane Harvey Appeal.”
- For a copy of the Metropolitan’s letter to each parish please see the following link: http://antiochian.org/sites/default/files/hurricane_harvey_appeal.pdf
- A page full of Prayers for Deliverance from Hurricanes has been added to the Antiochian Archdiocese website: http://antiochian.org/prayers-deliverance-hurricanes
eGIVE UPGRADE - eGive recently upgraded their systems. To access your account going forward, you must now take the following steps:
> Go to the new eGive page for St. Mary’s: https://give.egive-usa.com/dl/?uid=eGive13834Conv
> Click on the “Forgot Password?” link and request a new password using the e-mail you signed up with. You will get an e-mail with a temporary password
> Log in with this temporary password
SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY – A training session on Building Social Justice Ministry Teams in the Church (prison ministry workshop) will be held on Saturday, September 16 from 9:00-4:30, here at St. Mary Orthodox Church. Details can be found at https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/news/events/2017/social-justice-ministry-teams Note that registration (by telephone or e-mail) by September 6 is only $10, thanks to a generous gift from His Grace Bishop John and the diocese; registration at the door (8:30-9:00 am) will be $40.
CHANTERS’ REHEARSAL – There will be a rehearsal and meeting for chanters on Saturday, September 16 at 4:00pm.
VESPERS and YOUNG ADULTS – September’s Great Vespers service will be held on Saturday, September 16, at 5:00 pm.
+ Following Vespers the Young Adults will gather for a delicious dinner out on the town.
CREATIVE ARTS PRESENTATION - Award ribbons will be given to the children who participated in the Diocese of Worcester and New England Creative Arts Competition, following Liturgy on Sunday, September 17. The projects will be on display in the Church Hall following the presentation.
WOMEN’S CLUB – The first Women’s Club meeting of the church year will be Monday, September 18 at 7:30. At this meeting we will formulate our yearly calendar, so come with any ideas you may have. We meet only once a month, and 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 Priscilla (781-762-1527) or the church office (617-547-1234) if you have any questions or are interested in joining us.
PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, September 20, at 7:30 pm.
SONIA’S RUN - Sonia’s Run and Fall Fair in memory of Sonia Daly Belcher, at St. George’s, West Roxbury, will be held on Saturday, September 23. Registration begins at 8:30am, race starts at 9:30am. St. Mary’s will run as a team again this year (last year we came in 2nd place). Just choose team “STMARYCAMBRIDGE” when you register. For questions about our team, please e-mail Charlie Marge, charlie.marge@verizon.net. All proceeds from the run will benefit Theophany School. Vendor tables are available. For more information go to www.soniasrun.org .
HIERARCHICAL VISIT – His Grace Bishop John will be with us at St. Mary’s on Sunday, September 24 for a Hierarchical visit, to celebrate liturgy and kick off our 90th Year celebration. The Parish Council will provide an extended coffee hour for the occasion.
ICON EXHIBIT – You are invited to an exhibit at the Museum of Russian Icons entitled Fantastic Beasts in Iconography. This Exhibit spotlights the many types of natural and unnatural creatures in iconography, exploring their origins, symbolism, stories, and myriad representations. This exhibit is family friendly, with images and activities that are appealing, accessible, and educational for both adults and children. This exhibit runs until Sunday, September 24. Special rates are available for group tours. Just call their Group Tour Manager, Amy Consalvi for information: 978.598.5000 x125. And more details of the exhibits are available on their website www.museumofrussianicons.org.
NEW DATE - TEEN SOYO ANNUAL RETREAT – Since in past years the annual Teen SOYO Retreat held during Lent has had to deal with too much snow, this year it is moving to the Fall. Now it will coincide with the Diocesan Family Camp at the St. Methodios Faith & Heritage Center in Contoocook, NH, Friday to Sunday, October 13-15. The campers will be staying at the Center and the teens (grades 7-12) will be staying in the cabins and have their own program and events. Everyone will come together for the services and most of the meals. The cost is $85 per teen. NOTE: Registration forms must be returned by October 1. For information or scholarship information, contact Fr. Joseph Kimmett, Diocese Spirituaul Advisor, at geonorwood@aol.com, 781-762-4396 or John Abud, Diocese Youth Director, at abudjohn@gmail.com, 810-252-5769.
DIOCESE FAMILY CAMP – Our first Diocese Family Camp will be held the weekend of Friday-Sunday, October 13-15, 2017 at the St. Methodios Faith & Heritage Center in Contoocook, NH. Our Family Camp is modeled after the program at Antiochian Village. We will have daily services, Christian Education for children, a Keynote Speaker (TBD) for the parents, and sports and games for the whole family to participate. Experienced AV Staff Members are being recruited to serve as counselors for the weekend. More registration details and tentative schedule are online at http://antiochian.org/FamilyCampNE . There is also a facebook event under the Diocese Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1425084937546643
BAZAAR & FOOD FAIR – St. George West Roxbury is having their annual Bazaar and Food Fair on Friday October 20 through Sunday, October 22 - Friday and Saturday from 10am to 9pm, Sunday from 12pm to 3:pm. Admission is free. Middle Eastern cuisine and pastries, baked foods, country store, kids corner, photo booth
REFLECTION
All the Holy Fathers lived a good life, a quiet life. All of them say that the perfection of the Christian life is in extreme humility. This means that patient long-suffering is what we most need in this life. We must bear everything patiently and forgive all. If we have good thoughts and desires, these thoughts will give us peace and joy even in this life and even more so in eternity. Then we will see that there is no death, that the Lord has vanquished death, and that He has given us eternal life!
- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
While you are on earth, regard yourself as a guest of the Host, that is, of Christ. If you are at table, He honors you thus. If you breathe the air, you breathe His air. If you bathe, you bathe in His waters. If you travel, you travel around His earth. If you accumulate goods, you accumulate what is His; if you squander them, you squander what is His. If you are influential, you are so by His permission. If you are in company with others, you are with His other guests. If you are in the countryside, you are in His garden. If you are alone, He is present. If you set off anywhere, He sees you. If you do anything, He has it in mind. He is the most careful Host whose guest you have ever been. And be, in your turn, careful towards Him. A good host merits a good guest. These are all simple words, but they speak a great truth to you. All the saints knew this truth, and ordered their lives accordingly. Therefore the immortal Host rewarded them with eternal life in heaven and with glory on earth.
- St. Nikolai Velimirovich