Update for the week Thursday, May 10 - Wednesday, May 16, 2018
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S
SUNDAY 5/13 – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; final Church School lesson
- Trisagion prayers for James Higgins and Kathryn Nassiff Keeler (40 days)
- Pysanky (Ukrainian Egg Decorating) Class 1-5pm in church hall. Questions? Email Diana Yousef dyousef@gmail.com
MONDAY 5/14-5/21 – Fr. Antony and Khouria Carol will be out of town Monday, May 14 – Monday, May 21. In case of emergency please call Fr. Timothy Ferguson at 617-323-0323 or Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 ext.223.
MONDAY 5/14 – The deadline for the May 20th Bulletin will be Monday May 14 by 11am.
WEDNESDAY 5/16-5/21 – St. Mary’s church office will be closed Wednesday – Monday, 5/16 – 5/21.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
ASCENSION SERVICES - There will not be Divine Liturgy at St. Mary’s for the Feast of the Ascension this year. St. George in West Roxbury will have services on Wednesday, 5/16 starting with Orthros at 5:30pm followed by Divine Liturgy at 6:30. Holy Resurrection in Allston will also have services starting at 6:00pm on 5/16. On Thursday, 5/17 St. Nicholas in Lexington will have Divine Liturgy at 9:30am (Charlie Marge will be chanting), St. Athanasius in Arlington has Divine Liturgy at 9:00am, and Sts. Constantine & Helen in Central Square will also have services starting with Orthros at 8:30am.
BIBLE STUDY - The biweekly Bible Study/Adult Education group will not meet on Wednesday, May 23 (note change). For questions or information contact Steve Walker at smwalk@gmail.com
WOMEN’S CLUB DINNER – The St. Mary’s Women’s Club will have an end-of-year dinner on Monday, June 11, at 7:00pm at the Cheesecake Factory in Chestnut Hill.
HOSPITALITY GROUP PICNIC – Please come join the Hospitality Group for our Annual Potluck Picnic at Dana Park (10-20 McTernan St, Cambridge) on Sunday, June 24, directly after Liturgy – the same park as previous picnics! Bring a blanket, some eats or drinks to share, balls, frisbees, even bathing suits if you want to splash in the sprinklers! Dana Park is a 5-10min walk south of the Church (walk down Magazine St), with an enclosed playground, hoops, water spouts, and beautiful green. This is a great opportunity to relax and spend time with our church family. Open to all ages!!! For people who need assistance getting to the park, we will coordinate rides. If you would like to help us out, please email Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu ).
REMINDERS
BIBLE BOWL - All Teens ages 13-19, and Pre-Teens ages 10-12, interested in competing in this year's Bible Bowl please call Violet Robbat at 781-862-4388 for further instruction. This year we are studying the book of Acts as found in the Orthodox Study Bible. We look forward to having two great teams once again this year!
DIOCESAN CHOIRS – Diocesan Choirs Day will be held on Saturday, June 2 (note correction) from 9:30am-3:00pm at St. John of Damascus, Dedham. Featured will be Robin Freeman, Director of Music at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and our own Fr. Antony Hughes of St. Mary’s. RSVP by May 20 to your Choir Director or to Charlie.Marge@verizon.net.
BLESSING OF GRAVES - On Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, Fr. Antony will be blessing graves at Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park, MA. starting at 9:00 am. If you would like him to bless the graves of loved ones in other cemeteries, please let him know by calling the Church Office at 617-547-1234 or e-mail frawhj@gmail.com
SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS
- Francis Maria Scholarship - The Archdiocese will be awarding several Scholarships of $2500 each to students attending an accredited 4-year college. This scholarship application is available on the Archdiocese Scholarship page, www.antiochian.org/scholarships. Applications must be postmarked by May 15.
- Antiochian Women’s Scholarships are available to females 26 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. Applications are available in the Church Office. E-mail lferris130@yahoo.com with any questions.
- Nicholas G. Beram 2018 Scholastic Achievement Awards are available for high school seniors of our Arab American Community planning to attend a 4-year college full time. Applications are available online at www.stjohnd.org/ngberam/index.htm . Application deadline is June 1.
CHURCH SCHOOL – Church School Recognition will be on Sunday, June 3, following Liturgy.
PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for Wednesday, June 6, at 7:30 pm.
PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE – The Diocese of Worcester and New England Parish life Conference will be held on Saturday June 23 and hosted by the Diocese Mission Council. All events will take place at St. John of Damascus, Dedham. Register online at www.antiochianevents.com/Worcester
TRAINING LABORERS FOR THE LORD – You are invited to take part in Training Laborers for the Lord, a five-day summer program June 25-29 at Hellenic College Holy Cross, offering Orthodox Christians of all jurisdictions an opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the faith and enrich their spiritual lives. Courses will include “Introduction to Orthodox Spirituality” with V. Rev. Dr. Maximos Constas, and “Reading Scripture through the Church Year” with Dr. Bruce Beck. For more information, contact Jay Ostrosky, Registrar, at jostrosky@hchc.edu.
SUMMER CAMP FOR ADULTS – Antiochian Village Adult Camp for ages 21+ will be Friday-Monday, September 14-17. Adult Camp is open to all adults who want to spend the weekend in an Orthodox Christian environment growing in their faith. Cost of $195 includes lodging, food and activities. More information can be found at https://avcamp.org/other-programs/adult-camp. Registration opens May 1.
COFFEE HOUR MADE EASY! - To make sponsoring a Coffee Hour a little bit easier, St. Mary’s offers 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.
JOIN US ONLINE - St. Mary’s Church services are broadcast live each week through an internet video stream. If you can't attend a service in person, or want to share this ministry with a friend or loved one, the live stream can be viewed at www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/live during regularly scheduled service times (see the schedule of services or online). If you have questions or comments about this ministry please contact us at live@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
REFLECTION
O Lord, we cannot go to the pool of Siloe to which you sent the blind man. But we have the chalice of Your Precious Blood, filled with life and light. The purer we are, the more we receive.
- St. Ephrem of Syria
In the souls of the Pharisees and sectarians, the law and mercy do not stand together, i.e., they are unable to fulfill the regulations of the law and to show mercy, but they argue about which is more important of these two; one they omit, and the other they adhere to. The Pharisees literally observed the letter of the Law, but they completely abandoned mercy and love for men.
- Prolog of Ochrid - reflection for Jan 31
Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!
Arabic: Al Maseeh ‘Am! Ha’an ‘Am!
Greek: Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!
Slavonic: Khristos Voskrese! Vo Istinu Voskrese!
Romanian: Hristos a Înviat! Adevǎrat a Înviat!
Albanian: Krishti u Ngjall! Vërtet u Ngjall!
Tigrinian: Kristos Tensiu! Behake Tensiu!
Cantonese: Gaydolk Folkwoot Leew! Ta Koksut Folkwoot Leew!
Spanish: Christo ha Resucitado! En Verdad ha Resucitado!
French: Le Christ est ressuscité! En vérité, il est ressuscité!
Amharic: ChristosTenesa! Bergit Tenesa!