Update for the week Thursday, May 24 - Wednesday, May 30, 2018

THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S

SUNDAY 5/27 – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

MONDAY 5/28 – 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

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

MEMORY ETERNAL – We regret to inform you of the falling asleep in the Lord of long time parishioner Agnes Battit on May 23rd.  Agnes was the sister of Mary Mabardi and aunt of Michelle Mabardy. Visitation at St. Mary's on Saturday, May 26 at 9:30 am will be followed by Funeral at 10:30 am, and Interment at Fairview Cemetery, Hyde Park. Donations in Agnes’ name can be made to the Church. 

CHANT REHEARSAL and VESPERS – Chanters will rehearse on Saturday June 2 at 4:00 pm, followed by Great Vespers at 5:00 pm

VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL – St. George Boston and Theophany School Vacation Church School will be held at St. George, West Roxbury, Monday through Friday, June 25-29, from 8:30am-12:00pm.  Ages: 2.9 (must be potty trained) through 11 years old. Cost: $30 for 1 child, $35 for 2, and $40 for 3 or more. Checks addressed to St. George, PO Box 320164, W. Roxbury, must be received by June 17.  See Barbara in the St. Mary church office for a registration form.

REMINDERS

SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS
   - 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 RECOGNITION & LUNCH – Church School Recognition after Liturgy, followed by a family barbeque in the parking lot hosted by the Parish Council, will be on Sunday, June 3. (There will be no parking in the parking lot.)

PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for Wednesday, June 6, at 7:30 pm.

WOMEN’S CLUB DINNER – The St. Mary’s Women’s Club will go out for an end-of-year dinner on Monday, June 11, at 7:00pm at the Cheesecake Factory in the Mall at Chestnut Hill.  All women of the parish are welcome to join us. If you are interested contact Priscilla (781-762-1527or pagoss@aol.com) or Barbara in the church office (617-547-1234 or secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org ).  It’s always a fun evening.

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.  
 
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 – Divine Liturgy, Keynote Speakers, Kids Activities, Bible Bowl, Family Dinner and Awards Ceremony – will take place at St. John of Damascus, Dedham. Register online at https://antiochianevents.org/158 (note new website address)

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 ).

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.

BIBLE STUDY - The biweekly Bible Study/Adult Education group has finished for the year, and is scheduled to resume in the fall. For questions or information contact Ioana Popa at drioanapopa@gmail.com  or Steve Walker at smwalk@gmail.com

DIOCESAN CHOIRS – Because of graduation and end-of-academic-year conflicts, the Diocesan Choirs Day event originally scheduled for June 2 has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 20.

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

You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience.
   - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

The Holy Spirit can be received through prayer. Prayer is the simplest, surest, and most available means to receive the Holy Spirit. Because we are composed of body and soul, they both should participate in prayer. The primary elements of prayer are concentration and sincerity, which are attained by inner effort.
   - St. Innocent of Irkutsk, Indication of the Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven

Blessed are you, O Christ our God, for by your Holy Spirit, you made wise men out of fishermen, and through them, you caught all the world. O lover of mankind, glory to you.
   - Troparion of Pentecost, Tone 8