Update for the week Thursday, June 21 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY'S
FRIDAY 6/22 - Cheriton Heights Family Housing is celebrating its 5 year anniversary this Friday. Join them at 12:00pm for a celebratory Brunch.
SATURDAY 6/23 – The Diocese of Worcester and New England Parish Life Conference will be held this Saturday, hosted by the Diocese Mission Council. All events – Divine Liturgy, Keynote Speaker (Michelle Moujaes from Faithtree Ministries), Kids Activities, Bible Bowl, Family Dinner and Awards Ceremony – will take place at St. John of Damascus, Dedham. St. Mary’s children and adults will be participating in the Bible Bowl; come and cheer them on! Register online at www.antiochianevents.com/worcester.html
+ Our Young Adults Group will be heading to the Watertown Grecian Festival Saturday evening. Meet them there any time after 7:30pm and keep an eye out for Kate!
SUNDAY 6/24 – Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
+ Please come join the Hospitality Group for our annual Parish Potluck Picnic at Riverside Press Park (River St. and Memorial Drive across from Whole Foods, Cambridge), this Sunday, directly after Liturgy. Bring a blanket, some eats or drinks to share, and games, balls and frisbees! 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 ).
MONDAY-FRIDAY, 6/25-29 – St. George Boston and Theophany School Vacation Church School will be held at St. George, West Roxbury, 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.
+ The Pappas Patristic Institute at Holy Cross announces its twelfth annual Summer Program in Patristic Studies, for anyone interested in learning more about the Church Fathers. This program provides a unique opportunity to study and discuss the writings and lives of the Church Fathers through small group discussions and brief faculty lectures. Twelve courses are offered, including one by our own Dr. Teva Regule. For more information see http://www.hchc.edu/assets/files/patristics/2018%20SumInst%20AnnouncmentProgram_180430.pdf
+ You are invited to take part in Training Laborers for the Lord, a five-day summer program 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.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
DORMITION – The fast preceding the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Theotokos, our patronal feast day, begins on Wednesday, August 1 and continues through Tuesday, August 14, the eve of the Feast.
+ On Wednesdays, August 1 and August 8, there will be a Paraclesis for the Dormition at 6:30 pm
+ On Tuesday, August 14, we will observe the Vigil for the Dormition of the Theotokos with Vespers at 4:15 pm, Orthros with Lamentations at 5:30 pm, and Festal Divine Liturgy at 7:00 pm.
SOYO FALL CAMP and FAMILY CAMP – Diocese of Worcester and New England SOYO Fall Camp and Family Camp will be held Thursday–Sunday, October 5-7, at St. Methodios Faith & Heritage Center in Contoocook, NH. All teens in grades 7-12 are encouraged to attend the Teen SOYO Fall Camp. Family Camp is open to families of all ages. Parents of teenagers are welcome to attend Family Camp while their children attend Teen SOYO Fall Camp. Each camp will have its own distinct program. Watch for more information and registration details.
REMINDERS
HELP IN HOMELESS SHELTERS – One of our parishioners and young adults works for Y2Y, a local service organization looking to end homelessness. Their organization and the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter are both looking for volunteers for weekly or one-time shifts this summer. For more information see their Volunteer Handbooks at https://docs.google.com/document/d/14aipRhfW2kr4xqelHFzEMRlSBfZILP0VbU2-KkJtHiU/editfor Y2Y, and https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XsNKuFgPMQIAzqHDcjDVu3OdKVIcp0ppEvDDuiRarWc/edit for HSHS.
ICON EXHIBIT – The Museum of Russian Icons (203 Union Street, Clinton, MA) will be showing an exhibition of Icons of the Hellenic World, focusing exclusively on Greek and Byzantine iconography, June 22 through October 21. For information see http://www.museumofrussianicons.org/current-exhibitions
TANGLEWOOD OUTING – Join your music-loving friends from St. Mary’s as we carpool out to Tanglewood after Liturgy on Sunday, July 29. We’ll picnic on the lawn and listen to music by Haydn, Prokofiev and Mozart, featuring violinist Gil Shaham, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Juanjo Mena. For more information see https://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/93218. The concert starts at 2:30; lawn tickets are $21.00 - pay at the door; children are free. Bring lawn chairs if you want them, and picnic food for yourself and to share. For more information and to let us know you're coming, especially if you'll need a ride, contact Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com.
NEW SKETE PILGRIMAGE – The annual New Skete Pilgrimage is set for Saturday, August 11this year - (the Saturday after Transfiguration). In years past, a number of St. Mary people have gone out for the weekend to help the Communities with this event - to be extra sets of "helping hands" for the day. They are hoping a number of us will do so again this year. In the past, this has been a wonderful community-building activity for all of us. Moreover, if you have never been to the monastery, this may be a good way to be introduced to their life and work. In addition to the services, there are tours of the church and talks by various members of the communities about their lives. The main talk will be given by Alexei Krindatch who does survey work for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. His talk is entitled, "Singing an Old Song in a New World. How Orthodox Christian Churches Contribute to America’s Diverse Religious Landscape." There are also the dogs, great hiking trails, nearby tubing, etc. More information about the Pilgrimage can be found here: https://newskete.org/events .
Once again, Teva Regule (teva@mit.edu) will be coordinating the Boston helpers and as much housing as she can. (In particular, any women wanting to "camp out" at the nuns’, let her know. The Emmaus house is now a guest house - anyone wishing to stay there should contact Br. Gregory directly at brgregory@newskete.org) Housing is first come, first served.
PARISH COUNCIL - The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for Wednesday, August 22.
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
REFLECTION
Keep your mind from malicious thoughts of your neighbors, knowing that such thoughts are hurled by diabolical power, to keep your mind from your own sins and from seeking God.
- Holy Father Elias of Egypt
Do not judge one another, for you transgress the evangelical law, and "every transgression and disobedience received a just retribution" (Heb. 2:2). "Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?" (Rom. 14:4). Do you not know that the one who passes judgment goes astray through pride, and that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled (Luke 14:11) by the Lord, when temptation seizes him?
- Elder Ephraim of Philotheou Mount Athos, "Counsels from the Holy Mountain"
Practice self-observation. And if you want to benefit yourself and your fellow men, look at your own faults and not those of others. The Lord tells us: "Judge not, that ye be not judged," condemn not that ye be not condemned. And the Apostle Paul says: "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant?"
- St. Arsenios of Paros, Modern Orthodox Saints