Update for the week Thursday, October 18 - Wednesday, October 24, 2018
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY’S
SUNDAY 10/21 – Orthros 8:45 am
- St. Ignatius Catechetical Group (Enquirers’ Class) 9:00. It’s not too late to join - contact Bob Kowalik at 617-889-3436 or r.kowalik@comcast.net
- Divine Liturgy 10:00 am, with Church School following. Guest priest will be Fr. Photius
- Women’s Club Charity Bake Sale immediately following Liturgy in the church hall
- Order deadline for Women’s Club Kibbeh And Grape Leaves sale. Please use the order form in the Sunday bulletin, include payment and mail to the church or pass it in at the Bengarri or the office. Order pick-up will be November 4 at the church.
TUESDAY 10/16 - WEDNESDAY 10/24 - Fr. Antony will be out of town Tuesday of this week through Wednesday of next week.. In case of emergency today call Mary Winstanley O’Connor, our Parish Council President, at 617-523-1010. For any emergency on the remaining days call either the church office (617-547-1234) or Mary.
THIS WEEK ELSEWHERE
FRIDAY 10/19 – The annual Florovsky lecture at Holy Cross School of Theology will be held on Friday, October 19 at 7:30pm in the Maliotis Center. Speaker will be Dr. David Bentley Hart, author of more than 350 scholarly and popular articles as well as numerous books, whose talk will be entitled “Beauty and Judgement.” The lecture is free and open to the public.
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, 10/19-21 - St. George, West Roxbury will be holding their Annual Bazaar & Food Fair Friday through Sunday, October 19-21. Friday and Saturday, 10am-9pm, Sunday 12pm-3pm. Admission is free. Middle Eastern cuisine and pastries, baked goods, country store, kids’ corner, handmade holiday and craft items.
SUNDAY 10/21 – The Museum of Russian Icons (203 Union Street, Clinton, MA) is showing an exhibition of Icons of the Hellenic World, focusing exclusively on Greek and Byzantine iconography, through October 21. For information see http://www.museumofrussianicons.org/current-exhibitions
REMINDERS
OCTOBER IS YOUTH MONTH – During the Month of October, at St. Mary and throughout the archdiocese, our teens will be taking an active role in the Liturgy by helping with communion, taking collections and reading the Epistle. To get involved, please see Theo Smith.
DIOCESAN CHOIRS DAY - The Mission Council of the Diocese of Worcester and New England is sponsoring a day for church musicians and clergy to explore how the physical acts of breathing, making sound, and singing ground us in the present moment and bring us into the presence of Christ. Our own Fr. Antony Hughes is one of the guest speakers along with Robin Freeman, Director of Music at St. Vladimir's Seminary. The event, on Saturday, November 10,will be held at St. George Church in W Roxbury from 9:30am-3:00pm. RSVP by Sunday, October 21. All are welcome, even if not a current church musician. For questions, contact Charlie Marge at Charlie.Marge@verizon.net
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION - An evening of Celebration to mark the 30th Anniversary of the University of Balamad will be held on Saturday, October 27 at the Doubletree Hilton, Westborough. Special Guest will be His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH. There will be a Reception at 6:00pm followed by Program and Middle Eastern Music. Tickets: $200. For more information, contact Laila Kobrossy Audi at 315-289-2427.
PARISH COUNCIL ELECTION - If you are interested in serving on the Parish Council please speak to Mary Winstanley O’Connor or Fr. Antony by Sunday, October 28. To be eligible to serve you must be a member of St. Mary’s for two years and in good financial standing.
WOMEN’S CLUB - The next Women’s Club meeting will be held in one corner of the Hall on Sunday, October 28, immediately after Liturgy
BIBLE STUDY - Welcome back to the Bible Study/Adult Education Program at St. Mary's! Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 30 from 7-8:30 and we will meet at Christina's apartment in Cambridge. Each bi-weekly session will be an in-depth look at the lectionary reading for the coming two Sundays. Everyone is welcome to attend! If interested, please contact the co-leaders: Steve Walker at smwalk@gmail.com or Christina Palis at christina_palis@mail.harvard.edu.
COME SEE THE MESSIAH – Join friends from St. Mary’s for the Handel and Haydn Society’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, on Sunday afternoon, December 2, at 3:00 pm. Tickets are just $29 ($36 without our group discount!). We will carpool to (or meet at) Symphony Hall after Liturgy and have lunch together at a nearby restaurant before the concert. Those who have done this before have thoroughly enjoyed it - not only do we hear a world-class orchestra and chorus with famous soloists singing glorious words (taken directly from the Bible), but we also have an opportunity to spend time getting to know some fellow parishioners we normally may not encounter. Good seats go fast - please contact Melissa Nassiff at mnassiff@gmail.com by Sunday, November 4, or order your own tickets online at http://www.handelandhaydn.org
BAZAAR - St. John of Damascus in Dedham (300 West St.) will be holding their Annual Bazaar Friday through Sunday, November 3-5: Friday 12pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-9pm and Sunday 12pm- 2pm.. Middle Eastern cuisine, country store, Christmas corner and more. For more information visit www.stjohnd.org/bazaar.
LITURGY RETREAT – A Fall Liturgy Retreat for Church School Students and Families will be held on Monday, November 12 (This is the observed day for Veteran’s Day this year, when most students have the day off and some adults are off from work.) This year’s theme is Liturgy and the Arts. Come and explore the intersection of Liturgy with Hymnography, Culinary Arts, Architecture, Iconography, Textile Arts, and Prayerful Arts. $5/student, $10/family (includes Breakfast snacks, Lunch, and supplies). To register, contact Doreen Bargoot (dbargoot@aol.com)
PARISH COUNCIL – The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for Wednesday, December 5 at 7:30pm.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – Help support our Canned Food Drive! From October through December 31, bring in canned goods and place them in the plastic bins in the room outside the kitchen. (Canned goods only, please.) They will be distributed to food pantries in our area.
HOSPITALITY GROUP NEEDS VOLUNTEERS – St. Mary’s Donald DiFiore Memorial Hospitality Group works to build community among the larger St. Mary’s congregation, so that we can come together in service, celebration and fellowship outside of liturgy and coffee hour. We need members to join our ranks, and help with planning and running fellowship events such as Lenten Potluck Suppers, the Dormition Feast, special coffee hours, our annual Picnic, etc. Even if you could commit to just one event per year, this would immeasurably help strengthen the sense of community and family in our parish. We also welcome new ideas for fellowship gatherings – anything that brings us together in communion. If interested, please email Diana Yousef (yousefd@post.harvard.edu).
BE A GREETER - We could use your help in being a Greeter. This is a great opportunity to meet all the parishioners of St. Mary’s. As a Greeter, you will welcome people into the church and help to direct visitors upstairs to the Liturgy, as well as keeping an eye on the Vestibule, Hallways and Entrance ways during Church. Arrive at church 15 minutes before Liturgy (9:45am). Greeting time ends when Communion starts. Sign up for one Sunday or several Sundays. If you are interested, contact Buddy Mabardy at buddy@cjmabardy.com or 781-729-6303, or the church office at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.
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
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE
There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshippers, and those in need. Consider serving in one (or more) of these ways:
Greeter: Welcome people into the church and help to direct visitors upstairs to the Liturgy, while keeping an eye on the vestibule, hallways and entrance ways during Church. To volunteer, contact Buddy Mabardy at 781-729-6303 or e-mail: buddy@cjmabardy.com, or call the church office at 617-547-1234
Choir: The St. Mary’s Church Choir welcomes individuals interested in making a commitment to sing each Sunday at Divine Liturgy. Please feel free to join them and/or introduce yourself to the director, Michelle Mabardy, any Sunday after Liturgy.
Coffee Hour: People are needed every week to provide coffee, juice and cookies, or more if desired, and set it up Sunday morning. To sign up for an available Sunday, please put your name on the signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall, or contact Linda Arnold, our Coffee Hour volunteer coordinator at MMarmee52@aol.com or 978-270-0346, or Barbara Shoop in the Parish Office at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org or 617-547-1234.
Hospitality Group: St. Mary's Donald D. Fiore Hospitality Group sponsors various events to welcome visitors and newcomers and to foster a spirit of fellowship and caring among all the people who worship here. To join us or to find out more, contact any of our officers: Diana Yousef, President dymartinek@gmail.com, Michael Decerbo, Treasurer michaeldecerbo@gmail.com, Socrates Deligeorges, Head Chef dr.socrates@gmail.com, Melissa Nassiff, eNewsletter editor mnassiff@gmail.com,
Young Adult Ministry: The Young Adult Ministry is an active, dynamic group that hosts monthly social, spiritual, and outreach events and programs. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Jamil at 617-501-4427 or youngadults@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
Prison Ministry: For information about the Prison Ministry at St. Mary’s you can subscribe to our mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/ocpm-concord. If you are interested in helping with this ministry, talk with Fr. Antony.. Another way to help is to donate Orthodox books, icon cards, and magazines (for security, please remove any personal mailing address) – Mitrophan Chin collects these to share with the inmates.
"As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me," says our Lord.
REFLECTION
… the only thing your good works can do is place you in the category of those that are good servants. If, however, you desire to inherit Paradise, the Kingdom of the Heavens, then you have to become a son. And that can be accomplished only through Baptism."
- Elder Ieronymos of Aegina
When Scripture says, ‘He will reward every man according to his works’ (Matthew 16:27), do not imagine that works in themselves merit either hell or the Kingdom. On the contrary, Christ rewards each man according to whether his works are done with faith or without faith in Himself; and He is not a dealer bound by contract, but God our Creator and Redeemer.
- Saint Mark the Ascetic
Never rely on your own wisdom or might or on human strength in any of your works. Otherwise your mind will become dim and your insight blurred, thus blocking the way for grace to enter you and show you the way of God. You will thus be led astray from the truth and fall into the enemy’s trap. At the end you will be enslaved by your own ego and to the desires of other people.
- Fr. Matthew the Poor