Update for the week Friday, December 7 - Wednesday, December 12, 2018
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY’S
Note: This Sunday the “Yulefest Road Race” will begin at 9:30am in Harvard Square and affect traffic on Kirkland St., Cambridge St., Inman St. and Harvard St. If you come to church via Inman you may encounter delays between Cambridge St. and Harvard St. For a map of the race see https://www.cambridge5k.com/yulefest/
SUNDAY 12/9 - His Grace Bishop JOHN will be with us this Sunday for a Hierarchical visit
+ Orthros 8:45am, St. Ignatius Catechetical Group (Enquirers’ Class) 9:00am, Divine Liturgy 10:00am
+ Christmas Pageant rehearsal after liturgy. The Pageant will be Sunday, December 16 If your child is interested in participating, please see Sarah Byrne-Martelli or Chris Addis.
+ Choir and Chanter Appreciation Sunday
+ Deadline for Holy Nativity decoration Donations
+ Lessons And Carols 5:30pm followed by Pot Luck meal in the hall: Western Rite Service of prayers, scripture readings, and Christmas Carols, featuring the Boston Civic Symphony Brass Quintet and St. Mary's Choir. Please bring a canned food item for our food drive, and a dish to share for the potluck.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
NATIVITY SERVICES:
Monday, December 24 Royal Hours for the Nativity at 9:00 am
Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 11:00 am
Orthros: 6:30pm
Festal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil 8:00 pm.
Tuesday, December 25, Feast of the Nativity of our Lord – Christmas Day – No services
PLEDGE CARDS - Pledge cards have been mailed to the homes of St. Mary’s parishioners and friends. Please return your pledge card to the church office or fill out the ePledge form on our website by December 31, 2018. A new pledge card is requested each year, even if your financial and volunteer contributions aren’t changing. If you did not receive a pledge card and would like to become of member of St. Mary’s, please see Fr. Antony or Barbara Shoop for a new member packet.
PARISH COUNCIL - The next meeting of the Parish Council has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 16 at 7:30
CHURCH SCHOOL – There will be no Church School on December 16, 23, or 30.
SUMMER CAMP – Registration for Summer Camp at the Antiochian Village opens Monday December 10. See https://avcamp.org/summer-camp. Be sure to register early, as sessions fill up quickly. St. Mary’s children attend 3rd Session, July 14-26.
REMINDERS
CLOTHING DRIVE - The Young Adults will be collecting new and slightly used clothing, new toiletries, and new socks on December 9 and 16 during coffee hour. Clothing will go to the Emmanuel Gospel Center's Starlight Ministries. All are invited to donate! If you would like to help on either of those Sundays, please email us at youngadults@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
ANGEL TREE - Every year, our community participates in the Angel Tree Prison Ministry, which provides Christmas gifts to children in our local community on behalf of their parent serving time in prison. On Sunday, December 16, the Young Adults will be delivering these gifts to those families. Please contact Gregg Flessas (flessas99@gmail.com) if you'd like to purchase a gift.
FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE – Help support our Canned Food Drive! From now 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. Since 1984, churches throughout the Archdiocese have collected and distributed over 5,000,000 pounds of food!
NYE 2019 CELEBRATION – St. John of Damascus invites everyone to a New Years Eve
Celebration on Monday, December 31, starting at 8:00pm. Cost is $35 per person, $30 under 18, or $100 per family. DJ Bob Moses & Arabic dancing, Appetizers 8:00pm, Delicatessen buffet 10:00pm, and Champaign toast at Midnight. Reservation required by December 24 – send payment to St. John of Damascus Church, 300 West St., Dedham MA 02026.
OFFERING ENVELOPES – If you use offering envelopes, the 2019 envelopes are now available for pick-up in the Hall. If you would like to learn about fulfilling your pledge through eGive, please e-mail stewardship@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
BIBLE STUDY – St. Mary’s Bible Study/Adult Education Program will not meet again until early January. Each bi-weekly session will be an in-depth look at the lectionary reading for the next Sunday. Come join us - everyone is welcome to attend! For questions or directions please contact the co-leaders: Steve Walker at smwalk@gmail.com or Christina Palis at christina_palis@mail.harvard.edu.
WINTER FAMILY CAMP – Register now for Winter Family Camp at Antiochian Village to be held on Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, January 18 – 21, 2019. Family Camp is an opportunity for your family to get away from everyday life and take a weekend as a family to grow closer to Christ.. Registration is now open at https://avcamp.org/other-programs/winter-family-camp/ Cost: $150/parent, $50/child, includes meals and lodging.
IOCC HOME BUILD VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - IOCC is calling all young adults for home-builds this winter and spring in Texas (Dec 17-22 and Jan 1-5) and Florida (Feb 11-16)! Sign-up deadlines are quickly approaching! You will be able to help those affected by recent natural disasters and get to spend a week with other amazing Orthodox people from around the country! Cost is $100 which includes lodging, food and transportation on location. Flight not included in the cost. Sign up today and/or e-mail Liza Kotar at volunteercoordinator@iocc.org with questions or call 425-891-4614. To learn more, go to https://www.iocc.org/take-action/join-action-team/home-build-volunteers
ST. MARY’S ANNIVERSARY – Save the date: On May 18, 2019 we will celebrate our 90thAnniversary at the Crown Plaza in Woburn. Plan to join us for dinner, dancing and other festivities. More details to follow.
2019 COFFEE HOURS - The 2019 Sign-Up Sheet for has been posted! Please sign up to provide a coffee hour – it can be as simple as coffee, juice, and cookies. Plenty of help is available! Signup sheets are on the bulletin board outside the Hall, or contact Linda Arnold (mmarmee52@aol.com) or the Church Office (617-547-1234 or Secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org ). Remember, no volunteer = no coffee hour!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR ST.MARY’S TECHNOLOGY MINISTRY - For many years, St. Mary's Technology Ministry has had a tremendous reach and impact through the Internet for parishioners and friends of St. Mary's and seekers of the faith near and far. We are looking for new volunteers to assist in the following areas: the parish website, social media channels, photography, videos of sermons and life of the parish, live streaming, and more! If you are interested to learn more, contact Jamil at webmaster@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
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