Update for the week Thursday, January 3 – Wednesday, January 9, 2019
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY’S
SATURDAY 1/5 - Diocesan Celebration of Theophany (also known as Epiphany) at St. George Cathedral, Worcester, on Saturday, January 5. Orthros 9:00am, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy 10:00am with the Blessing of the Waters. A reception will follow.
+ There will also be Festal Vespers for Theophany at St. Mary’s at 5:00pm, with 13 Old Testament readings
SUNDAY 1/6 - Orthros 8:45am, Divine Liturgy 10:00am; Church School short music lesson; Second Blessing of the Waters following Liturgy
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
ST. MARIA OF PARIS DOCUMENTARY – Next Sunday, January 13 during Coffee Hour there will be a screening of the short 50-minute Documentary, “Love Until the End”, the Life of St. Maria of Paris. Mother Maria was a Russian Aristocrat, a poet and an intellectual, whose transformation to a Saint became a symbol of unconditional love and sacrifice.
PLEDGE CARDS - were due on December 31. If you have not yet done so, please return your annual pledge card right away or fill out an ePledge on our website, https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/ministries/stewardship. A new pledge card is requested each year, even if your financial and volunteer contributions aren’t changing.
PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD – On Friday, February 1, there will be an Evening Liturgy for the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple at 6:30pm
SCOUT SUNDAY - On Sunday, February 10, the scouts of our parish will be performing liturgical service. If your cub scout, boy scout, or girl scout would like to participate, please contact Charlie Marge: charlie.marge@verizon.net.
WINTER CAMP - Grades 7-12 register now for Winter Camp at Antiochian Village, February 15-18. Winter Camp will examine how faith, hope love and wisdom play an important role in the Orthodox Christian faith. See https://avcamp.org/other-programs/winter-camp
REMINDERS
NO FASTING – From Christmas Day until the Eve of Theophany, there is a general dispensation from all fasting.
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - Celebrate The Twelve Days of Christmas with the help of our own Boston Byzantine Choir! Listen to a hymn for each day of this fast-free period of celebration on their Facebook page: facebook.com\BostonByzantineChoir\
BLESSING OF HOMES – Fr. Antony will be blessing homes after Epiphany (aka Theophany, January 6) and between Pascha and Pentecost. We bless homes to reveal the home as what God created it to be, a way to heaven; to rid the home of every evil; to show that the family is a small church unit in Christ; to consecrate the home and all activity in it to God; and to fill the home and all who live in it with the fullness of God. To schedule the blessing of your home, please use the form in the weekly Bulletin or call the church office at 617-547-1234.
CHANT CLASS, VESPERS, AND YOUNG ADULTS – On Saturday, January 12 we will have Chant Class at 4:00pm and Great Vespers at 5:00pm, followed by Young Adult Fellowship Night with guest speaker Fr. Maximos Constas, a pizza dinner, and Paint Night. (More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/2115781295402610/ )
PARISH COUNCIL - The next meeting of the Parish Council has been scheduled forWednesday, January 16 at 7:30
WINTER FAMILY CAMP – Register now for Winter Family Camp at Antiochian Village to be held on Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, January 18 – 21. 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.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING - The Annual Meeting of St. Mary’s parish will be held Sunday, January 27, immediately after Liturgy (snow date: Sunday, February 3). At this meeting the members of the parish will approve the Year 2019 budget. The proposed budget will be available on the previous Sunday, January 20. It is important that all members of St. Mary’s Church attend this meeting.
SUMMER CAMP – Registration for Summer Camp at the Antiochian Village is open NOW. 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.
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
SCHOLARSHIPS - Students graduating in 2019 from high school who are children of membersof St. Mary’s may apply for the Diocese of Worcester and New England Scholarship. Deadline is March 31, 2019. Contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 or email at moconnor@koilaw.com for more information, including what it means to be a member.
+ Scholarships ($1,000) are available from the Syrian-Lebanese Women’s club of Greater Boston to young women of Syrian and Lebanese origin, residing in Massachusetts within 50-mile radius of Boston, who plan to pursue a four-year college education. Scholarships are based on outstanding academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, charitable and civic involvement and good character; and applicants must be in good academic standing in her school and possess those personal attributes, which best serve the community. Applications are available through the Church Office and must be postmarked by March 31, 2019. If you have any questions, contact Mary Winstanley O’Connor at 617-523-1010 or email at moconnor@koilaw.com .
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!
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
As Christ was circumcised, offered sacrifice, kept the sabbath and observed the Jewish feasts, so also He added this remaining thing, that He was obedient to having been baptized by a prophet. … Thus, if obedience to God constitutes righteousness, and God sent John to baptize the nation, then Christ has also fulfilled this along with all the other commandments.
- St. John Chrysostom, Discourse On the Day of the Baptism of Christ
Christ is baptized, let us descend with Him that we may also ascend with Him. Jesus is baptized; but we must attentively consider not only this but also some other points. Who is He, and by whom is He baptized, and at what time? He the All-pure; and He is baptized by John; and the time is the beginning of His miracles. What are we to learn and to be taught by this? To purify ourselves first; to be lowly minded; and to preach only in maturity both of spiritual and bodily stature.
- St Gregory Nazianzen, Oration on the Holy Lights