Update for the week Thursday, December 5 - Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Note - This Sunday, December 8 from 9:00 to 11:00, the Winter Classic 5k road race in Cambridge will close portions of Sidney St and Franklin St, and impact traffic on Pacific St, Albany St, Mass Ave, Putnam Ave, and Brookline Ave. For a map and hours affected, go to https://www.cambridgema.gov/news/2019/12/winterclassic5ktrafficimpacts
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARY’S
SATURDAY 12/7 – Young Adults 2nd Annual Orthodox Paint Night, following Great Vespers at 5:00pm. All young adults are invited to participate.
SUNDAY 12/8 – Orthros 8:45am; St. Ignatius Catechetical Group, 9:00am; Divine Liturgy 10:00am.; Church School St. Nicholas Sermon.
+ Choir & Chanter Appreciation Sunday throughout the Archdiocese
+ Christmas Pageant rehearsal during Coffee Hour
+ Women’s Club meeting during Coffee Hour
+ Donations due for poinsettias and other decorations for Nativity. Please use the form in the Sunday bulletin or mail a check to St. Mary’s Church, 8 Inman St., Cambridge MA 02139-2407.
+ Concert of Christmas Carols and Hymns from the Eastern and Western Christian traditions featuring local Orthodox Choirs at 4:00pm, followed by a reception sponsored by the Young Adult Ministry and the Hospitality Group. Joining St. Mary’s Parish Choir and the Boston Byzantine Choir will be the Arabic Choir of the Theotokos from St. Mary’s Pawtucket and the St. Romanos the Melodist Byzantine Choir from Hellenic College/Holy Cross. The concert will conclude with St. Mary’s choir leading a Western Christmas Carol Singalong accompanied by strings from the Boston Civic Symphony.
The concert is free with a reception to follow, sponsored by the Young Adult Ministry and the Hospitality Group.
THIS WEEK ELSEWHERE
SATURDAY 12/7 - MetWinds (Metropolitan Wind Symphony) 2019 Holiday Pops Concert at St. John of Damascus Church, Dedham, this Saturday, 6:00pm-9:00pm. Adults: $15 Children: $5. To purchase tickets, visit at http://www.stjohnd.org/pops.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – For this Sunday’s Christmas Concert reception (see This Week at St. Mary’s, above), the Hospitality Group needs volunteers to set up tablecloths and food and to clean up and break down tables. Please e-mail Natasha Smith, nasmith05@gmail.com, to sign up to help. Thank you!
NEW CD – The Boston Byzantine Choir has recorded a new CD entitled Twelve Days: Byzantine Chant from Christmas to Epiphany. It will be for sale during Coffee Hour this Sunday 12/8, or through the church office.
LUNCHEON FOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – Eat, Drink & Be Merry! Please join us for a wonderful meal in a fun & festive Christmas setting hosted by the Syrian/Lebanese Women’s Club of Greater Boston on Saturday, December 14 12:00 - 3:00 at St. John of Damascus Church 300 West St. Dedham. Appetizers include: hoomus, dips, veggies, cheese board etc. Luncheon includes rolled cabbage, eggplant boats (AKA shak il mishay), chicken kabobs, salad, rice, desserts, beverages, including wine for $25.00 pp. You will have an opportunity to win many fabulous raffle prizes. All proceeds benefit the Scholarship Program for High School Seniors. Please make checks payable to SLWC and mail to P.O. Box 320-243 West Roxbury, Ma 02132. For questions please call Linda Hakar at 781-551-9444 or
Hellas Assad at 781-856-9477.
REMINDERS
NATIVITY FAST – The Nativity fast (also known as Advent) began on Friday, November 15, and continues through December 24.
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT – The Church School Christmas Pageant is scheduled for Sunday, December 22, after Liturgy. If your child is interested in participating, please see Sarah Byrne-Martelli or Chris Addis. We also need parents to assist at the rehearsals, which will take place during Coffee Hour this Sunday, December 8, and Sunday, December 15.
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.
FEAST OF THEOPHANY - Celebrate the Great Feast of Theophany with His Grace Bishop JOHN and the Diocese clergy at St. George Church, West Roxbury., on Monday, January 6. Matins: 5:30pm, Divine Liturgy 7:00pm with Blessing of the Water.
FAMILY CAMP – Register now for Winter Family Camp at Antiochian Village, January 17-20, 2020. 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, in the beautiful setting of the Antiochian Village Camp. Registration is now open at https://avcamp.org/other-programs/winter-family-camp Cost: $150/parent, $50/child includes meals and lodging.
CHOIR MEMBERS NEEDED - The Choir is looking for new members, especially Alto (woman) and Bass/Baritone (men), but of course we welcome all parts. Please e-mail Michelle Mabardy at mmmabardy@gmail.com if you are interested.
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
Moralism is a kind of religiosity which seeks to label and condemn external behavior. …It often hides real wickedness under a cloak of religiosity and consistently confirms our dictum that moral outrage is a form of involuntary confession.
- Archbishop Lazar Puhalo
No one heals himself by wounding another.
- Saint Ambrose
Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion.
- St. Isaac of Syria
O, how often people perish from a false assurance of their honesty and righteousness! They perish because they trust in their own goodness, and do not think about the spirit of Christianity at all or the help of the Holy Spirit, just when they are in extreme need of His help. And as the Holy Spirit is given only to those who ask and seek, and such people not only fail to ask and seek Him but do not even consider it necessary, therefore He is not given them and consequently they remain in error and perish.
- St. Innocent of Alaska