Update for the week of Thursday, April 23, 2020
For the foreseeable future, activities in the church will continue to include no more than 5 people. We are all encouraged to join the services live streamed at: https://bit.ly/stmarylive or bit.ly/stmarylive or by clicking the live broadcasts button on the church website: http://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
If you LIKE St. Mary on Facebook you’ll get advanced notice of live-streamed services: https://www.facebook.com/StMaryCambridge
REMINDERS
WOMEN’S CLUB - The Women’s Club welcomes all women of the parish to join us! We do charitable work locally, nationally and internationally and we support the church school.
Email Melissa at 'mnassiff@gmail.com' if you have any questions or would like to join us.
Links to Antiochian Women’s Month homilies are on the St Mary homepage: https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/
GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN - Each year, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America awards grants of $500.00. The grant is to help women with the cost of education or training, undertaken to improve their circumstances or that of their families.
Grants are awarded to women over 26 years old, who are active members of an Antiochian parish and who are perusing higher education or training. Applications are due June 1, 2020. For more info click here: Scholarship Coordinator's Cover Letter & Application Form
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Email Melissa at 'mnassiff@gmail.com' if you have any questions or would like to join us.
Links to Antiochian Women’s Month homilies are on the St Mary homepage: https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/
GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR ANTIOCHIAN WOMEN - Each year, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America awards grants of $500.00. The grant is to help women with the cost of education or training, undertaken to improve their circumstances or that of their families.
Grants are awarded to women over 26 years old, who are active members of an Antiochian parish and who are perusing higher education or training. Applications are due June 1, 2020. For more info click here: Scholarship Coordinator's Cover Letter & Application Form
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Take Our Live Broadcasting Survey
We are asking that every parishioner take the following survey about our Live Broadcasting ministry. Your feedback is essential to help us improve what we are offering, both those who are tuning in and those who are not! It should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. To get started, please go to: https://forms.gle/RxYxq76znb1a3Usz5
Food for Hungry People Mite Boxes
Food for Hungry People is due. Please mail a check in to the church office at 8 Inman St. Cambridge, MA 02139, or use Egive and note FFHP in the ‘Other’ dialogue box.
Virtual Community Prayer Groups
Note the addition of a password to the Zoom account
In this very anxiety provoking and isolating time, some in St Mary’s community have found imaginative ways to use social media to support a prayer-life. These opportunities for communal prayer are open to anyone who wants to take part:
There is Morning Prayer with James Wilcox who writes: I simply read the Trisagion Prayers, two Psalms, a prayer "waking from sleep," I say a prayer for the sick (with names given from other Orthodox parishioners and friends) and we close with the Prayer of St. Ephraim.
If anyone would like to join, we start at 8:45 each morning, Monday – Saturday, and go for about 10-12 minutes. Folks will need a Zoom account (which can be accessed on their home computer or their phones). Note the addition of a password to add a level of security. And there is also an adult Sunday school class
We are asking that every parishioner take the following survey about our Live Broadcasting ministry. Your feedback is essential to help us improve what we are offering, both those who are tuning in and those who are not! It should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. To get started, please go to: https://forms.gle/RxYxq76znb1a3Usz5
Food for Hungry People Mite Boxes
Food for Hungry People is due. Please mail a check in to the church office at 8 Inman St. Cambridge, MA 02139, or use Egive and note FFHP in the ‘Other’ dialogue box.
Virtual Community Prayer Groups
Note the addition of a password to the Zoom account
In this very anxiety provoking and isolating time, some in St Mary’s community have found imaginative ways to use social media to support a prayer-life. These opportunities for communal prayer are open to anyone who wants to take part:
There is Morning Prayer with James Wilcox who writes: I simply read the Trisagion Prayers, two Psalms, a prayer "waking from sleep," I say a prayer for the sick (with names given from other Orthodox parishioners and friends) and we close with the Prayer of St. Ephraim.
If anyone would like to join, we start at 8:45 each morning, Monday – Saturday, and go for about 10-12 minutes. Folks will need a Zoom account (which can be accessed on their home computer or their phones). Note the addition of a password to add a level of security. And there is also an adult Sunday school class
On Tuesday Evening at 7:30 the Young Adult Ministry would like to invite everyone in our church community to a virtual Paraklesis to the Theotokos over Zoom. The Paraklesis is a service traditionally sung during times of great distress.
We will be using the text linked below, and we hope to see you all there! You don’t have to be a great singer to participate.
http://ww1.antiochian.org/sites/default/files/paraklesis_little-with_music.pdf
After we offer our prayers we will continue the Zoom call to check in with one another and see what other virtual events/support we can offer one another during this time.
We would also like to invite everyone to a weekly virtual coffee hour after our streamed Sunday Divine Liturgy.
You can pray the liturgical services at home
The Archdiocese has published online instructions for reader services (services
without a priest present). You can find them at the Online Liturgical Guide. Look at the list of services on the right side of the page and click on the ones marked ‘Reader Service’.
People Helping People
We will be using the text linked below, and we hope to see you all there! You don’t have to be a great singer to participate.
http://ww1.antiochian.org/sites/default/files/paraklesis_little-with_music.pdf
After we offer our prayers we will continue the Zoom call to check in with one another and see what other virtual events/support we can offer one another during this time.
We would also like to invite everyone to a weekly virtual coffee hour after our streamed Sunday Divine Liturgy.
You can pray the liturgical services at home
The Archdiocese has published online instructions for reader services (services
without a priest present). You can find them at the Online Liturgical Guide. Look at the list of services on the right side of the page and click on the ones marked ‘Reader Service’.
People Helping People
A number of parishioners have made known their desire to help people who need assistance. The church office is keeping a list of volunteers. As of this writing we have 8 people. Call the office if you would like your name added to the list of volunteers. There can’t be too many.
If you know of anyone who needs any sort of help call the church office (617) 547-1234 to make the connection. We don’t promise we’ll meet all needs but we’ll try as best we can.
If you know of anyone who needs any sort of help call the church office (617) 547-1234 to make the connection. We don’t promise we’ll meet all needs but we’ll try as best we can.