St. Mary e-Newsletter for Friday, September 25, 2020
PRAYER AND WORSHIP
Every Sunday Orthros is at 8:45am, followed by Divine Liturgy at 10:00am. Members of St. Mary’s laity may attend Sunday services in rotation, with appropriate physical distancing throughout the nave. The list of voting members is subdivided into three or four parts, and members in each part will receive an invitation on a Tuesday afternoon, by telephone or by email, to attend on the following Sunday. Your response is requested by noon the following Friday.
On the first Saturday of every month we have a Vespers service at 5:00pm. The EventBrite link for Vespers on Saturday, October 3 will be:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/great-vespers-tickets-122548747603
All the Divine Services held in St. Mary’s Church can also be seen live-streamed at www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/live or www.facebook.com/stmarycambridge or www.youtube.com/stmarycambridge
Monday–Saturday you can join Morning Prayers on Zoom with James & Brooke Wilcox. They write: “Morning Prayer has now become part of our daily routine, where we are joyfully able to participate with others in the St Mary’s community, including Fr. Antony who has recently come alongside to lead us each morning. And thanks to the power of the internet, and the influence of other participants, we now have people joining us each morning from Chile, Arizona, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York City and other portions of Massachusetts as well. We are always happy to add more!”
We run morning prayers for 15 minutes each morning, Monday through Saturday, beginning at 8:45am: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/377381275 password: 28052020
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Memory Eternal – Helen Teebagy
We regret to announce the falling asleep in the Lord of Helen Teebagy. Helen passed away peacefully on September 19, 2020, at the age of 100. A private Funeral Service will be held in the Cartwright Funeral Home in Randolph on Friday, September 25, with burial to follow in Fairview Cemetery, Hyde Park. Memorial contributions may be made in her name to the American Heart Association, 300 5th Ave, Waltham, MA 02451. Her obituary can be seen at www.cartwrightfuneral.com .
Church School Registration
This year our Church School classes are conducted over Zoom. Our virtual Sunday School began Sunday, September 13. Our teachers have reached out to parents to set up the students for class.
Please e-mail Deno Takles at takles67@yahoo.com if you would like to register your child for church school. This request is for new participants only. Children registered for last year have their registration rolled over to this year.
Our church school includes a Pre-K class that works with children 3 years old and up. And we need 2 teachers for 2nd and 3rd grades. All our classes will be conducted over Zoom. We recognize that not all children will understand how a Zoom meeting works. That’s why we are asking all our parents to be with their child during the Zoom class to help out with the technology or in how to be part of the class. You will be the judge of when your child is able to negotiate a Zoom meeting and then you can step away.
Enquirers Class
The St. Ignatius Catechetical Group – Enquirers’ Class will begin meeting virtually on Monday, September 28 at 7:00pm, over the church’s Zoom account. Enrollment will be open until October 26. The group is for non-Orthodox adults who are interested in exploring the Christian Faith as it has been – and continues to be – understood, preached, and lived by members of the Holy Orthodox Church. Bob Kowalik will be teaching the group. If you would like to participate, please get in touch with Bob: phone 617-889-3436 or r.kowalik@comcast.net. For those seeking to be received into the Orthodox Church, participation in the group and Fr. Antony’s blessing are required.
Orthodoxy 102
Orthodoxy 102 is an adult education class designed for Christians who have spent many years in the Orthodox church, but have never had any formal teaching on the theology and liturgical structure of the Eastern Christianity. This is the second year the class is being offered. It will meet weekly to journey through the structure of the Divine Liturgy, while taking an in-depth look at Scripture, the Ecumenical Councils, our iconography, and the meaning and application of Orthodox theology. If you would like more information or want to join, please email drjamesis@gmail.com. The class begins Monday September 28 at 7:00pm on Zoom.
Parish Council
The Parish Council will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, October 7, at 7:30 pm.
Parish Council Elections
If you are interested in serving on the Parish Council please speak to Mary Winstanley O’Connor or Fr. Antony by November 1. To be eligible to serve you must be a member of St. Mary’s for two years and in good financial standing.
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. 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. Remember, many people are ashamed/afraid to ask for help. Keep your eyes and ears open and ask about needs with kind concern.
REFLECTION
The greatest thing each person can do is to give himself to God utterly and unconditionally - weaknesses, fears, and all. For God loves obedience more than good intentions or second-best offerings, which are all too often made under the guise of weakness.
-- St. Dionysius
Ultimately…the secret is perfect abandonment to the will of God in all things you cannot control, and perfect obedience to Him in everything that depends on your own volition, so that in all things, in your interior life and in your outward works for God, you desire only one thing, which is the fulfillment of His will.
- Fr. Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Prayer is a harbor in the storms of life, an anchor for those who are storm-tossed, the treasure of the poor, the security of the rich, the healing of the sick, the preservation of health. Prayer banishes evil things, and preserves the good.
- St. John Chrysostom