Weekly Update for April 16, 2021
THIS COMING WEEK AT ST. MARY’S
FRIDAY 4/16– Akathist to the Theotokos 7:00pm
SUNDAY 4/18 - Those who passed away in April will be remembered after Liturgy this Sunday, April 18.
WEDNESDAY 4/21 – Presanctified Liturgy 6:30pm
MONDAY 4/19 – Deadline for Reader volunteers for Agape Vespers (see “Readers Needed” under New Announcements) and for Holy Week and Pascha donations (see “Donations to the Church” under Reminders, below)
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW E-NEWS EDITOR – The Editor of this e-Newsletter, Melissa Nassiff, is retiring after this issue. She will be replaced by Elana Jabbour (elana.jabbour@gmail.com), another longtime St. Mary member. Please welcome Elana!
HOLY WEEK SERVICES
Lazarus Saturday 4/24 - Matins and Divine Liturgy 9:00am; Great Vespers 4:00pm
Palm Sunday 4/25 – Orthros 8:45, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am; Bridegroom Matins 7:00pm
Monday 4/26 - Bridegroom Matins 7:00pm
Tuesday 4/27 - Bridegroom Matins 7:00pm
Wednesday 4/28 - Holy Unction 7:00pm
Thursday 4/29 - Vesperal Liturgy 8:00am; Matins Service of the 12 Gospels 7:00pm
Good Friday 4/30 - Royal Hours 1:00pm; Unnailing Vespers 3:00pm; Lamentations* 7:00pm
Holy Saturday 5/1 - Vesperal Liturgy 9:00am; Vigil/Rush Service* 10:00pm; Resurrection Matins* 11:00pm;
Divine Liturgy* 12:00 midnight
Pascha 5/2 - Agape Vespers* 11:00am
* available only for St. Mary members
PALM SUNDAY PALMS - Those who are not registered to attend Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday,
April 25, 2021, may come by the church to pick up palms between 8:45am and 10:15am from the ushers.
READERS NEEDED - On Pascha (May 2) in the Agape Vespers at 11:00am, the Gospel is proclaimed in many languages. If you speak a foreign language and would like to read the Gospel, please e-mail Charlie Marge, marge@alum.mit.edu, by Monday, April 19.
REMINDERS
REGISTERING FOR SERVICES – Seating for all services at St. Mary’s is limited as long as we are in “pandemic protocol.” In order to attend any service you need to sign up ahead of time at https://stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/signup.
Lenten Services You can now register to attend the Presanctified Liturgies on Wednesdays and the Akathist services on Friday evenings in Lent. If you're not a member of the parish, you can sign up to attend one of these services at 10:00am on the previous day.
Holy Week services (4/25 through 5/1) are currently available for registration. These are restricted to members of St. Mary only and are limited to one service that week.
For regular Sunday services you can sign up for one Sunday per month.
If additional spots are still available after 10:00am the day before a Holy Week service, or on the Friday prior to a Sunday liturgy, non-members as well as members may sign up to fill the remaining spots, even if they've already attended a service in that period.
If you find that you can’t make it on a date you’ve signed up for, please cancel your reservation so someone else can use it.
Remember to sit in marked pews when attending liturgy
LIVE-STREAMED SERVICES - All the Divine Services held in St. Mary’s Church can be seen live-streamed at www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/live or https://www.facebook.com/stmarycambridge or www.youtube.com/stmarycambridge For the safety of all during the pandemic, please pray with us from home if you have a cough or cold.
DONATIONS TO THE CHURCH - One-time donations to the church (For the Good Health of, In Memory of, etc.) can be made on our website using this form: https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/donate/donate-now In addition to bank ACH transfers, we now accept credit cards for these donations, but ask that you kindly check the box to cover the 2.6% fee incurred by the church for this convenience. For pledge contributions, please sign up for eGive to make ACH transfers.
Donations for Holy Week and Pascha will be accepted until Monday 4/19. To donate on-line, go to the Donation page on our website (https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/donate/donate-now) and select the “Holy Week & Pascha Donations” Fund. [MN1] There you can identify which items you would like to donate (i.e. the Palms, Holy Oil, Flowers to decorate the epitaphios (tomb) for Good Friday, Easter Lilies to adorn the altar, and/or Incense) and whether “For the Good Health of” (FGO) or “In Memory of” (IMO) a loved one. Or, email the church secretary (at 8 Inman St, Cambridge MA 02139) or Mary Winstanley O’Connor at moconnor@koilaw.com with your name, what you are donating, and the reason.
Please submit your donations either by mailing them to the church office (at 8 Inman St., Cambridge 02139 or by E-give, designating what you are donating and how you would like your donation listed in the bulletin. All donations will appear in the Palm Sunday bulletin, April 25, 2021. Any questions, please call Mary Winstanley O’Connor at (617) 523-1010.
MORNING PRAYER - The daily morning prayer group on Zoom, led by Subdeacon James Wilcox and his wife Brooke is open to anyone who wants to take part. Prayers now run Monday through Friday, beginning at 8:30am:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/377381275 password: 28052020
ORTHODOXY 102 - This adult education class is led by Subdeacon James on Zoom. Orthodoxy 102 is 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 Eastern Christianity. This is the second year the class is being offered. It meets 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 Subdeacon James drjamesis@gmail.com (or introduce yourself to him on any Sunday following the liturgy, if you’re there in person). The class begins at 7:00pm every Monday on Zoom.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - We still need volunteers to assist with some of the technical responsibilities
pertaining to outreach at the church:
Website Maintenance
Social Media Maintenance and Monitoring
Sermon Editing and Posting on Web and Social Media
Occasional Tech Support, Layout, and Graphic Design Work for Various Church Ministries
Please contact Father Antony or Raymond Sayeg to offer your services.
REFLECTION
I cannot persuade myself that without love to others, and without, as far as rests with me, peaceableness towards all, I can be called a worthy servant of Jesus Christ.
– St Basil the Great
You see, to love of God is joined also love of neighbor: the person who loves God doesn't neglect his brother; nor esteem money ahead of a limb of his own but shows him great generosity, mindful of Him Who has said, 'Whoever did it to the least of My brothers did it to Me.' He is aware that the Lord of all considers as done to Himself the service given to his fellow servant, and so he will perform every service with great enthusiasm and give evidence of great generosity in almsgiving, considering not the lowliness of appearance but the greatness of the One Who has promised to accept as done to Himself what is given to the poor.
- St. John Chrysostom
The Lord said, "When you have done all that is commanded you, say: 'We are useless servants: we have only done what was our duty'" (Luke 17:10). Thus the kingdom of heaven is not a reward for works, but a gift of grace prepared by the Master for His faithful servants.
- St. Hesychius the Priest