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Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church
Publish Date: 2019-08-04
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Allsaint
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Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church

General Information

  • Phone:
  • (617) 625-2222
  • Fax:
  • (617) 628-4529
  • Street Address:

  • 29 Central Street

  • Somerville, MA 02143


Past Bulletins


Weekly Events

 WEEKDAY SERVICES

Thursday, August 1st & Friday, August 2nd—PARAKLESIS to the most Holy Theotokos will be at 7 p.m.

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The coffee hour this Sunday will be kindly sponsored by the PTO.

Next Sunday, August 11th, the coffee hour will be kindly hosted by the Golden club.

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 Visit to the Holy Monastery of Panagia Parigoritissa

Our trip to the Holy Monastery of Panagia Parigoritissa in Quebec, Canada, will take place some time in October. Day and time to be announced. For more information contact the church office.

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THE DORMITION FAMILY TABLE

  Our Dormition Family Table will take place every 1st Wednesday of the month.  The next one will be served on Wednesday, August 7, 2019 from 4 p.m.—6 p.m.  We are looking for volunteers to help cook and serve.  Cooking starts at 2:00 p.m. 

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  FESTIVAL

           Once again our festival is fast approaching.  Before you know it, the festival weekend of September 6, 7 and 8th will be upon us.  So, now is the time to think how are we going to help our church.  

           We can help in many ways! We all know the drill by now.   We can either help during the week of the festival by skewering kabobs, cutting vegetables or by putting the final touches together that will help this year's festival be another success.  

Most help will be needed during the 3 day weekend in various areas!  

We can also help by donating items from the festival item list or by putting an ad in our festival ad book, as soon as possible. A 20% discount is offered on ads placed prior to 7/31/19. Anything you decide to do will be greatly appreciated and beneficial. Please let us know by calling the church office, so we can mark you down. As always, thank you in advance.  If you have any questions, please ask Diane Karavitis or call her at 1-508-574-9862. 

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DONATIONS NEEDED FOR THE ALTAR FUND

Starting September the New Ecclesiastical Year, the theme of our Community will be

“Welcoming Stranger’s and Children.”

Two (2) new Icons will be placed on the sides of the Narthex arch. The Icon of Hospitality of Abraham and the Icon of Christ and the Children.  Fr. Anthony is looking for Donors for each Icon. The icons are $1500.00 each.

             * Thank you to the Makrigiannis family for the generous donation of $1500.00, for the purchase the Icon of Christ and the Children.   Fr. Anthony is still looking for a donor for the icon of Hospitality of Abraham.

Video Camera—Fr. Anthony is looking for a donor to a video camera for recording and broadcasting Church Services and Annual Church events.  The video camera cost is $3000.00.

* Thank you to Mr. Stefanos Boulas for the first partial donation towards the Video Camera.

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Dear Parishioners, please inform the Church office at 617625-2222 if a relative or friend is hospitalized or bedridden at home so Fr. Anthony can visit them.  If it’s an emergency please call Fr. Anthony at 978-223-8224.

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Saints and Feasts

Allsaint
August 04

Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus

The Seven Youths hid themselves in a certain cave near Ephesus in the year 250, to escape the persecution of Decius. By divine grace, a sleep came upon them and they slept for 184 years, until the reign of Saint Theodosius the Younger, when the doctrine of the resurrection was being assailed by heretics. They then awoke, that is, were resurrected, confirming in the sight of all the bodily resurrection; and again after a short time, by divine command, they reposed in the Lord in the year 434.


Transfiguration
August 06

Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Our Lord had spoken to His disciples many times not only concerning His Passion, Cross, and Death, but also concerning the coming persecutions and afflictions that they themselves would endure. Since all these evils were near at hand, but the enjoyment of good things which they hoped to receive in their stead was yet to come, our Savior desired to give them full assurance, evidently and openly, concerning that glory which is prepared for those who endure to the end. Therefore, fulfilling that which He had promised shortly before, that "there be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom" (Matt. 16:28), He took His three foremost disciples and ascended Mount Tabor, where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as the light. Suddenly, together with this dread and marvelous effulgence of light, there appeared those pinnacles of the Prophets, Moses and Elias, who spoke with the Lord Jesus concerning His saving Passion which was about to take place. Standing before Him as reverent servants, they showed that He is the Lord of both the living and the dead, for Moses came forth from Hades, having died many centuries before, and Elias, as it were from heaven, whither he had been taken up while yet alive. After a little while a radiant cloud overshadowed them and out of the cloud they heard that same voice which had been heard at the Jordan at the Baptism of Christ, testifying to the Divinity of Jesus and saying: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased; hear ye Him" (Matt. 17: 5).

Such are the marvels, truly worthy of God, celebrated in this present feast, which is an image and prefiguring of the future state of the righteous, whose splendor the Lord spoke of, saying: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun" (Matt. 13:43). It is because of this that the Kontakion of this Feast is said daily (when there is not a great feast) in the Service of the Typica in perpetual commemoration of the glory that will be the lot of the Saints. According to tradition, the Lord's Transfiguration came to pass forty days before His Crucifixion; this is why the Transfiguration is celebrated forty days before the Exaltation of the Cross.


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Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

7th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 15:1-7

Brethren, we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

7th Sunday of Matthew
Πρὸς ῾Ρωμαίους 15:1-7

Ἀδελφοί, ὀφείλομεν δὲ ἡμεῖς οἱ δυνατοὶ τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῶν ἀδυνάτων βαστάζειν, καὶ μὴ ἑαυτοῖς ἀρέσκειν. Ἕκαστος ἡμῶν τῷ πλησίον ἀρεσκέτω εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρὸς οἰκοδομήν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτῷ ἤρεσεν, ἀλλά, καθὼς γέγραπται, Οἱ ὀνειδισμοὶ τῶν ὀνειδιζόντων σε ἐπέπεσον ἐπʼ ἐμέ. Ὅσα γὰρ προεγράφη, εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν διδασκαλίαν προεγράφη, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ διὰ τῆς παρακλήσεως τῶν γραφῶν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχωμεν. Ὁ δὲ θεὸς τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως δῴη ὑμῖν τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν ἀλλήλοις κατὰ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν· ἵνα ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐν ἑνὶ στόματι δοξάζητε τὸν θεὸν καὶ πατέρα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Διὸ προσλαμβάνεσθε ἀλλήλους, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς προσελάβετο ὑμᾶς, εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ.


Gospel Reading

7th Sunday of Matthew
The Reading is from Matthew 9:27-35

At that time, as Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it." But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.

7th Sunday of Matthew
Κατὰ Ματθαῖον 9:27-35

Τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, παράγοντι ἐκεῖθεν τῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ δύο τυφλοὶ κράζοντες καὶ λέγοντες· ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, υἱὲ Δαυΐδ. ἐλθόντι δὲ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ τυφλοί, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς· πιστεύετε ὅτι δύναμαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· ναί, Κύριε. τότε ἥψατο τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν λέγων· κατὰ τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν γενηθήτω ὑμῖν. καὶ ἀνεῴχθησαν αὐτῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί· καὶ ἐνεβριμήσατο αὐτοῖς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς λέγων· ὁρᾶτε μηδεὶς γινωσκέτω. οἱ δὲ ἐξελθόντες διεφήμισαν αὐτὸν ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ γῇ ἐκείνῃ.

Αὐτῶν δὲ ἐξερχομένων ἰδοὺ προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ ἄνθρωπον κωφὸν δαιμονιζόμενον· καὶ ἐκβληθέντος τοῦ δαιμονίου ἐλάλησεν ὁ κωφός, καὶ ἐθαύμασαν οἱ ὄχλοι λέγοντες ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἐφάνη οὕτως ἐν τῷ ᾿Ισραήλ. οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον· ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια.

Καὶ περιῆγεν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς τὰς πόλεις πάσας καὶ τὰς κώμας διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν ἐν τῷ λαῷ.


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This Sunday is celebrated

Last Week’s Sermon

“Jealousy towards Paralytic” 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On Sunday we were reading in the Gospel that Our Savior came to his own country and healed a paralyzed person. Whenever I read about someone paralyzed being healed I look at myself and imagine how hard it must be to be unable to move. Paralysis usually leaves a person completely dependent on someone else's help.  

In the Gospels we see many occasions when someone paralyzed was brought to Jesus. Oddly enough, every time the healing of the person is somehow connected with a problem. In this case the problem occurs after the healing process because Jesus uses a forbidden phrase. 

He tells the person that his sins are forgiven. People had two major problems with that. The first was that they could not imagine that someone other than God could forgive anyone’s sins and of course they could not imagine that God had become human. 

Secondly, forgiveness of sins was a long process in the Jewish culture and it was unfair that others brought sacrifices and went through a long process of repentance but this one person received them without any effort.

Jealousy still rages through humanity. That was the reason for the first homicide when Cain killed his brother. Somehow we cannot understand that we need to be thankful for our gifts and what God gives to others it is between them and God. Interestingly enough, this question of unfairness usually does not arise when we are the one in a favorable position. 

In the Gospel we find another story of a paralytic. This one had been paralyzed and lying on the side of the pool thirty-eight years and no one had given him a hand. Everybody had been minding their own business until Jesus walks to him and offers a way out of his miserable situation. But this is not all. We have a third one that is even worse. Four people bring a paralytic to Christ and people who were there did not let them in. This dear brothers and sisters is not a simple carelessness or lack of attention. This is a deep anthropological problem. 

Our reaction and relationship totally depends on what we see when we look at each other. Do we see a friend or an enemy? Do we see a human person in the image of God or a worthless creature that we would not miss a day if they were gone? Christ came to answer that simple question and He saw His own reflection in every one who came to him because he has created every one of us in his own image and likeness. 

When he says that, “whatever you do to your fellow human beings you do it to me”, He is not kidding. If that were a joke he would not become human and if we do not take this seriously we are not taking His birth seriously. 

Our relationship with God is directly connected with our relationship with one another. We all claim that we love God but we are not always sure about each other. We cannot say for sure that we love everybody and those whom we love sometimes we have reservations about. Sometimes our love does not extend beyond our family walls.  Sometimes even within the small circle of the family it is difficult to consistently act out of an attitude of love.

Let us just remember one thing today when we go home that Christ said you cannot love God if you do not love your fellow human beings. Loving someone does not mean to tolerate them, to dismiss them or imagine they do not exist. What it means to love someone we will talk another time but just know that our life depends on that.                   

Amen.

       Κήρυγμα της περασμένης Εβδομάδας

“Ζήλια προς τον Παράλυτο”

 Αγαπητοί αδελφοί και αδελφές εν Χριστώ,

 Την Κυριακή διαβάσαμε στο Ευαγγέλιο ότι ο Σωτήρας μας ήρθε στη χώρα του και θεράπευσε έναν παράλυτο άνθρωπο. Κάθε φορά που διαβάζω για κάποιον παράλυτο που θεραπεύεται, κοιτάζω τον εαυτό μου και φαντάζομαι πόσο δύσκολο πρέπει να είναι να μην μπορείς να κινηθείς. Η παράλυση αφήνει συνήθως ένα άτομο εντελώς εξαρτώμενο από τη βοήθεια κάποιου άλλου. Στα Ευαγγέλια βλέπουμε πολλές περιπτώσεις όπου κάποιος που παρέλυσε μεταφέρθηκε στον Ιησού. Παραδόξως, κάθε φορά η θεραπεία του ατόμου συνδέεται κατά κάποιο τρόπο με ένα πρόβλημα.

 Σε αυτή την περίπτωση το πρόβλημα εμφανίζεται μετά τη διαδικασία επούλωσης επειδή ο Ιησούς χρησιμοποιεί μια απαγορευμένη φράση. Λέει στο άτομο ότι συγχωρούνται οι αμαρτίες του. Οι άνθρωποι είχαν δύο μεγάλα προβλήματα με αυτό. 

 Το πρώτο ήταν ότι δεν μπορούσαν να φανταστούν ότι κάποιος άλλος εκτός από τον Θεό μπορούσε να συγχωρήσει τις αμαρτίες κάποιου και φυσικά δεν μπορούσαν να φανταστούν ότι ο Θεός έγινε άνθρωπος. 

 Δεύτερον, η συγχώρεση των αμαρτιών ήταν μια μακρά διαδικασία στην εβραϊκή κουλτούρα και ήταν άδικο άλλοι να κάνουν θυσίες και  να περνούν μια μακρά διαδικασία μετάνοιας, αλλά αυτό το ένα άτομο να πάρει τη συγχώρεση χωρίς καμία προσπάθεια.Η ζήλεια εξακολουθεί να υφίσταται μέσα στην ανθρωπότητα. Αυτός ήταν ο λόγος για την πρώτη ανθρωποκτονία όταν ο Κάιν σκότωσε τον αδελφό του. 

 Κατά κάποιον τρόπο δεν μπορούμε να καταλάβουμε ότι πρέπει να είμαστε ευγνώμονες για τα δώρα  που λαμβάνουμε και αυτό που ο Θεός δίνει στους άλλους είναι μεταξύ αυτών και του Θεού. Είναι αρκετά ενδιαφέρον ότι αυτό το ζήτημα της αδικίας συνήθως δεν προκύπτει όταν είμαστε σε μια ευνοϊκή θέση. Στο Ευαγγέλιο βρίσκουμε μια άλλη ιστορία ενός παραλυτικού. Αυτός ήταν παράλυτος και ξαπλωμένος στην άκρη της κολυμβήθρας τριάντα οκτώ χρόνια και κανείς δεν του έδωσε ένα χέρι βοηθείας.

 Όλοι ήταν απασχολημένοι με τις δικιές τους δουλειές ώσπου ο Ιησούς περπάτησε προς αυτόν και του προσέφερε μια διέξοδο από την άθλια κατάστασή του. Αλλά δεν είναι μόνο αυτό. Έχουμε και ένα τρίτο που είναι ακόμη χειρότερο. Τέσσερις άνθρωποι φέρνουν έναν παραλυτικό στον Χριστό και οι άνθρωποι που ήταν εκεί δεν τους άφησαν να μπουν μέσα. Αυτό αγαπητοί αδελφοί και αδελφές δεν είναι μία απλή απροσεξία ή έλλειψη προσοχής. Αυτό είναι ένα βαθύ ανθρωπολογικό πρόβλημα.

Η αντίδραση και η σχέση μας εξαρτώνται εντελώς από αυτό που βλέπουμε όταν κοιτάμε ο ένας τον άλλο. Βλέπουμε έναν φίλο ή έναν εχθρό; Βλέπουμε ένα ανθρώπινο πρόσωπο με την εικόνα του Θεού ή ένα άχρηστο πλάσμα που δεν θα μας έλειπε ούτε μια μέρα αν έφευγε;

 Ο Χριστός ήρθε να απαντήσει σε αυτή την απλή ερώτηση και είδε την αντανάκλασή του σε όλους όσους ήρθαν σε αυτόν επειδή δημιούργησε τον καθένα μας καθ’ εικόνα και ομοίωση. Όταν λέει, «ό, τι κάνεις στους συνανθρώπους σου το κάνεις σε μένα», δεν αστειεύεται . Εάν αυτό ήταν ένα αστείο δεν θα γινόταν άνθρωπος και αν δεν το πάρουμε αυτό σοβαρά δεν παίρνουμε τη γέννησή του σοβαρά.

 Η σχέση μας με το Θεό συνδέεται άμεσα με τη σχέση μας μεταξύ μας. Όλοι ισχυριζόμαστε ότι αγαπάμε τον Θεό, αλλά δεν είμαστε πάντα σίγουροι ο ένας για τον άλλον. Δεν μπορούμε να πούμε με βεβαιότητα ότι αγαπάμε τους πάντες και έχουμε μερικές φορές επιφυλάξεις γι αυτούς που αγαπάμε. Μερικές φορές η αγάπη μας δεν επεκτείνεται πέρα ​​από τα οικογενειακά τείχη μας. Μερικές φορές, ακόμη και μέσα στον μικρό κύκλο της οικογένειας, είναι δύσκολο να ενεργήσουμε σταθερά με μια στάση αγάπης.

 Ας θυμηθούμε ένα πράγμα σήμερα, όταν θα πάμε σπίτι. Ο Χριστός είπε, ότι δεν μπορείς να αγαπάς τον Θεό αν δεν αγαπάς τους συνανθρώπους σου. Το να αγαπάς κάποιον δεν σημαίνει να τον ανέχεσαι, να τον απορρίπτεις ή να φανταστείς ότι δεν υπάρχει. Γι αυτό που σημαίνει να αγαπάς κάποιον θα μιλήσουμε άλλη φορά αλλά απλά να ξέρουμε ότι η ζωή μας εξαρτάται από αυτό.

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Wisdom of the Fathers

And then at last He for His part lays His hand upon them, saying, "According to your faith be it unto you." And this He does to confirm their faith, and to show that they are participators in the good work ...
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 32 on Matthew 9, 4th Century

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