Parishioners & Friends:

I’m excited to greet you in anticipation of the Sunday of All Saints on June 27. As the Weekly eBlast mentioned, each year on the Sunday after Pentecost, the Orthodox Church celebrates all of the Saints of the Church, from the Saints we know so well, like the Theotokos and Saint Nicholas, to the ones whose names we do not even know. If you don’t celebrate your name day on any other day of the year, this is your name day. Many years to all those celebrating on the 27^th!

There are a couple of aspects of this feast that have always struck me. First, it’s so appropriate that this moment of remembrance comes just after the Sunday after Pentecost—the lives of the Saints were—and are—driven by the work of the Holy Spirit. They are certainly “the fruits” of the Holy Spirit made manifest in our world, from the earliest to most recent times. Their lives reveal what a life lived “in the Spirit” looks like in our world.

Second, the assertion that there are a host of Saints not even known or recorded in our Church’s spiritual annals is incredibly encouraging. It reminds us that there is no limit to God’s grace or some sort of cap on the workings of the Holy Spirit. In a spirit of humility and great care, we acknowledge that we simply don’t know everything about God’s work in the world. There’s a sense of holy mystery about these unknown spiritual pillars. We could be living next to Saintly people right now—we, too, can aspire to their spiritual achievements, always trying to move closer and closer toward our Lord.

For sure, we too can live saintly lives. And while the Church does not know every name of every Saint, the Lord knows each one of His children … He knows you and me. This Sundayy., He presents all of His children to us and invites us into Communion with Him and, of course, all of them. We are unified in Christ, and this is the greatest holy mystery of them all.

As always, I hope you enjoy your eBulletin and that you will engage with as much as possible in the weeks to come at Saint Gregory. In addition to our coming worship services and wonderful June 25 (this Friday!) Saint Gregory Golf Classic, we have the June 29 Philoptochos Virtual Cooking Class to look forward to and the July 13 Mansfield Family Fun Night coming our way (see the flyer below). All summer, our children are warmly invited to engage our liturgical life not only by worshipping in the pews but also through Antirodo service, Altar service or reading the Epistle. I also encourage our families to consider the outstanding Summer 2021 Metropolis of Boston Camp ministry opportunity, which begins sessions in early July. 

Let’s all stay close to our beloved Saint Gregory.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Alex

EPISTLE READERS: Eleni LaFond. Our youth are especially encouraged to contact Fr. Alex to read on a coming Sunday, in person or remotely. Parents, please let Father know if your daughter or son might like to read.

ALTAR SERVERS: All servers welcome this Sunday. Contact Fr. Alex or Tom Moustakis if your son is interested in Altar service--we'd love to grow this ministry.

ANTIDORON SERVER: Callie LaFond. Servers are welcome to participate in this ministry throughout the summer. To get involved, contact Fr. Alex. 

MEMORIALS: Ilias Loui Nohos, 6 years; Fr. Stanley Harakas, 1 year. May their memory be eternal!

FELLOWSHIP HOUR: Sponsored by the Nohos Family and George Harakas. Please join us in the hall following Divine Liturgy for friendship and refreshments--all are welcome to join us. Fellowship Hour sponsorships are open to the entire parish family. Please contact the Church Office to schedule your special day, in memory of a loved one, in honor of a special occasion or just to enable wonderful fellowship at Saint Gregory. 

WORSHIPPING FROM HOME: STREAMING AND INTERNET MINISTRY
ACCESS SERVICES VIA FACEBOOK:
St. Gregory the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church | Facebook

ACCESS SERVICES VIA YOU TUBE:
St. Gregory The Theologian Live - YouTube

STREAMING MINISTRY DETAILS/SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS
Access Services via You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvnXFV6xK1Nhm8ID84jFNg
Access Services and join our community on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/saintgregorythetheologian
Join our community on Instagram
@saintgregorythetheologian • Instagram photos and videos

ORTHROS & DIVINE LITURGY FOR THE SUNDAY OF ALL SAINTS, JUNE 27worshipping with you at Saint Gregory, whether in person or remotely. Orthros, 8:30 am; Divine Liturgy, 9:30 am. While Youth Religious Education classes have concluded until fall, we hope as many of our beloved children as possible will keep attending services or worshipping online. Worship and community never "break" at Saint Gregory!

FELLOWSHIP HOUR, JUNE 27--AND SPONSORSHIPS THIS SUMMER
If you feel comfortable doing so, please join us in the hall for Fellowship Hour following Divine Liturgy. We are grateful for the opportunity to once again enjoy friendship and refreshments in our hall. In addition, all parishioners are invited to pick a special Sunday to sponsor Fellowship Hour this summer. Please contact the Church Office. 

ANTIDORON SERVERS MINISTRY, JUNE 27
In addition to Divine Liturgy this Sunday, there will be a need each Sunday this summer. Please contact Fr. Alex to join this wonderful ministry and confirm service dates. 

PHILOPTOCHOS VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS, JUNE 29
Join us for this fun event hosted by Connie Spiros on the 29th, beggining at 6:30 pm. All Philiptochos members are warmly invited to participate. RSVP to Stephanie LaFond at your earliest convenience, so we can send out the link and ingredients list ahead of the event: steph@lafonds.net.

METROPOLIS OF BOSTON SUMMER CAMPING MINISTRY, STARTS JULY 5
MBC is gearing up for five faith and fun-filled sessions this summer, beginning July 5. Visit the MBC site at your earliest convenience (space is limited) for all the details and registration information: REGISTER - METROPOLIS OF BOSTON CAMP.

MANSFIELD FAMILY FUN NIGHT, JULY 13
We are looking for volunteers on Tuesday, July 13 to help with the preparation, cooking, serving and general support for this yearly Saint Gregory fundraiser in downtown Mansfield. It is a great opportunity to get our name out into the local community and a wonderful evening of fellowship for all involved. We are looking for support for 1-2 hour shifts between 4:30 pm – 9:30 pm on the 13th. Please contact Steve Christo if you would like to help: smchristo@comcast.net 

FOOD & FRIENDS, JULY 20
For July, we may be preparing "to go" meals or returning to a sit down meal approach. Interested in helping us prepare/serve or making a donation in support of this ministry? All are welcome to get involved. Please contact Cathy Cooper: ccooper126@verizon.net. Each meal we prepare and package feeds about 40-50 people and the total cost per event is about $150. We meet at St. Gregory's at 12 pm. Everything usually wraps up by 5 pm, but you are welcome to plug in whenever you are able. This is such a rewarding and much appreciated ministry for Saint Gregory's! If you can make the time to take part you'll be happy you did.

STEWARDSHIP IN 2021
Many thanks to all of our Saint Gregory parishioners who have already committed for 2021. 2021 Commitment Cards have been mailed to all our Stewards and are available via the Church Office. You can also fill out yours, and give online, via our website Stewardship Page: ​www.saintgregorythetheologian.org/stewardship/. GivePlus is another great option for parish giving: Home | St Gregory The Theologian Church (myvanco.com)

MEMORIAL GARDEN EFFORT
If you would like to add a memorial brick to our outdoor walkway this spring/summer, please fill out the form in our Narthex and Church Office. With the funds we raise, we would like to refurbish and install the iron fencing from our previous iconostation to frame the walkway, as well as add some outdoor icons and landscape features to update this wonderful area. Contact Cathy Cooper for further details and with questions: ccooper126@verizon.net. 

CONGREGATIONAL SINGING LEADERS
Singing leaders are needed to help our parish get familiar with our new hymnal, as well as lead congregational singing of the Divine Liturgy this summer and fall. Please contact Fr. Alex to learn more about coming practices and how you can be a part of this vital ministry of Saint Gregory. 

SAINT GREGORY PARISH BOOKSTORE
Parishioners are invited to visit our bookstore by appointment or otherwise receive assistance by contacting the Church Office. Cathy or Fr. Alex would be happy to help you find that encouraging book or meaningful gift for a loved one during these unique times.

WHAT'S NEW ON OUR WEBSITE?
Within our Youth Ministry pages, you'll now see two new resources under "Youth and Family Resources": "Saintly Lives" and "For Your Home." Both can be a resources for parents as they strive to bring the life of the Church into their homes. New entries for May will soon be available. 

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Fr. Alex: Tue. (9 am – 1 pm), Wed. (11 am – 3 pm) & Thur (9 am – 1 pm); or by appointment when convenient for our faithful. Please note that on occasion, Fr. Alex may be seeing to a pastoral situation, visitingn with another parishioner, attending a Metropolis event or otherwise engaged in Church life during office hours. Cathy Cooper: by Appointment. 

Our faithful are invited to submit the names of the living to be lifted up in prayer by Fr. Alex and our entire parish family. Please contact the Church Office or Father to add or remove names. 

Please pray for the servants of God: 

Nicole; Alexa; Tony; Amanda; Nicholas; Lea; Irene; Diana; Jeanne; Sam; Michael; Teddy; Annette; Johanna; Joyce; Elaine; Joseph; David; George; Elaine; Gia; Michelle; Kay; Maria; Andreas; Nicholas; Barbara; Timothy; Mark; Bonnie; Andrea; Marissa; Helen; Bessie; Peter; Gina; Christopher; Ginny; Stella; Dorothy; Jack; Dorothy; Ethel; Greg; Vesallie; Helen; Benjamin; Andonea