News

Calling all K-12th graders! Join us for a Fall Festival with games, crafts, and a lot of fun in the Terrace Room during the General Assembly!

On Sunday, Oct 30, Philoptochos will celebrate Patron Saints Cosmas and Damion with an artoclasia, a special collection for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and by hosting the social hour.

Gather up the pets, grab the kids, and come to the church on Saturday, October 29, for the Blessing of the Animals at 10:00 a.m. in the south parking lot. We’ll begin with a beautiful service of blessing, followed by treats and  socializing.

Everyone is invited to the  Philoptochos meeting to hear our guest speaker from Heartland Girls’ Ranch, a residential group home in Benson, MN. The ranch provides housing, supportive services, mental health support, equine (horse) and other therapeutic programming and a dedicated school for girls.

Do you enjoy playing cards and/or board games? Join the gang on Saturday, October 22, 7:00 pm, in the Lecture Room for fun and fellowship with fellow Orthodox Christians from throughout the Metro area. Please bring a snack to share. Beverages will be furnished. Contact Nikki Beauchamp with any questions.

Senior GOYA Service Project; meet at the Wehr House. Fun, food, and fellowship. Be sure to bring warm clothing for outdoor activities!

Family Camp took place on October 7-9 at beautiful Camp Courage in Maple Lake, MN. Fr. Andrew Jaye and David Benson shared unique perspectives on prayer! Family Camp is a great way to introduce young campers to the idea of camping and a great chance to reacquaint campers to summer camp friends.

The Women’s Book Club discussion of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis was held Thursday, October 6, 7:00-8:30pm. This was a hybrid event, with in-person discussion at church in the Fireside Room, and a call-in option for remote participation. All women are welcome. To have your name added to the list, contact Katherine Boosalis (katherine@boosalis.net). The book is available for purchase in the church bookstore.

Philoptochos cooked & served dinner for FOCUS Minnesota guests-in-need on Sunday, Oct 2. FOCUS reports that 200 to 250 meals are being served each Sunday evening, punctuating the need in the community at large. We served chicken, pork, potatoes or rice, carrots, a tossed salad, rolls, and cookies. Carol Smith, Chair.

Missions and Outreach brunch with two presenters from Mission Take Heart. Learn how to help persecuted Christians get their businesses established once again by using training and micro loans. Serving the persecuted involves the entire body of Christ.

The St. Mary’s Men’s (age 18 and over) Retreat returned at the Karos’ cabin! Fr. Tim Sas joined us for the weekend. Weather dependent activities included fishing, hiking, tennis, basketball, pickle ball, and our annual bonfire. The Guest Speaker was Fr. Cyprian Sas, brother of Fr. Tim Sas.

New and current altar boys met with Fr Tim and Fr Paul after Divine Liturgy for an orientation on preparing for and serving in the the altar.

Game Starts at 1:10 pm – Bus Leaves St Marys at 12:00 Noon. Grab your glove and come on out to see the Twins play the Rangers on Sunday, August 21, at 1:10 p.m.! St. Mary’s will provide a bus to and from Target Field, departing from St. Mary’s at 12:00 noon. The tickets are $20, which includes a hot dog and a soda, and are on a first come, first served basis.

Don’t miss this year’s FOCUS Minnesota’s annual Festive Event, celebrating 12 years of service to our community, at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church. This year’s theme is Focus on the Heart – and the very heart of our shared ministry is the prayers and the support we receive from the church communities. Even through the last few difficult years, working together we have been able to steadfastly keep up our work, on behalf of our entire Orthodox community, to minister to the poor. Thank you so much. It would be an honor to see everyone at this event, to update you on the work of FOCUS, to share with the whole Orthodox community of the greater Twin Cities what they have been able to accomplish with God’s abundant mercy and blessings, and the support of the churches. Buffet with wine and beer bar.

Young adults (ages 18-35) are invited aboard the Magnolia Blossom on Thursday evening, August 18, to dance the night away as we cruise down the Mississippi River!

All Junior GOYAns are welcome to join our Summer Reading Book Club led by Presvytera Alexandra Houck. The Junior GOYAns will be reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis and meet to discuss the book and examine the Christian messages within the book.

Philoptochos will host both a Lenten meal after Vespers on Sunday evening, August 14, and the coffee hour after morning Liturgy on Monday, August 15. Please stop by our table after church on Sundays to volunteer to help at these events or provide treats for the morning reception and help us celebrate our parish feast day!

Our Dormition Retreat for kids entering Kindergarten through 12th grade will take place on Sunday, August 14, from 10:45 AM (following Communion)-12:30 PM. This year the retreat will look a little different. Following Communion on Sunday, we will meet in the Terrace Room and breakout into a couple different groups where we will decorate the Kouvouklion, have a lesson about the Theotokos, and some hang time. A snack and light lunch will be provided.

The next book club discussion of The Forgotten Desert Mothers by Laura Swan will be Thursday, August 4, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., in the Lecture Room. The book is still available in the bookstore. If you’re unable to attend in person, we can set up a conference call to join the discussion. Please contact Katherine Boosalis or Dka. Alexandria Kalina to make this request.

Hey kids! — Don’t miss out on the First Annual Volunteer T-Shirt Design Contest! Show off your creativity with your original design, drawing, or phrase of what you feel represents the Taste of Greece! View the flyer for more information.

• The contest is open to youth in grades K-12.
• Individual entries: one per person OR sibling entries: one per family.
• Themes: Greek Heritage | Greece | St. Mary’s Church | Taste of Greece Festival.

CrossRoad is a ten-day academic summer institute that prepares high school juniors and seniors to make big life decisions and invites them to connect with the Orthodox Christian theological and spiritual tradition in a deep and meaningful way.

Create a Beautiful Future with Young Adults at St. Mary’s!
St. Mary’s is a part of the Telos Gamma Process to engage and energize young adults in our community. We invite all parishioners to this kick off workshop to give insights and reflect on what is unique and wonderful about St. Mary’s and imagine together how the parish can become a home where young adults thrive and contribute to the community. We will be catering a pastitsio lunch from It’s Greek to Me so please let us know how many to expect by Tuesday, July 12. We are also working to provide childcare during this workshop.

The Telos Project Vision: The young adults in our parishes often struggle to understand why they should remain Orthodox, or even Christian. They wrestle with questions of identity, vocation, and relationships. They want to connect with the Orthodox Church, but they don’t always know how. To this end, we [the telos community team] are dedicating the next five years to discovering new ways of engaging young adults ages 23–29 in Orthodox parishes. Based out of the Office of Vocation & Ministry at Hellenic College Holy Cross, the Telos Project has invited fourteen pilot parishes to participate in Telos webinars, conferences, and other resources as they embark on designing new ministries for and with the young adults in their communities. These parishes, in turn, will share their learning with us and with the Church more broadly, helping shape Hellenic College Holy Cross curriculum and future leaders of the Church. Read more here.

Volunteers working for any portion of the day… Projects may include making pillowcases for Shriners Hospital and Reach and Restore, boxer shorts for FOCUS, pads for Days for Girls kits, and nightshirts for the Sojourner Battered Women’s Shelter. Many types of tasks will be needed. If you want to sew on your own machine, feel free to bring it. Contact Chair Sofia Johnson with questions. Sponsored by St Mary’s Philoptochos.

Summer Camp 2022 was held at Camp Wapo .

An engaging day at Church in which children learned about Holy Week, the Crucifixion, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• We had lessons, crafts, lunch, stations in the church, and gym time to help get the wiggles out – even the big kids!
• Attended the Descent from the Cross Vespers beginning at 1:30 pm.
• Pre-K (4 yrs old) – 12th Grade.

• Matins – 9:00 a.m. • Divine Liturgy – 10:00 a.m.
The Service Day projects followed a time of fellowship after Liturgy and included cleaning and preparing the church for Holy Week and plaiting palm crosses. It was a joy-filled day! At midday we joined together for a potluck lunch. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were provided for the kids.

Four excellent presentions were delivered to St Mary’s congregation and judges following the Memorial Prayers of the Divine Liturgy. Talents in other categories were on display in the Great Hall. The Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical and Fine Arts Festival is a longstanding tradition that provides a unique opportunity for our youth both to learn about their faith and to display their talents in the areas of Speech, Essay, Poetry, Iconography and Vocal Solo (new category as of 2019). The winners in each category will advance to the Chicago Metropolis event which will be held Bright Saturday, April 30, 2022 from 9am-2pm at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Milwaukee, WI. The Oratorical Committee members will introduce and judge the Speech and Vocal Solo categories on Bright Saturday. As in previous years, the Essay, Poetry and Iconography categories will be judged earlier that week.

5th-12th graders from the Minnesota Greek Orthodox churches came together to attend the Fanari Retreat. The retreat was a day in the life of camp, and included: worship, Orthodox Life, games, song night, and much more! This regional retreat had seven satellite locations (including here at St. Mary’s) throughout the Metropolis, each following their local COVID-19 guidelines. All 5th-12th graders were invited to attend. Following the retreat, the 5th-8th graders went home (8:00 p.m.), and the 9th-12th graders were invited to stay for a lock-in. We woke up in time to attend Orthros at 8:30 am, and the lock-in officially ended at the end of the Divine Liturgy.

Camping Ministry Sunday, the second Sunday of Great and Holy Lent. The primary purpose of this event to emphasize the impact of camping ministries for the Metropolis faithful, which are celebrating their anniversaries this year:
• St. Mary’s Camp (70 years)
• Fanari Camp (50 years).

Including:
• Sharing the encyclical from His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael
• Having St. Mary’s Camp alumni briefly speak about the importance of Camping Ministry.
• Hosting a table during the fellowship hour with materials about our upcoming Summer Camp at Camp Wapo July 2-8, 2022. Camp Staff will be on hand to answer any questions.

The Christmas season was kicked-off with the Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party on Tuesday, December 14. Social time began with appetizers, punch, and wine. The lunch menu was salad, garithes with manestra (shrimp with manestra in a special tomato sauce), a special Christmas dessert, and coffee. Our own Elena Biessener performed holiday favorites and other delights. The afternoon concluded with Bingo, complete with prizes.

The Parish Council, Fellow Clergy, Church Staff, Philoptohos, and parishioners honored Fr. George for his dedicated service to St. Mary’s.  In just over seven years, Fr. George has impacted each of our lives and been a loving and faithful presence. We will miss him and his family and wish them continued joy as he begins his service at Holy Apostles in Westchester, Illinois.

A fun time was had by all! In appreciation of your Time, Talent and Treasure, the St. Mary’s Parish Council and Stewardship Committee invited parishioners to this annual event of dinner, dancing and fellowship.

Two powerful presentations! Please continue to support IOCC’s global humanitarian work. International Orthodox Christian Charities offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide, without discrimination, and strengthens the capacity of the Orthodox Church to so respond.