ST THOMAS INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 1009 UNRUH AVE, PHILADELPHIA, PA I Phone: I Fax:

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1 Volume XVII Issue 8 ST THOMAS INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 1009 UNRUH AVE, PHILADELPHIA, PA stthomasunruh@gmail.com I Phone: I Fax: NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2013 AUGUST NEWSLETTER

2 Vicar s Message Sacred Memory of the Theotokos The most saintly Mother of God, St. Mary s assumption falls on August 15th preceded by a Lenten period. The Holy Church made the right decision long ago to honor St. Mary who is the greatest saint of the Christian Church. Even the protestant community that does not honor saints like the Orthodox or Catholics do, they honor St. Mary as a very respectable person. Once I was surprised to see a Pentecostal newsletter in which a short write up appeared about St. Mary praising her qualities that are ideal for a Christian. However, there is still a lot of lack of knowledge about the depth of the personality of St. Mary in the Christian world. From the early centuries the Church gave the highest respect to St. Mary because the tradition of her assumption to heaven was an established belief. Both the Roman Catholics and Orthodox believe that St. Mary has an empty tomb. The only difference is that the Catholics believe that St. Mary was taken to heaven in bodily form without facing death but the Orthodox believe that she had died and was buried but resurrected on the third day and taken to heaven waiting for the final resurrection along with other believers. For those who have experienced the intercession of saints especially that of St. Mary, she is a unique saint. All churches established in the name of St. Mary have become sources of that powerful experience. The most famous church in the world for St. Mary is the one in Lourdes in France where millions of believers have experienced her intercession. What I learned in my studies is that those who lived in this world as selfless and completely surrendered to the will of God have become strong intercessors even after their death. No one can be compared to St. Mary in that surrender. When angel Gabriel announced to St. Mary that she will bear the Son of God her answer was I am the servant of the Lord, may it happen to me according to Your will. And her submission to God was perfect till her death. No wonder why the Church named her The Theotokos or God-bearer or Mother of God. It is a serious matter to call someone the God-bearer. The true God Jesus was borne by her. It was possible only because she was willing to submit herself to the will of God. The same opportunity is available for us also if we are willing to bear God in us. The Early Church did recognize this quality in her and considered her as the greatest intercessor for the faithful. Intercession is not an easy thing. Many people think they are great intercessors for others before the Lord. Often such intercessions are shallow prayers for others. A true intercession will be one s true love and care for others. One should be truly selfless to be a true intercessor. When we seek the intercession of Parumala and Pamapdi Thirumenies, we never realize how selfless they were and how much dedicated they were for the Lord. Most of our prayers are like what St. James says in 2:15,16, if a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you say unto them, go in peace, be ye filled; and yet you give them not things needful to the body; what does it profit? We are much prayerminded but our prayers are so hollow that it can hardly reach God because we never show the selfless care for the needy. What is the point in the prayer without action? St. Mary from the very beginning of Jesus ministry involved in seeking help for the family at the wedding of Cana. St. Mary had no business there, as Jesus told her, woman, what do I have to do with you? My time has not come. But St. Mary knew her son so well that He will not neglect the needs of a needy and told the people to obey what Jesus would tell them. I believe that St. Mary is the same today that if we seek her intercession, she will pray for us. God honors St. Mary s request for us. All that we need to do is to imbibe the same nature of St. Mary. We should surrender ourselves to God and care for others. The meditation shrine in our church complex has an icon of St. Mary that every time gives me the inspiration to look at her face and communicate. The icons of the saints and the Lord in our meditation shrine is truly a place where we can have that realistic feelings. Just go in there. Talk to the Lord and the saints in there. Our life will change. In the same way we have regular intercession prayers on every Wednesday after Holy Qurbana. Can you imagine how blessed we are when we do it on every Wednesday! Many of us look forward to that prayer time. I hope the intercession of St. Mary will be a great solace to us all. Lovingly, Fr. M. K. Kuriakose AUGUST NEWSLETTER

3 August Birthdays Parish News Jijo George Varghese 02-Aug Cherian Philipose 02-Aug Chinnamma M Varghese 02-Aug Dony Davy 04-Aug Jonathan Mathew Cherian05-Aug Vinitha Varghese 05-Aug Jaison Daniel 05-Aug Aleyamma George 06-Aug Tibin John Prince 06-Aug Lambert Thomas 07-Aug Leelamma O Panicker 08-Aug Mathews T. Varghese 08-Aug Crisia Maria Shibu 09-Aug Blessy George 10-Aug Sheena Jose 10-Aug Ashok Paulose 10-Aug Sneha Reynold 13-Aug Augustin P. Babu 13-Aug Joel G Panicker 13-Aug Jibin Verghese Jacob 13-Aug Jojy Varghese 14-Aug Liana 14-Aug Alina Korathu 14-Aug Renji Rajan 15-Aug N V Thomas 15-Aug Achamma Cherian 15-Aug Rachel A Varghese 16-Aug Shelby Alisha Thomas 18-Aug Thomas Abraham 18-Aug Christina S Thomas 18-Aug George Abraham 18-Aug Hannah Mary Thomas 19-Aug Ninan Mathai 19-Aug Jijo Chacko 19-Aug Dennys Mathew John 19-Aug Stephan Kalthil 20-Aug Sherin Sara Anish 20-Aug Aben G Panicker 21-Aug Flamy Philip 21-Aug Aaron Yohan George 21-Aug Varghese Varghese 22-Aug Isabel J Mathew 22-Aug Anooj Thomas 23-Aug Sajan Thomas 23-Aug Kochupurackal Thomas 24-Aug Pappachan Chacko 25-Aug Riny Saju Mathew 25-Aug Annamma Mathew 26-Aug Raju Markose 26-Aug Agin G. Thomas 27-Aug Judy Philip 27-Aug N Joseph George 27-Aug George Varghese 27-Aug Molly Prince 28-Aug Sharon Jacob 29-Aug Suresh Mathew 29-Aug Betsy George 30-Aug Anugraha Thankam John 30-Aug Bibin George 30-Aug Cijo Joseph 30-Aug We wish you all a Happy Birthday! August Wedding Anniversaries Mr and Mrs Abraham K Varughese14-Aug Mr and Mrs Varghese Baby 15-Aug Mr and Mrs Renji Varghese 15-Aug Mr and Mrs Mathew P Cherian 15-Aug Mr and Mrs J iji Mathew 15-Aug Mr and Mrs Obin M George 16-Aug Mr and Mrs Georgeyo Oommen 16-Aug Mr and Mrs Rajan Koshy 17-Aug Mr and Mrs Gibson T George 18-Aug Mr and Mrs Jacob Mathew 18-Aug Mr and Mrs Manoj Thomas 19-Aug Mr and Mrs Biju John 20-Aug Mr and Mrs Jacob Kuruvilla 20-Aug Mr and Mrs Ajo Raju 21-Aug Mr and Mrs David Philip 21-Aug Mr and Mrs N V Thomas 21-Aug Mr and Mrs Alen Thomas 21-Aug Mr and Mrs Shibu Thomas 22-Aug Mr and Mrs Thomas Vakkayil 22-Aug Mr and Mrs Jiju Mathew 26-Aug Mr and Mrs Kochupurackal Thomas27-Aug Mr and Mrs Thomas C Thomas 28-Aug Mr and Mrs Robin Raju 28-Aug Mr and Mrs Alex P Symon 29-Aug Mr and Mrs Suresh Cherian 29-Aug We wish you all a Happy Anniversary! August 17th Saturday is our Church Picnic. Please schedule the date on your Calendar. Registration is already started. Charity Housing Project is growing very fast. If you want to know more about the project please check the Bulletin Board for details. Guest Clergy: Rev. Fr. Shaji Baby (07/28/2013) Announcements Please send news, articles and information for September 2013 Newsletter by Sunday, Aug 24 to the parish secretary or newsletter editor: stthomasiocsecretary@gmail.com, stioc.newsletter@gmail.com. Please contact the parish office for any updates in contact information, addition in the family etc. to be added to the database. Please update your telephone numbers for Message Broadcast. Please visit our Web Site for information on upcoming events. Please collect your payment receipt after Holy Qurbana from the office. Please pay your subscription monthly or quarterly for the smooth running of the Church. Prayer Meetings: Please contact Prayer Meeting Coordinator, Mr. Joseph Vakayil, to schedule a prayer meeting. Prayer meetings may be hosted in your home or in Church. AUGUST NEWSLETTER

4 Sunday School News Submitted by Submitted by Oommen Kappil, Principal (Tel.: , Sunday School Opening and New Admissions Classes for the new school year will begin on Sunday, September 1st. For new admissions, the minimum age requirement is as follows: Lower Pre-K : 3 years; Upper Pre-K : 4 years; KG : 5 years Grade 1 : 6 years (Age as of August 31, 2013) Please contact Santhosh Baby or other staff members by Aug. 24th to enroll new students. Summer Study Series Our Vicar Rev. Fr. M. K. Kuriakose and Asst. Vicar Rev. Fr. Gheevarghese John are leading the Summer Study Series for our children. Jessie Jacob and Oommen Kappil are serving as substitutes. The topics for the Junior and Senior Divisions are Bible Stories and Profiles in Leadership respectively. Classes are conducted from 12:15 to 12.45pm on Sundays until Aug. 25th. These sessions are open for adults as well. Teachers Training and Planning Meeting A Staff meeting is scheduled for pm to 2 pm on Sunday, August 25 in the Chapel. There will be a training session on Preparation for Effective Teaching. A business meeting will be held immediately afterwards to plan on teaching assignments for each Grade. This is a mandatory training session meant for all teachers. Talent Competitions (Date: Sept. 14, 2013, Time: 9 am -1 pm) Preparations are underway for our parish-level Talent Competitions. All students are encouraged to register and participate. Detailed information on competition items, topics, guidelines and judging criteria are posted on the parish bulletin board. Training for Talent Competitions: Training on how to prepare the speech is scheduled for Sunday, August 11, starting at pm. Group 4 through 7 will have separate training sessions led by qualified staff members. Training for song and story shall be arranged for those who are interested. Please contact Mrs. Susan Mathews (Reena), the Coordinator of Talent Competitions for more information. Talent Competition Special Award Please be reminded that one of our parish members have volunteered to award a significant prize to each winner in the Group that earns the most points at the Area level competition. For example, out of the 7 groups, if Group 3 earns the highest number of points at the Area level, each winning student in Group 3 from our parish will receive a prize. First-Alphabet Writing A special ceremony will be held on Sunday, September 1, 2013 for all young children who are getting ready to start preschool this year. As per our Kerala tradition, special prayers will be said on behalf of the children, and our Achens will lead the students in formal First-Alphabet Writing. Parents along with the interested students may assemble in the Library immediately after the Holy Qurbana on Sept. 1st. Talent Competition Special Award-2013 Many of you might remember that one of our parish members have awarded a significant prize to each winner in the Group that earned the most points at the Area level competition. Last year, Group 6 won the most points at the Area-level competition, and all the winners in that Group were awarded a special prize. The member who prefers to be anonymous has offered to continue this award again this year. Therefore, we encourage each student and group to do their best to earn the special award. We thank the anonymous member for his selfless and inspiring support. Orthodox Vacation Bible School (OVBS) Around 225 students from the six area parishes were in attendance at the OVBS, which was held from Thursday, Aug. 1 through Saturday, Aug.3, hosted again by our parish. Song sessions, Bible classes, games, charity fundraising, devotional address by clergy, public speaking training, a special session on preparing for college admission etc were the highlights of the three-day event. A volunteer team led by Mr. Regi Mathai served food for all attendees. Several volunteers from our parish worked selflessly for the event. Dr. Mrs. Shaji Abraham from our parish and Mrs. Suja Sabu from St. Mary s Cathedral served as the OVBS Coordinators, working in cooperation with Mr. Mathew Samuel, Area Coordinator. The support from our Achens, parish Office bearers, youth and adult volunteers was inspiring and instrumental for the success of this event. AUGUST NEWSLETTER

5 News from Spiritual Organizations Martha Mariam Samajam (MMS): MMS meets alternate Sundays at the church auditorium after Holy Communion for prayer, Bible Study, learning songs and more. For more details of their activities please contact Secretary Saji Philip for more details. Women s Fellowship: Women s Fellowship meets on a regular basis for prayer and meditation. Contact Mrs. Bessie Mathew (bessie334@yahoo.com) for more details. MGOCSM: Our young men and women who are in high school and college have been engaged in Apostolic Bible Study, thought-provoking discussions and relevant group projects. For more information, contact Secretary Mr. Alvin Panicker (rmsalvin@gmail.com) for more details. Middle School Fellowship (CAYA): CAYA (Come As You Are) is geared towards middle school students! All middle school children (children in grades 6, 7, or 8) are welcome and encouraged to attend this Middle School Fellowship, or CAYA. This ministry is unique, because it allows the children to provide feedback and ideas, which encourages them to take an active role in the church. Please contact our Vicar, Asst. Vicar or coordinator Ms. Meenu Mathews (meenuamathews@yahoo.com) for more details. Discipleship Ministry: Over the past month and a half a select group of young men have been fully engaged in learning the essential of becoming a disciple for Christ. We are proud of the young men who have dedicated their time for this ministry. Please contact our Assistant Vicar for more details. Couples Fellowship: This fairly new ministry in our parish has been explained in detail in the previous edition of this newsletter, that is, it's formation and structure. More of our men must contribute their time for this ministry. Please contact Mr. Jacob Chacko(Reji) and Mrs.Susan John Varghese for more details. OCYM: OCYM conducted a successful bake sale and is extending their sincere thanks to the parish family for supporting it. Please contact Secretary Mr. Paul John (pjohn_19446@yahoo.com) for more information. Men s Forum: Men s Forum is planning a one Day Trip to Baltimore City site seeing on September 7th Saturday. Please contact officials for further details Men s Forum fellowship is going very strongly in our Church. The format of this session includes prayer, songs, bible reading, teaching followed by discussions. For more information please contact Mr. Thomaskutty Varghese (thomaskuttyv62@yahoo.com) for more details. FOCUS: FOCUS, Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in the United States is an organization intended for young adults, married and single, post-graduate students and professionals, from the ages of 23 and up. Contact our Assistant Vicar for more details. Middle School Fellowship (CAYA) The Middle School Fellowship is offering a mentoring opportunity in order to build up new leaders for the ministry! Anyone in the 8th grade is eligible and encouraged to apply. There will be a written application and a verbal interview, and two eighth graders will be selected to help lead the ministry. During the upcoming school year, they will be able to slowly taking on responsibility in the ministry so that they can eventually take leadership of the ministry. If you have any questions, Gheevarghese Achen at gheevarghesejohn@gmail.com or Meenu Mathews at meenuamathews@yahoo.com. AUGUST NEWSLETTER

6 Sunday School Calendar Event Date Contact Comments Sunday School Opening Sunday, Sept 1 NA NA First Alphabet Writing Sunday, Sept 1 Santhosh Baby Venue: Library Field Trip Monday, Sept 2 Santhosh Baby Area-level,Northeast Adult Daycare Talent Competition Saturday, Sept. 14 Susan Mathews (Reena) Parish Level Talent Competition Saturday, Sept. 28 Susan Mathews (Reena) Area Level, St. John's Church Talent Competition Saturday, Oct. 12 Susan Mathews (Reena) Diocesan Level, NY/NJ Area Parish Calendar Date Event/Time August 17 Parish Picnic September 7 Men s Forum Baltimore Trip October 5 Harvest Festival AUGUST NEWSLETTER