ST THOMAS INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH NEWSLETTER August 2012 Volume XVI Issue 8 1009 UNRUH AVE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19111 Contact Info: stthomasunruh@gmail.com Phone: 215.342.1500 Fax: 215.342.2700 St. Mary In Remembrance We are in a blessed season of remembering the Blessed Virgin Mary. The lent that is observed from August 1-15 in memory of the greatest saint of the Church is an indication how serious the Church takes her memory. The dormition of St. Mary is the teaching of the Orthodox Church. In the Roman Catholic circle the word assumption is used. It is believed that St. Mary had resurrected after her death and burial and was accepted to heaven by our Lord but will be waiting for the Final resurrection that we are all waiting for. St. Mary has an empty tomb. The Orthodox Church believes that St. Mary s life of holiness qualified her for her passage to heaven. It is important that in the Churches of apostolic tradition has high esteem for St. Mary. Some time ago I read a magazine produced by a pentecostal group in which I saw a brief write-up about St. Mary. I was curious to know what they wrote about St. Mary. I thought they are trying to write something against St. Mary. In fact it was amazing to read all good Vicar s Message things they wrote about St. Mary. Even those who oppose the intercession of St. Mary are willing to praise her goodness. St. Mary is called the second Church. The Church holds Christ in her womb as St. Mary bore Christ in her womb. We the members of Church are therefore, technically holding Christ in our hearts. That is a great status. It is for that status that we call St. Mary the theotokos or the mother of God. Thus we all become Christ-bearers as we take part of the Holy Communion every time (he who eats by body and drinks my blood will be in me and I in him, John 6). St. Mary is known for three distinct qualities: 1) Thy Will be Done: This is part of the Lord s prayer. When St. Mary heard the impossible and unworkable message from Anger Gabriel to give birth to God s son while she was an unmarried young lady, she did not reject the offer that God gave her to take God s mission. behold I am Thy servant, may it happen to me according to Thy will was the response from St. Mary. And she did it. Often we all pray in the Lord s prayer, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven but we never do that. Our prayers are a farce comparing to what St. Mary did. When prayer and action jibe, the grace of God abounds. The angel told St. Mary, Hail Mary full of grace, which is a salutation to a person who has the willingness to obey the will of God. 2) Perfect Humility: When the task was taken up by St. Mary, she knew she has been spiritually elevated to a very high position. But she humbles herself saying, God has accepted the humility and so that all generation s will call me blessed. It could have been a proud moment for her but she humbled herself. It is an exemplary character for anyone to feel humble when he/she is elevated to a position. Great people will never boast about the position that they got because they know it is given by the Lord. When someone cannot be humble, God will not use that person. St. Mary is the best example for us. 3) Willingness to Bear the Cross: St. Mary not only accepted the assignment but also took all suffering attached with it. Normally people are willing to take a position or name or fame that God is willing to give but often complain about the cross attached to that. There is no crown without a cross. All good name and veneration that St. Mary received was because of the cross or suffering that she bore in her life. She reached the foot of the cross that Jesus died on as a culmination of her suffering as a mother who witnessed brutal murder of her only son. But she was not shaken. She kept all those events in her heart. She knew well that her son and our Lord would take any suffering for the sake of humans. She followed that path. St. Mary s uniqueness is the holiness in her life. The proof of holiness is the above three qualities. We should look back to our life and see if we would eve qualify to the holy? Christians were called saints once up on a time especially in the New Testament writings. What is our status today? Will one person be seen today who will qualify to be called a saint? What happened? We have gone away from the Word of God and live like people who have no vocation to the Kingdom of God. Can we revive that life in us? I hope that this memory of St. Mary will give us the inspiration to follow some qualities of St. Mary. Lovingly, Fr. M. K. Kuriakose, Vicar AUGUST 2012 1 NEWSLETTER
August Birthdays Chinnamma M Varghese 02-Aug Cherian Philipose 02-Aug Jijo George Varghese 02-Aug Mary Cherian 04-Aug Dony Davy 04-Aug Jaison Daniel 05-Aug Vinitha Varghese 05-Aug Tibin John Prince 06-Aug Aleyamma George 06-Aug Lambert Thomas 07-Aug Mathews T. Varghese 08-Aug Leelamma O Panicker 08-Aug Crisia Maria Shibu 09-Aug Sheena Jose 10-Aug Blessy George 10-Aug Ashok Paulose 10-Aug Sneha Reynold 13-Aug Augustin P. Babu 13-Aug Joel G Panicker 13-Aug Varughese Jacob 13-Aug Jojy Varghese 14-Aug Alina Korathu 14-Aug Achamma Cherian 15-Aug Renji Rajan 15-Aug Nadukemuriyil V Thomas 15-Aug Rachel A Varghese 16-Aug Thomas Abraham 18-Aug Shelby Alisha Thomas18-Aug Christina S Thomas 18-Aug George Abraham 18-Aug Jijo Chacko 19-Aug Hannah Mary Thomas19-Aug Ninan Mathai 19-Aug Dennys Mathew John 19-Aug Sherin Sara Anish 20-Aug Aben G Panicker 21-Aug Flamy Philip 21-Aug Isabel J Mathew 22-Aug Varghese Varghese 22-Aug Sajan Thomas 23-Aug Anooj Thomas 23-Aug Kochupurackal Thomas24-Aug Riny Saju Mathew 25-Aug Pappachan Chacko 25-Aug Raju Markose 26-Aug Annamma Mathew 26-Aug Judy Philip 27-Aug Nallumalayil J George27-Aug Agin G. Thomas 27-Aug George Varghese 27-Aug Molly Prince 28-Aug Suresh Mathew 29-Aug Sharon Jacob 29-Aug Bibin George 30-Aug Betsy George 30-Aug Cijo Joseph 30-Aug Anugraha T John 30-Aug We wish you all a Happy Birthday! Announcements Please sent news, articles and information for September 2012 Newsletter by Sunday, Aug 19 to the parish secretary or newsletter editor. sam@samjacobk.com, jerinjuby@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. Prayer Meetings: Please contact Prayer Meeting Coordinator, Mrs. Susan Mathew, to schedule a prayer meeting at your residence. Wednesday Prayer Line Prayer-Line dial-in # 213-342-3000. Access Code: 4044200. Please email Mr. Mathew Samuel, msamue2000@yahoo.com, to add your email address for Prayer Line updates. Playback Dial-in Number: 1-213-342-3003; Speaker Jessy Kochamma Staten island; Playback Access Code: 335921 Playback Dial-in Number: 1-213-342-3003; Speaker Rev.Fr. John Melapuram; Playback Access Code:311289 August Wedding Anniversaries Mr & Mrs Diboo A Daniel 11-Aug Mr & Mrs Abraham K Varughese 14-Aug Mr & Mrs Jiji Mathew 15-Aug Mr & Mrs Mathew P Cherian 15-Aug Mr & Mrs Renji Varghese 15-Aug Mr & Mrs Varghese Baby 15-Aug Mr & Mrs Rajan Koshy 17-Aug Mr & Mrs Gibson Thomas George 18-Aug Mr & Mrs Manoj Thomas 19-Aug Mr & Mrs Nadukemuriyil V Thomas21-Aug Mr & Mrs Georgeyo Oommen 16-Aug Mr & Mrs Jacob Mathew 18-Aug Mr & Mrs Biju John 20-Aug Mr & Mrs Jacob Kuruvilla 20-Aug Mr & Mrs Alen Thomas 21-Aug Mr & Mrs Ajo Raju 21-Aug Mr & Mrs Thomas Vakkayil 22-Aug Mr & Mrs Shibu Thomas 22-Aug Mr & Mrs Jiju Mathew 26-Aug Mr & Mrs Kochupurackal Thomas 27-Aug Mr & Mrs Thomas C Thomas 28-Aug Mr & Mrs Robin Raju 28-Aug Mr & Mrs Alex P Symon 29-Aug Mr & Mrs Suresh Cherian 29-Aug We wish you all a Happy Anniversary! AUGUST 2012 2 NEWSLETTER
New Member: Mr. NJ George, wife Mrs. Annamma George and son Anoop Joseph George. Welcome to the parish family! Guest Priests: H. G. Dr. Yuhanon Mar Chrysostomos (07/01/2012) Rev. Fr. Siby Varghese (07/15/2012) H. G. Dr. Gheevarghese Mar Coorilose (07/22/2012) Obituary: Mr. Simon T. John, uncle of Shibu and Santhosh Baby passed away at Manjanikkara Mr. P T Thomas, brother-in-law of N V Thomas passed away at Kallungal, Thiruvalla Mrs. Kunjumariamma, sister-in-law of Kondoor Chacko passed away in Indore. Dr. Tom Thomas, cousin of Liz Pothen, passed away in Philadelphia. Our condolences to the bereaved families. Engagement: Parish News Anju Elias, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Isaac, and Dhanish John, son of Mr. & Mrs. John Babu on Saturday, June 30. Sunday School News (Jacob Kuruvilla, Asst. Principal) Even as the vacation continues, Sunday school has the following activities. Parents are requested to encourage children to take advantage of these opportunities. Summer Special Classes This year s theme is Christian virtues. The sessions are being conducted by Achen. Preparation for Talent Competition Suja Abraham is continuing to coordinate Quiz Jessy Jacob is coordinating Story Telling she will review stories and update participants on the scoring criteria Elocution Volunteers for training Agin Thomas - Groups 6 and 7 - English Milly Philip - Groups 6 and 7 Malayalam Sunitha Anish -Group 5 (Both Mal & English) Group Song Coordinator Sheena Jose & Sherly Chacko OVBS Started on 08-02-12. Our church hosted it this year. There is good participation from all the churches Wedding Announcement: Sanju John, son of Mr. & Mrs. John P. Eapen, and Anju M. Varghese, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Thanuvil Varghese on Saturday, July 28. Felicitation of Graduates: Felicitation of graduates was on July 08 at our church. The event honored graduates from 8th grade to graduate school. Teachers Fellowship To be held on Aug 25th at Bishel and Santhosh Baby s house. Divyabodhanam Next class is on a Saturday Aug 11 from 10AM to 1PM. Please contact course coordinator Mrs. Elsa Koshy for further details. Parish Calendar Date Event Location August 18 Parish Picnic West Goshen Park, West Chester September 9 MOSC Centenary Celebrations Chief Guest: H. H. Baselius Marthoma Paulose II In NY; Location TBA October 6 Harvest Festival Church October 20 MMS Annual Diocesan Meeting Contact Omana Varghese for details AUGUST 2012 3 NEWSLETTER
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 Mrs. Omana Varghese (omanavarghese52@gmail.com). 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 MGOCSM for the past two months has been progressing. Our young men and women who are in high school and college have been engaged in Apostolic Bible Teaching, thought-provoking discussions and relevant group projects. The goal of this ministry is to expound on scriptural truths through the relevant real-life experiences of our American youth. The past two Bible Fellowships, "Gone Fishing" and "Wake Up Call" have attempted to accomplish this goal; and we have! The monthly parish MGOCSM meeting is a time to inform the youth as well as the parents on what this ministry is attempting to do for the present and forth coming month, and also upcoming parish and area level events and ministries. The meeting is centered around the monthly theme, for April--life, for May--power. The office bears of the MGOCSM have done an incredible job this year. Our parents much gratitude for their support and prayers. For more information, contact Secretary Ms. Christina Thomas (tina_thomas1131@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 have so far examined Christ as God, as Savior, as King. These cardinal doctrines of the Church, as seen in the Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers, must be learned if one is to be a disciple of Christ and the Orthodox Church. I am proud of the young men who have dedicated their time for this ministry. Young Adults and 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. For the past two sessions we have dealt with the "5 different love languages" and "Godly Submission." Both sessions, in their own right, have been successful; however, participation from the men in our parish has been, to say the least, minimal. More of our men must contribute their time for this ministry. Please contact Mrs. Sneha Reynold (snehareynold@gmail.com) for the weekly schedule. OCYM During the past month OCYM has been examining the Malankara Orthodox church and its apostolic roots. This has led this ministry to research the historical evidence of St Thomas' arrival and evangelical work in India and particularly on the Malabar Coast. The discussions, although sometimes dry, have been engaging and enlightening. Within the coming month this ministry will continue to study the Apostolic tradition of the Malankara Orthodox Church. In addition, through such a study, we hope that the faith of those who participate will be deepened and strengthened. Please Please contact Secretary Mr. Jobin Abraham (jobin.abraham@yahoo.com) for more information. Men s Forum 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. N. V. Thomas. 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 Mr. Steve Kurian (stevekurian@yahoo.com) for more details. AUGUST 2012 4 NEWSLETTER
Sunday School Calendar Event Date Venue Contact Teachers Fellowship Sat, Aug. 25 Residence of Jacob Kuruvilla Santhosh Baby Sunday School 1st Day of Class Sun, Sept. 2 Church Oommen Kappil Parish-Level Area-Level Diocesan-Level Sat, Sept. 15 St. Thomas IOC Susan Mathews (Reena) Sat, Sept. 29? St. Thomas IOC Susan Mathews (Reena) Sat, Oct. 13? TBA Susan Mathews (Reena) AUGUST 2012 5 NEWSLETTER