Brother Jobin Thomas, studying theology at the St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie for our Eparchy, received the Minor Orders of msamrono and korooyo from His Excellency the Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Eusebius during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 7.00 am on Saturday, June 25 at the Syro-Malankara Catholic Cathedral in Elmont. These are the Orders of ‘singing’ and ‘reading the Word of God’ respectively. Brother Jobin hails from our community in Toronto.
MCYM Resource Team Formation in Chennai, India
The third Resource Team Gathering of MCYM-Chennai was held on Saturday, 25 June 2016. The meeting was led by Mr Saji Daniel, the Animator of MCYM-Pune Exarchate in the presence of the Director of MCYM-Chennai, Rev Fr Sabu Maruthoor. The session started with a welcome note by the president of MCYM-Padi, Rinson V Thomas, followed by a brief self-introduction of all the MCYM members who were present.
Details of the Gathering:
MCYM members of Padi and Ayapakkam Parish took part in the third session.
- The topic of the session was ‘Green Meadows’.
- There was an ice breaking session with a game which made everyone enthusiastic and active for the proceedings.
- The Youth were introduced into the topic on the basis of the game, on how to protect our earth which is in our hands.
- Verses from the Bible were highlighted on how God teaches about the importance of protecting our nature.
- The gathering was given a puzzle to come up with a chain of words related to our environment.
- Later the gathering was divided into groups and was asked to discuss about things that everyone can ‘start’, ‘continue’ and ‘stop’ to protect our nature.
- The gathering was also given instructions on how to take this class in an interesting way in their respective units.
The Fourth Batch of Suvisesha Sangham at Church Level
The third session of the training of the fourth batch of the Suvisesha Sangham was held at the Catholicate Centre, Pattom, from 23 to 25 June 2016.
Rt. Rev. Msgr Geevarghese Mannikkarot Corepiscopa, Director of the Catholicate Centre, gave the introductory message. Rt. Rev. Msgr John Kochuthundil celebrated the Holy Qurbono and gave the message.
Rev. Dr Anthony Kakkanatt, Rev. Fr John Padipurackal, Rev. Fr Mathew Charthamkuzhi, Rev. Sr Namitha SIC, Rev. Sr Francina DM and Rev. Sr Mary Prasada DM were guided the classes. Besides Holy Confession, Holy Qurbono, Eucharistic Adoration there was an experience sharing in the life style and in the ministry of the evangelization.
66 members participated in the programme.
It was decided to organize the next training programme between 6 and 8 October 2016.
Rev. Fr Joseph Vadakekkara was called to Eternal Rest
Rev. Fr Joseph Vadakekkara(88), a senior priest of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla, was called to eternal rest on 24 June 2016. He belonged to Vadakekkara family, Kuravilangad.
The funeral service will be held at 10.30 a.m on Tuesday, 28 June 2016 at St. John The Baptist Church, Kuravilangad, Kanjirathanam.
The funeral ceremony will be officiated by His Excellency Most Rev. Dr Abraham Mar Julios (Bishop of the Eparchy of Muvattupuzha) and His Excellency Most Rev. Dr Philipose Mar Stephanos (Auxiliary Bishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla).
He Served as the manager of Kadavanad estate, Kannur and as the Vicar in several parishes such as Naduvil (Bathery), Vechuchira, Kunnukurudi (Muvattupuzha), Chettukuzhi, Mundakayam, Chittadi, Koruthod, Pambadi, Nedumav, Othara and Koipram.
From the year 2004 he had been taking rest at the Priest home, Pallimala, Tiruvalla.
May His Soul Rest in Peace!
During his visit to Philadelphia, Cardinal Cleemis praises respect for family and religion
Cardinal Cleemis visited Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 22, 2016.
In the United States, the Eparchy of Mary Queen of Peace (akin to a diocese in the Latin rite) governs all the churches of the Syro-Malankara rite, including locally at St. Jude Church in Philadelphia’s East Oak Lane section.
The 57-year-old prelate became the Catholic Church’s youngest cardinal in 2012, the first ever named for the Syro-Malankara rite and therefore the first to elect a pontiff, Pope Francis in 2013. He spoke to archdiocesan officials at Philadelphia about the Catholic Christian communities in India and, with recent migration, in the United States.
The Catholic rites trace their Christian roots to the evangelization of St. Thomas the Apostle himself in their land in the first century.
One reason Christianity took hold there and continues to grow, Cardinal Cleemis believes, is because of the fertile soil of openness by the predominant Hindu population of India.
While Christians make up 2.3 percent of the population, and Catholics only 1.8 percent, they enjoy respect and dignity in the country because that is “a cultural aspect of India,” Cardinal Cleemis said.
“The Hindu community in general are so loving and welcoming — all good values in human life. When Christianity came to India in AD 52, these are the people who received the Gospel. Therefore they have that inherent quality of receiving good things from others,” he said.
But incidents of violence against Christians have reared up in recent years in India, a fact that Cardinal Cleemis believes is a sign of political opportunism by minority actors in Indian society, not of religious hatred or discrimination by most Indians of any religious creed, nor by the secular Indian government.
He is loathe to call such attackers Hindu but rather “people who have not understood Hindu religion,” he said. “It is a tiny group but this group is trying to influence the vast majority of the Hindu population saying, ‘this is the only country we have as Hindus.’”
The cardinal sees such attempts to swing India from a secular state respectful of all faiths to one of a single religion, Hinduism, as misguided and out of step with India’s tradition and the will of its people set into the country’s constitution.
“The majority of Hindus are still secular, (which) means you accept the other religion as they are,” he said. “’Secular’ is not against religious values. Catholic and secular means you acknowledge Muslims and Hindus as they are.”
The majority Hindus, he said, “are a very God-fearing people, very welcoming people, and still they care for other communities as well. The vast majority are Hindu but it is not a Hindu nation. (It is) a federal republic with a secular constitution, a very open and welcoming community.”
The visit to Philadelphia is not the first for Cardinal Cleemis. He saw the local Catholic community here as an official for three years in the New York-based Mary, Our Lady of Peace Eparchy, which serves more than 11,000 Syro-Malankara faithful in the United States and Canada, according to 2012 Vatican statistics.
That was before he was called to take up leadership roles at a high level of the church in India. After serving as auxiliary bishop and archbishop in India, today he leads all the Syro-Malankara Catholics in the world as their major archbishop. He is also president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and serves on two Vatican councils.
As with many peoples immigrating to America, the first generation maintains strong ties to their homeland while the next generation becomes more firmly rooted here.
The same is true of Indian Catholics today, and Cardinal Cleemis sees it as “a positive thing. As they come to a new culture they have to get rooted in that. America has become their home. People will become conscious of their land — this land — and work for its progress.”
He believes Christians of Indian heritage can contribute to the Catholic Church’s emphasis in America on strengthening the family.
“I am sure our presence here in this great country will enhance further the growth of the family,” he said.
Although he sees divorce on the rise in many societies, “patience, sacrifice, mutual understanding” are strong values among Indian families. And moreover, “what God has united let men not divide. God has united you, it’s not a man-made reality,” the cardinal said. “That focus is to be given to the families, and I hope our liturgy and our sacramental life are also positively contributing toward our presence here.”
As one sign of the growing presence of Syro-Malankara Catholics’ growth in Philadelphia, Cardinal Cleemis pointed to “a very well established youth group in our eparchy here,” and said a diocesan youth assembly will gather this summer at Holy Family University in Northeast Philadelphia, July 29-31.
Chilanga 2016 – MCYM Dubai
The 2nd edition of the Dubai MCYM Kalolsavam, Chilanga 2016 came to an end on the 17th of June at the Mini Hall, St. Mary’s Church.
Competitions that spaned over 4 weeks came to an end with Group Song being the final event.
Qusais Unit emerged the winners of Chilanga 2016 followed by Deira and Karama in the 2nd and 3rd places.
Maitri Logo Release by Baselios Cardinal Cleemis
His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos, the Major Archbishop of Syro- Malankara Catholic Church and the President of KCBC, released the logo of Maitri group, started in the schools of Kerala, under the guidance of Dialogue and Ecumenism Commission of Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference.
The Major Archbishop His Beatitude Cardinal Mar George Allanchery received the logo during the ceremony held at the Pastoral Orientation Centre (POC), Kochi.
Archbishop Mar Mathew Moolakkatt Ponnumuttam (Chairman of Dialogue and Ecumenism Commission) presided over the function.
Most Rev. Mar Andrew Thazath, Most Rev. Dr M. Soosai Pakiam, Most Rev. Mar Joseph Peruthottam, Rt. Rev Dr Silvester Ponnumuttam (Vice Chairman of Dialogue and Ecumenism Commission), Rt. Rev Joshua Mar Ignatios, Most Rev. Mar Sebastian Adayanthrath and Rev. Fr Robi Kannanchira CMI (Commission Secretary) were present in the ceremony.
Suvisesha Sangham for Children
The second phase of the training for the children of the Suvisesha Sangham of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum was held at the Catholicate Centre on 11 June 2016. They had the first training from 19 to 20 April 2016.
60 children participated in the programme. Rev. Fr Syriac Vechoorkarot, Rev. Sr Francina DM, Dr George John, Dr Jibi Varghese took classes. There was experience-sharing during the programme.
It is decided to organize the next training programme on 10 September 2016.
MCYM Resource Team Formation in Mumbai, India
The third successful Resource Team Formation session `Green Meadows’ was led by Mr. Saji Daniel, the dynamic Animator of MCYM at St. Mary’s Malankara Catholic Church, Sakinaka, on 11 June 2016 at 4.30 pm under the co-ordination of Ms Sojisha Samuel, MCYM-Mumbai President. The session witnessed an active participation of 19 youth members from almost all parishes in the District. Participants’ active involvement throughout the session made it lively.
The session brought to light how much man owes to the divine gift called Nature. Every participant was given a fair opportunity to share their views on how can man conserve natural resources and contribute towards its enhancement. The session was wonderfully co-related with presence of God in Nature, Biblical view on Nature, Jesus and Ecology and Church’s view on Ecology, which aided the participantstoacknowledge the importance of nature. The participants were also made to reflect on man’s approach to natureand realize how man is God’s representative and steward to conserve Nature.
The session concluded, enlightening each member to look at creation the way God looks at creation and as representatives of God, Man has been deputed to take care and protect nature.
MCYM Resource Team Formation Pune, India
The third resource team gathering was held on 11 June 2016 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Khadki, led by Mr Saji Daniel, the Exarchial Animator of MCYM. Inspired by the world environment day celebrated on 5 June, the session was held on the topic, ‘Green Meadows’. The session commenced by10.30 am with an icebreaker, where each one was given a balloon and a toothpick with a task of keeping their balloon intact for a given period of 5 minutes. The essence of the game was to accept a win-win approach in terms of conservation of environment and its natural resources, and to eradicate the destructive mode. This was indeed a good introduction to the topic.
The session continued with power point presentation on verses and reflections from the Bible, Church and its leaders regarding nature and its importance. The church teaches us that each one of us isa guest on earth, having a great responsibility of protecting and conserving nature for the benefit of future generations. This was followed by a small group activity. This technique of gamification (including puzzles, riddles, crosswords matching, filling up the blanks, coding and decoding) helped to drill the concept into their minds. This activity aimed at solving a case which involved thinking out of the box. It was effective in terms of understanding the concepts well.
Any issue needs to be tackled with effective solution. This led to another group activity.Divided into groups, the members were asked to brainstorm practical solutions to the problems faced, both at an individual as well as at church level. Heading towards the end, each group had to present the events which they possibly thought could be initiated, continued and also activities that has to be stopped for the well-being of the environment. The Session ended with a quick recap followed by a short feedback.
