Monthly Prayer Meeting – We will begin our monthly video interactive prayer meetings again. The next meeting will be Sunday, April 25th at 4:30PM for the entire parish via Zoom. The link will be sent out later this week.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – The form to sign up for Sunday’s service was sent out as a link via text message on Monday. Once we have reached capacity, the form will be closed and the link will not work. Each household should sign up only once. You will see a confirmation on the next page after you submit. If you have any questions, please contact the Secretary.
Housekeeping Request – Before entering the sanctuary, please place your shoes on the shelves, rather than the floor. It will provide more space and cause less congestion during dismissal, especially if there is food handed out.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – The form to sign up for Sunday’s service was sent out as a link via text message on Monday. Once we have reached capacity, the form will be closed and the link will not work. Each household should sign up only once. You will see a confirmation on the next page after you submit. If you have any questions, please contact the Secretary.
Combined Monthly Retreat & Prayer Day – The Council of Indian Orthodox Churches of Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island will be conducting a monthly retreat and prayer day on Saturday, April 17th at 10am through Zoom. Very Rev. Dr. Varghese Plamthottam Cor Episcopa (Vicar of St. Baselios, Elmont NY) will be the main speaker. All members are kindly requested to attend the event.
Passing of Mr. Thomas Philip – the father-in-law of Mrs. Shina Sunny, daughter of Mr. Sunnymon George on Saturday morning in Rockland County, NY. He was 59 years old. Please keep the bereaved family in your prayers.
Holy Week Donation – Thank you to all the members who donated $100 to help meet the expenses for Holy Week. Special thanks to Dr. Paul Thottathil for donating the palm leaves for Palm Sunday.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – The form to sign up for Sunday’s service was sent out as a link via text message on Monday. Once we have reached capacity, the form will be closed and the link will not work. Each household should sign up only once. You will see a confirmation after you submit. If you have any questions, please contact the Secretary.
Homily of St. John Chrysostom – Read in honor and dedicated to our beloved Achen, Very Rev. Dr. Mathai Yohannan Sankarathil Cor-Episcopa. Please click on the image below to read the full homily
Passing of Mrs. Aleyamma Cherian – the mother of Mrs. Binta Cherian, on Tuesday morning in Franklin Square, NY. She was 70 years old. The funeral took place Friday morning. Please keep the bereaved family in your prayers.
Passing of Mrs. Marykutty Cherian – the elder sister-in-law of Mr. TP Mathew, Friday morning in Mezhuveli, Kerala. She was 92 years old. The funeral took place on Monday. Please keep the bereaved family in your prayers.
Holy Week Sign-Up – Sign-up for Holy Week services began this week. As with the previous two sign-ups, a link was sent out via text message on Monday. Once we have reached capacity, the form will be closed and the link will not work. If you have any questions, please contact the Secretary.
Please note that the sign-up will be allowed for only members during Holy Week services. This is due to the limited capacity and to ensure that our members have a fair opportunity to sign up. If there is space available after this week, it will be opened to guests. For now, please sign up for your household members only.
Mid-Week Services – There will be changes to the scheduled mid-week services, for this week. Updates will be provided in the coming days.
Parish Lenten Retreat Messages – Our 2nd Parish Lenten Retreat (Malayalam) scheduled for this Saturday, March 27th at 4:30pm via Zoom, has been cancelled.
Combined Lenten Retreat – The Council of Indian Orthodox Churches of Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island’s one-day lenten retreat on Saturday, March 27th at 10am through Zoom, has been cancelled.
Holy Week Donation – Just a friendly reminder that all members are kindly requested to make a donation of $100 for Holy Week. Please give your donation to the Treasurer as soon as possible.
Happy Birthday Achen! – Happy 85th birthday to our dear Achen, Very Rev. Dr. Mathai Yohannan Sankarathil Cor-Episcopa, on behalf of the parish.
MGOCSM Area Lenten Retreat – The MGOCSM of BQLI will be hosting the area lenten retreat on Friday, March 5th at 7pm via Zoom. The theme will be “Conquering Temptations” based on St. Matthew 6:13. Please register with the following link: tinyurl.com/bqlilentenretreat2021
Education Day 2021 – On Saturday, March 6th at 3pm, the Sunday School ministry will be hosting its annual Education Day. The theme is from 2 Corinthians 12:10, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The guest speaker will be Fr. Joel Mathew from Dallas, TX. In addition to speaking, he will be leading a group for those who are in MGOCSM. All Sunday School children and MGOCSM members are asked to register and attend! Please contact Ansue Koshy for any details/questions.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – To sign up for Sunday, March 7th, the deadline is Wednesday, March 3rd. Please do so as soon as possible; once capacity has been reached, exceptions can not be made. If you sign up, be sure to come for service by 8:30am; doors will be closed after that time. Also, masks must be properly worn for all services.
General Body Meeting – There will be a General Body meeting held on Sunday, March 14th at 3:30pm via Zoom. The 2021 Annual Budget will be discussed at this meeting. The budget and instructions were sent to the parish members. If you have not received the 2021 Annual Budget, please email treasurer@stthomasli.org.
Holy Week Donation – All members are kindly requested to make a donation of $100 for Holy Week. Please give your donation to the Treasurer as soon as possible.
Annual Subscriptions/Dues/Donations – Members are also requested to begin payment on your annual subscriptions, dues owed and any donations you wish to provide. Due to the limitations in services and our current financial situation, earlier payment would be graciously appreciated.
2020 Christmas Donations – For those who have inquired about handing in last year’s christmas donations. You are still welcome to donate for the previous year. Please notify the Treasurer at your earliest convenience, if you wish to do so.
Passing of Mr. Mathai Varghese – the elder brother of our Vicar, Very Rev. Dr. Mathai Yohannan Sankarathil Cor-Episcopa, Thursday morning in Kumbazha, Kerala, India. He was the 2nd of four brothers and was 91 years old. The funeral took place Saturday. Please keep the bereaved family in your prayers.
Passing of Mr. Joel George Varkey – the grandnephew of our Kochamma, Mrs. Elcy Yohannan, Friday in Dallas, Texas. He was 10 years old and was an only child. The funeral will take place Wednesday. Please keep the bereaved family in your prayers.
Tax Letters – The 2020 tax letters are ready. It will be mailed to all our members. If you do not receive it by the end of the week, please let the Treasurer know.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – To sign up for Sun, Feb 7th, the deadline is Wed, Feb 3rd. Please do so as soon as possible; once capacity has been reached, exceptions can not be made. If you sign up, be sure to come for service by 8:30am; doors will be closed after that time. Also, masks must be properly worn for all services.
Passing of Mrs. Annamma Mathew Arikupuram – wife of Mr. John Mathew Arikupuram and mother of Reena and Rosen, early Sunday morning. She was 75 years old. Mrs. Arikupuram had been a member of our parish since its inception. Please keep the bereaved family in your prayers.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – To sign up for Sun, Jan 24th, the deadline is Wed, Jan 20th. Please do so as soon as possible; once capacity has been reached, exceptions can not be made. If you sign up, be sure to come for service by 8:30am; doors will be closed after that time. Also, masks must be properly worn for all services.
2020 Year End Contributions – Submit all 2020 contributions, including donations, by Sun, Jan 17th, to be reflected In your 2020 tax letter.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – To sign up for Sun, Jan 17th, the deadline is Wed, Jan 13th. Please do so as soon as possible; once capacity has been reached, exceptions cannot be made. If you sign up, be sure to come for service by 8:30am; doors will be closed after that time. Also, masks must be properly worn for all services.
Feast of Baptism of our Lord – will be celebrated Tuesday, Jan 5th. We will begin at 6:30pm followed by Denaha Service and Holy Qurbana. Members will be allowed to attend service. However, there will be no sign up process. If you wish to come, you are welcome to do so. We ask that you still arrive through the main entrance, but seat yourselves in the rows that are available. Please do not sit in rows that are labeled as “Do Not Sit Here”. Be sure to adhere to the 6-feet distance guideline in the lobby and sanctuary. Sunday service will continue with the current structure of signing-up.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – To sign up for Sunday, Jan 10th, the deadline is Wednesday, Jan 6th. If you have attended prior services, you will be placed on a waiting list when you leave a voicemail or text to sign up.
Evening Prayer – We will be opening up evening prayer for our members to attend. Similar to Denaha Service, there will not be a sign up process. Please maintain the 6-feet distance in the lobby and when seating yourselves. All who wish to participate are welcome. However, similar to Sunday service, if you have been exposed or do not feel well, we ask that you consider the welfare of your fellow members and stay home. Also, masks must be worn for all services and evening prayers.
2021 Calendars – For those who were not able to attend Christmas service, the remaining 2021 church calendars have been mailed out. If you do not receive it in the next two weeks, let the Secretary or Treasurer know. Thank you again for your cooperation and support this past year.
Council of Indian Orthodox Churches Combined Christmas & New Year’s Celebration – will be held on Sunday, Jan 10th at 4pm via Zoom. All members are requested to attend. Meeting ID: 9175333566; Passcode: 817789; Dial-In Number: (646) 558-8656
2021 Calendars – We will be distributing the 2021 church calendars, which includes the significant days for our church. The committee will hand it out to each family, during dismissal. For those who were not able to attend Christmas service, the remainder will be mailed out. We hope you can accept this gift as a token of our gratitude, especially during this difficult year.
New Year’s Service – There will be Holy Qurbana on January 1st at 7:30am. In order to sign up, which will be based on a 1st come, 1st serve basis similar to Christmas service, message the secretary before Wednesday, December 30th. No more spots will be provided after this date or once capacity has been reached. If you sign up, be sure to come by 8:30am; doors will be closed after that time.
Virtual Winter Wonderland – MGOCSM, Sunday School and FOCUS would like to invite all the Sunday school students and youth members to a Virtual Winter Wonderland on Saturday, December 26th at 2pm. There will be gingerbread house decorating, a movie and games. Hope to see everyone there.
