ST. THOMAS MALANKARA ORTHODOX CHURCH

1. Christmas Caroling – Special Thanks to all who came out for caroling this year. Thank you for making time for it in the midst of your busy schedules.  
2. 2018 Parish Committee Meeting – 2018 Committee will be meeting this Saturday, Dec. 23rd at 3PM.
3. Aramana Open House – The Aramana will be having its open house for this month on Thursday Dec. 21st from 9am-12pm and then from 4pm-6pm.
4. 2018 MGOCSM Elections – Elections for a new Secretary and Treasurer will be conducted on Sunday, Dec. 24th after Service.  Anyone interested in the position should contact Ms. Danniya Samuel at the earliest.
5. MGOCSM Bowling Night – The MGOCSM will be hosting a bowling night on Friday, Dec 22nd at 6pm at Sheridan Lanes on Jericho Tpk. for all MGOCSM & FOCUS members.
6. Area FOCUS Fellowship – On Friday, January 19th 2018 at the area FOCUS will be having a a meeting at St. Thomas Long Island from 6:30pm-9:30pm, see the flyer below for more details.

Upcoming Liturgical Services:

1. Christmas Eve – Evening prayers will be held on Sunday, December 24th at 6:30pm
2. Christmas Day Service – Divine Liturgy will start at 7am on Christmas Day.
3. New Year’s Day – Monday, January 1st: Service will begin regular time as Sundays: 8:15am. New Years, and the Feasts of Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian.
4. Denaha Service – Saturday, January 6th: Matins for Denaha Service will begin at 8:00am followed by Holy Qurbana.
5. Nineveh Lent (3 Days Lent) – In lieu of Nineveh Lent, The Parish will be having evening prayer on Monday 22nd and Tuesday, 23rd at 6:30pm. On Wednesday, the 24th we will be having Holy Qurbana starting with evening prayer at 6:30pm.
6. Nineveh Lent Retreat – Holy Transfiguration Retreat Center is pleased to announce they will be conducting a Retreat during the Fast of Nineveh. The Retreat will begin on the evening of Sunday, January 21, 2018 and end with Holy Qurbana on the morning of Thursday, January 25, 2018. During these days, prayers will be offered in our chapel, along with devotional addresses/meditations offered by our esteemed clergy. There will be opportunities for Holy Confession and counseling. Participants are encouraged to register online at the link provided here:

https://transfigurationretreat.org/events/three-day-lent-retreat-registration-form/

The registration fee of $250 is to be made payable to the Northeast American Diocese.

1. FOCUS Meeting – will be held this Friday, December 15th at 7pm at the residence of Mr. John Joseph. All FOCUS members are requested to attend.
2. 2018 MGOCSM Elections – Elections for a new Secretary and Treasurer will be conducted on Sunday, Dec. 24th after Service.  Anyone interested in the position should contact Ms. Danniya Samuel at the earliest.
3. MGOCSM Bowling Night – The MGOCSM will be hosting a bowling night on Friday, Dec 22nd. for all MGOCSM & FOCUS members.
4. Christmas Caroling – This year Christmas Caroling will be on the weekend of Dec. 16th & 17th.
5. New Announcement System –  a reminder once more that we have changed vendors for the automated voice message system.  The new system has a new caller ID number, (405) 548-2251.  Please add this number to your phone books so that you do not ignore messages from the church.

1. Parish General Body Meeting  – will be next Sunday, Dec 10th after Holy Qurbana. All eligible members are requested to attend.
2. 5th Memorial of H.G. Mathews Mar Barnabas  – On Sunday, Dec 10th we will be observing the 5th memorial of the passing of H.G. Mathews Mar Barnabas.
3. MGOCSM Bowling Night – The MGOCSM will be hosting a bowling night on Friday, Dec 22nd. for all MGOCSM & FOCUS members.
4. Christmas Caroling – This year Christmas Caroling will be on the weekend of Dec. 16th & 17th.
5. New Announcement System – we have changed vendors for the automated voice message system.  The new system has a new caller ID number, (405) 548-2251.  Please add this number to your phone books so that you do not ignore messages.

On November 24th, the youth of the church held their Annual Thanksgiving Potluck. The evening started off with Saturday evening vespers followed by reflections by Amy George and Rebu Thomas. Both Amy and Rebu talked about the importance of offering up thanks to God every second of our lives even in the midst of suffering. Once Abey Achen offered his words, everyone gathered downstairs for a charity event involving arts and crafts. We used old t-shirts and cut them into strands to make bracelets for the less privileged children at St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Following this, we took a group picture and celebrated the birthday of Abey Achen. After pictures and cake cutting, everyone enjoyed the delicious Thanksgiving feast put together by the MGOCSM and FOCUS of the church. The evening overall was a great opportunity for the youth members to worship together and enjoy the fellowship with one another.

1. Nativity Fast – December 1st marks the begining of the Nativity Fast. All able bodied members are requested to observe this fast. Here is some more information about the Nativity Fast.
2. Parish General Body Meeting – will be held on Sunday, December 10th after service. All eligible members are requested to attend.
3. MGOCSM Faith Study Series – will be held this Saturday, December 2nd at 4pm at church. All MGOCSM members are requested to attend.
4. MGOCSM & FOCUS Bowling Night – The youth will be hosting a bowling night on Friday, December 22nd for all MGOCSM and FOCUS members. Details to follow in the coming weeks.
5. FOCUS Christmas Charity – As the Christmas season is approaching the FOCUS of the parish is partnering with “We the People United Corp.” to sponsor some local needy families. Please contact Mrs. Sini Jablonski for more details and how you can support a needy family in this time of giving.
6. FOCUS Meeting – will be held on Friday, December 15th. Location to be announced. All FOCUS members are requested to attend.
7. Theophilos Thirumeni’s 40th Day Service – please see the flyer below for Theophilos Thirumeni’s 40th Day service. The service will be held at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, Suffern.

On November 18th, a group of our parish members took a trip, organized by the church’s MGOCSM, to visit our Diocese’s newly acquired Holy Transfiguration Retreat Center and Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk’s Orthodox Seminary and Monastery. The day began at St. Tikhon’s where we were introduced to the the beautiful monastery church, filled with radiant iconography. We were also able to venerate the icons and some of the relics there (such as St. Seraphim of Sarov’s, St. Nicholas of Japan’s, etc.).  We were then taken to the seminary campuses, the classrooms, and the library which was filled with books about our faith and other faiths. Our Assistant Vicar, Rev. Fr. Abraham (Abey) George had attended seminary at St. Tikhon’s and was able to give us, as well as members from St. Stephen’s Orthodox Church, Franklin Square, a tour. We then took some time to visit the bookstore and the Burning Bush Cafe which sells coffee and other products made by the monastic community. We said our goodbyes to the community at St. Tikhon’s and went for a fellowship lunch before heading to the Retreat Center. After arriving at the Retreat Center, we were taken around the facility to see the newly furnished rooms, ready for future camps and retreats, as well as the chapel and the library. We were filled with awe by the breathtaking landscape, which the children especially enjoyed as they were able to run around and play. Our Vicar, Very Rev. Dr. Yohannan Sankarathil Chor Episcopos could not attend the trip but expressed great joy that the Church was able to attend these spiritual havens and learn more about the faith. We praise our Triune God for guiding these spiritual centers in the building up of the Holy Church as well as thank the MGOCSM of our church for organizing this amazing trip.

Carved by a monk many years ago