Categories
FOCUS MGOCSM Sunday School

Weekly Announcements – 12/25/16

  1. Christmas Carolers – Special thanks to the Christmas Carolers who spent their time and energy to go around to visit the houses.
  1. Christmas Service Song Practice – Special thanks for all who attended the Christmas song practice. We had it this past Wednesday and Thursday evening. Also, special thanks to the altar servers who came early yesterday to go over the service.
  1. Christmas Service English Books – Special Thanks to the youth for making arrangements for the English Copies of the Service. Many of the youth pitched in to ensure that parts of the service were done in English. Thank you all for your generosity.
  1. Annual Talent Show – Will be held this Friday, December 30th at 6:00pm. If you have not signed up kindly reach out to either Danniya Samuel or Emily George.
  1. New Year’s Day Service –  next Sunday is New Year’s and Morning Prayer will begin at our usual time 8:15am. We will have Evening prayer as usual at 6:30pm on New Year’s Eve.
  1. Sunday School Anniversary – The Sunday School Anniversary will be held next Sunday right before Kaimuthu. All Sunday school students and teachers are requested to attend.
  1. Parish Elections 2017 – Last Sunday we had our Parish Elections for 2017. The results will be posted and officially announced next week.
  1. Feast of Baptism of Our Lord – Thursday evening, January 5th, we will be having celebrating the feast of the Baptism of our Lord. Evening prayer will begin at 6:30pm. Nicholovos Thirumeni will be leading the service. All are requested to attend.

 

Categories
MGOCSM Sunday School

Weekly Announcements – 12/18/16

  1. Annual Talent Show – The annual talent show will be held on Friday, December 30th at 6:00pm.
  1. Faith Study Series – MGOCSM will be having its monthly faith study series on Friday, December 23rd at 6pm.  We will discussing about the role of marriage and monasticism in the Orthodox Church.  All MGOCSM members are requested to attend.
  1. Christmas Service Song Practice – will be held this Wednesday, 21st and Thursday 22nd evening at 7pm. All members are welcome to join.
  1. Christmas Schedule – Special Christmas Evening prayer will be held on December 24th at 6:30pm. Christmas Service on Christmas Day, the 25th will begin at 7am.
  1. Danaha Perunal – On Thursday evening, January 5th,   we will be celebrating the feast of the Baptism of our Lord. Nicholovos Thirumeni will be leading the service. Evening prayer will begin at 6:30pm. All are requested to attend.
  1. Sunday School Arts & Crafts – Special thanks to MGCOSM members for doing Christmas Arts & Crafts with the Sunday School Students

Categories
MGOCSM

Weekly Announcements – 12/11/16

  1. General Body Meeting will be next Sunday the 18th to the elect the new Governing body members for the year 2017. All eligible members who are 21 and above are requested to attend.
  1. Christmas Service Song Practice will be held on Wednesday, 21st and Thursday 22nd evening at 7pm.
  1. Christmas Schedule – Special Christmas Evening prayer will be held on December 24th at 6:30pm. Christmas Service on Christmas day will begin at 7am.
  1. MGOCSM will be having their monthly faith study series on Friday, December 23rd. All MGOCSM are request to attend.
  1. Annual Talent Show – The annual talent show will be held on Friday, December 30th at 6:00pm.
Categories
Resource

Shehimo Recordings

St. Paul, the apostle, exhorts: “Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…” Ephesians 5:19

The YouTube channel of the Liturgical Resource Development, A ministry of the South-West Diocese of America, can be assessed in the link provided below. The Recordings of the Shehimo Prayers sung in English are uploaded onto this channel.

Shehimo Prayers in English

The Shehimo prayers and other assorted liturgical hymns sung in Malayalam by Rev. Fr. P.M. Cheriyan can be accessed on the St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas, YouTube Channel in the link provided below.

Shehimo Prayers in Malayalam

Categories
Clergys Corner

The Feast of the Nativity of our Lord

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Glory be to Jesus Christ!

The birth of our Lord fundamentally provides us with the hope that God has not forsaken us. In spite of human frailties and the widespread of evil around the world, God has not given up on us. The cost of saving humanity did not come cheap. It took God to become human, live among us and die in order to offer His life to us. The results of the disaster which took place in the Garden of Eden were removed through His incarnation. Where death and sin infiltrated the human race, God intervened and saved us from sin and corruption. We have now access to the life in the Holy Trinity through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Hence, the joy of this season is not simply confined to giving and receiving material gifts, but above all, it is celebrating the joy of receive the gift of deification; the grace to grow towards the likeness of God. I ask you, which gift can be more valuable than this? In the words of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, “God became man (human) so that man will become like God.” The One God, who revealed Himself to the prophets of the Old Testament, has now “taken flesh” and has revealed the fullness of God’s glory through His incarnation. He has united heaven and earth through Him and in Him. We find the meaning and purpose of our lives in His incarnation! This, my friends, is true joy.

It is easy to get caught up in the paraphernalia of the holiday season with decorations, gift shopping, sending out Christmas cards, and everything else that comes with it. In the midst of all this, let us not forget “to open” and live out the gift of deification which was granted to us on the day of our baptism. Along with celebrating our Lord’s birth, we celebrate our new birth in Christ. We celebrate the hope we have in Christ, the experience of eternal life!

During this Lenten season, let us make room in our hearts for the grace of God to enter in us by getting rid of all hatred, malice and anger. As God has not given up on us, let us not give up in our spiritual walk towards Christ and His Kingdom. Let us become the propagators of peace where it has depleted. Let us renew our minds and steadfastly work towards cultivating virtues. Let us season our conversations and interactions with one another with love and compassion. Let us become the light which guides the world out of darkness to His Kingdom.

May the blessing and peace of the incarnate Lord and savior Jesus Christ be upon you all!

with prayers,
Fr. Abraham (Abey) George

incarnation

Categories
FOCUS MGOCSM Sunday School

Weekly Announcements – 12/04/16

  1. Nativity Lent – We are in the season of the Nativity lent. I hope the cooks of the house makes dishes that are conducive for lent. As we abstain from food, let us add prayer and reading of the scriptures to our lives. Let us train to keep our bodies and our minds sober during these days. It is also the appropriate time for confession.
  1. Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner – Last Sunday we had our Youth/FOCUS Potluck Thanksgiving Dinner.  Please see the post on the Potluck Dinner and the Photos page for pictures from the event.
  1. Christmas Caroling – We will being Christmas Caroling this afternoon. All those who are able to come kindly.  The schedule for areas being visted are posted in the parish hall bulletin board.
  1. Sunday School UNICEF Collection – I am pleased to announce that our Sunday school children raised $222.07 towards UNICEF. This money will be used to help provide food, clean water, and healthcare for children around the world. Special thanks to all the children parents and Sunday school children that participated.
  1. Sunday School Christmas Tree Gift Program – The area Sunday school will be participating in a Christmas tree gift program with the Salvation Army. Our Church has been assigned to buy 15 gifts for the program. If you are interested in purchasing a gift, please contact the Sunday school principal or Vice principal.
  1. Orma Qurbana for Barnabas Thirumeni – This Thursday, Dec 8th evening, our parish will be hosting the diocesan commemoration of 4th memorial of H.G Mathews Mar Barnabas. Evening prayer will begin at 6:30pm. All are requested to attend.
  1. General Body Meeting – On Sunday, December 18th we will be having the parish General Body to the elect the new Governing body members for the year 2017. All eligible members are requested to attend.
  1. FOCUS Meeting – This Friday we will be having our FOCUS Meeting at 7pm at the residence of Sinu and Giby Jacob. All FOCUS Members are requested to attend. Kindly bring your Shehimo books and Beginning to Pray books.
  1. FOCUS Nation 2017 will be held from Thursday February 9th through Sunday, February 12th, 2017 at Camp Allen in Houston Texas. The Theme of the Conference will be “Becoming Human: A Journey through Orthodox Spirituality”. The Main speaker of the Conference will be Rev. Fr. Abraham (Abey) George. He is the asst. Vicar of St. Thomas Orthodox Church in Long Island. Registration is currently open. Those interested kindly register online by using the following link, FOCUS Nation 2017.
  1. Christmas  Schedule – Special Christmas Evening prayer will be held on December 24th at 6:30pm. Christmas Service on Christmas day will begin at 7am.
  1. Annual Talent Show – The annual talent show will be held on Friday, December 30th at 6:00pm. Mark your calendars and those who are interested in performing the 30th kindly reach out to Danniya Samuel or Emily George.
  1. Holy Transfiguration Retreat Center
    • Each family should donate a minimum of $2000 (within 3 year span)
    • Loans accepted up to 3% interest. We were directed by Thirumeni to collect as a parish for the Dukrono of Valiya Thirumeni December 11th, Sunday.
    • The funds should be send in to the Aramana by Thursday, December 15th.
Categories
FOCUS MGOCSM

The Annual FOCUS and MGOCSM Thanksgiving Dinner

On November 27th, Sunday evening the youth hosted its Annual FOCUS and MGOCSM Thanksgiving Dinner. The evening began with vespers from the Shehimo followed by a Thanksgiving message by Nevin Joseph. He spoke about the importance of giving thanks to God and that we shouldn’t just thank him when we receive a favorable result but prior to receiving that result. He also spoke about importance of thanking God for the mercy he has shown us throughout our lives.

After the message, the youth participated in dinner and fellowship in the Parish Hall. The youth also participated in a Mannequin Challenge and two charity events during dinner. In the first event, gently used jeans were cut out into different shapes to make shoes for children in Africa, through the Sole Hope organization. In the second event, fleece blankets were cut and tied together to make throw blankets for those in homeless shelters. We would like to thank both our Achen’s for their guidance and presence during this event. Thank you to all our FOCUS and MGOCSM members who made this event possible.  Click here to see Photos from the event.

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Categories
FOCUS MGOCSM

Weekly Announcements – 11/27/16

  1. The Lent of Nativity, starts on Thursday, December 1st. 
  1. The Annual FOCUS/MGOCSM Youth Potluck Thanksgiving Dinner was held on November 27th at 4:30pm in our church. We started with evening prayer and then we had charity activity stations and fun activities/games as well.
  1. A special General Body meeting will be held next Sunday after service to elect members for the Malankara Association. All eligible members are request to attend the meeting.
  1. On Thursday, December 8th, we will be having the Orma Qurbana for the Late Lamented H.G. Mathew Mar Barnabas. All are kindly requested to attend. Evening prayer will begin at 6:30pm.
  1. Funds for the Holy Transfiguration Retreat Center, should be collected from all parishes by Sunday, December 11th.
Categories
FOCUS MGOCSM

Weekly Announcements – 11/20/16

  1. St. Bernards RC Church Visits – Last Sunday afternoon. We had the St. Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church of Levittown, NY visit us. We had about 80 people. I received a thank you email from Diane, appreciating the parish for being so welcoming and shared how much they all enjoyed and appreciated visiting us. Special thanks for all who volunteered for the event.  Please see the post from last week for more information: St. Bernards RC Church Visits
  2. Mrs. Roshini Mathew 40th – This past Tuesday was 40th day of remembrance of our beloved Roshni, we will be offering incense at the cemetery this afternoon.
  3. Altar Servers Training – Our next Altar Servers Training will be held next Sunday, Nov 27th right after Sunday school. All Altar Servers are requested to attend.
  4. Annual Youth Potluck – Next Sunday, the 27th, the FOCUS and the Youth will be having a Potluck Dinner here at Church from 4:30pm till 7pm. It will be a time for all of the FOCUS and Youth to come together to spend time in fellowship. We will be having charity activity stations and fun activities/games as well. To sign up for items you wish to bring kindly contact Manoj Varghese
  5. Christmas Carol Song Practice – We will be beginning Christmas Carol Song practice. Once the schedule for the house visits are finalized it will be announced soon.
  6. Orma of Barnabas Thirumeni – Thursday, Dec 8th we will be celebrating the 4th Dukrono (Orma) of Barnabas Thirumeni. Evening prayer will begin at 6:30pm. All are requested to make arrangements to attend.
  7. FOCUS Meeting – Our next FOCUS Meeting will be held on Dec 9th, Friday at 7pm at the residence of Mr. Sinu and Giby Jacob. All FOCUS Members are requested to attend.
  8. MGOCSM Faith Study – Our next MGOCSM Faith Study Series will be on Dec 23rd.
  9. Vailyachen & Kochamma – God –Willing Valiyachen and Kochamma will return this Tuesday from India. Let us uphold in our prayers for their safe return.
Categories
Uncategorized

Visit from St. Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church

On November 13th, Sunday afternoon, St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church opened their doors to the faithful of St. Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church of Levittown, NY. The Assistant Vicar of St. Thomas parish, Reverend Father Abraham (Abey) George, along with the parishioners welcomed about 80 faithful of St. Bernard’s parish and their parish Priest, Reverend Father Ralph Sommer. 

The evening began with Fr. Abraham addressing the guests on the history and the ancient traditions of St. Thomas Christians of Kerala, India. The address was followed by a question and answer session where many questions regarding Orthodox faith, liturgy, spirituality and culture were addressed. After the tour of the sanctuary and a group photo, Fr. Abraham invited the guests to the parish auditorium for coffee and refreshments where the guests had the opportunity to meet and interact with the members of the parish. 

On behalf of the Clergy and the parishioners of St. Thomas, Long Island, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Father Ralph Sommer and Diane Vella who helped organize this event, and all the guests from St. Bernard’s parish for visiting and spending time with us. We also offer our sincere thanks to our parishioners, particularly the MGOCSM and FOCUS members who offered their time and efforts for this event. We look forward to having the clergy and the parishioners of St. Bernard’s parish for future events at St. Thomas, and we hope to work together on various levels for the benefit of the Long Island community we serve.

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Please see below link for highlights from the visit: 

 https://youtu.be/t2IIH7Wt4qU