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Feast of St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara and St. Sebastian
Season of Lent ( Nombukalam )
Santhom Tidings
SYRO MALABAR FORANE CATHOLIC CHURCH PHILADELPHIA
February 08, 2016
a newsletter published by
Volume 7 Issue 2
608 Welsh Rd, Philadelphia PA 19115 Phone: 215 464 4008 www.syromalabarphila.org
Holy Qurbana Schedule
Sunday, February 7 & 21
8:30 & 10:00 AM ( Malayalam )
Sunday, February 14 & 28
8:30 AM ( Malayalam ) 10:00 AM ( English )
Monday - Friday : 7:00 PM Saturday : 9:00 AM
Novena & Devotions (After Weekday Mass)
St. Alphonsa : Thursdays Divine Mercy : Fridays
Our Lady of Perpetual Help : Saturdays
Adoration Fridays : 8:00 PM 3rd Wednesdays : 9:30 - 1: 00 PM 3rd Fridays : 8:00 PM (Youth & Teenagers)
Confession Thursday and Friday 6.30 PM
Saturday 8:30 AM
Stations of the cross Fridays after 7:00 PM Mass
CCD: Sunday 11:30 AM
Bring your TRUE SELF to Holy Week
Ash Monday - February 8th
Ash Monday Service : 7 P M
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The passion, death and resurrection of Jesus mark the climax of His salvific acts. The seven weeks between Denha and the feast of Easter are set apart for prayer, fasting, abstinence and reparation. The basis of this lenten season is the
forty days fast of Jesus. Still, we call this period Anpathu Nombu(50 days fasting). Probably, because St.Thomas Christians fasted and abstained from pethurtha Sunday to Easter Sunday. The Syriac term pethurtha means looking back, reconciliation etc. Lent is a season set apart mainly for repentance and reconciliation.
We who became Gods children and new creation in baptism drifted away from God by committing sin. During this season we meditate upon mans sin and its consequences, the need for repentance and conversion, the infinite love and mercy of God towards repentant sinners and the passion, death and burial of Jesus Christ. Lenten season calls our attention in a special way to the need for reconciliation with God and fellow beings. Therefore, in this period, the Church persuades the faithful to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. The Church reminds us to spend the lenten period in fervent prayers, sincere fasting and generous almsgiving and to eradicate our evil desires. Like Jesus who conquered death and entered into life, let us also die to sin and enter into eternal life.
Events / Important days - Month of February
02 Tue The Presentation of our Lord in the Temple
04 Thu Feast of St. John Britto
05 Fri Commemoration of the Dead, First Friday
06 Sat Bl. Kunjachan Ward Meeting
07 Sun First Sunday of Lent
08 Mon Day of Fasting
Ash Monday Service 7:00 PM
11 Thu Our Lady of Lourdes ( Day of the sick )
13 Sat St. George & St. Chavara Ward Meeting
14 Sun
Second Sunday of Lent
Parish Council Meeting
St. Marys Ward Meeting
21 Sun Third Sunday of Lent
Palliyogam ( Parish General Body Meeting )
24 Wed Feast of St. Polycarp
28 Sun Fourth Sunday of Lent
Feast of St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara and St. Sebastian on January 3rd 2016
The parish community celebrated the feast of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara and St. Sebastian on January 3rd, 2016. The feast celebration was marked by a grand procession following the Holy Qurbana, Novena prayers and veneration of Holy relic. The tradition of Kazhunnu (Ambu) Nercha was celebrated during the
celebrations. St Sebastian is the patron of plague sufferers for his reported cures of those afflicted with many diseases. St. Chavara ward under the leadership of ward president Paulachan Vareed coordinated
the festal celebrations.
Please send matters to editor.stphila@gmail.com Chief Editor - Jose Thomas
Season of Lent
Preacher : Bishop Mar Lawrence Mukkuzhy ( Bishop of Belthangady)
Grade 9 to 12 - February 20 & 21 - 9am to 5 pm
Grade 1 to 8 - February 27 & 28 - 9am to 5 pm
CCD
Students
Retreat
Annual Parish Retreat - Feb 26, 27 and 28
Leading by DYA Team
Lenten Retreat Schedule
Friday Feb. 26th 4 pm to 9 pm - Ends with Holy Qurbana
Sat Feb. 27th 9 am Start with Holy Qurbana, to 5 pm Sunday Feb. 28th 9 am to 3 pm, Holy Qurbana at 11 am and ends with Adoration (Sunday there will be only one Holy Qurbana)
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Vicars Message...
My dear brothers and sisters
We are about to enter the most fruitful and grace-filled of
all liturgical seasons, the season of Lent. This year it has
deeper significance: this is the year of the extraordinary
jubilee of mercy. Each of us is called to give out in our
daily life, the mercy which God the father constantly
extends to us. During the last 2 months we have been hearing a lot
about Doors of Mercy. The underlying idea is that as
Christ is the door through which we enter Salvation and Grace, so also, we
should be Doors through which others find way to lasting peace and serenity.
We are called to show mercy because Mercy has been shown to us.
Let us always remember, Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain
mercy - Mt 5:7. This is the Beatitude to which we should particularly aspire in
this Holy season of Lent. Just as Jesus is merciful so we are called to be
merciful to each other.
My dear siblings in Christ, let us keep in mind that mercy is the very
foundation of life in Church. I wish to remind you that our Parish retreat for the
Lenten season is scheduled on 26, 27, 28 February 2016.
Bishop Mar Lawrence Mukkuzhy will be the preacher. The CCD students
will also have the retreat on these days. I extort you all to make use of this
opportunity to get closer to God.
The world pulls us in many directions, and it is up to each of us to travel
back to God to set right our ways and thus to grow in greater Grace and
Holiness. This is what gifts us spiritual, physical and mental wellbeing. Please
adjust your schedule, so that you can benefit in full measure from this retreat.
The Holy week which is the culmination of Lent demands of each of us a more
fervent prayer life and deeds of charity which will be manifested in opening
our hearts wider to those in need of our help, support, prayer, presence,
kindness and fraternity
Let us fill this Holy season with spiritual and corporal works of Mercy as
desired by Pope Francis. God the Father is patient with us, in turn, let us
resolve to be more patient and kind. Thus let us live this season of Lent in this
Jubilee year more intensely and experience and celebrate Gods mercy. Let us
allow our hearts to be touched by God!
May God bless you all.
Johnykutty Achen
ST. THOMAS SYRO-MALABAR
FORANE CATHOLIC CHURCH PHILADELPHIA
NEWS LETTER
BISHOP
Mar Jacob Angadiath AUXILIARY BISHOP
Mar Joy Alappatt VICAR
Very Rev. Fr. Johnykutty Puleessery ( 916-803-5307 )
TRUSTEES
Shaji Mittathany ( 215-715-3074 ) Sunny Padayattil ( 215-913-8605 )
AUDITORS
Tojo Jose Sebastian Mathew
SECRETARY Tom Pattaniyil (267-456-7850 )
EDITORIAL BOARD
Jose Thomas (Chief Editor) Jose Maleckal (Editor) Antony Cyriac (Editor)
PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS
Antony Cyriac John Joseph Roy Varghese Paulachen Vareed Jyothi Abraham Binu Paul George Thalody Sunny Philip Jose Maleckal Babu K Paul Malisa Mathew Tresa John Jimmy Chacko Jake Chacko George V. George Manju Joseph Cheruvalil
Volume 7 Issue 2 February 2016
, s s . 's ' , . s
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BIBLE JEOPARDY
Subject : Gospel of Luke and Year of Mercy
Preliminary Test - Sunday, April 10th
Semifinal Test-Sunday, May 1st
A question bank consisting of 200 Sample questions and
answers from Lukes gospel have been given to all
students from 3rd grade to 12th grade for study. Please
encourage your child to read the Bible chapters and
study well in addition to the sample questions given.
For the Preliminary test (Sunday, April 10th), questions
will be chosen from Gospel of Luke question bank as
follows
Category 1 Grades 3-5: 30 questions (Luke Chap 1-10)
Category 2 Grades 6-8: 40 Questions (Luke Chap 1-18)
Category 3 Grades 9-12: 50 Questions (Luke Chap 1-24)
For the Semifinal test (Sunday, May 1st), 40 percent
questions will be from the question bank and 60
percent will be completely new questions based on
Gospel of Luke for each category. If there is a tie,
there will be a tie breaker test on Sunday May 8th.
Grades 3-5: 20 Questions (Luke Chap 1-10)
Grades 6-8: 30 questions (Luke Chap 1-18)
Grades 9-12: 40 Questions (Luke Chap 1-24)
For the Final Jeopardy (Sunday June 5 tentatively), the
top three scorers of the semifinal test from each
category will be chosen to form three teams. Each team
consists of one member from each category.
Scheme for Final Bible Jeopardy: Questions
will be from Gospel of Luke 1-24 Chapters and
