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Congratulations Sabu and Sherley They moved to their new home in September 2002. Christmas Collection for 2001 Distributed Severios Thirumeni Visits Cleveland We were honored by the decision of HG Dr. Mathews Mar Severios of Kandanad Diocese to visit and spend few days in Cleveland. Thirumeni arrived Cleveland on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 and left on Saturday, April 27, 2002. While at Cleveland, Thirumeni conducted the house blessing of Shaji and Shiby Thomas. This was followed by a special reception for thirumeni given by Christians of all denominations in Cleveland. Thirumeni explained the significance of the house blessing service in Orthodox church. "What we don't appreciate," according to Thirumeni, "is the fact that this symbolizes preparing of our hearts to receive the Lord. And the blessings are not just limited to the host or the house which is being blessed. All the orthodox church services bestows blessings on all participants of the service. Orthodox House Blessing service is deeply rooted on four principles from bible, according to thirumeni.
On Saturday, thirumeni conducted the baptism service of Thomas, the son of Shobhu and Bincy Thomas. This was followed by the Holy Qurbana, assisted by Rev. Fr. Philip Jacob and several altar assistants from Detroit St. Thomas Church. Thirumeni explained the meaning of the baptism service and later gave a dynamic sermon on discipleship. You can read the summary of the sermon here. We want to thank Rev. Philip Jacob and Kochamma for coming and providing with the spiritual guidance. Achen and Kochamma had to take Friday afternoon off to come to Cleveland. Special thanks to Thirumeni for his visit. Thirumeni is one of the experts of theology in our church. He is also a linguist. He speaks Greek, Russian, German, French, Italian, Hindi and Malayalam languages fluently. (He probably knows other languages.) Thirumeni is also involved in several charitable programs in Kerala and several other states. For more on thirumeni's charitable endeavors, click here. Passion Week - 2002 Sets Record Attendance The attendance at the passion week services exceeded the expectations. We had several "new faces." We had several attendees from Columbus, Ohio; Chicago, IL; Toledo, Ohio and others. Plus, many from NE Ohio area participated too. Our thanks to all of you who made this a great memorable event. Fr. Jose Daniel has captured the appreciation of all of us. There was a long list of people who wanted to host him. He did visit several members on Saturday after the service. One of the highlight of the service was the special service for forgiveness and friendship Fr. Jose led on Saturday. Everyone lined up to greet others and to ask for forgiveness for any "hurts" they may have intentionally or non-intentionally committed. There was plenty of Kanji left after the Good Friday service. Parma Food Mart was closed for the day so that the owners can take part in the service. The "chorukka" was prepared by Dr. Rachel Mathew. Shila Mathew hand-stitched the "Oororo" that went on the cross as well as the veil that was used on the Easter Service. Easter Service had the largest crowd. Iype Vengal and the United Mail and Travel Services catered the lunch through Taj Palace Restaurant. Iype had increased the quantity ordered in a short notice so that there was left-over food after the event. Mary Koruth Paily had surprised all of us with her mouth-watering "payasam." And not to be left out, the "other Mary," Mary Thomas prepared the "Unniyappam." Many people had tirelessly worked day and night to make this event a success. Special mention goes to Thomas Mathew, Shinoi Varughese, Abraham Eapen and Titus Kunnath for the help. And of course, to Iype for that great Easter lunch. Thank you all. May God reward you for your efforts to glorify His name. Rt. Rev. Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilos Episcopa, Diocesan Bishop of North America, UK and Europe of Mar Thoma Church Visited Cleveland and Celebrated the Holy Communion Service on Saturday, March 16, 2002. It was a very lively service. Thirumeni was assisted by Rev. Sunny Thomas from Detroit and a priest from Staten Island Mar Thoma Church, New York. Before holy qurbana, thirumeni gave a perspective on the mass and what it means to accept mass. He said that mass is a privilege. Our lord Jesus Christ is inviting us to take part in the supper with him. The priest or bishop is merely a server. So, it does not matter who is doing the serving; it is arranged by the Lord. We should come prepared to accept qurbana when we come to the church. After introducing everyone in the audience, thirumeni gave a short sermon based on the bible reading of the day, viz., the healing of the woman. He said, the part that strikes out here is that when the lord Jesus called her to be healed, she was ready. In the same way, if we have to receive God's blessings, we should be ready to receive it. Repentance: Is It True or Just Show? Last prayer meeting (held on Sunday February 10, 2002 hosted by Titus and Reeny) was remarkable. Elsy Skariah Thomas, normally a very quiet and docile person, gave a very well prepared and delivered talk on repentance. We all know that Elsy is very well footed on bible passages. She could come up with verses appropriate for any topic at moment's notice. Citing one biblical passage after another, Elsy walked us through biblical interpretation of repentance from the old testament and new testament times. She gave examples of true repentance and false repentances and how to go about it. I am personally proud of Elsy, because one of my goals in the prayer meeting is to get our members to speak out in public and to get the fear out of public speaking. One of that was met in our January meeting when Dr. Rachal Mathew, who had vowed never to speak in public, spoke out. We should draw the others out too. Good job, Elsy. Carole Group concludes a very successful Christmas Carole drive for Charity As in the past 3 years, the tireless efforts of a team of volunteers and the generosity of our community teamed handsomely this year and a tradition has been born. After the events of 9/11, many were doubting whether we should go out and sing carols this year. However, everyone in the group and the people we visit regularly, campaigned strongly for continuing the tradition this year. As a result, the carole was held on two consecutive sundays (Dec 9 and 16, 2001). On the first day, Blessen and family prepared a sumptuous lunch highlighted by shrimp curry. (Seems there is a fascination to shrimp curry in Cleveland!). The dinner was served by Abraham and family in Akron. Mini has displayed her skill in preparing and serving healthy foods that also taste good. In between, the hosts served the volunteers with snacks and drinks (Yes, vada too!). On the second sunday (December 16, 2001), Bose and Prameela were drafted for serving the lunch and they prepared a meal so sumptuous that people didn't want to go for any more singing, just sit and relax! The dinner was served by Babychayan and family. It certainly was a grand finale. Again, we received a variety of snacks from all houses in between including vada, personal pizza, sesame balls, spiced hot cider and many more. When the final tally was made, we collected about $2500, 100% of which will go towards helping some poor and less fortunate in India. As in the past years, the volunteers paid for their own expenses so that all collections can be given to charity. Abraham and Blessen did a great job in coordinating the program at a short notice. They also did all the driving. We will let you know who the beneficiaries are for this years' carole drive. Thank you all the volunteers and all the people who graciously hosted us and contributed so generously to the cause. Happy holidays and merry Christmas. 2001 Christmas Carole Team:
Beneficiaries of 2000 Christmas Carole Collection Named The following are the persons/organizations who were helped by the Christmas Carole Collection in December 2000: Total Colleted Amount = $2150
Our thanks go to all volunteers who participated in the Carole Program and especially the two coordinators Jobin David and Shinoi Vergheses who have taken lot of personal sacrifice. Thanks for a great job! Passport Scam Reported in India - Watch Out! I have seen several reports of an ongoing scam in India. It appears that when you go through immigration in Bombay, Hyderabad etc., they may tear off pages from your passport that has the American Visa. The victims are unaware of it till they reach US and then denied permission to enter the country. It is postulated that this is part of an alien smuggling operation. Please keep an eye on what they are doing when you give your passport to someone. Apparently, they will use some diversionary tactics. Make a copy of your passport and keep them separately and inspect your passport to make sure that it is not tampered. Pass this message to others. Plight of An Indian - What a Shame! Mylapra Retreat Center Has a New MSN Community Forum Paul Rembachen has created a new MSN Web Community called
MYLAPRA RETREAT CENTER. The address of the community is: St. Thomas Church, Detroit Has a New Web Home Those who depend on the website to gather the latest information will be glad to know that St. Thomas Church, Detroit, our spiritual parent church, has a new website. The address of the site is The website was dedicated by Bishop Sevarios in a ceremony on April 15, 2000. It is designed and maintained by our own Jacob Mathew and iCBS, inc. By the cooperation of the MGOCSM members, we intend to keep this website current. You can read the full transcript of Bishop Sevarios' retreat service in Detroit on April 15, 2000 in the website. It is presented in 15 chapters with easy navigation from one chapter to the next. Holistic-online.com Named the Best Website for Ayurveda and other Complementary Therapies Psychology Today, the prestigious journal of the American Psychological Society, has named Holistic-online.com the best website to learning about Ayurveda and other alternative therapies in its April, 2000 issue. This had been the latest in a string of accolades received by the website. The website is developed by our members Drs Jacob and Shila Mathew with assistance from an all star cast of physicians and therapists from around the world. A Nostalgic Look At Christmas Carol 1999 - The Millennium Edition Email Received From A Family We Visited During the Carol Service |
