2012JAN - St. Thomas Philadelphia

ST THOMAS INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
NEWSLETTER
January 2012 Volume XVI Issue 1
Vicar’s Message
1009 UNRUH AVE
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19111
Contact Info:
stthomasunruh@gmail.com
Phone: 215.342.1500
Fax: 215.342.2700
Happy New Year!
The universal
greeting “Happy New
Year!” has become a
norm expressing love for
all people at this time of
the year. Even to the people
whom we are not that
familiar we would wish
the same. It is a simple
wish for others that they
should be happy. Even
though many people say
this mechanically it means
a lot.
Happiness is one
of the greatest emotions
of human beings and animals.
In one glance we
can assess people whether
they are happy or unhappy.
We all see and
greet a lot of people in
our day-to-day activities.
The moment we see the
smiling face, we experience
a special joy that the
person is receptive. Smile
is one of the expressions
of joy. And one thing we
know that many don’t
have the happiness on
their face. I look at the
smile of every person who
comes to kaimuthu
(kissing of hands) at the
end of the Holy Qurbana.
Most of the priests show
a serious face when they
do the kaimuthu. I found
it difficult to understand
because after the Holy
Qurbana one has to be
extremely happy. In the
Orthodox Church kneeling
to receive Holy Qurbana
is not allowed only because
it is a joyous occasion.
Holy Qurbana is the
source of all happiness
because the Lord is coming
into our life through
the Holy Eucharist. Therefore,
one should not look
depressed when come for
Holy Communion. Often I
see some people struggle
to smile back to me when
come for kaimuthu. I still
wonder what is in their
mind! May be people
think that priests are not
supposed to smile at people?
Wishing happiness
to someone is a great
gesture. Indeed only a
joyful person can give joy
to others. It is ideal therefore
to wish people with
joy.
A New Year raises
so many expectations for
all of us. Personally every
New Year has helped me
make new resolutions.
Surprisingly many of my
resolutions have made
tremendous change in
me. The following are the
reasons:
1) Opportunity for Rethinking
and Renewal:
Every human being in
vulnerable to sin. The
Greek word for sin is
hamartia which means
‘missing the mark’. If a
shooter cannot hit the
target it means missing
the mark. If a person fails
to reach his/her goal, it is
missing the mark. In other
words, things that we
expect to do but could
not do is the state of
‘missing the mark’. God
has set certain level of life
standard for us. We try
our best to reach that
mark but often fail. We
aim to lead a good life
but we cannot reach the
expected goodness. Often
during confession people
will talk about their inability
in overcoming certain
weaknesses that are often
repeated in spite of their
earnest attempts. But
still we strive to overcome
that weakness. We use
different occasions for
such a change of mind or
repentance. It may be a
birthday, or death of a beloved
one, anniversary, memorial
day, perunnal, New
Year day etc. I have used
many of the above opportunities
to take new decisions
and it helped me change a
lot.
2) Strengthening our Personality:
Resolutions or decisions
are the most powerful tools
that can help a person to empower
him/her. This is the
smart move that a person
makes when he/she is becoming
aware of his/her
weakness. Often people have
the tendency to hold on to
his/her weakness because
he/she is so much used to it.
For example, we have certain
people who will behave in a
certain way. Many people will
say, “that guy is very rough”
or “that guy is always rude”
or “that person is unreliable”.
If we encounter such a person,
we will see that the majority
of the people’s comments
are right. Even that
person may have heard it
from many mouths but still
that person will not make an
attempt to change. His/her
weakness will continue like
incurable cancer. That person
Continued on page 5
JANUARY 2012 1 NEWSLETTER

Parish News
New Born:
Rev. Fr. Gheevarghese John and Linju John are blessed
with a baby girl, Bethenny.
Mr. Mathew Varghese and Beena Mathew is blessed
with baby girl.
May God bless the wonderful family abundantly!
First Temple Entry:
Alexander, son of Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Libi Koruthu.
Obituary:
Our member, Mr. Thayyil Paul Vergis, husband of
Lelamma Vergis and father of our Jibu and Jilu, went to
be with the Lord.
Rev. K. A. Thomas, father of Liz Pothen, went to be
with the Lord.
Mr. K. E. George, father of Mrs. Sijo P. Mathai, passed
away in Kerala.
The parish family joined in comforting the sorrowing
families. Our prayers are with them always!
New Member:
Mr. Thankachan Samuel, wife Mrs. Kunjumol Thankachan,
son Binu Thankachan and daughter Bini Thankachan
Mr. Abraham K. Varghese, wife Mrs. Suja Abraham,
daughters Angela Abraham and Ashley Abraham, and
son Ashish Abraham.
Welcome to the parish family!
Guest Clergy:
H. G. Dr. Joshua Mar Nichodimos Metropolitan
Divyabodhanam:
Divyabodhanam course is on Saturdays at our church.
Please contact course coordinator Mrs. Elsa Koshy for
further details.
News from Spiritual Organizations
Martha Mariam Samajam (MMS)
MMS meets alternate Sundays at the church auditorium
after Holy Communion for prayer, Bible Study,
learning songs and more. For more details of their activities
please contact Secretary Mrs. Mariamma Joseph.
Women’s Fellowship
Women’s Fellowship meets on a regular basis for
prayer and meditation. Contact Mrs. Bessie Mathew
(bessie334@yahoo.com) for more details.
MGOCSM
Meetings are held every Sunday after the Sunday
School. Regular bible studies are part of their mission.
For more information, contact Secretary Ms. Susan
Chacko (susan_1292@yahoo.com) or Agin Thomas
(aginthomas27@yahoo.com).
Couples Forum
Couples’ Forum is very active in our Church. The
meetings are held every other Sunday. Please contact
Mr. Brown Varghese (brownvarghese@gmail.com)
for the weekly schedule.
OCYM
OCYM meets on alternate Sundays after Holy Communion.
Please contact Secretary Mr. Jobin Abraham
(jobin.abraham@yahoo.com) for more information.
Men’s Forum
Men’s Forum fellowship is going very strongly in our
Church. The format of this session includes prayer,
songs, bible reading, teaching followed by discussions.
For more information please contact Mr. Thomas
Koshy.
FOCUS
FOCUS, Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in the
United States is an organization intended for young
adults, married and single, post-graduate students and
professionals, from the ages of 23 and up. Contact Mr.
Steve Kurian (stevekurian@yahoo.com) for more details.
JANUARY 2012 2 NEWSLETTER

January Birthdays
Jilu Vergis 1/1
Jestin K. Abraham 1/1
Shine E Varghese 1/1
Soumya Mariam Thomas1/2
Aleena Robin 1/2
Roy Philip Chacko 1/4
Sosamma Mathai 1/4
Aleena Elizabeth Jacob 1/5
Taina I Daniel 1/5
Renju Joy 1/5
Ron Philip 1/5
Elizabeth Mathew 1/5
Diya Sara Thomas 1/6
Jijo Jacob 1/6
Deepthi Cherian 1/6
Wilson O Panicker 1/7
Wilson Panicker 1/7
Anila Thomas 1/8
Joyel Manoj 1/8
Fiji C Philip 1/8
Mathew Varghese 1/8
Andrew Cherian 1/9
Marshel Varghese 1/9
Mini Ninan 1/9
Sandeep K Thomson 1/10
Andrew J Mathew 1/12
Divya Mary Thomas 1/12
Joshua M George 1/13
Shawn George Philip 1/13
Carolyn Thomas 1/13
Shelby K Renji 1/14
Yasmin George 1/14
Libi Korathu 1/14
Ian Thomas 1/15
Ramany George 1/15
Allen Abraham 1/16
Sajan Varughese 1/16
Binsy E Mathew 1/17
Maliyil M Philip 1/18
Anu Lajy 1/19
Deepthy Panicker 1/19
Sanju John 1/19
Wincy B Joseph 1/20
Alwin T Raju 1/23
Anu Mathew 1/23
Aji Abraham 1/23
Shannon Ann George 1/23
Sunil Thomas 1/23
Saramma Thomas 1/27
Susan Mathew 1/28
Mathew Thankachan 1/28
Julia M. Joseph 1/29
John Polayil Abraham 1/30
January Wedding Anniversaries
Mr & Mrs Rajan T Samuel 1/1
Mr & Mrs Finney M Philip 1/2
Mr & Mrs Sam Jacob Kurisinmoottil1/4
Mr & Mrs Varghese Jacob 1/5
Mr & Mrs Jaison Daniel 1/5
Mr & Mrs Mathew Samuel 1/5
Mr & Mrs Mathew Thankachan 1/6
Mr & Mrs Mathew V Thomas 1/6
Mr & Mrs Geevarghese K John 1/9
Mr & Mrs Ninan Mathai 1/9
Mr & Mrs Prasad George 1/10
Mr & Mrs Oommen George 1/11
Mr & Mrs Elias K Issac 1/12
We wish you all a very
Happy Birthday!
Mr & Mrs Thomas Koshy 1/12
Mr & Mrs Bobby A Korathu 1/12
Mr & Mrs Mathew Varghese 1/13
Mr & Mrs Thomas George 1/14
Mr & Mrs George G Mampallil 1/14
Mr & Mrs Varghese K Issac 1/16
Mr & Mrs Jacob P Abraham 1/17
Mr & Mrs Philip Varghese 1/18
Mr & Mrs Abraham Thomas 1/19
Mr & Mrs Babu Varghese 1/29
Mr & Mrs James Jacob 1/31
We wish you all a very
Happy Anniversary!
Announcements
Please don’t block our parking lot . Be
considerate to others.
Please sent news, articles and information
for February 2012 Newsletter by
Sunday, Jan 29th to the parish secretary
or newsletter editor.
sam@samjacobk.com ,
jerinjuby@gmail.com.
Calendar
Announcements: Please contact the parish
office for any updates in contact information,
addition in the family etc. to be
added to the database.
Prayer Meetings: Please contact Prayer
Meeting Coordinator, Mrs. Susan
Mathew, to schedule a prayer meeting at
your residence.
Wednesday Prayer Line
Prayer-Line dial-in # 570-310-
0170. Access Code: 044200.
Please email Mr. Mathew Samuel,
msamue2000@yahoo.com, to
add your email address for Prayer
Line updates.
Previous Recordings
Dec 21
Playback Dial-in Number:
1-213-342-3003
Playback Access Code: 550261
Speaker :Rev Fr Laby George
Panackamattom
Dec 14
Playback Dial-in Number:
1-213-342-3003
Playback Access Code: 875003
Speaker: Dr. C.C. John
Dec 7
Playback Dial-in Number:
1-213-342-3003
Playback Access Code: 364919
Speaker: Mrs. Susan Mathew
JANUARY 2012 3 NEWSLETTER

Assistant Vicar’s Message
“The Son of Man Rests His Head in Loving You”
Luke 9: 57-62
The gospels records that when our Savior Jesus Christ was
born there was no room for Him at the inn. (Luke 2:7) When Christ was of age
he entered the synagogue in Nazareth and proclaimed through the scriptures that he was the messiah, upon hearing
this the Jews threw him out of their town. (Luke 4:16-29) Throughout Christ’s ministry on earth, he was traveling—
preaching, teaching and performing miracles—but He never had a place to call His own. Jesus was always going from
one place to another, like an itinerant preacher. In other words, He never had a “place to rest His head.” In the latter
part of Christ’s ministry, He was thrown out of the Temple, and rejected and despised by all. The Son of Man could
find no place to rest His head. As the gospel reading says, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but
the Son of Man has no places to rest His head.” (Luke 9: 58)
Although totally rejected and despised, there is one place where Christ finally rests His head, and that is at the
cross. The Apostle John writes, “…and He rested his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:29) Here, finally Jesus is
able to rest His head at the cross. The gospel demonstrates that Christ finally rests His head in taking the sins of the
world. He rests His head in loving us, and in dieing for the sins of the whole world. How awesome and amazing is it
that God Himself would come down into human history and rest his head at the cross in dieing for all of mankind.
So then as Christians what is our response? What are we to do in knowing that Christ loved us so much? In
the gospel we hear Christ’s exhortation to his disciples, “Follow me.” (Luke 9: 59) We are to follow Christ in our
spiritual journey and have no rest until and unless we get to the cross. We should have no rest in our professional success,
in our houses and cars, in our material gain, or even in our families; none of these things should give us rest. The
only rest that we should have is the final hour when we stand at the foot of the cross and gaze at the crucified One and
rest our heads at His feet, understanding fully that He died in loving us.
Lovingly, Rev. Fr. Gheevarghese John
Sunday School News
(Submitted by Oommen Kappil, Principal)
(Tel.: 267.902.8500, kappil1@yahoo.com)
Welcome New Year with Renewed Spirits!
As we begin the New Year, my heart is still filled with the joy of Christmas. As we celebrated Christmas, our children
brought memories of that joy to our hearts with their own amazing performances on Christmas Eve. Their innocence
and laughter were heartwarming. Many parents, teachers, volunteers and MGOCSM members spent countless
hours of their precious time to prepare these children. I gratefully acknowledge their selfless services for the benefit of
our children. Let this spirit of cooperation, togetherness and commitment continue to strengthen us in the New Year.
May the Holy Spirit grant us prudence and wisdom in everything we do for our Sunday School and for our parish.
How can we improve?
We are always looking for new ideas to make Sunday school more meaningful and effective. Please contact the Principal
(Oommen Kappil) or the Asst. Principals (Susan Mathew and Jacob Kuruvilla) with your valuable suggestions
and comments.
JANUARY 2012 4 NEWSLETTER

St. Thomas Christmas Social 2011
Christmas Social has become a tradition of the Christmas Celebrations of the St. Thomas Indian Orthodox
Church, 1009 Unruh Ave, Philadelphia. In celebrating the great joy of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the parish comes together as a family sharing the message and glorifying His name in different
ways. The program happens every year on December 24 th . The program starts with Evening Prayer. The
Evening Prayer on feast special days of the Indian Orthodox Church are special and rich with different
songs and prayers that proclaim the wonderful messages of the particular feast.
The Christmas program of 2011 started with Evening Prayer followed by the Christmas Social. Rev.
Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla, Youth Chaplain of the American Diocese of Mar Thoma Church was the special
guest. Achen is a blessed speaker and his message was indeed penetrating in to hearts. To summarize, there
was three specific points that he asked the believers to think about during this Christmas Season: a) Have a
dynamic relationship with Christ; b) Immanuel, God is with us, all the time, in our need, in our laughter, in
pain and in every occasion in our life; c) Open our boundaries of selfishness to accept the needy and poor
outside. The message of Christmas is about Christ coming down in to the earth leaving all the heavenly possessions
to save the creation.
The program continued with a variety of dances, skits, songs etc. carefully crafted and performed by
various spiritual organizations of the parish, namely Sunday School, MGOCSM, OCYM, Couple’s Forum,
Martha Mariam Samajam and Men’s Forum. Traditional Christmas caroling under the leadership of OCYM
is the final program that the whole parish waits for. The event concluded with dinner.
Holy Qurbana on Christmas Day started at 8.30AM followed by the special Christmas Day service.
Rev. Fr. M. K. Kuriakose and Rev. Fr. Gheevarghese John were the chief celebrants. The joy of the Incarnated
Lord is the strength and power for all the Christians while approaching the New Year. May this joy be
in our hearts at all times, even in times of trouble, and may us remember always that Immanuel is with us.
Vicar’s Message
(continued from page 1)
believes that his/her weakness is his/her strength. That is fate of the community in which he/she lives. People
struggle hard to live or work with that person. Whereas if that person is able to understand the weakness that
is destroying him/her like cancer, he/she can overcome that weakness and strengthen his/her personality. It is
sad to note that devastation in families, personal life and it communities, have taken place because of such
people. But their change of mind can bring a lot of peace to their situations. A New Year day will be an ideal
time for such a decision.
In the beginning of the year 2011 I made a resolution and recorded it on my I-phone so that every
morning at 5:25 a.m. it will wake me up with a beep to remind me about it. The resolution was, “call to holiness”.
I started looking at it every day. Very soon I realized that my resolution is something which is not easy
to fulfill. Holiness is looking for perfection. I miserably failed to reach the mark that God set for holiness, “Be ye
perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (St. Matthew 5:48). I knew well that the success of the life of Jesus
was His ability to obey His Father even to the point of death. By the middle of the year I knew I failed and
them I put a review note in my I-phone, “review today’s life” that will beep at 10:45, which is 15 minutes away
from my bed time. It helped a little more to warn me about the attack of the enemy. One thing I learned that
when we make an attempt to walk with God, God will provide the strength even when we fail.
God knows our weaknesses but God knows also our power that He has given us when He created us in His
own image. All that God demands is the realization of our weakness. The life of Judas Iscariot presents a negative
result when St. Peter presents a positive result. Peter did falter terribly but he was able to repent. May
this New Year give us another opportunity to empower our life with new resolution that would empower and
enrich our lives!
WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY, PEACEFUL, PROSPEROUS AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!
Lovingly, Fr. M. K. Kuriakose, Vicar
JANUARY 2012 5 NEWSLETTER

Secretary’s Message
Secretary 2012
Dear Parish Members,
I would like to use this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to each and every member of the St. Thomas Indian
Orthodox Church and especially Vicar Rev.Fr.M.K.Kuriakose and Asst.Vicar Fr. Gheevarghese John for entrusting me
with the responsibility of Secretary of our Church for 2012.
I thank God Almighty for this opportunity to serve my parish. I trust fully in God to provide me His inexhaustible wisdom
to fulfill my responsibilities with the entire satisfaction of all the members of our Parish.
I humbly request your whole-hearted co-operation and prayer to enable me to handle my duties and responsibilities in
the most trustworthy and Godly way.
Thanks again and Regards,
Sam Kurisinmoottil
Parish Secretary ,
610-220-9366 (cell)
Sam@SamJacobK.com
New Member Orientation &
Fellowship
Our new member orientation is on January
21st Saturday with Evening Prayer.
Family members who joined the
parish in the year 2011 are requested to
attend the meeting with their whole
family. Managing Committee members
of Year 2011 and 2012, and Spiritual
Organization representatives of the
year 2012 are also requested to attend
this fellowship.
Vicar is on Vacation
Vicar and his family on vacation from
Januray 1st to 20th, 2012. Let su wish
him an good vacation time. Please contact
our assisstant Vicar for any spiritual
needs.
JANUARY 2012 6 NEWSLETTER

Secretary’s Message
From the Desk of the Secretary
Secretary 2011
Dear Believers in Christ,
I am extremely honored and privileged to serve as the Secretary of our blessed parish for the year
2011. Sure, it was a blessed experience for me to get to know lot of people, gain valuable friendships and
learn many new things. God doesn’t necessarily choose the most qualified one, but He qualifies the chosen
one. I thank God Almighty for guiding me and blessing me to carry out my responsibilities. Thanks to His
blessings, and the wholehearted cooperation of each one of you. I thank our Vicar and Assistant Vicar for
their dynamic, positive and visionary leadership which has been a source of inspiration and strength.
I gratefully acknowledge the cooperation and support of the Board of Trustees, the Managing Committee
members, Sub-committee coordinators and members and the office bearers of all spiritual organizations
in our parish namely, Sunday School staff, MGOCSM, Youth Movement, Couples forum, Women's
forum, Martha Mariam Samajam and Mens forum. Apart from our elected members we have many other
members work really hard for our parish. I thank all of them for their unselfish service to our community.
Due to the selfless hard work and cooperation of all the members, we have made tremendous progress during
the past years. We still have more work to do. I’m sure that the new team of office bearers under the leadership
of Mr. Sam Kurishimmottil and Mr. Roy Chacko could lead our Church to a better tomorrow. I personally
would like to thank Jerin Juby for working behind the scenes to publish the newsletters on time.
Let us also remember the sick and suffering and grieving families in our parish in our prayers. Remember,
spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever, say a kind
word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your
side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give
with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your loved ones, but most of all
mean it. Hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to
love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
On behalf of Jibu Vergis, the Treasurer, the Board of Trustees and the Managing Committee members,
I thank each and every one of you for your involvement and support. May God bless each one of us. Let
His name be glorified. Wishing you all peace, good health and happiness in the New Year, May God Bless
you all.
Parish Secretary,
Santhosh M. Baby
215-856-7036 (Home)
215-779-3686 (Cell)
babysanthosh@gmail.com
JANUARY 2012 7 NEWSLETTER

EVERY SECOND AND EVERY MINUTE IS A BLESSING FROM THE
ALMIGHTY LORD. HE HAS BEEN KEEPING US ALL AND OUR
PARISH IN HIS VERY HAND FOR THE PAST YEARS.
HE IS WITH US IN 2012 AND ALL THE COMING YEARS.
BE THANKFUL AND GIVE GLORY TO THE ALMIGHTY.
MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE US ALL THE TIME AND LET THIS BE
ANOTHER YEAR TO COME CLOSER AND CLOSER TO
OUR LOVING GOD.
BEST WISHES FOR THE YEAR 2012
ST THOMAS INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
PHILADELPHIA
JANUARY 2012 8 NEWSLETTER