AUGUST 2011Volume 2 Issue 8 St. Jude Syro-Malabar Catholic … Bulletin_2011_08(Aug).pdf · 2012-01-03 · Christians make their confession, receive Holy Communion and pray for the

Good news or bad news? In my first message,

as your Mission director, I don‟t have much to

say than to entrust you and me to the care and

guidance of Our Lord Jesus through the special

intercession of St. Jude, the patron saint of our

mission. All I want is to remind you the pro-

found words of Archbishop Oscar Romero,

titled as We Are Prophets of a Future Not

Our Own:

It helps, now and then, to set back and take the long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts.

It is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our life-time only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

We plant seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future

promise.

We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do

something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an

opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the

worker. We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not

our own.

Please reflect on these words of the saintly Archbishop Oscar Romero (who was assassinated on 24

March 1980) and ask yourselves what you can do for our community.

I also want to thank our Bishop Angadiath for being with us for two days and officially es-

tablishing our community as an independent Catholic Mission for all the Malayalam Catholics in

Northern Virginia. I thank Rev. Fr. Mathew Punchayil for his guidance and support during the first

phase of our growth as a community.

I want to thank our trustees: Jilson Joseph and Regi Alexander, Council Members, Tomy Paul

our Head Master, Shaju Joseph our Music Director, Rony Thomas our Director of Mission-

inauguration Cultural events.

I want to thank each one of you for the services and sacrifices you did publically and privately

for the success of our Mission Inauguration Events. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. May the Lord Jesus

continue to reward you and bless you and your family, and may St. Jude intercede for us.

F r o m t h e D i r e c t o r ’ s D e s k

St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 14640 Soucy Place, Centerville, VA-20120

St. Jude Syro-Malabar

Catholic Mission of Northern Virginia Mission of Greater Washington

Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago We gather for worship, Sunday school and other activities at

AUGUST 2011 Volume 2 Issue 8

Weekly Mass: Sundays at 3:00 PM Sunday School: Sundays at 2:00 PM

Mission Director:

Fr. Joseph

Elamparayil

(301 873 7006)

Trustees:

Jilson Joseph

(703 599 6748)

Regi Alexander

(703 636 1995)

Our Vision is to create a vibrant Syro-Malabar community that nurtures spiritual growth, celebrates the sacraments, and fosters community ties and leadership.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

From the

Director’s Desk 1

Our Faith : Saints,

Facts and Legends 2

Swathanthram thanne

Amritham 3

Interesting facts about

Catholic faith 3

Significance of

August 15 4

Mother of All Mothers 4

St. Rose of Lima 5

New to our Parish 6

Announcements &

Thank you 7

Calendar of Events 7

At your Service —

Advertisements 8

Celebration of the Feast of Assumption of Our Lady and Independence Day

We will be celebrating Indian-Independence/Feast of Assumption on Sunday, August 21, 2011.

There will be variety of entertainments in Malayalam by our children from Malayalam School during

the refreshment after Holy Mass at St. Andrews Lutheran Church. All are welcome!

NB: Please do share your suggestions regarding this article with Fr. Joseph at [email protected]/ 703 999 4179


S t . J u d e S y r o - M a l a b a r M i s s i o n o f N o r t h e r n V i r g i n i a V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 8 P a g e 2

St. Paul wrote: “You are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). As

members of the Catholic Church, we are members of the family of saints. One of the many ways of knowing our

family of faith is to know the stories of our saints. St. Ambrose said: “The life of the saints is the norm of life for

all others.” Stories of saints are often fascinating for all, especially for the children. This column is prepared for

our beloved children in our community. Dear boys and girls, you may learn the ABCs of our faith by reading Our

Faith: Saints, Facts, and Legends. Always ask questions about saints. Save this page and memorize the

fascinating facts about saints for an annual Quiz. Remember, great prizes are saved for the Winners.

OFL12: Blessed Augustine Thevarparambil (Kunjachan) (1891-1973) · This is the unregistered will of a Parish Priest: “After my death, the funeral must be conducted in the most simple way. Ever

since 1926, I had been staying with the Harijan Christians. Even after death, I would like to be with them. Therefore my dead

body should be buried where the Harijan Christians are buried. The news of my death should not be

published in newspapers. The coffin should not cost more than twenty five rupees. Don‟t celebrate

the Sradham (memorial) with a ceremonial meal. Instead, it is enough that the prayers for the dead be

done at the sepulcher. It is requested that on that occasion, the members of the family and the Harijan

Christians make their confession, receive Holy Communion and pray for the souls in Purgatory.”

Blessed Kunjuachan, Fr. Augustine Thevarparmpil understood that he was approaching the end of his

life and wrote his last wishes. As he had nothing in his possession, there was no need of registering

any “Will.”

· Augustine was the youngest of five children born to Itty Iype and Eliswa of Thevarparmpil House at

Ramapuram, Kerala. He was born on April 1, 1891 and was baptized after seven days in the parish

church, Ramapuram. At that time it was the baptizing priest who calls a baby by a name for the first

time and he was named Augustine, in respectful remembrance of the patron saint of the Church.

· As a young boy he was sent to “Kalari” to learn Alphabets from an “Ashan.” Upon completion of the course in Kalari, Augustine

joined the primary school. Then he went to St. Ephrem‟s School, Mannanam for his High School education and resided in the St.

Aloysius Boarding residence attached to the school.

· Augustine joined the minor seminary at Changanacherry to become a diocesan priest, like his uncles Frs. Joseph and Thomas.

On completing the minor seminary training, Bro. Augustine was admitted to the Puthenpally Seminary, at Varapuzha in June

1915. He received the Cassock on July 16, 1915 as a sign of being officially set apart from the people for Jesus Christ and his

Church.

· On December 21, 1921, at the end of nine years of seminary formation he was ordained a priest to celebrate the Holy

Eucharist, to preach the Word of God, and to administer the Sacraments. Fr. Augustine celebrated his first Holy Mass at St.

Augustine‟s Forane Church, Ramapuram. His family and the parish community were present. As he was very small of stature, he

came to be called „Kunjachan‟ (Little priest). He resided at Ramapuram for a while, where he could get practical training under

Fr. Kokkat.

· Later, in February 1923, Fr. Augustine was appointed assistant Vicar of St. Sebastian‟s Church, Kadanad. Even while a young

priest working as an assistant, people used to approach him to save their crops from damaging worms and insects. They

believed sincerely that if he came to bless and sprinkle Holy water, the worms in the ginger field and insects destroying the

paddy fields and the crops would be saved.

· However, Kunjachan‟s service at Manathoor and Kadanad did not last long. When he got sick, he returned to Ramapuram in

March, 1926. While convalescing at Ramapuram, he came across a new field of activity, not accomplished by anyone else. He

saw at Ramapuram and surrounding villages Harijans (Dalits/Harijans are the people at the lowest rung of the Social Ladder)

deprived of all social status and who were treated as slaves by the rich. Seeing the sad condition of these poor people, he

decided to dedicate himself to their evangelization and social welfare.

· Fr. Augustine brought almost two hundred Harijians to the Church and gave them the Sacraments. He started schools for them

and worked tirelessly for their welfare. His new ministry made him tired and his health gradually deteriorated. The saintly priest

suffered all his pain silently. On October, 16, 1973, two of his seminary mates, Frs. Sebastian Mattam and Abraham

Moongamackal visited their ailing old friend. Knowing the seriousness of his condition, they gave him the last rites. The holy soul

of Kunjachan flew into Heaven peacefully.

· Kunjachan was buried in a new tomb constructed in front of the altar of St. Augustine in the old church, where he had been

celebrating the Holy Mass for years. Even though he proposed in his will that he should be buried in the cemetery among the

poor Harijan Christians, no one was willing to agree to that pious desire. Large numbers of people who were convinced of the saintly life of Kunjachan began to come to his tomb and pray for their various needs. He was beatified on April 30, 2006 and the

feast of Blessed Kunjachan is celebrated on October 16th every year.

Our Faith : Saints, Facts and Legends - FR. Joseph Elamparayil, OCD

mailto:[email protected]


P a g e 3 V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 8 S t . J u d e S y r o - M a l a b a r M i s s i o n o f N o r t h e r n V i r g i n i a

Interesting Facts about our Catholic Faith: - BIJU KADAPPURATH

- ALEX JACOB

1. There are 219,714 Catholic parishes in 168 countries.

2. Archivio Segreto Vaticano (Secret Archives) at the Vatican has over 1000 years of history on 85 kilometers (53 miles) of

shelving with millions of papers and parchments.

3. Vatican has 900 citizens and 3,000 employees.

4. The Vatican consists of 108 acres.

5. There are 2.2 million Catholics in Pakistan.

6. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made from burning the previous year's blessed palms.

7. Saint Michael the Archangel is the Patron Saint of Police Officers.

8. Saint Jerome is the Patron Saint Against Anger

9. Saint Gianna Beretta Molla - Patron saint of working

mothers.

10. Saint Matilda is the Patron Saint of Misbehaving Children.



August 15 – What does this date bring to our mind? There are two things that come immediately to us. First is the

Glorification of our Blessed Mother, by her being inducted, body and soul, i.e. Assumption of Our Lady, into heaven.

Second is the Independence Day of our country, to which we owe our origin. There are no official entries in the Bi-

ble, which mentions the when and where of the death of Mother Mary. However, from the 4th Century AD, the As-

sumption was believed to be true and was celebrated by Eastern Church from 6th century. It was only on 1st Novem-

ber 1950, Pope Pius XII declared this as a dogma. The Feast of the Assumption was to be observed on August 15th,

every year. This is a major Feast Day, in many countries, being celebrated as a Day of Obligation, just like Sunday.

The Apocryphal New Testament, however, has writing by one St. Melito of Sardis. He describes the Lord‟s

coming to earth to take his mother in body and soul into heaven. The narration goes thus:

St. John, to whom, our Blessed Mother was entrusted while Jesus was on the cross, was asked by the Angel of

the Lord, to be with the mother at the end of her stay on earth. St. John was preaching the good news of the Savior at Ephesus. He was lifted

from there, by a cloud, and dropped at the entrance to the house, where Mary, then lived, with the relatives of St. John. All the other Apostles

were also thus lifted by the clouds, from their respective areas, where they were preaching the good news. They all assembled at the house,

and were in prayer. On the 3rd day, Jesus personally came before them. Then all, except the Apostles & 3 virgins present and Mary went into a

deep sleep. Then Jesus took Mary‟s soul into heaven. He also asked the assembled disciples, to keep the body of Mary, in a tomb, at a place to

the right side of the city, on the east. Before the body was taken to the tomb, the three virgins cleansed the body, and the body then glowed

whiter than snow, and the surrounding area was filled with a heavenly fragrance. Jesus asked St. Peter and other Apostles, what was to be

done with her body. They all said that just as Jesus had conquered death by his Resurrection, and reigns in glory, the body of his mother

should also be raised and taken with him into heaven. Accordingly, Jesus asked Michael the Archangel to bring back the soul of Mary from

heaven. The stone on the door of the tomb was removed. Jesus asked his mother to arise from the tomb, and come out with body & soul. Thus

Mary came out & Jesus, with multitude of Angels, took her into heaven and crowned her.

We, both Indians & people who have some roots in India, hold Mary in our minds with a special fervor, as her day of glory, coincides

with our Independence Day. Let us ask her, to bless us with truthful, selfless leaders, who will lead the country into quicker progress.

SIGNIFICANCE OF AUGUST 15 - DAVIS L VADAKKOOT

MOTHER OF ALL MOTHERS – BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - BLESSY RONY

There was a mother who lived with her one-year-old daughter. She had a nanny to look after her baby when she was out to work. One day she

noticed fire engines were heading to her house on her way back home. She hurried there and found her house is in fire. From the fire crews

she realized that her daughter is still inside the firing house. Without even wasting a minute, she rushed in to the house, ran to the cradle where

her child was sleeping. She took her in hands, shielded the baby with herself and headed out. Although the mom had got severe burns, the

baby was quiet safe. Mom ended up with permanent deformities and ugly scares on her hands and face from the burns. The child grew up and

became a young girl. The mom never uncovered her about this. One day the girl told her mom, "Mommy your hands look ugly. All my

friend's moms are good looking. I wish I have a more beautiful mom". Mom was really offended. She thought that it is the time to disclose her

everything. "I could have kept my beautiful hands and face. But if I had done so, you would not have been in this world. "She said her daugh-

ter and narrated the entire story. The girl felt so sorry and deepened into grief as she had wounded her mom's heart.

This is the story of an ordinary mother who loves her daughter very much. It could be you and me. We would do anything for our children.

We are even ready to give up our lives for them. But are we ready to do it for someone else. I know the answer is certainly no, even if we

don't want to say it. Then think about a mother who did sacrifice her one and only son to save this world. She is no one else- our Mother

Mary. Imagine how deep Mary‟s love towards us was.

“Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against; yea and a sword shall pierce

through thine own soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2: 33-35) When Simeon revealed this prophecy, these

words pierced her soul. She had many sleepless nights there after thinking of her beloved son. But she had taken these words in to her heart;

prayed God for getting courage to triumph over these sorrows, knowing that, only through him the world was going to be saved. That's why

she was assumed body and soul in to heaven and was glorified. While we celebrate the feast of assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary, Let's all

bow our heads in front of this Great Mother.



ST. ROSE OF LIMA - CHRISTINA THOMAS

“Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven”

I chose St. Rose of Lima because she was very holy in her own way. Also, because she was the first canonized saint

in the western hemisphere and spread plenty of faith in such a small, tiny village. St. Rose was very humble from the

beginning of her life. She was a really special saint, unique in her own way.

She was born in Lima, Peru on August 20th, 1586 into Gaspar de Flores and Maria de Olivia‟s family of eleven chil-

dren. St. Catherine of Siena became St. Rose of Lima‟s model and she looked towards her multiple times for guid-

ance and council. She had great reverence, obedience, and love for God and his creation. She obeyed her parents

almost all the time, except when they wanted her to marry - she wanted to be a virgin. When Rose was twenty years

old, she joined the Third Order to St. Dominic. During her entire life, she had many temptations by the devil. In the

last three years of her life, she lived with Don Gonzalo de Massa and his wife, who both loved her. She died at the

age of thirty-one in late August, 1617 in Peru.

After her death, there were many miracles, some of them being cures. She was beatified in 1668 by Pope Clement IX and canonized in 1671

by Pope Clement X. St. Rose of Lima‟s feast day is celebrated on August 23rd. Her heroic and humble actions were performed quietly and

truly humbly. One example of this was when she had made a crown of roses to impress her mother, but secretly put thorns around the resting

part so they would dig into her head. Another time was when her parents would continuously bother her, but when they grew old, she would

work constantly as a weaver to get them money. Her little acts like these would have got her into heaven.

She is the patroness of the Americas; Latin America; India; florists; gardeners; vanity; against vanity; needle workers; New World; Peru; Phil-

ippines; West Indies; South America. Her symbols include the crown of roses and thorns; needle and thimble; spiked crown; roses; anchor

Holy Infant; iron chain. There is a devotional chaplet to St. Rose of Lima, including songs, prayers, and writings from her.

PARISH UPDATES

Kids Retreat: Kids Retreat on July 31st turned out to be a

great success. Around 50 kids (ages 4-14) from our community

participated in this mega event conducted by Jesus Youth.

Thanks to all the parents and teachers for preparing our chil-

dren for this retreat. Special Thanks to Tomy Paul, Sismi &

Amit Antony, Dennis and all other volunteers for spending

their valuable time to make this event a great one.

Snaps

From

The

Retreat.

Dukhrana Thirunal Celebrations: We had a moderate but

joyful celebration of St. Thomas day. Thanks to Saji Thoppil and family

for the beautiful picture of St. Thomas arranged at the Altar. We

were overjoyed by the presence of Rev. Dr. James Kallingal, the Vice-

Chancellor to the curia of St. Thomas Office. After Holy Communion,

Xavier Palanthingal gave an excellent and scholarly speech on St. Tho-

mas the Apostle to India. Under the leadership of Shaju, the Choir

sang special St. Thomas Hymns. The members of our Women‟s

Group prepared the delicious “Pachor” we had at the refreshment.

That really sweetened up our celebration. May St. Thomas our

apostle, continue to bless all of us and our dear and near ones.

Happy Feast of St. Alphonsa Celebrations: We had a very

joyful solemnity of St. Alphonsa with beautiful

celebration of Mass by Rev. Fr. Sunny

Puthenkulam and Fr. Joseph Elamparayil, an

excellent speech by Lilly Thomas, devotional

hymns by our St. Jude choir and a special

offering of Unniappam by Babu & Shimmy

Palckavayalil. The mass was followed by the

Novena and the veneration of the relic of St.

Alphonsa. Our joy was doubled by the pres-

ence and participation of the senior members of our community.

We extend a warm welcome to all our new members! Please contact the trustees or any council member if

you have any questions. Do also reach out to them to understand how to get involved and become active members

in the parish . To receive updates about our community and apply for membership, please join our email group

at :http://groups.google.com/group/NVA-SYROMALABAR. For up-to-date information, please visit community

calendar at http://www.my.calendars.net/nvasyromalabar.

The church is proposing to buy a sound system to be used during our weekly Mass. If you wish to sponsor in anyway and help the church as a well wisher or as an active member of our parish please do contact our Trustees. If you wish to donate to church or even have Mass Intentions, please contact the Trustees or Council members. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and would be used towards introducing

new activities or improving existing activities for kids, youth, choir etc. In addition we are always in need of volunteers especially in the areas

highlighted below:

Altar Service: The church is seeking volunteers for altar service. If you are interested in becoming an Altar Server, please contact Mr. George

Parappurath (703 981 8513) for further information.

Lectors: If you would like to be a reader at Sunday Masses, please contact Mr. George Manalel (703 631 4580)

Music Ministry: Do you love to sing? Come; get acquainted with a great group of adults and kids. Have some fun! No prior experience required.

Please contact Mr. Shaju Joseph (703 901 6504) for further information.

Malayalam Classes: Proud to be a Malayalee? Come; help us teach our kids Malayalam this summer. Contact Mr. Tomy Paul (703 470 0708) for

further information.

Catechism Classes: The registration for Catechism classes for 2011 – 2012 started in the first week of July and will continue until September. If

you wish to enroll your child or volunteer for teaching, please contact Mr. Tomy Paul (703 470 0708).

Fellowship and Refreshments: To sponsor refreshments for our community, please contact Mr. Sajith Thoppil (571 224 5067).

Parish Bulletin: If you wish to contribute to our parish bulletin by way of articles, stories, or reflections, please contact Mr. Charles Thomas

(703 222 4682).

Advertising in the Parish bulletin: For advertising space in the parish bulletin, please call 703 599 6748 or 703 636 1995.

L o o k i n g f o r W a y s t o C o n t r i b u t e



N E W T O T H E P A R I S H

C

O

U

n

C

I

L

m

E

m

B

E

R

s

Bejoy Thomas 571 218 9004

Charles Thomas 703 222 4682

George Alex 703 541 8213

George Manalel 703 631 4580

George Parappurath 703 981 8513

Jimmy Jose 703 437 5396

Johnson Myalil 703 464 0831

Jose Thomas 571 643 0833

Joseph Jacob 703 322 1434

Joshy Joseph 703 395 6749

Rani James 703 815 8920

Sajith Thoppil 571 224 5067

Saju Thomas 703 659 0874

Shaju Joseph 703 901 6504

Sujith Abraham 703 310 9985

Teji Manalel 703 779 8766

966 HUNGERFORD DR, SUITE # 15A ROCKVILLE, MD 20850.

TEL: (301) 984 – 7300, (301) 610 0125

EMAIL: [email protected]

WWW.TRAVELNETUSA.NET

For emergency travel please contact us at 240-595-1630 (After

regular office hours)

http://groups.google.com/group/NVA-SYROMALABAR

http://www.my.calendars.net/nvasyromalabar

mailto:[email protected]


C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s

P a g e 7 V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 8

Thank You

Refreshments: Special thanks to the parishioners from Manassas/

Bristow area for setting up the refreshments and cleaning for the month

of July. All parishioners from Fairfax/ Centreville are requested to

volunteer for the month of August.

Sponsors for Month of July

We are grateful to John Kattoor, Shimmy and Babu Palack and their

families for sponsoring the refreshments for the month of July.

E d i t o r i a l

B o a r d

Charles Thomas Sismi Menachery

Dilip Vadakkoot Smitha Regi

Neena Mathew Sony Kuruvilla

Article “Submission” Deadline

The deadline for submitting articles and

announcements for the bulletin for the

month of September is 21st August. If

you have questions, please contact Mr.

Charles Thomas (703 222 4682). A big

“Thank you” to all the contributors for

this month.

August Bulletin edited by Sony Kuruvilla

August 21,

2011

Celebration of the Feast of As-

sumption of Our Lady and Inde-

pendence Day

September

11, 2011

Onam Celebrations

September

17, 2011

Parish Picnic

October 30,

2011

Celebration of St. Jude’s Feast

and Parish Day celebration

December 3,

10, 17, 2011

Christmas Carols

December Christmas Mass

January 7,

2012

Christmas and New Year Cele-

bration

S t . J u d e S y r o - M a l a b a r M i s s i o n o f N o r t h e r n V i r g i n i a

Sunday Readings

August 7, 2011

First Reading : 1 Kings 19 : 9a, 11-13a

Second Reading : Romans 9: 1-5

Gospel : Matthew 14 : 22-33

August 14, 2011

First Reading : Isaiah 56 : 1, 6-7

Second Reading : Romans 11 : 13-15, 29-32


August 21, 2011

First Reading : Isaiah 22 : 19-23

Second Reading : Romans 11 : 33-36


August 28, 2011

First Reading : Jeremiah 20 : 7-9

Second Reading : Romans 12 : 1-2


The members of St. Jude Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Northern Vir-

ginia expresses their sincere gratitude to Rev. Fr. Joseph Elamparayil,

Rev. Fr. James Kallinkal and Rev. Fr. Sunny Puthenkulam for

celebrating Holy Mass and homilies and also for their spiritual guidance for

the month of July.

A c c o u n t I n f o r m a t i o n

M o n t h o f J u l y

Total Collection Amount: $ 2330

For more information contact Mr. Jojo Mathew (703 349 2921).

All your financial contributions to the parish are tax deductible and

hence, in order to receive acknowledgment for your contributions at

the end of the fiscal year, please make your contributions by check pay-

able to Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of GW:NVC or if you are

contributing in cash, please enclose it in a sealed envelope with your

mailing address.

Joseph Abraham, father of Molly Vettickal and father in law of

Jose Vettickal passed away on 5th of July at Ernakulum. He was

buried on Saturday, 9th of July, 2011. Let us keep his soul in our

prayers.

Season of KAITHA (KAITHAKKALAM)

This season (July 30 to September 10) com-

mences commemorating the twelve apostles of

Christ. The seven week long period is called

Kaitha. The term „Kaitha‟ means summer. It is the

season of harvest. This season reminds us of the

growth of the Church as a result of the missionary

activity of the apostles.

CUSTOM BUILD KITCHEN

CABINETS & GRANITES

Basement Finishing,

Home Theater, Remodeling

and Addition.

Contact

Mr. Tony Palack (Babu)

703 989 3410

703 362 3663



Documents

AUGUST 2011Volume 2 Issue 8 St. Jude Syro-Malabar Catholic … Bulletin_2011_08(Aug).pdf · 2012-01-03 · Christians make their confession, receive Holy Communion and pray for the