volume 2 issue 4 st. jude syro-malabar april 2011 … bulletin_2011_04(apr).pdf · and also it...

IT IS OFFICIALST. JUDE: PATRON OF THE SYRO-MALABAR COMMUNITYOF NORTHERN VIRGINIA

I am very glad to inform you that St. Jude Thaddeus will be the Patron of the Northern VirginiaCommunity of the Syro-Malabar Mission of Greater Washington. Our Bishop, Mar Jacob An-gadiath accepted and officially approved the desire of the majority of the Community to have St.Jude as the Patron of the Community.

To have a Patron for the Community implies much more than having a name to designate our-selves with. We need to have an in-depth knowledge of the person, his faith and commitment,and his deep love for the Lord and for the Church. We also should have a great love and attach-ment to our Patron and be ready to have him as our model in living our faith. As sons and daugh-ters of St. Thomas the Apostle, our Father in Faith, we pledge that St. Jude will be our constantcompanion on our journey of Faith.

As part of our love and commitment to St. Jude, I would suggest that all the members of ourCommunity should read St. Jude’s Letter in the Bible (New Testament), try to find out all the ref-erences to St. Jude in the Gospels, and do a little research from the Bible and other sources toknow more about St. Jude. And also it would be a good practice of devotion to pray to St. Judeusing the St. Jude Novena Prayers or other prayers, as part of our family prayer every day. Wedo this not only because he is the Apostle of the Impossible, but also because he is our PATRON.

How is this Season of Lent for each and every one you? This is our first Lenten Season as a Com-munity. I do hope and pray that every effort is being made by everyone to make this Season ofLent a time of grace and growth. God bless all of you!!!!

Fr. Mathew Punchayil(Mission Director)

F r o m t h e D i r e c t o r ’ s D e s kI N S I D E T H I SI S S U E :

From theDirector’s Desk 1

New to our Parish 2

Announcementsand Thank You(s)!

3

Calendar ofEvents 3

Our Faith: OfSaints, Facts andLegends

4

A MeaningfulEaster 5

Prayer andThanksgiving 5

Parish News andUpdates 6

Lenten Program 6

Upcoming LentenRetreat 7

At your service–Advertisements

7,8

Upcoming ParishEvents

1

U p c o m i n g P a r i s h E v e n t s

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

St. Jude Syro-MalabarCatholic Community of Northern Virginia

- Mission of Greater WashingtonSyro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago

We gather for worship, Sunday school and other activities at

April 2011Volume 2 Issue 4

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

Mission Director:Fr. Mathew Punchayil

(301 873 7006)Trustees:

Jilson Joseph (703 599 6748)

&Regi Alexander

(703 636 1995)

Stations of the Cross

Come join us as we gather every Friday during the Lenten season at 7:30 PM for theStations of the Cross at St. Andrew Lutheran Church 14640 Soucy Place, Center-ville, VA-20120.For detailed information on Lenten Services please turn to page 6

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

We extend a warm welcome to all our new members! Please contact the trustees or any council member if youhave any questions. Do also reach out to them to understand how to get involved and become active members inthe parish . To receive updates about our community and apply for membership, please join our email groupat :http://groups.google.com/group/NVA-SYROMALABAR. For up-to-date information, please visit communitycalendar 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 any-way and help the church buy a sound system as a well wisher or an active member of our parish pleasedo contact our Trustee. If you wish to donate to church or contribute to church for any specific reason or even haveMass Intentions, please contact the Trustees or Council members. Your contributions are greatly appreciated andwould be used towards introducing new activities or improving existing activities for kids, youth, choir etc. In addi-tion 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) forfurther information.

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.

Fellowship and Refreshments: Coffee and light refreshments will be served each week after the Holy Mass togive everyone an opportunity to meet and greet fellow parishioners. To sponsor refreshments for our community,please contact Mr. Sajith Thoppil (571 224 5067).

Parish Bulletin: We encourage you to contribute to our parish bulletin by way of articles, stories, or reflectionsand bring your talent to the limelight. If you have one ready to publish or are planning to work on one, please contactMr. Charles Thomas (703 222 4682).

Advertising in the Parish bulletin: For advertising space in the parish bulletin, please call 703 599 6748 or 703636 1995.

N e w t o t h e P a r i s h

R e a c h o u t t o o u r C o u n c i l m e m b e r s

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

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


S t . J u d e S y r o - M a l a b a r C o m m u n i t y o f N o r t h e r n V i r g i n i aV o l u m e 2 I s s u e 4 P a g e 2

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

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


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

P a g e 3V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 4

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

Total Collection Amount: USD 1514.00Collection for Japan Relief Fund: USD 273.00

For more information contact Mr Jojo Mathew (703 349 2921). All your financialcontributions to the parish are tax deductible. Hence, in order to receive acknowl-edgment for your contributions at the end of the fiscal year, please make your contri-butions by check payable to Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of GW:NVC or ifyou are contributing in cash, please enclose it in a sealed envelope with your mailingaddress.

Sunday Readings

April 3, 2011

First Reading: 1Samuel 16:1b, 6-7,10-13aSecond Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14Gospel: John 9: 1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

April 10, 2011

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11Gospel: John 11:1-45 or 11:3-7,17, 20-27, 33b-45

April 17, 2011

First Reading: Matthew 21:1-11Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11Gospel: Matthew 26:14-27:66 or 27:11-54

April 24, 2011

First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4 or1 Corinthians 5:6b-8Gospel: John 20:1-9

The members of St. Jude Syro- Malabar Catholic Community of Northern Virginiaexpresses their sincere gratitude to Rev. Fr. Joseph Elamparayil and Rev Fr.Mathew Punchayil for celebrating Holy Mass and homilies and also for their spiri-tual guidance for the month of March.

Thank You

Refreshments: Special thanks to the parishioners from Centerville andFairfax area for setting up the refreshments and cleaning for the month ofMarch. All parishioners from Leesburg and Ashburn are requested tovolunteer this month.

Sponsors for Month of March

We are grateful to Mr. Sujith Abraham and Mr. Regi Jose and theirfamilies for sponsoring refreshments for the month of March.

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s

E d i t o r i a lB o a r d

Charles Thomas Sismi Menachery

Dilip Vadakkoot Smitha Regi

Neena Mathew Sony Kuruvilla

Article “Submission” DeadlineThe deadline for submitting articles andannouncements for the bulletin for themonth of May 2011 is April 20. If you havequestions, please contact Mr. Charles Tho-mas (703 222 4682). A big “Thank you”to all the contributors for this month.

April Bulletin edited by Ms. Sismi Menachery

We wish to congratulate Augustine Moonjelly and NishaMoonjelly who have been blessed with a baby boy -

“Anthony Moonjelly” on 02/09/2011Proud Sisters: Rose and Elizabeth

We wish to congratulate Ullas Joseph Puthukullam andDimple Mathew Thachiyathu for their wedding on01/03/2011 at St. Thomas Church, Changanacherry,Kerala.

We wish to congratulate Davis Sebastian Pallan and SophyJose Valooran for their wedding on 03/02/2011 at LourdesCathedral Church, Thrissur, Kerala.

April, 2011 Lenten Celebration (Check Pg 6)

June 4—5,2011

Community Retreat

June 26, 2011 First Holy Communion and HolyConfirmation

July 3, 2011 Dukhran

August 14,2011

Celebration of the Feast of As-sumption of Our Lady and Inde-pendence Day

September11, 2011

Onam Celebrations

September17, 2011

Parish Picnic

October 30,2011

Celebration of St. Jude’s Feast andParish Day celebration

December 3,10, 17, 2011

Christmas Carols

December 25,2011

Christmas Mass

January 7,2012

Christmas and New Year Celebra-tion

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

St. Paul wrote: “You are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19). As members of theCatholic Church, we are members of the family of saints. One of the many ways of knowing our family of faith is to know thestories of our saints. This column is prepared for our beloved children in our community. Dear boys and girls, you maylearn the ABCs of our faith by reading Our Faith: Saints, Facts, and Legends. Always ask questions aboutsaints. Save this page and memorize the fascinating facts about saints for an annual Quiz. Remember, greatprizes are saved for the Winners.

OFL8: Blessed Father Joseph VazNow that we've learned about the 7 Saints of India, let's begin looking at few inspiring stories of the Blessedand Venerable holy men and women of India. The first Blessed man from India is Blessed Joseph Vaz. The beati-fication of Fr. Joseph Vaz, the Apostle of Sri Lanka was on January 21, 1995, by His Holiness Pope John Paul IIand was a glowing tribute to the Church in India.In the 17th century when the island of Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon and its capital was Kandy (not Co-lombo, as today), Dutch settlers arrived there. They were staunch Calvinists and did their utmost to eliminatethe Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. However, the Holy Spirit stirred the heart of a young priest of Goa, Fr. Jo-seph Vaz, to leave India and enter Sri Lanka at the risk of his own life. The strong presence of the Catholic Church in Sri Lankatoday owes its gratitude to Blessed Joseph Vaz.Joseph Vaz was born on April 21, 1651as the third child of Christopher Vaz and Maria de Miranda at Benaulim, Salcette, Goa,India. He graduated in humanities at the Jesuit College of St. Paul and did his priestly training in philosophy and theology at St.Thomas Aquinas Academy run by the Dominicans. The Archbishop of Goa, D. Antonio Brandao, ordained him as a priest in1676, at the age of 25. After ordination, he went home, to his native village of Sancoale, with a burning zeal but no parish wasassigned to him. He traveled barefoot, distinguishing himself by his austere style of life, steeped in prayer, reflection, and self-denial. Not surprisingly, he was much sought after as a priest, confessor, preacher and friend.Filled with devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary, on August 5, 1677 in front of her statue in the church of Sancoale, he wrotehis “Letter of Bondage” offering himself as a slave of Mary, ready to do whatever her Son Jesus wanted. It was around this timethat he learned of the plight of the Catholics in Sri Lanka. Joseph approached his superiors for permission to go to Sri Lanka tothe rescue of the Catholics there. His request was turned down and was sent as Vicar Forane to Kanara. In Kanara, Joseph fullydedicated himself to his missionary zeal by preaching, hearing confessions, visiting the sick, helping the poor, even ransomingChristian slaves. However, when the Archbishop of Goa died, he asked to be relieved of his post and returned to Goa in 1684.On September 25, 1685 Joseph joined a community of priests at the Church of the Holy Cross of Miracles who were seekingto live a life of self-discipline and self-denial (ascetics). He helped them to adopt the Rule of the Oratorians founded by St. PhilipNeri. He was elected superior and became the founder of the Institute of the Oratory in India. Later, Fr. Joseph obtained per-mission of the Archbishop of Goa to go to Sri Lanka and took with him two members of the community and also a faithful fam-ily servant, Joao (or John) Vaz from Sancoale.The four of them set out on foot in March 1686 on a long trek southwards through Kanara and Malabar (Kerala), onward to SriLanka. In January 1687, after nine months, they reached Tellicherry. There, for the first time, he told his two companions hisreal intention of travelling to Sri Lanka. Immediately his two companions abandoned him but the young Joao (a Goan Gawdaboy) went ahead with him. They were able to disguise themselves as coolies (porters) and enter Sri Lanka. They smuggled insacred vessels for Mass and an altar stone. Fr. Joseph was able to contact the Catholics of Jaffna and went to the town of Putta-lam, a town ruled by the King of Kandy. For ten years, Fr. Joseph was the only priest in Sri Lanka, but he had the tremendoussupport of the laity. Toward the end of 1696 two priests from the Oratorian Congregation, which Fr. Joseph had formed inGoa, had arrived at Puttalam.There are many stories of remarkable healings that took place when Fr. Joseph Vaz prayed over the sick. Fr. Joseph de Mene-zes recorded the case of an obstinate woman with a malignant tumor who was refusing to go back to her husband. At death’sdoor, she was visited by Fr. Joseph Vaz, who laid his hand on her in prayer and the tumor dissolved. Fr. de Menezes wrote:“The thing is certain, and I heard it from the woman herself.”Fr. Joseph Vaz built a number of Churches and chapels with schools and dispensaries throughout Sri Lanka. While on a mission-ary journey at Kottiyar he became grievously ill and had to return to Kandy. Fr. Joseph instructed his brother-priests: “Liveaccording to the inspiration of God.” On the morning of Friday, January 16, 1711, Fr. Joseph asked to make his last confession.On the same day before midnight Fr. Joseph died. The King of Kandy declared three days of mourning in honor of Fr. Josephand after a solemn funeral, the body was laid to rest in the Church of KandyWhen Fr. Joseph Vaz was beatified by Pope John Paul II, the Pope called on the nations and peoples of the vast continent ofAsia to join in a chorus of praise to God for this “son of Asia who became a missionary in Asia.”

OUR FAITH: OF SAINTS, FACTS AND LEGENDS - FR. JOSEPH ELAMPARAYIL, OCD

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



mailto:[email protected]


Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ's rising from the dead after his crucifixion, which took place onGood Friday. It is the most sacred of all the Christian holydays. Easter is a great festival in the church.The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was the greatest miracle ever performed. On Easterwe are born anew and we shall be glad. It should certainly be a joyous time for children.

For most kids, Easter is a day to leave out some carrots for the Easter bunny, go to church with family intheir new outfits and enjoy the chocolates presented by their family bunnies. How many of us do reallycare about the real meaning of Easter? The meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ's victory over death. His res-urrection symbolizes eternal life - the life to be granted to all who believe in Him. Even many of the sym-bols used at Easter like lilies, eggs, butterflies symbolize new life. Easter is about resurrection and newbeginnings.

When Jesus came into the new life with His Father, he gave us new life too. To be saved, we must askJesus to live in our hearts. We should do what he wants us to do. We must read the Holy Bible and pray for divine helpto understand His plan. Don’t let this Easter season become yet another time of egg painting and following other people'straditions only. It is not a bad idea to serve others during holy week to follow the example set by Jesus Christ .

Children, with the help of your parents, find out ways you can help other kids. Giving out Easter baskets for the poor,donate some of your toys to a shelter, present home made cards to cheer up the kids in hospitals are some ideas tobrighten up the Easter of a sick or a needy child. Also, it’s the perfect time to think about donating some money to thesuffering children in Japan .

God loved us so much that he allowed his Son to die on a cross. Jesus shed his blood that we may be forgiven all our sins.Because of what Jesus did, we never have to be apart from God. Because of Easter, we have hope. We can show God welove him as we worship him in singing, praying, sharing his love, and reading our Bibles. We can show others our lovethrough our actions and words. So let this Easter be memorable in every way.

Wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Prayer is an expression of our thankfulness to a gracious and giving God. It is not a spare wheel to be used only in time ofour troubles; instead, it is a vital part of Christian life, which we should use as a steering wheel to guide us in the right direc-tion.

Prayer and thankfulness are often joined in Scripture (Dan 6:10, Col 4:2). Often, in our ‘busy life’ we find itdifficult to find time for prayer and very rarely do we remember to thank God. Once while attending aretreat, the preacher told us a story about two angels who were sent to this world with two bags and wereasked to collect ‘prayer requests’ and ‘thanksgiving’ respectively. The angel, who was asked to collect‘prayer requests’ from the world, came back quickly with a heavy bag which he found difficult to carry, whilethe other angel, who was sent to the world to collect thanksgiving, came back after many weeks with alighter bag. If we examine our life, we will often realize that in tough times of need we will not hesitate tofall on our knees, recite novenas religiously and pray ardently for our intentions. But once the same isgranted, very rarely do we even care to express our feelings of gratitude. On the other hand, in the event

our prayers are not answered, we are quick to disown/question our faith.

It is often at this time that we ought to remember prayer has immense power; if we remain spotless and sinless, God willalways answer us our prayers (Job 8:5-7). This state of grace can be attained through confessions. Hence let us, during thisseason of Lent give priority to prayer in our life; let us grow spiritually and closer to God. May God help us to be people,who are not only thankful, but who are willing to express thankfulness to God.

PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING - SISMI MENACHERY

P a g e 5V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 4 S t . J u d e S y r o - M a l a b a r C o m m u n i t y o f N o r t h e r n V i r g i n i a

“Easter isabout

resurrectionand new

beginnings”

“RemainSpotless andsinless and

God willanswer ourprayers.”

A MEANINGFUL EASTER - ROSLYN TOMY

P a r i s h N e w s a n d U p d a t e s

The ladies of the St. Jude Syro- Malabar Catholic Community ofNorthern Virginia - Mission of Greater Washington gathered to-gether on March 20, 2011 for the very first Women’s Forum meet-ing. Fr. Joseph Elamparayil opened the meeting with words of en-couragement and asked the group to contribute in unique ways toboth the church and the community in general. The forum hopes toprovide a platform for women to share ideas, discuss aspects ofeveryday life, contribute to the growth of our community and over-all to support and encourage one another to reach goals as Chris-tian women.

If you would like to join this group or you need any further informa-tion please contact Neena Mathew (703 310 9986), Rani James (703815 8920) or Smitha Regi (703 542 7726) or email the group [email protected]

Women's Forum

The Syro- Malabar community of Northern Virginia elected St. Jude Thaddeus as their patron saint on February 27,2011 by means of a fair election conducted under the leadership of the electoral committee. This committee was puttogether by the Parish Council and included Sony Kuruvilla, Binochan Pavu, Biju Joseph, Alex Jacob and Sippy Joseph.

Members were given the opportunity to cast their votes in person or via email, if unable to be present . Post electionon February 27, 2011, the electoral committee recorded the results as per the guidelines formulated by the ParishCouncil and handed it over to Fr. Mathew Punchayil who announced the results amid cheers and excitement. Therewere a total of 115 votes and we as a community selected St. Jude Thaddeus as our patron saint with 33 votes. We arefortunate that Rev. Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath has accepted and officially approved the desire of the majority of theCommunity to have St. Jude Thaddeus, the Apostle as the Patron Saint . Hence, hereinafter we will be known asSt. Jude Syro- Malabar Catholic Community of Northern Virginia—Mission of Greater Washington

The election process wouldn’t have been such a success, if it weren’t for the support of our Mission Director - Fr.Mathew Punchayil, the guidance of Parish Council members, the leadership of the electoral committee and the partici-pation of the community members. Thank you to all and a special thanks to the electoral committee for the hard work.

Its official Now: St Jude Thaddeus is our Parton Saint

"On March 20, 2011, Rev. Fr. Joseph Elam-parayil gifted and blessed the Blessed MotherMary’s Statue for our community.The blessing of our Most Blessed MothersStatue took place after the Women’s Forummeeting. Rev. Fr. Joseph Elamparayil gatheredthe members of the parish who were presentand blessed the statue and requested each andevery one to recite one Hail Mary in honor ofour Blessed Mother.We are indeed blessed to have this beautifulgift, blessings and visual presence of MotherMary within our community. We thank ourbeloved Rev Fr. Joseph for his thoughtful ges-ture."

Blessing of Mother Mary’s Statue


L e n t e n P r o g r a m




UPCOMING LENTEN RETREAT


Air Tickets To & From USA

Tour Packages

Visa Services

Special Sale at www.alexys.us

Email : [email protected]

USA :703-652-4295/650-855-4692

Cell:703-472-1973

India:0481-2422775, 2423006

For advertising in the parish bul-letin, please contact :

703 599 6748

703 636 1995

http://www.alexys.us


CUSTOM BUILD KITCHENCABINETS & GRANITES

Basement Finishing,

Home Theater, Remodeling

and Addition.

Contact

Mr. Tony Palack (Babu)

703 989 3410703 362 3663



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