Weekly Newsletter-May 3, 2022

Weekly Announcements: St. Thomas the Apostle Syro Malabar Forane Catholic Church
4922 Rosehill Rd, Garland, Texas, 75043

  St. Thomas the Apostle Syro-Malabar Forane Catholic Church

Weekly Announcements
May 3, 2022

Dear Parishioners,


1. Holy Qurbana Schedule

Sundays:

8:30 am: Holy Qurbana in Malayalam and CCD in the Parish Hall

10:30 am: Holy Qurbana in English

Weekdays:

Tuesday to Thursday: Holy Qurbana at 8:30 am

Friday: Adoration and St. Jude Novena at 6:00 pm followed by Holy Qurbana at 7:00 pm

Saturday: Holy Qurbana at 8:30 am followed by the Blessed Virgin Mary Novena

Note: Those attending Holy Qurbana are requested to follow CDC guidelines to protect yourselves and others.


2. Ukraine Relief Fund Collection

On Sunday May 24th, we had a second collection for the Ukraine Relief Fund. The amount collected was $4,404. Thank you for your generosity and kind support.


3. CCD Teachers' Appreciation Day and in-service training - May 7th

Rev. Dr. George Danavelil, the Catechism Director of the Syro Malabar Diocese, will be giving an in-service training for all CCD teachers on May 7th from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. All CCD teachers and those who are interested to teach are encouraged to attend this session. Please inform Mr. Silvy Cham, the CCD Coordinator, if you are planning to attend.


4. Mother's Day

This year, Mother's day is on May 8th. Please remember to pray and thank our mothers for the gift of life and all the sacrifices they have endured for us. May the Blessed Mother Mary intercede for all our mothers who are with us and especially for those who have gone before us.


5. Diploma course in Gospel studies 

The Mar Thoma Theological Institute, in affliation with the Paurastya Vidyapitham Pontifical Oriental Institute of Religious studies, is introducing Diploma Courses in Biblical studies. The next program for the one-year Diploma course in Gospel Studies will be starting on May 15th.  For course and registration details, please visit the website at Marthoma Theological Institute


6. Survey for Synodality.

The Synod on Synodality is a two-year process of listening and dialogue that began with a solemn opening in Rome in October 2021. The word “Synod” has its origins in Greek and means “Coming Together” or “Traveling Together”. The Synodal process will conclude in 2023 with the 16th Synod of Bishops that will be held in October 2023. This is truly historic in the sense that it has never been done before. Pope Francis wants us to be a “listening church” gathering feedback from every Catholic, which is why this is a 2-year process. Pope Francis invites the entire Church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for it's life and mission: “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” The Synod on Synodality will focus on three themes: Communion, Participation and Mission. You can find more details at https://www.synod.va. Each one of us who are members of this parish, have a unique opportunity to provide feedback to the Pope.
Please take a moment to respond to the survey using the link below. We will consolidate your responses and submit a report from our parish to the Diocese of Chicago. 


7. Diocesan Bulletin

Please remember to pray for all our seminarians, especially for Br. George Parayil, as he prepares for his Diaconate Ordination to be held on May 15th. Please also pray for Deacon Joel Pius, as he prepares for his priestly ordination which will be held on May 28th. Please take a moment to look into the Diocesan Bulletin to know more about various activities in our Diocese. Click here for the Diocesan Bulletin 


8. Marriage Preparation Course (Pre-Cana) 2022

Upcoming Marriage preparation course dates are below:

May 25-27th

July 15-17th

For more details, please send an email to familyapostolate.chicago@gmail.com

Contact:

Fr. Paul Chalissery - (919) 749-7175
Mr. Jose Prakash - (954) 540-7286


9. Wedding Anniversary

All couples from our parish who are celebrating their 25th, 40th or 50th wedding anniversaries in 2022 are invited to contact the trustees before May 29th.


10. St. Thomas Feast Day (Thirunnal)

The St. Thomas Thirunnal will be celebrated from July 1st to July 3rd this year. We are looking for both single and group sponsors for the Thirunnal. If you are interested to sponsor, please contact the Trustees (Kaikkarans) before May 8th.


11. Few things to note… 

  • Parents should be cognizant and pay close attention regarding their children's dress attire while attending church. Active sports wear is not encouraged to be worn while attending church services.
  • Please do not leave any tissues or water bottles in the pews. This is essential to maintain a clean and hygienic environment of the church premises.
  • Please remember to not fold any pages in the Holy Qurbana books and please put away the Holy Qurbana books properly after use.
  • Please remind children who have not yet received Holy Communion to cross their arms when coming up to receive the blessing.


12. Parish Accountant

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Josekutty Thekekkara and Cyriac Thomas for their services in accounting the parish books during the past year. Josekutty Thekkekara agreed to work for a year. Since that year is complete, the parish council has recommended Cyriac Thomas to continue in his stead. Therefore, James achan has appointed him as the new accountant.


13. Parish Priest's weekly day off

Per the Chicago Syro Malabar Diocesan guidelines, Parish priests are allowed to take one day off during the week. James achan's weekly day off will be on Mondays. There will be no Holy Qurbana on Mondays going forward. However, for any spiritual needs on that day, please contact achan and the trustees.


14. Sacrament of Holy Communion and Confession for the homebound

The Sacrament of Holy Communion and Confession are available for those parishioners who would like to receive, but are unable to attend mass due to injury, illness or advanced age. Please put in a written request in the log book kept in the trustee's parish office.


15. Church premises benches

Four benches in front of the Parish Hall are worn out and need to be replaced. If anyone is interested to sponsor the benches, please contact the trustees.


16. Steubenville Retreat

There will be a Steubenville Retreat for High School students from ages 14-18 on June 24-26th in Irving, TX. If anyone is interested in registering or needs to know more information regarding this retreat, please contact Leslie Thomas. There will be a table in the narthex with the information.

LONE STAR STEUBENVILLE Conference
FEARLESS 2022: “TAKE COURAGE, I HAVE CONQUERED THE WORLD.” - John 16:33
WHO: Youth Participants (14-18 years old)
WHEN: June 24 - 26, 2022
WHERE: Irving Convention Center
Initial Lone Star Registration Form for Participants & Chaperones 

The Lone Star Steubenville Conference is a weekend for teens filled with great talks from Catholic speakers, small groups, Holy Mass, adoration, music and community fellowship. The conference is held at the Irving Convention Center and all chaperones and participants will be staying at a local hotel close to the convention center.

We will be registering together with the seven other parishes in our Southern Region, so spots will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. To secure your spot, you must fill out the initial registration form and send the deposit or registration cost along with the completed form. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Leslie Thomas @ (214) 709-3664.


17. House blessings, Baptism & Marriage Information

If you are interested in scheduling a Baptism, Marriage, House blessing or would like to get a certificate/letter, please put in a written request in the log book kept in the trustee's office. Please include the date, time of request, your address and phone number.


18. Access to Church, Parish Hall, CCD rooms & Founder's building

To access/use the church, parish hall, CCD rooms or the Founder's building, please put in a written request in the log book kept in the trustee's office. Please include the date, time of request, your address and phone number.


19. Parking

Please park only in the designated parking areas on the church compound. Do not park in the fire lanes, since it is a parking violation and an inconvenience for others.


20. Include Registration Number to write checks to the church

Please include your church registration number in the check as part of the memo when you write checks to the church. The registration number for your family is available in the October 2021 statement that was sent to you. If you still do not know your registration number, please contact James achan.


21. Inter Parish Sports Festival 2022

If anyone wants to still participate in IPSF, please contact the IPSF coordinators, Mr. Binish Mathew Pampackal @ (972) 799-6855 and Mrs. Tessy Thomas Changankerry @ (469) 618-1715.

If you have any other questions and/or concerns, please reach out to the IPSF coordinators.

IPSF SOUVENIR FRONT COVER PAGE CONTEST (Open to all Parishes)

Download IPSF Souvenir Cover Design Competition Flyer

Hello Everyone,

Are you creatively inclined with a penchant for transforming thoughts, ideas and themes into designs? Well, we've got the perfect opportunity for you. The IPSF 2022 Souvenir Committee is organizing a cover page competition open to all members of the participating parishes. The cover page should be based on any one of the following:
-Inter Parish Sports Fest (IPSF)
-United we stand, divided we fall
-Christian brotherhood
-The pilgrim Church
-Role of family in religious education

Send your entries, one per participant, to info@ipsfaustin.com by May 31st. Entries received after this date will not be considered. Include the following in the subject line of the email: 'IPSF 2022 Souvenir Cover page Contest.' Please include your name in the email as well.

Participants will receive a cash prize and stage recognition at the opening ceremony.

We'd love to see you contribute your creativity to this design and wish you the best!

Sincerely,
IPSF 2022 Souvenir Team


22. Church Bookings

For church bookings, non-parishioners will be able to book the church 12 months in advance of their event date based on availability. Parishioners on the other hand will be able to book any time prior to their event based on availability.


23. Address, Phone number, or Email Change

If your address has changed, please contact your ward Representatives/Secretary/Trustees/Parish Vicar via text message or email to change the address in the church database.

If your phone number/email or spouse's phone number/email changes, please provide the new contact information to update the church directory.

Emails: Vicar@syromalabarchurchdallas.org, trustee@syromalabarchurchdallas.org, secretary@syromalabarchurchdallas.org


24. Prayer Ministry

If you have a prayer request, please contact the prayer ministry leaders, Mary and Michael Kallarackal at (201) 563-0727. Everyone is welcome to join the prayer ministry and also to be part of the intercessory prayer sessions. Please contact the prayer ministry leaders if you would like to join the ministry.


25. Safe Environment News: Communicating your concerns matter

The following is a program and service of The National Catholic Risk Rentention Group Inc. - VIRTUS Online

As caring adults, we can create a safer world when we work together as a community. This includes maintaining an awareness of the behavior of all adults within our programs and ministries, including our own.

Communicating your concerns is a critical element of the Protecting God's Children program. This means we communicate to the right person or place when we see or hear something that looks suspicious, questionable, inappropriate, unsafe, abusive or that simply makes us feel uncomfortable. Whether it is inappropriate behavior or suspected abuse, it is important to address concerns, and we should always err on the side of caution to protect children and youth. Please click to read: 


God Bless You.
Fr. James Nirappel


Church Main Office (972) 240-1100

Kaikkarans (Trustees):
Jimmy Mathew (972) 951-7304
Charly Angadicheril (817) 296-8255
Tomy Joseph (469) 951-6639
Jeevan James (972) 375-8763

Parish Council Secretary & Asst. Secretary:
Molly Varghese (214) 912-7663
Janet Josey (Asst. Secretary) (551) 482-5529

Liturgy Coordinator:
Jose Paul (972) 589-0434

Parish Vicar:
Fr. James Nirappel (443) 414-2250

Copyright © 2021 St. Thomas the Apostle Syro-Malabar Forane Catholic Church,
4922 Rosehill Rd, Garland, Texas, 75043. All rights reserved.
Unsubscribe from this email list