SSKCFC Bulletin - APRIL 2022

2022 APRIL St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church, NY INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Vicars Desk 1 Our Fun Skiing Trip 2 Isaiah 29:13 4 Infant Ministry Updates 4 Rediscover 2022 6 CML Updates 6 Upcoming Events 7 ST. STEPHENS CHURCH BULLETIN take bold steps to mend those ways to rise with JESUS on Easter Sunday as a new person of Christ. Dear Friends in Christ, Today, the world is in commotion with many VI- RUS attacks and WAR crisis. Almost a million have died We are approaching towards the EASTER, a great cele- due to the virus attacks and another; a million have be- bration in the Church. We prepare ourselves for this come refugees from the aftermath of two weeks of war event in prayer and fasting - a TIME of the great season in UKRAINE. Everything in this world is becoming costly of LENT. As a sign we put on ASHES to signify that we and people find it hard to meet the ends. This is a time are in constant prayer, abstinence, and vigorous we need to fast and pray for the special interventions fasting. from the ALMIGHTY to establish peace & certainty in the world. PRAYER is reading of the BIBLE, meditating on the WORD of God and attending RETREAT sessions. ABSTI- Our Church, ST.STEPHEN is proudly celebrating its NENCE is abstention, continence, temperance, &self- ten years of glory amidst all those challenges we had in denial. It is a self-enforced restraint from indulging in the past. Let us move forward remembering and praying bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving for all who have dedicated their time and energy to ac- pleasures. FASTING is primarily the act of willingly ab- complish these years of glory. We have entrusted our be- staining from few or all foods and drinks, for a period loved Church in the strong hands of the ALMIGHTY and of time. RETREAT is the time returning to our lives in on His first martyr ST. STEPHEN who shed his blood for the past and to understand those short-comings and to the cause of the Gospel values. Wishing you all HAPPY EASTER…… Happy Easter Page 1

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin —————- 9th Grade CCD ——————— Alissa Ackamparambil Nayana Makil Skiing has been a favorite winter pastime for all of Josh Puthenpurayil us since we were young. Every February, our parents would rent an Airbnb for all our families and take us and protective measures that you have to remove on a six hour drive up to Titus Mountain. We had a before putting the skis on. Finally, all of us had our total of about 7 families. We learned about Titus skis on and we headed up to the different levels of Mountain back in 2018, but every year, we’ve been the mountain based on expertise level. There are going back there. Every year, we haul all our ski ma- different difficulty levels in the mountains. In the or- terials, food, and other items into the trunk of our der of least difficulty to most difficulty- bunny hill, vans and start driving. green mountain, blue mountain, black mountain, black diamond mountain, and double black moun- This year; the car ride was very long. By the time we tain. Most kids started off with a green mountain, as arrived, it was night and it was snowing. The snow most kids had skied in the past. Some kids also start- fell in beautiful droplets, and the view of the terrain ed with the easier blue mountain. Soon, we had was incredible, as not even a single soul had crossed practiced enough on the smaller mountains. So, we it. The airbnb we rented this year was pretty big, but all headed up to the medium blue mountain togeth- since there were so many people, the vast majority of the group had to sleep on the floor. There was a er. When we go up to higher level mountains, we game room with a ping pong table, board games, have to take ski lifts. Ski lifts let you go up the moun- and a bunch of toys for younger children. When we tain efficiently. It also lets you enjoy the gorgeous first got there all we did was eat and play ping pong. view of the mountain's horizon. Two people are al- We also played old board games, which proved to be lowed to go on the ski lift at the same time, so we nostalgic for most of us. That night, we ate chicken separated ourselves into pairs and got on the lifts. and rice with other curries. Our moms had prepared Around 4 minutes later, we reached the top of the many types of curries at home before the trip and mountain. Skiing down a big mountain is a scary ex- bought them on Airbnb so food preparation would perience for those doing it the first time, but it's also be quick and easy. Around 12:00 am, we had to go to one of the most fun experiences you can have when sleep because we were going skiing the next day. you’re experienced. The pure adrenaline that comes Since I was one of the people who slept on the floor from skiing fast is enough to overpower nerves. it was very uncomfortable. Later on, we all woke up When we went down the mountain, some people in the morning with some devastating news. The fell, but they got back up and started skiing again. people who we rented the place from, found out That’s the beauty of skiing- you always have to get that we were sneaking way more than the amount back up. When we all came down the blue moun- of people we were allowed to bring. We had to evac- tain, we went two more times to ensure that every- uate the house by noon. So, twelve o'clock we were one could do the blue mountain successfully. Follow- out and driving to Titus Mountain, all decked up in ing this, we had pizza and fries. our ski gear. We arrived at Titus mountain almost a half hour lat- er, and the first thing we had to do was find ski boots and skis in each of our sizes. The process of putting skis on is very tiresome; there are many extra levers Page 2

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin We then decided to have everyone complete the easy was around 7 pm, meaning we had skied for almost 7 black mountain. However when we reached the top hours. Therefore, we packed up all our ski stuff and of the mountain, we realized that we accidentally went to a motel. Each family had a room, but we all took the route for the medium black mountain. This stayed in the same room as our friends. We had some proved to be nerve-wrecking for most of the beginner leftover curries from the day before, so we ate that skiers. Considering that most of us completed the with rice for dinner. We then talked for a long time blue with much difficulty, it was hard to imagine how before sleeping. This time there was enough space we would do the medium difficulty black mountain. for everyone to sleep on a bed. However, we had no choice but to go down, so that’s what we did. We split up into pairs- one experienced Once we woke up, we got ready to go back home. skier for every new skier. We started to go down the Our trip home was another 6 hours, but in between mountain in this way, but soon, chaos followed. One the ride, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. The of our skiers hit into another one of our skiers, caus- food was delicious. It was also two kids’ birthdays ing them to fall. When one of our experienced skiers around that time, so we celebrated their birthdays at went to help them, they fell as well. This resulted in the restaurant. We finally got home around 8-9 pm. almost 5 people falling around the same time. Again, we were able to all get up successfully and we Our ski trip this year was different from our past ex- attempted to come down the mountain again. This periences, but fun nonetheless. I think that being time, we all came down the mountain carefully and with our family and friends was what made this expe- properly. We decided to go again to make sure that rience so fun, along with the actual fun of skiing. Also, everyone could do the medium black with some mas- the mountain taught us that almost all the time, tery. This time, it was around sunset. Therefore the there's no choice but to keep on moving forward and view from the ski lift was breath-taking. There were being resilient in the face of adversity. streaks of orange, pink, and yellow striking the bright blue sky. Coming down the mountain was fine this time. It was also thrilling to be able to watch the sun- set while experiencing the joy of racing down a mountain. When we came off the mountain, we realized that it Page 3

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin CCD 9th Grade Sonia Mekattil Nikki Thekevatathara Stephen Thadipuzha Joseph Alapatt Serena Thekevatathara Joseph Kariparambil Interpretation of Bible “These people come near to me with their mouth forgiveness for your sins with repentance in heart and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are would be more pleasing to God than hours of mem- far from me. Their worship of me is based on mere- orized prayers with no heart. We should all try to ly human rules they have been taught.” find our own personal time to connect to God. Even when attending holy mass we should put an effort God said these words through prophet Isaiah to the to understand and feel the deep meaning of each people of Israel to show them how their prayers prayer than merely saying it. We all became Chris- were meaningless as it were merely lip exercise tians through the faith transferred to us from our without heart. Jesus repeats this in Gospel of parents. In addition we should also try to personally Mathew 15:8. It’s a wake up call for all of us. Our experience Jesus and hence strengthen our faith. prayers most of the time are memorized and re- Let’s pray to Jesus to strengthen our faith and bless petitive which leads to losing focus and fails to con- us to experience him like the apostles and saints. nect to God. ‘Prayer’ in simple words is our conver- Amen. sation with God. A few words of thanks and asking INFANT MINISTRY UPDATES We had a Ministry level hiking trip to the Bear cember 23, 2021 and the New Year prayer meeting Mountain, New York on October 9, 2021. Around on December 31, 2021. Our monthly sessions con- seven families- 12 kids, from the Infant ministry tinued on zoom. We focused on the “Act of Giving” participated. The kids motivated each other for the Lent season. throughout the 1.5 hours hike to the top and en- joyed the breathtaking view of the mountains. The The feast of infant Jesus was celebrated at our par- fall foliage added more colors to our memorable ish on February 6, 2022. The holy mass was orga- trip. nized by the infant ministry kids. The children ac- The church’s tenth anniversary kickoff celebration tively participated by singing for the Choir and also was on November 27, 2021. The pre- K and kinder- garten kids showcased a stylish fashion show. The girls did a colorful prayer dance and the boys had a rock and roll dance. It was beautiful to see the little kids walk on the ramp with such confidence and the bigger kids dance gracefully. They definitely caught the eyes of the audience. The children participated in the regional level Christmas retreat led by Sr. Jocelyn Edathil on De- Page 4

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin leading the Intercessory prayer. As a part of the Lent Season, the Infant Ministry has decided to conduct an “Educate a Child” campaign where we collect donations to help a less privileged child in India to attend school. The amount collected will be transferred on Palm Sunday. We encourage all families to par- ticipate in this small act of generosity. Together we can help a family lead a better future. Please mark your calendar for the upcoming Bowling on May 15 and Picnic and BBQ. Wishing you all a very Happy Easter! May God continue to bless us all. - Jiffy Thadathil & Diana Thadathil (Infant Ministry Coordinators) WAY OF THE CROSS @ OUR LADY OF THE ISLAND All the ministries of St. Stephens jointly conducted a pilgrimage to Our Lady of The Island Shrine in Manor- ville New York on April 9th Saturday. It was a divine experience for all following the fourteen Stations of the Cross. Page 5

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin The Knanaya Catholic Youth Ministry Conference held at New York from June 16 to June 19, 2022. “Rediscover” registration kicked off on Sunday April The conference would be first of it's kind to con- 10th after Mass at St. Stephen's Church. Vicar Fr. nect all young people in the Knanaya region. The Jose Tharackal explained the objectives of the con- organizers are working to make the Youth Confer- ference and requested parents to encourage all ence a very different experience with informative youth to attend. \"Rediscover\" conference will be classes and fun activities. CML UPDATES After a wonderful summer church. Each meeting ends with a small prayer and information about the next meeting and other ac- vacation Cherupushpam Mis- tivities and programs that relate to CML and our sion League is officially back in church. Activities are not only held during CML full swing with its meetings meetings but outside of them in our daily lives too. and activities. Although the For example, for the Lenten season we were given outbreak of cases in January a chart filled with activities that we could do each forced us to once again move day like memorizing a prayer we don’t know or giv- meetings back online, we were able to hold many ing up television for a day. These small activities fun and informative activities through zoom. The planned help us get closer to God and become meetings start off with a prayer followed by a quick more involved in our church community. I hope attendance taking for all the CML members. After that as the rest of the year continues we can con- this, we share a briefing of the plan for that tinue to uphold the good work that we have done meeting and proceed with the rest of our plans. together with the cherupushpam mission league Each meeting, activities such as Kahoots and and make it a successful program. blookets are prepared which are a fun way of teaching kids about the Bible and about our - Alina Puthenpurayil (President - CML) Page 6

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin UPCOMING EVENTS St. Stephens Festal Celebrations HOLY COMMUNION 2022 MAY 20, 21, 22 2022 JUNE 04 SSKCFC Bulletin Fr. Jose Tharackal, Vicar EDITORIAL BOARD Anoop Mukalel, P.R.O. Abraham Thervalakattayil, Secretary Page 7