SSKFCC_Bulletin SEP 2019

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church, NY VICARS DESK ST. STEPHENS CHURCH BULLETIN Hope that you all are refreshed over USA. It is done first at the parish lev- el (December 1st), then at the zonal level with the thoughts and insights you re- and final at the diocesan level. Quiz is on the Gospel of St. Mark but at the diocesan ceived on the classes on the Holy Mass level Acts of the Apostles also will be in- cluded. Let us participate and study the and on Spiritual life. Let us cherish these Bible and win the prize. memories when we participate at the Holy Wish you all the best and invoke God’s blessings on all of you. Dear brothers and sisters, Mass. We are starting our third cycle of Koodarams on Saturday October 26th. Let Fr. Jose Tharackal, Vicar. October is the month of the us all participate at the Koodarams which Blessed Virgin Mary. This shows our unity and spiritual life. is the time we pray devoted- Dei Verbum is a Bible Quiz at the ly the Holy Rosaries, espe- diocesan level where contestants are all cially 10 days at the Church. Around the globe many devotees of Blessed Mary even pray chain of rosaries using modern me- dia that is through the tele- phonic services. Praying the rosaries will draw us more closely to Mary and thus she will guide us to- wards the right track to the heavenly Father. Let us con- tinue the praying of the ro- saries. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Vicars Desk 1 Little Flower 2 CCD Updates 3 Onam Celebration 4 Upcoming Events 5 Page 1

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin LITTLE FLOWER Sabu Thadipuzha CCD Altar Service & Liturgy Coordinator St. Stephens Knanaya Catholic Forane Church, NY Reading Bible every day is a It is our own responsibility to find blessed activity for children. It time to read the Bible. Some peo- will enrich your knowledge and ple read the Bible in the morning. wisdom. Reading Bible is inter- For others it is in the evening or esting and informative for chil- before bed. The most suitable dren. It tells you stories, good ad- time for children to read the Bi- vice and guidelines for our spir- ble may be before studying. itual and intellectual growth. We must make an intentional de- How can we find time to read cision to read the Bible every day. the bible ? It may be interesting, if you start with the New Testament. So let Every day we are on our phones us start reading the Bible this and on social media for hours. month.. Why can't we read the Bible for 15 minutes every day ? You do not need to read for one or two hours, you just need to read one or two chapters a day. It will make a difference. Every day you will see new stories, learn new vo- cabulary and new things about our Christian history. It will also boost your reading ability. When should you read the Bible ? Page 2

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin CCD UPDATES Lissy Vattakalam Principal, CCD St. Stephens Knanaya Catholic Forane Church, NY On September 16 we started the 2019-2020 CCD program with blessings from Vicar, Fr. Jose Tharackal. This year we have new kids joining in Pre-k and we are also introducing a progress report system. From now on, all mid-term and Final exam grades will be reflected in the book and this book will be given to them as they graduate from the 10th grade. This year we are planning couple of activities for the children besides regular CCD curriculum, stay tuned for further updates. Religious education is an important part of Church and I look forward to another successful year with dedicated teachers and parents. CCD students and teachers: PRE-K to 4th Grade CCD students and teachers: 5th grade to 10th Grade Page 3

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin LAY MINISTRY ONAM CELEBRATION Knanaya Catholic Lay Ministry of St. Stephen's church organized Onam celebration and Knanaya region Tug of War competition at St. Stephens Church on Saturday September 14th. On the occasion CCD kids made a traditional Pookalam and our Koodarayogam members prepared and served delicious Onam Sandhya. The program was formally inaugurated by Senator Kevin Thomas. He presented the declaration of Onam greetings to vicar Fr. Jose Tharackal. The fun filled event was also joined by members of Christ The King Knanaya Catholic Church, New Jersey and St. Mays Knanaya Catholic Church in Rockland. Our Women's Ministry members performed Kerala’s traditional Thiruvathira dance which added color to the event. St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic Church and St. Stephens Knanaya Catholic Church teams grabbed first prize in Men's and Women's tug of war competition respectively. Christ the King Knanaya Catholic Church, New Jersey team won second prize for both Men's and Women's competition. Highlights of the event is provided here. Page 4

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin LAY MINISTRY ONAM CELEBRATION HIGHLIGHTS Page 5

St. Stephen’s Knanaya Catholic Forane Church Bulletin UPCOMING EVENTS Dei Verbum diocesan level Bible Quiz PARISH & FORANE BIBLE QUIZ Gospel of St. Mark. Parish level Bible Quiz from the Later the contestants will have Bible books of Ezra & Nehemiah. Zonal & Diocesan level Bible quiz. $10 registration fee for individual. General questions on Pope Francis. Koodarayogam Date Location St. Mary’s Sunday November 10th Thallathukunnel Shibi/Nisha St. Stephen’s Saturday November 16th Uralil Stephen/ Alice St. Joseph’s Sunday November 3rd Naduveettil Tomy/Lizy Saturday October 26th St. Jude’s Sunday November 17th Vaithara Abraham/Mercy St. Anthony’s Saturday November 23rd Pathyil Luke/Swapna St. Thomas Saturday November 9th St. Sebastian’s Saturday November 2nd Kuzhiparambil Sanjoy/Pretty St. Pius the Xth Nikarthil Joy/Lizzy SSKCFC Bulletin Vattakalam Sherin/ Lizza EDITORIAL BOARD Fr. Jose Tharackal, Vicar Anoop Mukalel, P.R.O. Abraham Thervalakattayil, Meryl Kallickal Page 6