President of OCYM Metropolitan Yuhanon Mar Polycarpos, Metropolitan of Ahmadabad Diocese Pulikkottil Dr. Geevarghese Mar Yulios, General Secretary of OCYM Fr. Stephen Varghese and Dr. A.R.K. Pillai ( IDF, Mumbai) will lead the conference.

Vice President of OCYM, Ahmadabad Diocese Fr. Saji Yohannan requested all the Parishes of the Diocese to send maximum number of participants to the Conference.

There will be a letter writing competition as part of the conference on the topic “Awake to Exist, We Have Only One Earth”. A short-film production competition will also take place on the same topic.
Trophy and cash award for the winners of ‘All Malankara Quiz Competition’ will be distributed during the conference.

Ambassador of India to UAE MK Lokesh will be the chief guest at the inaugural session at 7.30 pm on September 9.

At the valedictory function on September 11 at 3.30 pm Dr. Abdul Samad Samadani MP will be the main speaker. President of OCYM, Metropolitan Youhanon Mar Polycarpos, Fr. Dr. Jacob Kurian, Fr. Jacob Mathew Chandrathil, Fr. Stephen Varghese, and Church Secretary Dr. George Joseph will attend the meeting.

A 125 member committee is formed with the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Baselios Marthoma Didymus I as Chief Patron, Metropolitan of the Diocese of Delhi Job Mar Philoxenos as Patron, and President of OCYM Metropolitan Youhanon Mar Polycarpos as President to run the show.

Metropolitan Youhanon Mar Polycarpos, Fr. Stephen Varghese, Fr. Jacob Mathew Chandrathil, Jose Kurian Puliyeril, Oommen John and Reji Mathew attended the press conference.

Mar Polycarpos has already arrived at Abu Dhabi for the GOYC.

Malankara Sabha Managing Committee Member Shaji Abraham, Secretary of St. Gregorios Maha Edavaka, Kuwait, Prasad Cherian, and Committee Members joined with them in welcoming the guest.

Fr David is on his official visit to Kuwait to systematically organize the Brahmavar Orthodox Community presently residing in Kuwait.

Fr David will be available under the following numbers. +965 55285782 / +965 24734623

Marthoma Metropolitan Rev Philipose Mar Chrysostym will deliver the keynote address in the presence of Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, Archbishop Clemis Catholicos, Punjab Dera Swami Jagatgiri Trust Chairman, Swami Gurudeep Giri Maharaj, Swami Prakashananda, Head of Sivagiri Mutt and Panakkad Syed Rasheed Ali Shihab Thangal.

Dr B R Shetty, Chairman and Managing Director of the UAE-based New Medical Centre (NMC) group, will inaugurate the seminar on ‘Middle East Climate Change and Health Research Programme.’

Some 250 delegates from the Gulf countries as well as Gulf returnees will participate in the one-day seminar where experts from the Middle East and Kerala will discuss in detail about the impact of climate change and the health problems it poses, the ashram officials said here on Monday.

Scientist and researchers of SRF have already initiated a study on the environmental and health issues faced by millions of workers and settlers from over 180 countries there. The conference will probe and bring out substantial solutions to this scenario, said its organising secretary Swami Gururethnam Jnana Thapaswi.

M M Hassan, former nonresident Keralaite affairs minister, will preside over the inaugural function beginning at 9 am while film star and former transport minister K B Ganesh Kumar will be the guest of honour.

This will be followed by plenary session on Approach Towards Health and Research in a Multiethnic Immigrant Society. Y Sudhir Kumar Shetty will inaugurate the session presided over by Dr G Vijayaraghavan, vice-chairman and founder-director. Dr Ritu Priya of Centre for Community Medicine, JNU, will deliver the valedictory address.

This seminar is a part of the three-day international conference on ‘Global Warming, Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Secular Spirituality’, in connection with the dedication of the lotus-shaped hermitage of the ashram’s founder Karunakara Guru which was unveiled by President Pratibha Patil last month.

Separately, representatives of more than 250 religious and spiritual organisations from across India will participate in a two-day national spiritual congress, to be inaugurated by Prajapita Brahmakumaris chief Rajayogini Dadi Janki on Friday at the ashram.
The spiritual congress will focus on the role of spirituality in promoting world peace, sustainable development, environment protection and family-and community wellbeing. The Lotus-shaped Parnasala is the final resting place for the sacred body of Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru, the founder of Santhigiri Ashram.

As part of a national-level information and invitation campaign, the representatives of the Ashram’s Sanyasi Sangh visited major nearly 500 religious, cultural and historic centers across India to invite spiritual leaders, senior monks and heads of religious organisations, he said.

The seminar is conducted with the help and cooperation by NMC Hospital, Abu Dhabi, Gulf Medical college Ajman, Indian welfare committee, UAE, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) centre for community medicine, New Delhi, and other Government and private medical institutions in India.

“We have parishes in South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia in the African continent. So all our faithful from other countries of Africa may contact me. I heard that there are unorganized Orthodox faithful in Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and Namibia etc.”, said Mar Thimothios in a special request.

Complete contact details of Dr. Mathews Mar Thimothios are as follow.

Dr. Mathews Mar Thimothios
Diocese of UK, Europe & Africa
St. Gregorios Indian Orthodox Church
Cranfield Road, Brokely, London
UK- SE4 1UF.

0044 2086919456
0044-7541814466
Email: thimothiosmathews@gmail.com

Established in 1975, St. Thomas Orthodox Church has been growing under the able leadership of Fr. Yohannan Panicker.

On Friday, September 3rd at 5.30 pm a grand welcome is planned for the chief celebrant, Metropolitan Mar Eusebius. Evening prayers will begin at 6.00 pm, which will be followed by the first and second part of Church consecration and refreshments.

On Saturday, September 4, morning prayers will begin at 7.00 am. Third part of Church consecration will begin at 7.30 am and Holy Qurbana will begin at 9.00 am. At 12.00 noon a public meeting is planned, which will be followed with an official luncheon for all.

The vicar and members of St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Los Angeles invited all to join them at the consecration of their Church.

News sent in: Matt Varughese

Liju Cherian is a print media journalist of repute. Presently he is a senior journalist with the Oman Establishment for Press Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) group. He is also a regular contributor for church related events and news to Orthodox Herald, Indian Christian Orthodox Network and Malankara Orthodox TV.

Having wide experience in mainstream journalism spanning over a decade, he began his journalism days as a freelancer for the New Indian Express and The Times of India’s Bangalore editions. He began his career with Bangalore Eveninger, a daily eveninger from Bangalore and worked up the ladder with the Deccan Herald. He has worked as Sub Editor, Reporter, Feature Writer and Senior Sub Editor. He was the senior Correspondent with the Printers Mysore Group Ltd, which publishes the Deccan Herald, Prajavani publications, when he moved to the Sultanate of Oman.

Liju is the son of Chackizhathu Abraham Cherian from Chenganoor but settled in Bangalore for long and his home parish is St Marys Orthodox Valliapally, Jalahalli, Bangalore. In Muscat, he is a member of the Mar Gregorios Orthodox Church which falls under the new Ahmedabad Diocese.

Email id: liridol@gmail.com

All priests and a large number of faithful of the diocese will spend the day with both Metropolitans at the new Center. Open House is to begin at 8.30 am and to end at 6.00 pm. Invitations have already been sent out to various dignitaries to this effect.

The Center is located at 106 Mutton Town, Long Island, New York. The campus has 3 acres of land.

The new Diocesan Center boasts a built area of more than 10,000 square feet, where there is enough space available for offices, chapel, six bedrooms, two big reception rooms, conference room, dining room and a library. Offices are at the first floor, which alone has 3000 square feet. Construction of the new Diocesan Center was under the supervision of G. Mathai. All parishes from the undivided American Diocese participated in the construction.

Metropolitan Dr. Mar Yulios reached Mumbai on September 1st, 2010 and celebrated Holy Qurbana at St. George Orthodox Church, Borivli, Mumbai. The previous Metropolitan of the Ahmedabad Diocese, Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Coorilos will lead the new Metropolitan to the infant diocese and will officially install him with responsibilities.

On September 2nd, the diocese will receive both the Metropolitans at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad and will lead them to St. Mary’s School, Naroda, Ahmedabad with accompanying motorcade.

The Diocesan Council of the Ahmedabad Diocese will meet on September 3rd, 2010. The priests’ meeting of the diocese will follow the Diocesan Council meeting. The Diocesan Development Committee will also convene its meeting on the forenoon. There will be an ecumenical meeting also at Ahmedabad in honor of the Metropolitans.

On September 3rd, in the evening, Metropolitan Mar Yulios will celebrate Holy Qurbana at St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral, Ahmedabad to mark the onset of his apostolic responsibilities. Priests of the diocese and a great multitude of faithful are expected to attend the Holy Qurbana. .

Earlier Metropolitan Pulikkottil Dr. Yulios visited important pilgrim places of the Church like Old Seminary Chapel, Parumala, and Devalokam Catholicate Palace Chapel to pray and seek intercessions of all the departed fathers of the Malankara Church. He had also visited the tomb of Mahatma Gandhi, Rajkhat, New Delhi earlier. “I wish that the Ahamedabad Diocese, which is entrusted upon me by the Church, shall be known as ‘Gandhi Smaran Diocese’ because of two reasons. For one, Mahatma Gandhi is the symbol and fundamental reason for India’s independence and for the second, Gandhi’s life of simplicity is drawn from Biblical precepts. I want to see the Ahmedabad Diocese is completely depicting the freedom of the Malankara Church. Gandhi envisaged the political freedom of India a tool for the spiritual freedom of humans. Spiritual freedom is the holistic freedom of humans. Malankara Church, which is the National Church of India shall have such a vision on her freedom. Secondly the simple life of virtue that Gandhi adopted was of an extreme spiritual nature and the complete Christian version of such a life shall fetch us a share in the Kingdom of God”, acclaimed Mar Yulios.

Ahmedabad Mirror

No stable family life would be possible without fear of God and prayer, the Metropolitan added.

Vice Principal of Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam, Fr. Dr. Jacob Kurien presided over the meeting. Diocesan Secretary Fr. George Joy and Dr. Sen Kallumpuram spoke on the occasion.