Linked-Faith Connections Issue 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

Faith Connections

Faith Formation Newsletter, St. Thomas Syro-Malabar
Catholic Forane Church

Message from Our Vicar

PAGE 3

All About Mary

PAGE 4

Teacher's Writing Section

PAGE 6

Submissions from Students

PAGE 11

Favorite Saints Interviews Editorial Message

PAGE 14 Welcome to the latest edition of our Faith Formation Newsletter! This
edition’s theme is the Rosary and All Saints Day. The Catholic Church
1st Day of CCD Interviews dedicates the entire month of October to the Holy Rosary and on
October 7th, we celebrate the feast day of Mary, Queen of the Holy
PAGE 15 Rosary. All Saints' Day is the feast day celebrated on November 1st as
an opportunity to remember all saints and martyrs, known and
CML Inauguration unknown, throughout Christian history. Both these themes are
important because we are all called to be saints, and the Rosary - the
PAGE 16 greatest prayer in the Church after the Holy Mass - will provide us
with our Mother Mary’s powerful help to become the saints God
CML Talent Show wants us to be. Also, the prayers of the saints who have already
reached Heaven can help us to reach Heaven too. This newsletter’s
PAGE 17 purpose is to provide you with a new love for Mary, the Rosary, and
the saints.
Dei Verbum Quiz

PAGE 18

Youth Corner

PAGE 20

Toastmasters/Gavel Club

PAGE 25

SVPD Activities

PAGE 26

Raising Hope Please don’t hesitate to send any feedback or questions our way via
email at [email protected]
PAGE 27 Also, if you're going to eighth grade or above, and are interested in
joining the Faith Connections Newsletter Team, please visit the CCD
Care for Creation Newsletter Page on the Faith Formation website or click on this link
https://forms.gle/9qAzTr3pJT1T1JHq6.
PAGE 28
Wishing you a very happy and blessed All Saints Day!
Onam

PAGE 29

Sunday Bible Readings

PAGE 30

Birthdays!

PAGE 33

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

EDITORIAL BOARD

Sandra Mathew Jennifer Chethalan Jasmine Geo

Project Manager, Grade 12 Graphic Designer, Grade 11 Graphic Designer, Grade 11

Maria George Ethan Kallarackal Rose Maliekal

Editor, Grade 10 Project Manager, Grade 10 Graphic Designer, Grade 9

Naomi George Terissa Alex

Editor, Grade 9 Editor, Grade 9

Mentor Mentor Mentor

Roy Thadikaran Mariella Payyappilly Smita Maliekal

PAGE 2 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

Message from our Vicar,
Rev. Fr. Antony Pullukattu (Fr. Tony)

Imagine walking in pitch darkness with no light at all. A person may be afraid,
would stumble and fall or may not be able to move forward. That being said, a
flashlight would make that journey easy and comfortable as we can make sure
of each step avoiding any obstacle. In our spiritual world where there’s
darkness, we are expected to carry our flashlight. This light will help us clearly
see the dark forces and avoid them or clearly go past them without falling on
to them. A very powerful such flashlight that Mother Mary gave us is Rosary.
History states that Mother Mary personally appeared and gave St Dominic the
Rosary and taught him how to pray it. In this month we are giving special importance to the devotion of
praying the Rosary.

As you have heard many times from St. Teresa of Calcutta, “A family that prays together stays together” (a
slogan popularized by Blessed Patrick Peyton). A meal and a prayer together with family is a very good
practice to hold the family together in this very turbulent world. One of the common prayers that a family can
say together is the Rosary. It has been in our tradition to say the Rosary in the evening at home where all the
members attended and said it together. These are very good traditions that your parents brought along with
them. Let us make sure that we encourage this family prayer and take part in it to keep your families
spiritually healthy.

If you look into many of the saints’ lives, you will be able to see how they had incorporated Rosary in their
prayer life. We should try to learn about different Saints and their lives. These are people like you and me who
lived in this world and showed us that it’s possible to lead a saintly life in this world. Each one of us can have
a favorite saint with qualities you like and would like to relate to. This is not for asking favors but for you to
imitate Jesus, like the saints did so that your life could also become more holy and pleasing to God.

May God bless your wonderful hearts to be guided with the power of Rosary and the life examples of saints to
grow into holy children of God.

Yours in Christ
Tony Achan

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

All About
Mother
Mary

“Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”-
Luke 1:38

Our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, was born (without original sin) on
September 8 to Saints Joachim and Anne. Mary was raised in Nazareth, where
she later met and was engaged to Joseph. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s
pregnancy, the angel Gabriel appeared to our mother and informed her of the
awe-inspiring news that the Messiah was to be born from her womb, and she
was to name him Jesus. In spite of her fear and confusion, Mary accepted the
words of the Lord. When Joseph learned she was pregnant, he wanted to
divorce her quietly, but was prevented from doing so by a dream sent to him by
God that explained everything about her future child. Because of Caesar
Augustus’s decree of a census, Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, the
town of David (they were required to do so because Joseph belonged to the line
of David) but no inn would give them lodging. Jesus was ultimately born in a
humble stable, surrounded by animals.

But Mary’s story doesn’t stop after Jesus' birth. She was a central part of His
childhood, His public ministry, and even His death.

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Mary raised Jesus in accordance with the
ways of the Lord, and was by His side when
He needed her help. She had complete
faith in her son, as demonstrated at the
Wedding of Cana. The love between Jesus
and His mother was apparent even at the
death of Christ, when Jesus entrusted His
beloved disciple, John, with the care of His
mother. However, Mary’s influence doesn’t
end here, or even after her being taken up
into Heaven, for that matter. In fact,
Mary’s influence is constantly being felt
the world over, from the undivided love
our mothers give us to
the happiness we feel in praying the rosary, and everything that falls in
between.

Did you know that it was actually the Blessed Mother herself who established
the rosary? She appeared to Saint Dominic in a vision and gave him the prayer
we all know today as the rosary. This isn’t the only time she’s appeared to
someone after her Assumption. Though few believed them at the time, Lucia,
Francisco, and Jacinta were three children who saw Our Lady in Fatima. Mother
Mary instructed the children to pray the rosary, and foretold the end of World
War 1. In a much earlier incident, she appeared to Saint Juan Diego in
Guadalupe a total of four times, imploring him to build her a shrine on Tepeyac
Hill (which still exists to this day). Through these and many other such
apparitions, the Blessed Virgin shows us that she is always watching from
above, ready to assist whenever necessary. So the next time you pray the
rosary, go to Mass, or just think about Mary, understand that she is our mother,
and is always there to help, protect, or intercede for us.

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History of It was in the fall of 2015 that I met Fr. Donald Calloway
the Rosary celebrating mass at the Divine Mercy Shrine,
Stockbridge. The homily describing his life and faith was
By Minesh Joseph, so powerful that I was determined to read his book –
Grade 9 Teacher “No Turning Back.” He also wrote another great book
titled “Champions of the Rosary” describing the history
of the rosary and the impact our Mother Mary had over
cultures spanning centuries.

When I was a child, I recall my parents asking me to
pray the rosary as a weapon against the devil, to gain
courage over fear. No wonder praying the rosary today
has become part of my daily routine. Looking back, I can
clearly see the numerous occasions when the rosary
has guided me safely through tribulations.

Though we feel unanimous in the power of the rosary,
have we ever wondered how the rosary in the present
form came about? Let’s take a peek into history

The first part of the Hail Mary is the Angelic Salutation,
i.e Angel Gabriel’s announcement and the Evangelical
Salutation, i.e. the inspired greeting of St. Elizabeth to
Mary. These salutations were combined together for the
first time in the sixth century and came to be known as
the Hail Mary prayer.

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

In Christian practice, prayer beads known as
Paternoster beads, were used since the 3rd
century as a practical method to keep track of
how many prayers one has said either as part of
penance or prayer commitment. The prayer that
was most commonly said on the beads was the
Our Father. Another ancient Christian monastic
tradition during these times was to chant 150
psalms together. As more lay people who could
not read wanted to adopt this, the psalms were
substituted with praying 150 Our Fathers using
the Paternoster beads. Since it was a portable
means of prayer and many people wanted to
wear it from their belt, it was easier to wear a set
of 50 beads rather than 150 beads. This led to
the practice of praying the 50 beaded Paternoster
three times.

During the 12th century the Hail Mary prayer also Up until the 14th century, the rosary was
grew in popularity primarily due to several prayed using an existing form of the Hail Mary
monastic reform movements. The monks began which contained an implicit prayer of petition
to develop a practice of praying 150 Hail Marys since it was an invocation to the mediating
using the Paternoster beads. Within a short Mother of Christ. When the Black Death
period of time 15 Our Fathers were added to plague hit Europe, people were inspired to
break up the 150 Hail Marys into sets of 10 – formulate an explicit and urgent prayer of
known as the Marian Psalter. petition to be added to the Hail Mary. Millions
of people were dying and everyone lived with
In the 13th century, St. Dominic, who had the gift the imminent fear of death. It wasn’t until the
of oratory, was unsuccessfully fighting the 16th century that inclusion of the second half
Albigensian heresy facing the church. In 1208 he of Hail Mary was codified by the Church.
retreated in prayer, begging God to help him. On
the third day, Virgin Mary spoke, instructing him In 2002, St. John Paul II promulgated a new
to preach the Marian Psalter on the saving set of Luminous mysteries through his
mysteries of Christ focused on Incarnation, apostolic letter. This was an answer to the
Passion and the Glorious triumph of her divine issues of our present times, especially
Son. This was the founding moment of the holy meditation on the importance of Baptism, the
rosary of Mary. Preaching the mysteries directly sanctity of marriage, the necessity of
answered the errors promoted by Albigensians conversion, the divinity of Christ and the Real
and St. Dominic was victorious. Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. As a
prophet for the third Christian millennium, St.
Historically the word “rosary” was in use even John Paul II brought the rosary into modern
before the time of St. Dominic. The latin word times and transformed the spiritual sword into
rosarium was used to describe a rose garden or a lightsaber capable of conquering the forces
a grouping of roses. However, it was only during of darkness.
the time of St. Dominic that the word became
associated with preaching the Marian Psalter, as
praying each Hail Mary was akin to giving Mary a
rose.

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LUMINOUS MYSTERIES

By Theresa Tomy, 9th Grade Teacher

The Luminous Mysteries, also called the Mysteries of Light,
depict the public ministry of Jesus. Pope John Paul II in his
apostolic letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” proposed the
addition of the Luminous Mysteries with the Rosary in
October of 2002. The Luminous Mysteries demonstrate the
light of God the Father manifested through Jesus. The
reflection on the Luminous Mysteries takes us through Jesus’
life and ministry on earth.

The First Mystery - the Baptism of Jesus in Jordan, reveals
the identity of Jesus as the Son of God and marks the
beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.”After being baptized,
Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the
heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God
descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a
voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in

whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). Let us also invoke the Holy Spirit into our
lives to be filled with the fruits and gifts of the Spirit.

The Second Mystery - The Wedding Feast at Cana marked the first miracle of Jesus.
Contemplating on this mystery, let us also ask Mother Mary to intercede for us in our
trials and problems of life.

The Third Mystery - The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God invites us all to the
kingdom of God through repentance. From that time Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Let us repent of our sins
asking God’s mercy.

The Fourth Mystery - TheTransfiguration, where the glory of Jesus was revealed to
Peter, James, and John. Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah which shows us that
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament - the Laws and Prophets. While
meditating on the fourth Mystery we can ask God to transform our lives so that they
are pleasing to God.

The Fifth Mystery -The Institution of the Eucharist. During the last supper, Jesus gave
Himself to us, giving up His own Body and Blood, as nourishment for our earthly
journey to heaven. Let us be grateful and thankful to the Lord who is broken for us for
our salvation.

Through Jesus, who is present in us, let us show Jesus to others. Amen!

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

THE LITURGICAL SEASON OF
ELIJAH, CROSS

, AND MOSES

By Mariella Payyapill
y, Grade 11 Teacher



The main themes of this season are the Second Coming, death, and
judgement. During this liturgical season we reflect on the glorious
second coming of Christ and the victory of the cross.
The transfiguration of Jesus reveals to us the spirit of this season.
Elijah and Moses are the two prophets who appeared with the
glorified Jesus during the transfiguration. Moses represents the law
and Elijah, the prophets.
What the disciples got on mount Tabor was a preview of the second
coming of Jesus who, with His New Testament of Love, completed the
Old Testament and who fulfilled the prophecies.
This season helps
us to reflect upon
certain realities
like end of the
world, death, and
judgment and to
be prepared for
the second
coming of Christ
with a repentant
heart.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is the main feast of this
season of Elijah-Holy Cross-Moses. The Church celebrates this feast
on September 14. This feast is associated with the incident where
Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered the cross
of Jesus. Since early times of the Church there was a belief that a
glorious cross will be the sign of the Son of Man appearing in heaven
on the day of His second coming.

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

WHAT THE ROSARY AND THE SAINTS
MEAN FOR US

BY KEVIN ARACKAN, GRADE 12

As we near the end of October, we reflect on the Blessed Virgin Mary and All Saints Day,
with emphasis on the Holy Rosary and the Saints, and how they help us in our faith
journey.

The Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary comes from the Latin word Rosaria, which
means “Crown of Roses” or “Garden of Roses,” and is attributed to St. Dominic. The
prayer of the Holy Rosary grew during the 14th Century AD in the Roman Catholic
Church.

The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer, according to the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, as it first summarizes the mysteries of the Catholic faith in the Apostles
Creed, introduces the mysteries with the Lord’s Prayer as mentioned in the Bible, and
then repeats the “Hail Mary'' ten times to allow one to meditate on the mysteries of the
Rosary. The first part of the “Hail Mary” includes the first words that Angel Gabriel spoke
to Mother Mary during the Annunciation and Elizabeth’s first words upon Mary’s visitation
to her home.

The gentle repetition of the Rosary should lead one to contemplative prayer in regard to each mystery, and in doing
so will help us to enter the silence of our hearts, where Christ lies within us. Then, we can improve our relationship
with God and allow our faith, and our devotion to the Most Blessed Mother, to grow.

In the lives of the Saints, we notice the sacred lives of those who have followed God in his footsteps with diligent
faith, have accepted all sufferings and tribulation associated with that path, and now worship God with his angels in
heaven, interceding for all our prayers. In essence, they are the seeds that yielded bountiful fruit for our Lord. There
are currently over 10,000 saints, many of which have debated evidence for their sainthood.

Like many people in this world, saints have come from many different backgrounds, such as St. Peter, our first Pope,
St. Francis, who left his life of riches to rebuild the Church, St. Alphonsa, a saint from India who took all her
sufferings and gave them to Jesus during her life as a nun, and even Blessed Carlo Acutis, who was a gamer, a web-
designer, and a devout Christian, who especially used technology to preach the word of God.

Through the lives of the Saints, we can ask for their intercession, find inspiration for holiness through the examples
of the Saints, and use their lives as blueprints for how we can and should live our lives as truly devout Catholic
Christians in this world, to prepare our souls to meet God in His divine kingdom.

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

St. Augustine

By Austin Kuriakose, Grade 5

St. Augustine of Hippo(or Aurelius Augustinus)
Was the bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430.
St. Augustine was one of the biggest thinkers as a Christian after St.Paul.
St. Augustine was African and lived during the reign of the Roman Empire in Algeria, Africa
St. Augustine was born in Tagaste, a city in Algeria, a part of the Roman province of Africa




Mark Maliekal, Grade 1 Sofia Mathew, Grade 7

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Saint Irenaeus

By Shawn Mathew, Grade 7

St. Irenaeus is a soon to be Doctor of
the Church. St. Irenaeus lived from

130 AD to around 200 AD. He was the
Bishop of Lyons, France. St. Irenaeus

was fighting against gnosticism (a
type of heresy). Without him
Christianity would look very

different. He was like a bridge which
connected eastern perspective to

western traditions, which is a great
thing to have. He was a student of
St. Polycarp, who was trained by St.
John the Evangelist. His teachings
have benefited the entire church for

a long period of time.

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ST. FRANCIS

By Trisha Kurian, Grade 6

My favorite saint is St. Francis of Assisi. He was born in 1181 or

1182 and his father was a wealthy silk merchant, and he lived

a high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man. Around

1202, he joined a military expedition and had to spend a year

as a prisoner, where he re-evaluated his life and turned to

Jesus. While in a chapel, he had a mystical vision of Jesus, in

which He said “Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which,

as you can see, is falling into ruins”. He started repairing

dilapidated chapels around Assisi. He renounced his wealth

and lived a life of poverty and service, especially to the lepers.

St. Francis established the Fransiscan orders, the Order of

Friars Minor, the Poor Clares and Third Order of Brothers and

Sisters of Penance. Absolute personal and corporate poverty

was an essential lifestyle for the members of his order. They

went about exhorting the people of the countryside to

penance, brotherly love, and peace.
St. Francis set out to imitate Christ. He had a deep affinity for the Eucharist and
respect for the priests. He preached, "Your God is of your flesh, He lives in your
nearest neighbor, in every man." He believed that nature itself was the mirror of God.
Francis preached the Christian doctrine that the world was created good and beautiful
by God but suffers a need for redemption because of human sin. He called all
creatures his "brothers" and "sisters" and even preached to the birds and supposedly
persuaded a wolf in Gubbio to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the
wolf. His deep sense of brotherhood under God embraced others, and he declared that
"he considered himself no friend of Christ if he did not cherish those for whom Christ
died"
He was canonized on July 16, 1228, and his feast day is on October 4. He is one of the
patron saints of Italy. In 1979, St. Francis was declared the patron saint of ecology. It
is a popular practice on his feast day, October 4, for people to bring their pets and
other animals to church for a blessing. St. Francis is a great role model for all
Christians. We should adopt St. Francis's deep faith in Eucharist, brotherly love for
others under God, and kindness and service to all life on earth. All these traits will
help us imitate Christ.

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

FAVORITE SAINTS INTERVIEW







Question: Who is your favorite saint and why?
Answers:
“St Joan of Arc - She was a teenage girl who was given a big responsibility by God and
because of her faith in the Holy Spirit and God she was able to fulfill her responsibility” -
Sarah Varghese Grade 12
“St Dominic Savio - He’s young and an inspiration for people our age.” - Amal Joseph
Grade 11
“St. Rita of Cascia - I heard St. Rita’s story from my mom because St. Rita was my
grandmother's favorite saint. I did some research on her for my saint speech and really
liked her, and I want to live by the example of her life.” - Prisha Satish Grade 10
“St. Augustine - He was converted due to the power of the Bible.” - Meera James Grade 11
“St. Therese of Lisieux - She’s my baptism saint. Also, she only did little things in her life,
but they made a big difference.” - Amala Grade 8
"Saint Anne - she’s Mary’s mother and my baptism saint!" - Rebecca Parampettu, Grade 5
"St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower - she shows us that we don’t need to do big
things or perform huge miracles to be holy, we just need to believe in God." - Sarah
Mathew, Grade 10
"St. Teresa of Calcutta - she reminds us that through our small acts of kindness, we can
show great love." - Jerrine George Grade 12
"Saint Dominic Savio - he’s a really good example of faith in the young." - Ansa Bijo,
Freshman in College
"St. Joseph - he was the foster father of Jesus and is a great example of having faith in
God no matter the circumstances." -Derek Joseph, Grade 10

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

FIRST DAY BACK IN CCD INTERVIEWS

Question: How was your first day back in in-person CCD?

Answers:

“I am ready to be back for ccd in person with my teachers and friends. Although we are wearing masks in
class, we are getting back to the norm.” - Jerrine George, Grade 12

“After more than a year of online CCD, returning to our classroom felt almost surreal. It was a bit
awkward at first seeing everyone again, but like friends are, we warmed up to each other again and we
picked up right where we left off. It felt normal (except of course the masks), and we started covering
some information and learning topics. I will say that it was captivating to be in person and overall I can’t
wait to have more in person lessons this year!”
-Michael Mathew Grade 9

“The first day of ccd was definitely a different experience, but really fun getting to see everyone in
person and socialize a bunch! Also seeing the church completely filled was a nice sight to see!” - Alena
Mary Thomas, Grade 11

“It was nice to be in-person after a really long time and not just see everyone on a screen. It was also
nice to get to go to CCD right after Mass rather than having to wait for a long time between the Mass and
CCD.” - Jacob George Grade 5

“It was nice to be in-person again and to see people and actually talk to them.” - Anna Mary Francis
Grade 10

“As a CCD teacher I feel more connected and involved in the CCD sessions being together in a classroom
in-person because I can reach out to the children and better help them when they need it. Also, since our
church is still mandating using the mask and social distancing, I feel safe as well.” - Reema Justin, CCD
teacher Grade 5

“With CCD being in-person, I am able to connect and relate and have more active discussions with my
class. In class discussions provide children a safe haven to share their thoughts. It is interesting to hear
funny stories students share with me in-person and I can understand and read the children’s emotions
and feelings better when I am in-person. Also, in-person learning provides students the opportunity to
reach out to their teacher for help without feeling judged.” - Teseline James, CCD teacher Grade 3

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CML INAUGURATION

The CML inauguration took place on World Mission Sunday,
October 24. The new house leads are listed below.

Allen Anthony- Blue House
Terissa Alex- Red House

Naomi George- Yellow House
Diya Bino Matthew-White House

Ashley Simon- Green House

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

FIRST EPISODE ON WORLD MISSION SUNDAY 24TH OCT2021
PLEASE CLICK LINK FROM CCD WEBSITE
FOR UPCOMING EPISODES

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Youth Corner

Youth Fellowship Parish Picnic

Mass, Discussion, & The Youth and
Adoration Young Adults
volunteered in
The youth group bringing another
gathered together to successful parish
picnic for our
celebrate Holy
Qurbana and engaged church.

in discussion about
mental health issues,

such as anxiety and
depression.

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

Underclassmen Meet & Greet

After 11:30 AM mass,
all incoming 9th and

10th graders were
invited to meet each
other, as well as the
youth leads team for

pizza and games.

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Senior Send Off

We celebrated
the Class of 2021
with a barbecue,

games, cake,
gifts and Holy

Mass.

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

Pumpkins & Prayers

ffmpeoluolraYTmonnoOhw7tpduech;skt3tPlhyhio0ynuoibpPCmppuecrortmharpaahnraykfytvmloheieelinlransarladotsgMCmfswtatei.eenhreerevedtttitiihnihnrbneggeyg

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Holy Smokes

Pentecost Bonfire
The youth group
gathered together

to celebrate
Pentecost with
praise and worship,
music, and by
making smores.

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ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

Toastmasters/Gavel Club Event

The St. Thomas Toastmasters community had their first annual family get-together at the
Fellowship Hall on August 28th. The St. Thomas Toastmasters community is made up of
three clubs: Toastmasters for adults, Gavel club for high schoolers, and a Junior Gavel club
for younger kids.



The get-together was centered on the theme of “Family." The Gavel club members were
given the responsibility of MCing, and, adhering to the theme, they each spoke about a
different value and how it relates to both our families and Toastmasters.

We had the new committee transition program for both the Adult and the Gavel Clubs and
certificates of completion were also given to the members of the Gavel Club by our Vicar
and our President Mr. Roy Job.

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SVDP ACTIVITIES

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVDP) is a worldwide Catholic organization to bring
people together and to grow spiritually by promoting the spirit of poverty and humility.
The SVDP chapter at our East Millstone church was started in 2007 by a small group
devoted to encountering our Lord in a more meaningful way while abiding by the core
values of the International Society. The early members started off by offering one-on-one
services, such as hospital visits and financial support to parishioners in need. As the church
started to grow, SVDP was able to expand and even help communities back home in Kerala.

SVDP strives to support local charities, such as SHIP, a nonprofit organization that
helps people who suffer from homelessness, substance abuse, HIV/Aids, mental health,
neglect, and isolation. The Samaritan Homeless Interim Program (SHIP) was greatly
affected by hurricane IDA and desperately needed help. Therefore, the SVDP is kindly
working to support SHIP by donating one commercial freezer.
SVDP is also fundraising to aid a daily wage worker family in Kerala. The dad sustained
serious injuries while working in a quarry and is no longer able to support his family
financially. The mom finds it challenging to take care of medical expenses and her
children's education with her daily wages. All supporting documents were provided to
the SVDP team.
SVDP has requested to support the “Feeding Hands” organization, a local food pantry in
Somerville, NJ. The SVDP keeps a box labeled “Feeding Hands” in the narthex areas.
They are currently in need of items like grocery bags, diapers, and hygiene items.

“Feeding Hands” is also giving out volunteer opportunities to kids 14 and older;
anyone who is interested, please contact Cynthia Parayil for details.
The SVDP is also planning to update our group activities on the church website. Any
12th graders who are interested in participating should contact their CCD teachers,
trustees, or SVDP leads. Participants will also be eligible for service hours.
The SVDP monthly meetings will be held as a zoom call on Second Sunday at 6 PM until
church activities resume as normal. Please join and share your ideas.

PAGE 26 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

Raising Hope

In the past year or so, we all faced struggles in our lives
regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic. And although things are
improving now, many people still lost their jobs, homes, and
even family members. Throughout all of this, Raising Hope
strived to be a beacon of hope for those who lost the most.

This year, Raising Hope has goals to recontinue their
outreach programs and to raise money for those who need it

the most. Raising Hope started the year strong with their
barbeque on August 14th! Families from our church had the
chance to interact and enjoy a fun filled event and it raised

over $3,100. This year has so much opportunity to make a
difference in our community! Please be on the lookout for any

Raising Hope events or fundraisers so that you can also
contribute!

PAGE 27 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

Care for Creation

Inspired by our Pope Francis’s Encyclical “Laudato Si - On Care for Our Common
Home” the Care for Creation student ministry at our church hopes to continue
to be responsible stewards of our environment and all of creation by actively
taking steps to protect our planet Earth and also educating and empowering

others to do the same.



This ministry works in close conjunction with the “Green Army” group of adult
volunteers and animators and helps them with the food waste composting and
recycling program at our church and various other initiatives. One of the most
recent initiatives was the seedling distribution project that raised funds for Fr
Davis Chiramel’s Hunger Hunt Initiative. With the funds we sent, Fr Davis was

able to install 66 food cabins in various locations in Kerala that provide food
for the hungry free of cost.



All CCD students who are in 8th grade and up and would like to volunteer for
these initiatives are welcome to join this ministry. Our current leads for this
ministry are Leo George and Edwin Joseph.


Please encourage your children to join this ministry -
https://forms.gle/d1jqGuhRMeo4sMyf8

PAGE 28 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

ONAM 2021

PAGE 29 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

SUNDAY BIBLE READINGS: OCTOBER

DATE READING BIBLE VERSES

10/03/2021 First Reading Deut 9:13-24

10/10/2021 Second Reading Phil 4:4-9
10/17/2021
10/24/2021 Gospel Reading Mt 16:13-19
10/31/2021
First Reading Deut 11:1-9

Second Reading 2 Cor 2:12-17

Gospel Reading Mt 20:1-16
First Reading Deut 11:26-32

Second Reading Gal 5:16-26

Gospel Reading Lk 8:41b-56

First Reading Deut 13:12-18

Second Reading 1 Cor 9:13-18

Gospel Reading Mt 10:1-15

First Reading Ex 40:17-29

Second Reading 1 Cor 13:1-13

Gospel Reading Mt 16:13-19

PAGE 30 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

SUNDAY BIBLE READINGS: NOVEMBER

DATE READING BIBLE VERSES

11/07/2021 First Reading Ex 40:1-16

Second Reading Heb 8:1-6

Gospel Reading Mt 12:1-13

11/14/2021 First Reading Num 9:15-18

Second Reading Heb 9:5-15

11/21/2021 Gospel Reading Jn 2:13-22
First Reading 1 Kngs 6:11-19

Second Reading Heb 9:16-28

Gospel Reading Mt 22:41-46

11/28/2021 First Reading Gen 17:15-22

Second Reading Eph 5:21-6:4

Gospel Reading Lk 1:5-25

PAGE 31 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

SUNDAY BIBLE READINGS: DEC

DATE READING BIBLE VERSES

12/05/2021 First Reading Num 22:20-35

Second Reading Col 4:2-6

Gospel Reading Lk 1:26-38

12/12/2021 First Reading Gen 18:1-10

Second Reading Eph 3:1-13

12/19/2021 Gospel Reading Lk 1:57-66
First Reading Gen 24:50-67

Second Reading Eph 5:5-21

Gospel Reading Mt 1:18-24

12/26/2021 First Reading Gen 21:9-21

Second Reading Gal 4:21-5:1

Gospel Reading Mt 10:16-22

PAGE 32 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3

ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2021

Birthdays!

Alex Robert Ellen L George July Austin J Joseph
Georgi Manianchira
Antony John B Ethan Nereparambil Jake T Stephen
Elizabeth M Nayan Saji Kunnath
Ewan Job Roy Poravanthattil Thekkanath Aimey A Sebastian
Kenrick Anish Marissa Martin Evin J Antony Norah E Shaji
Nina Chakalakal Christom Prince Ann Roy
Jaden P Sebin Daniel Joseph Angelo Alvin
John L Vellara Mevin Nibu Allen Antony
Nevin Francy Aaron S Thomas Naomi George

August
Trinity Anish Benjamin Jacob Maria Murickan Rimo Mathew
Alex Jojan
Arin Mridul Sara Kiran Jerin Bino Mathew Derek T Joseph
Hazel M Anish
Jordan Nihal Johan Shobin Maria Thoompunkal Matthew Augustine
John
Leona T Jain Michael Jimmy Maya Francis Anna Maria George

Ajwin Edwin Chungath Jane Pulikkan Divya Elenjickal

Jayden Adackapara Liz Mary George Matthew Thomas

John Mathew Ethan L George

September

Dania Maria Thomas Asher Georgy Erin Geo Ethan Pradeesh
Eva Geo Nia Mathew
Benjamin P James Jacob George Josh Sebastian Maria
Ryan Varghese Theruvaparambil
Joanne Jerald Jonah S George Timothy G Sarah B
Abraham Poravanthattil
Ethan G Abraham Neil M Amuthan Treesa Maria Joby Alena Mary Thomas

Irene T Stephen Aleena Biju

Nikhil M Amuthan Christian J

Moloparambil

PAGE 33 ROSARY & ALL SAINTS EDITION | ISSUE 3