Snehayatra 2020

VOLUME NO. 2 // SEPTEMBER 2020

SNEHAYATRA

PUBLICATION BY MAR JULIUS YOUTH MOVEMENT

WHAT'S
INSIDE

Intercession

A Powerful Gift
UNLIMITED TALENT

 Discovering Perspectives
of the NEW-GEN

COVID DIARIES

Youth voice out
'Let's Un- Quarantine!"

"Wakefully Walking in Alvares Thirumeni's Footsteps"

" Come to Me, All you who are weary and burdened, and
I will give you rest."
(Mathew 11:28)

H.H. BASELIOS

MARTHOMA PAULOSE-II

CATHOLICOS OF THE EAST &
MALANKARA METROPOLITAN

With Blessings from...

H.G. YAKOB MAR ELIAS

Metropolitan of Brahmavar Diocese

President: Office Bearers
Vice President:
Secretary: Rev. Fr. Reji T. Gheevarghese
Joint-Secretary: Mr. Rajeev Mathew
Treasurer: Ms. Laya Rebecca John
Joint- Treasurer: Mr. Ancil Mathew Mathais
Media Wings: Mr. Kevin Mathew
Ms. Anu Mathew
Mr. Sanesh Varghese, Mr. Bento Thomas, 
Mr. Basil Jose, Mr. Joel John

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 03

Values Vission Mission Mar Julius
Youth Movment

S- sustain spirituality
E- embrace endurance
R- restore righteousness
V- valuing virtues
I- inspire to impact
C- commitment to charity
E- experience empowerment
S- selfless service
T- teach to transform
U- unite in understanding
D- devote our dedication
Y- youthful  yearning
W-wisdom
O- obey
R- repent
S- serve
H- holy
I - interceed
P- pray

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 04

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 05

Editorial The Editorial Board

President

GRACE JACOB Rev. Fr. Reji T. Geevarghese

C OVID-19 as a Blessing in Disguise! Advisory Board
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.” (Jeremiah 29: 11)

In these perilous times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to Tessy Thomas
awaken to the fact that crisis has taken the form of a ‘messenger’. The
messenger has plagued the world with serious warnings against our Editor-in-Chief Chief Design Editor
decisions and actions, but simultaneously has helped us revive a
hope of resilience to resuscitate our relationship with Mother Nature.

In this regard, spiritual healthcare can be regarded as a life enhancing Grace Jacob Basil Jose
resource. It involves an integration of the bio-psycho-socio-spiritual
blend of energies. It is the most effective medicine we are naturally Proof Readers
gifted with, to encounter any form of challenges. Health and healing
are interwoven, hence I believe that the divine aspect of Spiritual
Intelligence (SI) should not escape human awareness. It is used to
indicate spiritual parallels with intelligence quotient (IQ) and
emotional quotient (EQ). SI leads people to understand the purpose
of their existence. It promotes coping and recovery strategies which
ultimately provides holistic care to an individual and a community as
a whole.

Embrace your time by being in union with nature and discover the Dhanya Mathachan Leeba Basil
inner-engineering secrets of spirituality. Finding the epicenter of our
sub-consciousness is the need of the hour. Once we achieve that, we Betsy Liza Thomas Anu Mathew
will experience a universal calling and we will unconsciously be
driven to think and act in favour of progressiveness. Our beloved St. E- Designers
Alvares Thirumeni modelled his life on such principles. Through the
contents of this e-magazine, we believe you can redefine your life by
'wakefully emulating Thirumeni’s footsteps'.

With Thirumeni’s grace and blessings, we express our heartfelt Christy Yesudas Tinto Thomas
gratitude to all e-content contributors to have taken your precious
time and effort to share your reflections.  Sincere acknowledgement
to our vicar, Rev. Fr. Reji T. Geevarghese for being the pillar of
support and guidance in this blessed endevour. My heart goes out to
all mentors and youth members who have guided me, a mere novice
on how to collectively succeed in achieving the fruits of this venture.

Let’s together revive our purpose and evolve with a reformed Ancil Mathew Jeffin John Joyce Jacob
identity. Let’s rebuild and intensify our faith, as God Himself has
proclaimed that His plans will gift us a hopeful future.
Wishing you all a Blessed Feast of St. Alvares Thirumeni. May your
lives be touched and healed by the miraculous intercession of H.G.
Alvares Mar Juluis!

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 06 Laya Rebecca John Benson Babu

TABLE OF CONTENTS

10 12 08 Find Your Light
09 The Saint Lives
Intercession- A God's grace is 10 Intercession- A
Powerful Gift Immeasurable!
Powerful Gift
17 19 12 God's grace is

Cracking-the Corona Discover the 'Gift' in Immeasurable!
Phase! The Gifted 13 Follow Me!
14 Progressive Youth
20 23
in Transition
A Way to Atmanirbhar Knowing Time
Bharat 16 Kid's Kingdom
32 17 Cracking the
26
Testimony Corona Phase
Break Through 19 Discover the 'Gift'
Covid-19
in The Gifted
20 A Way to

Atmanirbhar
Bharat
22 Puzzle
23 Knowing Time
25 Emmanuel
26 Break Through
Covid-19

30 Proud Moments
31 Achievements
32 Testimony
33 Crossword
34 God's Own

Paradise
35 Happy Hour
36 Activities

September 2020
alvaresthirumeni.in

FIND YOUR LIGHT

Mabelle Hannah George

There was once a child,
All alone he roamed the streets,

He grew up wild,
With no guidance, food, or treats.

He was but a thief,
With no one to answer to,

Lost with no belief,
He did what he had to do.

Then one day he saw a cross so gold,
Sitting atop a house with fragrance,

He went in to steal it acting bold,
But stopped as he felt a presence.

The voice was deep and low,
And spoke with a musical tone,
It had command, love and more,
And the boy couldn’t help feeling at home.

That day he witnessed the Lord,
And found himself a purpose,
He preached the word of God,

And proved the Lord’s holy kiss.

To many others he showed,
That life can be turned around,
As long God’s words you hoard,

You will be heaven bound.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 08

THE SAINT LIVES.... ARTWORK

PAUL P. REJI

The Eternal, the Omnipresent

I can do all things through
Christ who gives me strength.
(Phiil 4:13)

MINI THOMAS

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 09

Intercession- A Powerful Gift

Intercession is a doctrine held by almost all the Orthodox churches,
Roman Catholic churches & few other denominations of Christianity. It
elaborates that Blessed Virgin St. Mary and other saints may be asked
to intercede or pray for others.

However there are many who ask, why do I require a middle
man/mediator? Why can't I speak directly to God? Won’t He listen to
me?

In simple words, intercession means to put power in one's prayers. The
Letter of James tells us that, “The prayer of a righteous man has
great power in its effects”(James 5:16) and there is no one more
righteous than Jesus Christ-the most powerful intercessor who ever
walked the earth. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, rightly says, “Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even
now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you".
(John 11:21-22). Similarly, our blessed Mother St. Mary intercedes to
Jesus Christ at the wedding in Canaan.

Why do we seek intercession through saints? Saints are those holy
individuals who have died as martyrs, who have made a fearless
confession of faith often with the threat of death, who have
demonstrated self-sacrificing service, who have a special gift of
healing and perform miracles after their death, when remembered in
prayer.

 Our very own Alvares Mar Julius Thirumeni, walked around the roads
of Goa requesting for help for the needy. Is it not a way of intercession.
He did that on his free will. One can only imagine what his soul in
heaven would do for us, only if we request him to intercede.

Every night my grandmother would wake up and pray for her
children, grand children and even her future generations to come.
Isn’t it wonderful that I can pray for her even now that she is away and
believe that I have a means to ensure that she is at all time in the
presence of my Lord.

It is highlighted that all the prayers of the saints and elders are offered
at the holy altar by the angels in heaven through  this scripture: "[An]
angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer;
and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the
saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the
incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel
before God"(Rev. 8:3—4).
 

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 10

Not only do the saints and angels in heaven pray for us,
but every time we remember our departed ones, we
also are interceding for them. Intercession is a powerful
weapon that allows us to pray for other and take part in
their sorrow, thus eliciting the mercy of our ever loving
Lord.
Thus, before we sit down to pray, we should bear
certain things in our mind; few of them are:

1.Humble ourselves before God. Without humbleness,
no intercession would work in our favour.

2.Forgive people whom we have hurt or those who
have hurt us. Without forgiving our brethren, how
can we ask a saint to pray for us?

3.Include all those who are in need of our prayers
name by name, need by need like those that are
suffering from illness, for those are going through
family tribulations, for those who have financial
problems etc…, so that as said in Revelations 8:4, our
prayers also rise before our Lord along with other
saints.

God Almighty bless us all and may all the saints
intercede for all of us. Amen!
- Tessy Thomas

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 11

God's Grace is Basil Eldo
Immeasurable!

We sometimes get caught up with the However, this year it would be difficult for
affairs of the world that we tend to forget me to manage all of that due to my
that we are pilgrims on this earth making upcoming semester exams which
ourselves ready for our eternal heavenly coincidentally fell on the same dates as the
abode as per Philippians 3:20. meetings. I had full faith that God would
help me through the exam but it was my
Thankfully by the Grace of God, He helps task to study and prepare well for the
me through this walk of life so as to make exams. I started preparing myself a month
me ready for eternity to come. Here is a before the exams as I knew I would not get
small testimony of mine which I would sufficient time during the meetings to
like to share as to how God helps me to study and prepare.
live this life.
During the days of the meetings as
I live my life based on one verse and I feel expected I could not get any time to study
everything in life circles around this verse. but did get a few minutes to revise what I
It is from Matthew 6:33: had studied previously and to my surprise
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and God truly did a miracle. It was
his righteousness; and all these things flabbergasting to see that God just did not
shall be added unto you." help me to pass the exams but I did secure
full marks for the paper that was on the
This is a commandment with a promise day of the meetings.
and I claim it every single day of my life.
I was in my first year of engineering How great is our God! Again God never
during that time and was preparing for remains in debt to his children. He pays in
my second semester exams during the full, overflowing abundance. Sometimes he
same time, wherein we host our annual does things that we can't even imagine.
Holy Convocations (church Meetings). But the secret to that would be Matt 6:33.
People from all over the country come In all things, seek His kingdom and
down to Goa to participate. I usually righteousness and you will never have
handle the IT and technical aspects of the anything lacking in your life.!
meeting such as sound system, CCTV, AV
recording, live streaming along with other Shalom! Maranatha!
logistics.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 12

FOLLOW ME... ARTWORK

MANUVAL TITTUS

Whoever wants to be my
disciple must deny

themselves and take up
their cross and follow

me.
(Mathew 4: 19)

My children need to see
Christ in my actions, not
just hear about Him in my
word.

JOHN JOSEPH REJI

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 13

Progressive
Youth in Transition

1 Timothy 4: 12                                                                           
Robin Vinu

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you
are young, but set an example for the believers in
speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."

In the above verse, St. Paul highlights the importance of
Church leaders who may be young, but an influence to
a very large extent-the believers in speech, in conduct,
in faith, in love and in purity. Timothy was a young
Christian from Asia Minor. He became a companion and
assistant to St. Paul in his Missionary work. Timothy was
also known as St. Paul’s 'spiritual son'. He was very young
but highly talented and gifted and for this reason, was
assigned to lead the Church at Ephesus – a church
which was in need of high order in worship as well as
doctrinal correction. Paul’s letter, likely to be written in
around A.D. 62 – 66, counseled young Timothy on
matters of Church leadership – from proper worship, to
qualifications for elders, to advice on false teachings and
matters on how to treat various individuals within a
congregation.

Right from the historical times, there has always been a
tendency to suppress young leaders because people
consider them as inexperienced and they used to fear
the success of youth. But St. Paul posted his confidence
upon Timothy. He explains Timothy not to be worried
just because he is young, but instead to be firm with the
power of the holy spirit. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he
deals with the following concerns :
Warning against false teaching in the Church.
Instructions about Church administration and worship.
Ways to be a good servant of Jesus Christ and about the
responsibilities that he has towards various groups of
believers.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 14

A person who is good in heart, never has to stop and
think what they are saying, because their saying
comes out from their heart and their heart is with
Christ. Be a model of a Christian in your lifestyle, be an
example of the believers in your words and
conversation.

H.G. Alvares Mar Julius was one such leader who, in his
youthful years exercised his priestly functions as an
apostle of charity, an educationist, a fire brand
journalist and as a political. activist. His strong
patriotic and journalistic ability led Padre Alvares to
be associated with publication of several newspapers
where he used his words to fight corruption and
malpractices that prevailed in Goa during those days.
He faced a lot of criticism, anguish and humiliation
from the community. But God had a different plan for
this great person. He was consecrated as metropolitan
of the Diocese of Ceylon, Goa and India after
embracing the Syrian Orthodox Church.

Alvares Mar Julius was a true apostle of charity. His
work in the field of social service, journalism, literature,
philosophy, freedom struggle will always be
remembered for years together.

In spite of being offered religious and governing posts,
Alvares Thirumeni continued his faith in God and
embraced the Malankara Orthodox Church. For which
he suffered a lot of persecution. Today’s youth are
influenced by worldly temptations. They easily leave
their ideologies, beliefs, practices and embrace other
philosophies without giving a second thought. They
find themselves in bondage because they think they
can outsmart God. However, that will only be on the
wrong side of the picture. The best and the safer
option for the youngsters is to heed to the call of God.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 15

Kid's Kingdom... ARTWORK

Jesus is alive through His Miracles

ANN MOBY MAMMEN

Seek ye the ride of Christ

Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, MICHAEL TITTUS
for to them belongs the Kingdom of God.
(Mat 19: 14)

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 16

CRACKING

THE CORONA PHASE

Anna Maria A

Today, coronavirus has become a serious

cause of global fear and concern. Due to the
pandemic, the entire globe has come to a
standstill, confining all of us-school going
students to our homes. None of us imagined
that we would be stuck inside our home for
so long. It has been several months since
everything started going differently due to
the pandemic. Lockdown can be one of the
best times in various ways for us. Thus, in
addition to taking precautions to keep us safe
from viruses, we also need to focus on our
mental health and even try to indulge
ourselves in doing something new.

The lockdown is a whole new world for us in
different ways. But during this time you can
use your time in finding your hidden talents
or discovering different things. Learning a
new language is one of the best things you
can do. Just make up your time to learn every
day, may be just 15 minutes but this will have
a great impact. Learning a new language will
make you improve your memory power,
increase your attention span, and many more.
The way Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. quoted once
saying, “Start where you are. Use what you
have. Do what you can.” This can be put to
finding the 'creative you', be in drawing or
craft. Just what you can do is think about
different things around us that haven’t been
used or can’t be used and try making a whole
new sort of thing out of it.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 17

Another thing that we can do is giving some
time to plant a sapling around us, where ever
we can. This can be your contribution to
nature. As this makes a major impact on the
environment and for future generations.
Dancers can use this time by practicing and
choreographing short dances which could be
then uploaded on YouTube. During this time
you can even try coming up with your own
stories, poems or short articles.

There are so many other things in which you
can indulge. These were just a few things in
which I am spending my lockdown along
with my other activities everyday. I am trying
my best to spend my time usefully during this
pandemic to learn new things, because I
believe if not today then never. Having said
this, I cannot conclude without sharing the
pain I feel for thousands' of students, who
have been forced to migrate back to their
villages,as their parents have lost jobs and I
understand the plight of those students who
have no other option than working on fields
and teashops for their daily meal and not
able to attend online classes. My heart goes
out to them! Knowing this, we should never
forget to be grateful to God who has been
protecting and caring for us throughout this
pandemic.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 18

Discover the 'Gift' in

The Gifted

Juding a child who has special needs does not define who they are.... it
defines who you are." -Amy

It gives me immense pride to be in the field of special
education. It is a beautiful feeling just being around a student
with special needs. Each student is so uniquely different and
give us a sense of understanding of how lucky he/she is in life.
As a special educator, I would like to share that it is a field in
education which requires hardwork and dedication. Most
importantly let's learn to accept the child for who he/she is. A
parent is proud when they see their children happy and when
thy are able to do simple things such as hold a spoon or button
their shirts etc... or even following simple instructions, it
means the world to the parents.

Try to have patience with these gifted children.
They take time to mingle with new people.
While dealing with such children you should have a strong
personality, sometimes they try to test you.
Always approach these children with a positive attitude
and with a good sense of humour.
You need to be very hepful and you should always be
willing to adjust your approach, if required.
You need to be mentally strong.

''All these kids need is a little help, a little hope and someone who belives in

them. So let us stay positive and conducively accept the disabled children

the way they are and you see wonders".(Magic Johnson)

Anu Mathew

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 19

A Way to

Atmanirbhar Bharat

The Honourable Prime Minister’s gut feeling in the face of the
irascible pandemic, was to ask the country to transform itself into
'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. This sent the country into a tizzy: here we
were expecting the Prime Minister to stabilize the country which
was bleeding economically and socially from COVID-19 that felled
its primary health system. It brought us face to face with our own
mortality.

I am a young citizen of India and I watched the unfolding saga of
the pandemic that had us scurrying indoors and locking ourselves
in for safety. Who were we fooling? Large assemblage of people—
the masses who had migrated to the cities and other states in
search of livelihood—marched in defiance of the nation-wide
lockdown to reach their homes and families, the haven where they
would be welcomed. The tragic scenes that flashed onto our
television sets and smart phones do not bear repeating; it was a
moment of truth about the poverty of our country which we ignore
at other times.

In this pandemic, the one shining example of courage and
compassion was of a daughter cycling her father 1200 kms home
as he was ill. Her story came to light and her act of sheer
compassion and bravery saw her rewarded: she was given a place
in the sports system to nurture her talent. What amazed me were
her stamina and her focus to achieve her goal. She didn’t worry
about her health nor was she concerned whether she would even
make it. I wonder that she set out even without worrying about the
violence that could overtake them.

This brings me to the core of my topic: Hum Fit hai toh Desh Fit hai!
Sitting on our couches in front of screens, most of the time
wallowing in comfort, we have become obese and lethargic too. “In
a universe so full of wonders, humans have managed to
invent boredom,” says Terry Pratchett in Hogfather.

Health is the biggest wealth for a human being in his or her entire
lifetime. One can survive without money, but not without good
health. Without health, wealth is meaningless. Someone once
rightly said "When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is
lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." If you
are deprived of good health, you cannot enjoy any pleasures of this
world. Then life itself loses its taste. Hence, it is important to
maintain one’s health in this present fast-moving world.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 20

Good health and fitness are attributes one can achieve entirely
on their own. Physical fitness is a result of various components
like mental health, emotional stability, healthy eating, good
sleep, etc. Physical fitness can be achieved only by those who
maintain self-discipline in all aspects of their lives like getting
up early, performing physical exercises, meditation and yoga,
regular intake of water, eating healthy food on time, keeping up
to date with current affairs - which amounts to food for thought
- and of course, thinking positively. A healthy and active mind is
important to balance our everyday goals.

By following the above activities, we can build our immunity
and stay healthy to fight the present pandemic crisis. Needless
to say that steaming, drinking warm water, sanitizing our hands,
maintaining social distancing etc are but a few ways of keeping
ourselves safe.

Our body is the temple of our soul. Why then treat it like a
garbage dump? Eat, drink, sleep, repeat! Are we healthy? Is our
body disease-free? Is our mind calm, composed and peaceful in
worship of God? What was His intent and design and what has
our collective negligence brought upon us?
I have realized that health is indeed our wealth and our
greatest asset. If we neglect our health in the pursuit of comfort,
we are mortgaging our health and digging our own graves.

Our body is not just our own. In 1 Corinthians 6:19  “….your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God, ……” Thus, our body is the house of the Holy Spirit!
Exercise is one of the best ways by which we can take care of
ourselves, not just physically, but also mentally and spiritually
Healthy individuals make healthy families, healthy families
make healthy societies and healthy societies make a healthy
natio and a healthy nation is an Atmanirbhar nation
(‘Atmanirbhar Bharat').

Abraham V. Daniel

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 21

lLaya John

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 22

Right from my school days I have We talk of yesterday, today and Knowing
been listening to the importance tomorrow. This is also time. In Time
of time through various proverbs other words, we talk of past,
like time and tide wait for none' present and future. Past is
something we know of, present is
and many more. Even after several that's happening to us and future
decades I remember a nursery is unknown.
rhyme 'Late Kate'. (For the heck of
it I tried the internet to find this I believe the art of knowing future ~ Rajeev Abraham Mathew
rhyme. I was surprised how many is a big industry by itself. So, time
versions exist.) All of them talked is a measure of our physical "Time and Tide
of time. Those days it didn't make existence. If we divide time in waits for None"
any much sense other than that three pans of past, present and
one needs to be punctual every future; the sum of the three pans
time. Even in our day to day would be what we call "our life
vocabulary we use the word time time". Of the three pans only the
very often, although unknowingly. past and present pans are visible
The actual meaning of time has to us. At any given time in the
eluded us. present, we won't know how
I was trying to understand what much time the future pan holds.
time means. Today at the church Time keeps moving from future
pan to the past through the
during the sermon when the present pan.
celebrant talked about death and
its relationship with time. This had Initially, the past pan would be
me thinking. How do we define almost empty. The present more
time? We know it's quantifiable. or less remains same throughout.
We have many units for time, The future pan would be heavy at
maybe starting from a millisecond the beginning and slowly the past
to a century. gets heavy and future lighter. It
In history, we read of kings and goes on and on, And one day the
dynasties that ruled for centuries. past pan would be heavy and the
We also read of atomic clock other two empty.
correction in milliseconds. What
does all this have to do with us in a
clean proper way?

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 23

"TIME IS THE
STORM IN

WHICH WE ARE
ALL LOST"

~William Carlos Williams

Our life at any time would be an Religions take different views of the
equation of how much our past, present purpose of soul and I won't enter
and future pans weigh. We reach a point into their realm."
where the future and present pans are
empty and the past is loaded. This is the If at the place of existence of soul, there
moment we call death. We leave our is no relevance of time, obviously there
physical body. It gets recycled in nature. won't be the three pans.
So what exactly is time? I think it is the How many pans would be there? Will
measure of the span of conversion of there be no pan? I like to believe that
matter and energy into a body and back. there would be just one pan. It won't
What next? Does the story end here? Not have the names like past, present, future
for at least those of us who believe in etc but just time with end to end
God. So once the body is recycled, visibility. Time will exist to the physical
something remains or the body gets world and souls would look upon the
recycled because something escapes physical world with the time scale
from it which gave it a name. This attached to the physical world. Imagine
something we address differently. We time as a long line on your excel sheet.
also define it differently. Most of us On your screen you can see the line but
would call it soul. For our discussion not the beginning or the ending. To see
here let's call it 'the Soul'. Does time either, you need to pan across the
still relate to soul? As far as I screen. Souls can pan across the time
understand, soul is not shackled by line. In essence they are capable of
time. Does it mean it has no beginning seeing all three pans at the same
and or end?  instance. Time hides nothing from souls.
Different religions have different
opinions. Hinduism has a clean Time,therefore, is a dimension of
definition of recycling of souls by existence that relates only as long as life
rebirth till nirvana. I like to think a soul exists. Once life ceases, time has no
is created for no end. Which means it relevance.
has a beginning but no end. Then the
next question would be where will one Time also can be seen as a reference
accommodate huge number of souls if point for change. Change is the one
they are not recycled? Obviously, soul is permanent thing in our world. Change
energy, so it doesn't need space to exist. has always been painful to all beings.
However, only through change have we
As we think, more questions gather been able to achieve progress in the
around us than answers. Like what then various spheres that touch our lives on a
is the actual purpose of soul. Matter and daily basis, be it medicine or baking!
or energy exist for a purpose and none
is wasted.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 24

ARTWORK

El shaddai, El shaddai

El-elyon na adonia

MABELLE GEORGE

Through repentance
and fasting,
we pray for mercy and
healing 

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 25

EXPERIENCE

BREAK-THROUGH COVID-19

MRS.TINTO THOMAS HEALTHCARE WORKERS
RECRUITMENT STAY STRONG AMID PANIC
LEAD, WEN- WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR
NETWORK The COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented in

RECRUITMENT more than one way – personally as well as
SURVIVE ON HOPE
professionally. Being in the healthcare field, the

experience has been both fearful as well as

satisfying. All the confusion surrounding the virus,

especially in the initial days created a lot of fear.

MRS. ASHA VINESH After spending 8-10 hours in the hospital
INCHARGE- PURCHASE environment, I experienced constant anxiety once I
HEALTHWAY HOSPITAL reached home to my babies.

However, while at work, playing my part in the overall functioning of the hospital

and knowing that my small role could impact the life and confidence of the

patients in these difficult times, gave me a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment.

A microorganism just changed

the world! It did not spare the REDUCE, REUSE,
RECYCLE DURING
rich nor the poor. The largest PANDEMIC

MNC to the beggar had to take

cover. As an employee in the

recruitment field, I witnessed

loss of jobs, pay cuts, companies

going bankrupt and no funds in MR. BENTO THOMAS
ASSISTANT MANAGER (TECH & ADMIN)
hand, but we strived to survive. GOA WASTE MANAGEMENT
CORPORATION (GWMC)
Companies moved their offices

to homes, mom’s and dad’s During the lockdown period, GWMC I also cherished to be the only driver

turned into overnight was notified as an essential service. on the road,, meditating in silence

superheroes, the talented started Officials, Concessionaires, Contractors, and my lungs overwhelmed with fresh

making waves on the internet. I Sanitary Workers etc.  , worked air. Moreover, I spent time with my

began to value life as it dawned diligently for the society by crazy family and deciphered books

upon me that life is indeed short. scientifically disposing and treating which craved my attention. Hundred

I learnt that when life is more domestic waste and collecting dry years ago, Spanish Flu taught

sour than sweet, always waste from Panchayats and highway humanity big lessons but we paid no

remember, littered waste.  Operations of 150 TPD heed. This pandemic should awaken

“Fear not for I am with you, be Solid Waste Management Facility, us to protect flora & fauna, imbibe

not dismayed for I am your God, I Baling Stations and Material Recovery good habits, prioritise our health, care

will strengthen you, yes I will Facilities along with installation of 64 about humanity and ultimately have

help you, I will uphold you with mobile bio-toilets for Police personnel faith in our Almighty God. So pray,

my righteous hand”.(Isaiah 41:10) were undertaken. A once in a lifetime protect your environment and love

experience, one another.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 26

DR. SIBY KURIAN RECLAIMING
 PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST, CSIR- EDUCATIONAL LIFE
NIO, DURING PANDEMIC
DONA PAULA, GOA
The pandemic has created an enormous
MS. PRINCY PRASAD challenge in the field of public health. Many
STUDENT countries have implemented quarantine policies
to minimise the spread of virus. But quarantine
WHEN SCIENCE has greatly impacted the educational structure
FACES and learning patterns of the medical students.
CHALLENGE COVID-19 has really disrupted my lifestyle as it has
pulled me away from classrooms, hospitals and
During the outbreak of the clinics. From offline classes to online classes,
missing my practicals and viva exams, I really miss
pandemic and national my daily routine of interacting with my fellow
beings. Let us all hope for the best.
lockdown, our office was closed
SCIENCE
for a month and we were EVOLVES
WITH
working from home.  I was PANDEMIC

always in touch with my

students and Ph.D scholars for

scientific discussions and

maintenance of instruments in

the laboratories. Since our

scientific activities are pre-

scheduled, we need to continue

our work. Though the cruise

participation onboard in the DR. JOHN KURIAN, P 
SCIENTIST F, ESSO-NCPOR,
research vessel is risky during the VASCO-DA-GAMA, GOA

pandemic situation, we The outbreak of pandemic n-Corona The vessel had a technical
and subsequent lockdown hampered requirement in between and needed
undertake scientific expeditions the progress of our research activities.  to be rectified at the nearest port,
Usually, scientific activities and Mauritius, which was also under lock
with utmost care (including expeditions are pre-scheduled and down. Hence, we had to reschedule
the momentum has to be retained to the entire scientific operation by
Covid testing and quarantine some extent, even though the country optimising the limited resources
is under lockdown. During this time, onboard. In Spite of all odds, we could
before and after sailing).  We our team was onboard on a research resolve these difficulties and achieve
vessel in the deep Central Indian excellent results by exploring the
continue our research activities Ocean. Being the Group leader of the potential mineral resources on the
programme, my responsibility was to seafloor.
and scientific responsibilities closely monitor the scientific
operations onboard and assess the
with a hope that the situation results for subsequent planning.

will improve shortly.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 27

COVID OR REALITY CHECK

TESSY THOMAS People crying, requesting a one time meal
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR-IT, DEPT OF for their kids at least, if not for themselves.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY It was a blow to me, as I and my family
were safe at home, eating our fill and even
Some may say that this COVID Everyone knew what to do. Then having luxuries like pizza and ice creams. I
pandemic is a curse; for some, it came CORONA and we were all was in my comfort zone. It was then that I
is punishment by God; for yet fuzzy. We enjoyed the lockdown realized that I do have sympathy for
some, it has been a resting initially, lazing around; as days people and situations around me, but
period, and for many it is a passed by it started getting boring EMPATHY and COMPASSION was
nightmare. and frustrating. Then came in a something that I had lost in my journey of
wave of exploring interest and life. Oh the guilt! Empathy is an emotion
For me, it has been a reality talent. It too died down with the that fills one's heart only when we feel for
check. It is about knowing what passing time. But in all this I the other person’s pain and suffering. It is
really matters in today's world. realized that my kids were getting only when we feel that we will move out of
Our world has changed addicted to the screen. our comfort zone and help others.
drastically. I come from a period
when we had a defined time for However, as I myself, wasn't sure So when I came back home, the first thing
everything. Breakfast time, about how to go about, I let them I did was called my family and made them
school time, lunch time, study be. But then, we were called back aware of the situation of the people
time, playtime, bath time, prayer to work. Being a Government around us. Told them everything that I had
time, dinner time and finally official, I was ordered to work with experienced. We may not have moved
bedtime! Can our children relate the 'Food Helpline' implemented mountains to help people, but we decided
to this today? They have no by Government to assist the senior to do as much as possible by us. From
school and play times-thanks to citizens, laborers and daily wager; eating simple meals to sharing food, from
COVID, but what about other with taking orders on food caring for things to wasting as little as
aspects,. Can't we as a family supplies as well as cooked food. possible. Shopping less, bringing back the
take care about it? Do we? discipline into our lives. I know many
Another reality check came in,; parents are curious to know if my kids have
As a working mother, this was a 'food' a basic necessity of any stopped watching screens, to them I say
reality check. I was taking my human being! There were calls NO, they haven’t stopped. However, we are
family life for granted. My kids coming from all over Goa, trying to time the same. I used empathy
adapted to our working culture pleading for food. here too with my kids. We as parents, tried
and timings. They had their to feel the change that my kids were going
cycle. through and realized that being at home
all the time, needs entertainment, and we
are continuously exploring various means
of entertainment. Kids however, as we all
know get bored fast. We continue our
expedition with them, it is an ongoing
process.

I realized gradually one thing; may it be
the case of COVID, or issue of skin color,
religion or origin, or case of financial
situations, or environmental issues. If
someone is suffering somewhere in the
face of this earth, a little empathy and
compassion is all we need to make things
better.

God bless us all.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 28

MR. DANIEL SINU KURIAN HELPING HAND
SECRETARY, LIONS CLUB OF
OLD GOA This pandemic has drastically changed our lives. Life
during the lockdown period was very tough and many
MR. ARUN JOSEPH were in the midst of chaos and confusion. Our lifestyle
FUNCTIONAL CONSULTANT, changed as safety became our first priority. By the grace
SOLCEN TECHNOLOGY PVT LTD of Almighty God, during the lockdown I was able to
support the needy and the underprivileged, by
collaborating with social organizations. It was a very
challenging task, since
lack of volunteers was a major concern; amid which we
managed to serve through various modes.  

Eventually, the smiles of hundreds of people has only
motivated us to continue our service.
Proverbs 19: 17
"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he
will reward them for what they have done."

THE REAL GAMBLE

As a corporate employee in Bangalore, we have had
flexible work timings, no travel requirement, no
added expenditure.. that means increase in savings!
I have also indulged in new hobbies and
experimented with new interests. The other side of
the story is that many have faced serious
adversities in various aspects and this time has
become more challenging than ever. This might
turn out to be just anyone's story! That's how
uncertain life has become. We need to learn to
accept the unpredictability of the situation and
push ourselves to move forward as far as we can
reach.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 29

BRAHMAVAR DIOCESAN COMPETITION RESULTS

ROHAN VINU Elocution - 1st

Drawing -1st, Bible verse writing -2nd,

Bible quick reading -1 , Solo Song -2

NOAH DANIEL Elocution -2nd

Drawing -2nd, Bible verse writing -1,
R O B I N V I N U Bible quick reading -2, Solo Song -1

Elocution participation prize

ABRAHAM DANIEL

MARTHAMARIYAM VANITHASAMAJAM CENTRAL EXAMINATION

A+ scorers RESULTS

Mrs. Lindu Vinu
(pre-senior)

Mrs. Ammini Varghese MRS.SHERLY YESUDAS
(super senior)
(pre-senior)
SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 30
1st rank  Diocean level
2nd rank in Global level

ACHIEVEMENTS STATE
TALUKA
ANNA MARIA DISTRICT
Best Student, Dancer LEVEL WINNERS

ABRAHAM DANIEL
Basketball Player

BENSEN BABU
Cricketer

BERIN THOMAS ANCIL MATHEW
Top Scorer Actor

JOYAL JOHN
N.S.S.

ROBIN V. VINU
Science Olympiad

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 31

Testimony

Deuteronomy 11:11 – 12 I experienced trying and testing times when I
“But the land that you are about to enter is a land of began suffering from weakness in my knee and
mountains and valleys, a land watered by rain. The Lord your shoulder joints. It aggravated to an extent that I
God takes care of this land and watches over it throughout knew I would collapse if I hadn't anticipated
the year.” every movement of mine. Though I seeked for
help from doctors, I was adviced to pray ardently
I became a part of the St.Mary’s Church, Ribandar, Goa in and apply Thirumeni’s blessed oil and the oil
2006, post marriage without any knowledge of the Blessed from the church lamp. Today, I can vouch that it
Thirumeni whose Holy relics rest here. Gradually with time, I is indeed Thriumeni who took care of every step
came to know about Him and the power of His intercessions of mine and today I am healed.
during the Feast of Alvares Thirumeni in September, 2006 and
later, came to know more details from my family. Over the My husband and son have also faced various
course of the last 14 years, for every time that we have prayed challenges and in all our small and major
for Alvares Thirumeni’s intercession, we have experienced His problems seeking Thirumeni’s intercessory
Grace come in the midst of many troubles and doubts. prayers has always been our priority and our
prayers have never gone in vain.
As a family, we can personally and fully vouch for the
blessings of Alvares Thirumeni’s grace and prayers in our life. MRS. MINI THOMAS
We are ardent believers in the power of intercession of Alvares
Mar Julius Thirumeni who intercedes for anyone who sincerely Our daughter used to suffer from a low emotional
asks him to do so. quotient and each day was a testing time. We
prayed to Thirumeni with all our devotion for her
– MS. JOY MARY NINAN AND FAMILY and my sister in law who suffers from the same
disorder(recovering) . Counsellors were helpful but
Few years ago, we were in the middle of a strenuous court all these years my daughter was being healed
case. Our business had suffered a huge setback and we without the use of any medication, which was
had to endure tremendous financial and emotional unbelievable.
instabilities. Astonishingly, during this time we got
acquainted with Alvares Thirumeni. We were guided to In another miraculous instance, we were in complete
experience the miraculous power of Thirumeni's disbelief when we realized we had misplaced 2 lakhs.
intercession. After two years of continuous prayer, we Completely anxious, we began interceding with
were amazed to know that our case was termed as the Thirumeni and to our utter surprise, a stranger
first case in USA to have won involving certain clauses. handed over the money to us. In all our adversities,
we have received Grace from this Blessed Saint and
In another instance, the doctors seemed suspicious with his blessed oil has been only worked miracles for us.
my mammogram test result. Extremely worried,we Believe and be healed in Thirumeni's name!
resolved to seek Thirumeni’s intercession once again. We
prayed unceasingly and as I said 'Amen', I felt all my fear ANONYMOUS
and anxiety drive away. I was healed instantly and with
Thirumeni’s blessings, the biopsy report was stated as I believe Alvares Mar Yulios
negative! thirumeni is a true martyr of the
Malankara Church. My self has
MRS. SUSAN MATHEW witnessed healings with the
(DALLAS, USA) intercession of Alvares thirumeni,
and I have personally experienced
the power of this saint’s
intercession. May his prayers be
with us all.

SALLY MATHEW
MALAYSIA

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 32

CROSSWORD

ROHAN T. VINU

Across Down

2. Alvares Thirumeni's Bossom friend 1.Thirumeni's Original name
5. Professed him Rambhan 3. Apostle of charity
7. Book Published by Alvares Thirumeni(about the 4. Monastic Priest
cultivation of topiocca) 6. Family of Alvares Thirumeni
8. Priest of Roman Catholic Church is often called as 9. Father of Alvares Thirumeni
10. Tomb of Alvares Thirumeni 11. Birth Place of Alvares Thirumeni
12. Ordained Alvares Thirumeni as Priest 13. Diocese founded by Alvares Thirumeni
14. Newspaper published by Alvares Thirumeni

Answer
Across: 2.Fr Noronha, 5.St Gregorios, 7.Mandioca, 8.Padre, 10.St Inez, 12.Walter Eistein, 14. O Brado Indiano
Down: 1.Antonio Francisco, 3.Alvares Thirumeni, 4.Ramban, 6.Roman Catholic, 9.Jose Baptista, 11.Verna, 13.Bramhavar

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 33

ROHAN T. VINU ARTWORK

The culturally
exuberant land of
beauty and
wonders

May the Holy Spirit MELBIN T.TITTUS
heal Kerala from all

adversities!.

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 34

HAPPY HOUR!

Discovering a New ME!

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 35

Activities

SNEHAYATRA 2020 | 36

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice!
Strive for full restoration, encourage
one another, be of one mind, live in peace.
And the God of love and peace will be
with you.
The Journey of Snehayatra has just
Began...

SNEHAYATRA 2020

"Wakefully Walking in Alvares Thirumeni's Footsteps"