Vol. 04 Issue No. 11 NOVEMBER 2016 ST. THOMAS ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL - DUBAI ""BIbm hnizmkw, {]Xymi, kvt\lw Ch aq¶pw \ne\n¡p¶p for members only Chbn henbtXm kvt\lw Xs¶ '' (1 sImcn´yÀ 13:13) P.O. Box : 2563, Dubai - UAE Tel : 04-337 1122, Fax : 04-335 2252 Email : [email protected] www.stthomascathedraldubai.org stage of the liturgical year, as is the unfolding story of the church with its apostles, saints, and martyrs. Through this dramatic medium we are carried into the timelessness that surrounds Fr. Lany Chacko Asst. Vicar historic time. Human and divine meet and touch. The liturgical year is the medium through which the Christian “If we live, we live to the Lord…” community sanctifies time—makes it It seems odd saying “Happy New holy. Year” in November, but that’s when the Church marks Her annual begin- Liturgical time also sanctifies those ning. October last or first Sunday of who enter into it. The cyclical nature November is, for the Church, the first of the liturgical year in fact encour- day of a New Year. The New year Day ages this transformative process. Year of the liturgical year is also known as after year we come around to the same the “Koodosh ‘Eeto,”Meaning Sanc- church seasons. Year after year we tification of the church. Sanctification experience the great feasts. Each year or Consecration of the church, is the brings a new learning, a new chang- sanctification or Consecration of the ing, a new grasp of the meaning en- man. The word “sanctify” means to coded in the rituals, hymns, prayers, set apart and make holy. images, and texts particular to each holy day. Each year we encounter the Deep in the religious instinct of hu- feasts and their mysteries at a new mankind there is the desire to order moment in our lives. We pray through time so that the invisible, sacred di- and in the same season, with the same mension of life can be apprehended. symbols that continue to unfold their Religious traditions the world over ancient meaning in ever new ways. have created a latticework of windows As we enter into its seasons we enter in time—holy days and seasons— into the shared life of that people as it through which to peer into the mys- has discovered and celebrated its faith tery at the heart of all that is. So too through time. have Christians from their beginnings structured time. The natural rhythms The liturgical year is a way of disci- of the days, nights, and seasons be- pline in prayer, a pattern of worship, come the vessels in which the sacred an anchor of support for the life of the story of God-with-us is manifest. Church. The liturgical year celebrates the presence of the mystery of Christ The drama of the life of the carpen- in the life of the Church and seeks ter from Nazareth is played out on the to make the living Christ a renewing 2 life-source for every Orthodox Chris- being renewed by God’s saving love, tian. Far from being simply a calen- helping one another, witnessing to dar, the liturgical year in the life of the Christ’s good news, and waiting for Church -- the life of Christians living the fullness of the coming kingdom in community as brothers and sisters according to God’s timing. -- in awareness of God’s kingdom, re- “If we live, we live to the Lord, and membering the entire communion of if we die, we die to the Lord” (Rom. Prophets, Apostles, Saints and all of 14:8) God’s people on earth and in heaven, ]cnip² ]cpae Xncpta\n ]cnip≤ ]cpae Xncpta\nbpsS ]m{Xnb¿°okn¬ \n∂pw ta¬∏´ PohnX hnip≤n, Xt]m\njvT, B≤ym ÿm\w G‰p. NmØpcpØn¬ am¿ fl ⁄m\w F∂nhsb°pdn®v Gh¿ {KntKmdntbmkv sa{Xmt∏menØbv°v °pw Adnhp≈XmWv. Xncpta\nbpsS \ncWw `{Zmk\Øns‚ NpaXe a≤yÿXbn¬ \S°p∂ AXv`pX Iev]n®psIm≠v ]t{Xmkv ]m{Xnb km£y߃ FÆnbm¬ HSpßmØ ¿°nkv kpkvXmØnt°m¨ \¬In. hn[w A\h[nbmWv. a‰v Xncpta\namsc At]£n®v Xncp 1848 Pq¨ 15-\v FdWmIpfw ta\n \t∂ sNdp∏ambXn\m¬ Pn√bn¬ apf¥pcpØnbn¬ {imºn “sIm®p Xncpta\n” F∂v hnfn®p. °¬ ]≈Ø´ IpSpw_ imJbmb `{Zmk\ `cWhpw sshZnI ]cnio NmØpcpØn¬ Xdhm´n¬ aØmbnbp e\hpw Hcpan®v sIm≠pt]mIphm\p sSbpw I≠\mSv I√dbv°¬ ]≈n∏p XIp∂ Hcp Zn\Ncy kzoIcn°pIbpw dØv IpSpw_Ønse adnbØns‚bpw AXn\\pkcn®v IrXyambn kabw a°fn¬ A©ma\mbn P\n®p. {IaoIcn°pIbpw sNbvXp. {]`mX Koh¿§okv F∂v t]cns´¶nepw sIm® Øn¬ 4 aWn°v Fgpt∂‰m¬ cm{Xn bvt∏mc F∂mWv hnfn®ncp∂Xv. _me 10 aWn°mWv Ddßm≥ t]mIpI. Hcp \v 2 hb v XnIbp∂Xn\v apºp Xs∂ Znhkw 6 aWn°qdn¬ IpdbmØ ka amXmhv adnbw A¥cn®p. AXn\p ti bw siΩmi≥am¿°pth≠bpw 3 aWn jw KohdpKokns\ kwc£n®Xv °q¿ `{Zmk\ `cWØn\mbpw Xncp ktlmZcn adnbw Bbncp∂p. ta\n \o°nsh®p. Hcp Zbdm°mcs‚ 1857 sk]vXw_¿ 26-\v 9-mw hb A®S°hpw k\ymkNcyIfpw [ym\ n¬ tImdqtbm ]´w, 1864 \hw_¿ hpw D]hmkhpw au\hpw Xncpta\n amkØn¬ 16-mw hb n¬ I»oim PohnXØn¬ {hXam°nbncp∂p. Hcp ]´hpw tImsd∏nkvtIm∏m ÿm\hpw k\ymknbpsS efnX PohnXhpw \nb kzoIcn®p. 1876 Unkw_¿ amkØn¬ {¥nX `£W{Iahpw Xncpta\nsb 28-mw hb n¬ hS°≥ ]dhq¿ tXPkznbm°n. ]≈nbn¬ h®v ]cnip≤ ]t{Xmkv 1895 P\phcn 28-\v hnip≤\mSv 3 (Du¿t«wbm{X) kµ¿i\Øn\v ]cpa °pdn®p≈ a\xkwL¿j߃ F∂n ebn¬ \n∂v ]pds∏´ Xncpta\n 1895 hbmImw Xncpta\nsb tcmKnbm°n am¿®v 5-\v t_mw_bn¬ Xncns®Øn bXv. Pq¨ 6-\v \ncWw hgn ]cpaebn¬ 1902 \hw_¿ 2 RmbdmgvN 55-mw Xncns®Øn. hb n¬ DZckw_‘amb tcmK PohnXsØ I¿Ωkm[\bm°n Øm¬ Xncpta\n Imew sNbvXp. 1947 am‰nb kn≤tbmKnbmbncp∂p Xncp \hw_¿ 2 \v Xncpta\nsb hnip≤≥ ta\n. D]hmkØns‚ Im¿°iyw, Bbn F∏nkvtIm∏¬ kp∂ltZmkv XocmØ bm{XIƒ, ]e hnjbsØ {]Jym]n®p. Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I Moran Mar Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I (27 March 1907 – 8 Novem- ber 1996) was the Supreme head of the Indian Orthodox Church, which is also known as Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. He was the 88th successor to the Holy Apostolic Throne of St. Thomas and Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan. The Catholicos was the youngest son of VattakunnelKurienKathanar and Pulick- aparampilMariamma in Kottayam. His father VattakunnelKurienKathanar was Vicar of St. Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church at Manarcad. In his early days, the Catholicos was called V.K. Mathew and nicknamed Kuttachen. Mathew had his school education at M.D. Seminary High School, and Collegiate education in C.M.S. College, Kottayam and Maharaja’s College Ernakulam. After obtaining B.A. Degree in Chemistry, Mathews opted for the ministry of God and joined the Bishop’s College, Calcutta for B.D. course. In 1936, Mathew took B.D. and later in 1942 joined the teaching staff of the Theological Seminary, Kottayam. On 27 October 1946, V.K. Mathew at the age of 40, received ordination of priest- hood from Catholicos Mar Geevarghese II, at Old Seminary. The Theological Seminary was his main field of activity, and was appointed as its Acting Principal in 1948 and as its Principal in 1951, which position he retained till 1966. The Malankara Syrian Christian Association held in 1951 elected Fr. Mathews as Metropolitan-candidate and accordingly on 15 May 1953, the Catholicos Mar Geevarghese along with other Metropolitans of the Synod, consecrated him as Metropolitan Mar Athanasius at Mar Elia Chapel, Kottayam. In addition to the post of Principal of the Theological Seminary, he was in charge of the diocese of Outside Kerala from 1960 to 1976. During this period the Diocese grew sig- nificantly. The Metropolitan made several tours to different parts of the diocese. In July 1963, at the invitation of Russian Orthodox Church, Mar Athanasius and Daniel Mar Philexinos visited Moscow and attended the golden jubilee celebra- tion of the Metropolitan consecration of H. H. Alexy I Patriarch as the representa- tives of the Catholicos of the East. On 31 December 1970 Mar Athanasius was 4 elected as successor to BaseliosAugen I as Catholicos and Malankara Metropoli- tan by the Malankara Association. He translated and published several works so they were available to all in Ma- layam, English, Tamil, and Hindi, and celebrated the Qurbana (Divine Liturgy) in English for the diaspora. On 27 April 1991, Mathews I relinquished the Titles of The Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church due to old age. He died on 8 November 1996 and was buried at the Catholicate Palace, Deval- okam, Kottayam. His Grace Job Mar Philoxenos His Grace Job Mar Philoxenos was born on May 8, 1939 in the Kanianthra family in Kerala and was the sixth son of late K.C. Thomas, Arumapettiyil. Thiru- meni was grand nephew of late H.H. Baselios Mar Geevarghese II, the Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Church. His Grace got his primary education at St. John’s School, Mepral (Kerala), and PMV School, Peringara. From his childhood days itself he was set on the path to holiness through the legacy of the great Church father His Holiness Baselios Geevarghese II. At the age of 16, he joined as a novice in “Mount Tabor Dayara” founded by His Grace Thoma Mar Divanasios at Pathanapuram.