News & Events
Monthly Recollection at NESTT on 10/03/2015
Monthly recollection for priests of the Eparchy will be held onTuesday, 10 March 2015 from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm at NESTT,Muvattupuzha. All are expected to participate without fail.Together with this a Cancer Awareness Programme is conductedby the medical team of Lourdes Hospital.
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Liturgical Calendar 2015( in Malayalam) available for download. Click here.
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Department Announcements updated every month for all Pious Associations. (You can find them under the Departments Menu).
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NESTT Academy of Theology and Sciences (NATS) inaugurated on 02-01-2015
NESTT Academy of Theology and Sciences (NATS)Recognizing the need for theological education
in the Church, NESTT ACADEMY OF THEOLOGY launches a week-end theological course
lasting for one year, consisting of two semesters. The classes are conducted at NESTT on Fridays from 5.15 pm to 8.15 pm. The Director of the Course is Rev. Dr. George Karakunnel. (Mobile No: 9895587450)
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"Deivaraajyam" of October 2015
available for download. Click here.
"Deivaraajyam" October(2015) available for download.
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Rev Fr Mathew Edassery (70 Yrs ) passed away.Burial on Tuesday 2 pm at Kallanickal parish.
Rev Fr Mathew Edassery (70 Yrs ) passed away on Friday (02-01-2015).Burial on Tuesday (06-01-2015) 2 pm at Kallanickal parish.
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Bishop's Program for June 2015. Click here to see.
Bishop's Program for June 2015 is available for download.
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KCBC Pastoral Letter on Canonization of Saints Chavara and Euphrasia
KCBC Pastoral Letter on Canonization of Saints Chavara and Euphrasia
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An urgent appeal for prayer from the Chaldean Patriarch
From Iraq - An urgent
message from Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako
Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Baghdad
Mosul
Christians: Whither?
To all
who have a living conscience in Iraq and all the world
To the
voice of moderate brother Muslims who have a voice in Iraq and all the world
To all
who have a concern that Iraq could remain a country for all His Children
To all
leaders of thought and opinion
To all
who announce the freedom of the human being
To all
protectors of the dignity of human beings and of religion
PEACE AND
MERCY FROM GOD!
The control exercised by the Islamist
Jihadists upon the city of Mosul, and their proclamation of it as an Islamic
State, after several days of calm and expectant watching of events, has now
come to reflect negatively upon the Christian population of the city and its
environs.
The initial sign was in the kidnapping of
the two nuns and 3 orphans who were released after 17 days. At the time, we
experienced it as a flash of hope and as a clearing of the sky after the appearance
of storm clouds.
Suddenly we have been surprised by the more
recent outcomes which are the proclamation of an Islamic state and the
announcement calling all Christians and clearly asking them to convert to Islam
or to pay the joziah (the tax all non- Muslims must pay
while living in the land of Islam) - without specifying the exact amount. The
only alternative is to abandon the city and their houses with only the clothes
they are wearing, taking nothing else. Moreover, by Islamic law, upon their departure,
their houses are no longer their properties but are instantly confiscated as
property of the Islamic state.
In recent days, there has been written
the letter 'N' in Arabic on the front wall of Christian homes, signifying
'Nazara' (Christian), and on the front wall of Shiite homes, the letter 'R'
signifying 'Rwafidh' (Protestants or rejecters). We do not know what will
happen in future days because in an Islamic state the Al - sharia or Islamic
code of law is powerful and has been interpreted to require the issuance of new
I.Ds for the population based on religious or sectarian affiliation.
This categorization based upon religion or sect
afflicts the Muslims as well and contravenes the regulation of Islamic thought
which is expressed in the Quran which says, "You have your religion and I have
my religion" and yet another place in Quran states, "There is no compulsion in
religion". This is exactly the contradiction in the life and history of the
Islamic world for more than 1400 years and in the co - existence with other
different religions and nations in the East and in the West.
With all due respect to belief and
dogmas, there has been a fraternal life between Christians and Muslims. How
much the Christians have shared here in our East specifically from the
beginnings of Islam. They shared every sweet and bitter circumstance of life;
Christian and Muslim blood has been mixed as it was shed in the defense of
their rights and lands. Together they built a civilization, cities, and a
heritage. It is truly unjust now to treat Christians by rejecting them and
throwing them away, considering them as nothing.
It is clear that the result of all this
discrimination legally enforced will be the very dangerous elimination of the
possibility of co - existence between majorities and minorities. It will be
very harmful to Muslims themselves both in the near and the distant future.
Should this direction continue to be pursued,
Iraq will come face to face with human, civil, and historic catastrophe.
We call with all the force available to us; we
call to you fraternally, in a spirit of human brotherhood; we call to you
urgently; we call to you impelled by risk and in spite of the risk. We implore
in particular our Iraqi brothers asking them to reconsider and reflect upon the
strategy they have adopted and demanding that they must respect innocent and
weaponless people of all nationalities, religions, and sects.
The Holy Quran has ordered believers to respect
the innocent and has never called them to seize the belongings, the
possessions, the properties of others by force. The Quran commands refuge for
the widow, the orphaned, the poor, and the weaponless and respect "to the
seventh neighbor."
We call Christians in the region to act with
reason and prudence and to consider and to plan everything in the best way
possible. Let them understand what is planned for this region, to practice
solidarity in love, to examine the realities together and so be able together
to find the paths to build trust in themselves and in their neighbors. Let them
stay close to their own Church and surround it; endure the time of trial and
pray until the storm will be over.
Louis Raphael Sako
Patriarch of Babylon for the Chaldean------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The situation for Iraq's Christians has been steadily deteriorating ever since the 2003 invasion, in part because the U.S. never acknowledged that Christians were being targeted by Islamists and did not prioritize protection of Christians or other minorities.But with the recent sweep through Mosul and other Iraqi cities by the jihadi group ISIS, Iraqs Christians look to be on the verge of genocide. On June 16th it was reported that ISIS had marked the doors of Christians in red. Patriarch Sakos letter confirms that rumor.While no one yet knows what this ominous sign foretells, Sako and other Christian leaders are pleading with the world to intervene before the meaning of the sign is made clear. Bishop Yousif Habash, who now resides in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but who is originally from Qaraqosh, a city 15 miles from Mosul which was also recently overrun by ISIS, where the Christians still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus, said, "Christians throughout the Middle East have been targeted, and we are on the verge of being exterminated. The West stepped in to stop the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims and Kosovar Muslims, so we know it can be done. The West must step in now and save the Middle Easts Christians, or we will be wiped out."
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World Youth Day, Krakow, 2016: Logo released.
The logo for WYD Krakow 2016 is enclosed in the outline of Poland. In its center there is a cross which represents Jesus Christ who is the centre of the meeting. Yellow circle marks Krakow on the map of Poland and also represents the youth. The spark of the Divine Mercy flows out of the cross, its shape and color refer to the painting 'Jesus I Trust In You'. The logo is a graphic illustration of the words "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7) that have been chosen as the theme of the meeting. The colors used in the logo are: blue, red and yellow and they refer to the official colors of Krakow and it's crests.
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Rev Fr Munjanatt Mathew (93) passed away
Rev Fr Munjanatt Mathew (94) passed away. Burial on Friday at 2pm at Nediyakad Little Flower Parish. The body,now being kept in hospital, will be brought home only by 10 am on Friday. Fr Munjanatt is the seniormost priest in the Eparchy of Kothamangalam.
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Dukraana Pastoral Letter to be read on 29th June
Dukraana Pastoral Letter to be read on 29th June
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June 8 : Day of Prayer for Peace in Israel, Palestine and Middle East
At a press conference in the Vatican on Friday, the head of the
Holy See's press office, Fr Federico Lombardi, and the Franciscan Custos of the
Holy Land, Fr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, announced details of a prayer encounter
to be held on Sunday with the presidents of Israel and Palestine. Also
attending the event will be the spiritual leader of the Orthodox world,
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
Pope Francis invited Israeli
President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the encounter
on May 25th during his brief but intense visit to the Holy Land.
"Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is
a constant torment." Those were Pope Francis' words to the Israeli and
Palestinian presidents when he invited them to come to the Vatican to join him
in "heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace." Both leaders immediately
accepted that invitation and will be arriving in the Vatican around 6.30pm on
Sunday evening, accompanied by delegations of about 20 people representing the
different faith communities present in both states. Also taking part in the
Vatican delegation will be the Orthodox Patriarch who played such a central
role in the Pope's recent pilgrimage to Jerusalem to recall a similar encounter
between their predecessors exactly half a century ago.
Following a brief welcome in the Casa Santa Marta where he lives
Pope Francis will accompany the two presidents and the patriarch through the
Vatican gardens to a specially prepared venue surrounded by two tall hedges
between the Pontifical Academy of Sciences building and a wing of the Vatican
museums. Fr Lombardi explained that each faith community will present a piece
of music, then thank God for the gift of creation, ask forgiveness for sins
committed and pray for the gift of peace. Pope Francis and the two presidents
will add their own calls for peace in the region, before exchanging greetings,
planting an olive tree as a visible symbol of their desire for an end to the
conflict and sharing a moment of private conversation together.
Answering journalists' questions about the aim of the encounter,
Fr Pizzaballa said it is a purely religious event designed to provide space for
people to stand back from the conflict and "recreate a desire for change".
While the meeting will not lead to any overnight solutions to the complex
problems of the Middle East, Fr Pizzaballa said he hoped it might just reopen a
path of dialogue and allow people to dream of a world where peace really is
possible.
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From 6 pm in the evening, the Liturgical Reading of the next day is available.
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Cardinal Simon Lourdes Samy passed away
പൗരസ്ത്യ സഭകള്ക്കായുള്ള വത്തിക്കാന് സംഘത്തിന്റെ മുന് അദ്ധ്യക്ഷനും ഭാരതത്തിന്റെ നാലാമത്തെ കര്ദ്ദിനാളുമായ സൈമണ് ലൂര്ദ്സ്വാമി ജൂണ് 2-ാം തിയതി തിങ്കളാഴ്ച പ്രാദേശിക സമയം വെളുപ്പിന് 1.35-ന് റോമിലെ ആശുപത്രിയില് അന്തരിച്ചു. വര്ദ്ധക്യ സഹജമായ രോഗങ്ങളാല് 90-ാമത്തെ വയസ്സിലാണ് കര്ദ്ദിനാള് കാലംചെയ്തത്.സുവിശേഷസന്ദേശം പ്രചരിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിന് വൈദികനായിരുന്ന നാള്മുതല് ഭാരതസഭയ്ക്ക് നല്കിയിട്ടുള്ള സേവനങ്ങളെയും പിന്നീട് കര്ദ്ദിനാള് എന്നനിലയില് ആഗോളസഭയില് ചെയ്തിട്ടുള്ള പരേതന്റെ സമര്പ്പണത്തെയും വത്തിക്കാനില്നിന്നും പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ച ഹ്രസ്വ അനുശോചന സന്ദേശത്തില് പാപ്പാ ഫ്രാന്സിസ് നന്ദിയോടെ അനുസ്മരിച്ചു. കര്ദ്ദിനാള് ലൂര്ദുസ്വാമി അംഗമായ, തമിഴ്നാട്ടിലെ പോണ്ടിച്ചേരി-കടലൂര് അതിരൂപതയുടെ മെത്രാപ്പോലീത്ത, ആര്ച്ചുബിഷപ്പ് അന്തോണി സ്വാമി അനന്തരായര്ക്ക് അയച്ച പ്രത്യേക ടെലിഗ്രാം സന്ദേശത്തില് കര്ദ്ദിനാളിന്റെ നിര്യാണത്തില് പാപ്പാ അനുശോചിക്കുകയും, അതിരൂപതാംഗങ്ങളെയും കുടുംബാംഗങ്ങളെയും പാപ്പാ അനുശോചനം അറിയിച്ചു. കര്ദ്ദിനാള് ലൂര്ദുസ്വാമിയുടെ നിര്യാണത്തില് ദുഃഖാര്ത്ഥരായ എല്ലാവര്ക്കും ടെലിഗ്രാമിലൂടെ പ്രാര്ത്ഥന നേരുകയും അപ്പസ്തോലിക ആശീര്വ്വാദം നല്കുകയുംചെയ്തു. കര്ദ്ദിനാള് ലൂര്ദ്ദുസ്വാമിയുടെ അന്തിമോപചാര ശശ്രുഷകള് ജൂണ് 5-ാം തിയതി വ്യാഴാഴ്ച വത്തിക്കാനില് വിശുദ്ധ പത്രോസിന്റെ ബസിലിക്കയില് നടത്തപ്പെടും. കര്ദ്ദിനാള് സംഘത്തലന് ആഞ്ചലോ സൊഡാനോയുടെ മുഖ്യകാര്മ്മികത്വത്തില് പ്രാദേശിക സമയം രാവിലെ 11.30-ന് (ഇന്ത്യയിലെ സമയം വൈകുന്നേരം 3 മണിക്ക്) വിശുദ്ധ പത്രോസിന്റെ ബസിലിക്കയില് പരേതനുവേണ്ടിയുള്ള ദിവ
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