DUKHA VELLIYAZHCHA NAMASKARA KRAMAM

DUKHA VELLIYAZHCHA NAMASKARA KRAMAM is now available for free download for use during the Haasa Week (passion week)

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Transliterated from the Haasa Namaskaram of Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christians 
by Youth Association, St. Mary's MSO Church, Vienna

The treasure map of Holy week!

Oshana Holy Mass, 28 Mar 2010 - Photo updates from St. Marys MSOC, Vienna

Kashtanubava Azhchayile Sandhya Namaskarakramam (For children)

Kashtanubava Azhchayile Sandhya Namaskarakramam (For children) is now available for free download for use during the Haasa Week (passion week)

      Contents

• Thinghalazhcha sandhya
• Thinghalazhcha soothaara
• Thinghalazhcha ompatham mani
• Chovvazhcha sandhya
• Chovvazhcha soothaara
• Chovvazhcha ompatham mani
• Budhanazhcha sandhya
• Budhanazhcha soothaara
• Budhanazhcha ompatham mani
• Vyazhazhcha sandhya
• Vyazhazhcha soothaara
• Vyazhazhcha ompatham mani
• Velliyazhcha sandhya
• Velliyazhcha soothaara
• Velliyazhcha ompatham mani
• Saniyazhcha sandhya
• Saniyazhcha soothaara
• Saniyazhcha ompatham mani

 

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Transliterated by Ms. Sunu Poomkottayil (March 2010)
St. Mary’s Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Vienna, Austria

Perunnal Sisrusha Kramam for use during the Haasa Week (passion week)

Perunnal Sisrusha Kramam (Geethangal) is now available for free download for use during the Haasa Week (passion week)

      Contents

• SHUBKKONO
• PATHINOMBU
• OOSAANA NJAAYAR
• PESAHA VYAZHAZHCHA
• UYIRPPU/QYAMTHA
• SWARGHAROHANAM
• PENTHAKKOSTHI

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Transliterated by Ms. Sunu Poomkottayil
St. Mary’s Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Vienna, Austria

ഉണര്‍ന്നിരുന്നു പ്രാര്‍ത്ഥിക്കുവിന്‍..!

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One day retreat on 06 Mar 2010 by Vanitha Samajam, St. Marys MSOC Vienna

Following the practice, one-day retreat was organized by the Vanitha Samajam of the St. Mary’s Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Vienna during 2010 Great Lent period also. It was held on Saturday, the 6th of March 2010 at St. Mary’s MSO Church, Vienna, under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Biju Parekkattil, Vicar of the Church, and Rev. Fr. Prince Paulose, a veteran theologian and a doctorate scholar based in Rome, Italy.

Rev. Fr. Biju Parekkattil asserted the need of repentance with firm belief that He the Jesus Christ would pardon and wash away the sins of those who really repent and come forth unto Him.  Rev. Fr. Biju further wished and prayed that let the Great Lent period be a raison d'être for such a repentance, reversal and U-turn.

The main topic of Rev. Fr. Prince Paulose was the importance and necessities of keeping own home as a role-model of real Christian life and becoming more subservient to the Almighty.  He pointed out that deterioration and diminution of peace and happiness in every home are increasing in this modern world. Rev. Fr. Prince spotted out that lack of tolerance and forbearance are the main causes of conflict and the repercussions of such conflicts within home are innumerable and would be enduring as it would adversely influence the children.  He reminded one and all that the present generation has a duty to shape up spiritually healthy future generation in leading peaceful and joyful life. 

Most of the parish members attended the retreat who found it was virtually a Christian fellowship that would enable spiritual revival.

Photos of one-day retreat 

Mid-Lent and Feast of Holy Cross (phelgo d-sawmo)

The Wednesday of the fourth week of the fast marks the middle of the Lent (phelgo d-sawmo) and the Feast of the Holy Cross in our Syrian Orthodox Church. What is the significance and importance of the Mid-Lent? Why is our church celebrating it on the 4thWednesday during the Great Lent? On this day in middle of Great Lent, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Cross. As we all know, the New Testament is the display of the hidden truths of the Old Testament. In addition, we can see in the Old Testament many shadows of the events of the New Testament. For example, the sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah is considered to be the shadow of the sacrifice on Mount Calvary. Jesus is the only One Who came down from heaven and knows what transpired there.

According to today's Bible readings, the Israelites, led by Moses, were on their way to the Promised Land. When they had no water to drink or bread to eat, they fought against God and His servant Moses. But because of Moses’ prayers and intercessions, God blessed the Israelites with Manna and Birds’ meat. Despite being provided adequate food, they continued to speak against God. When Moses had to stay with God for 40 days on top of the mountain, the Israelites became impatient, said bad things about Moses, and started to discredit God’s name. They gathered their gold ornaments and made a golden calf, making it their object of worship. The Lord God become very angry and sent fiery serpents, biting the Israelites; many of them died. Terrified at God’s vengeance, they came to Moses and said; we have sinned and spoken against the Lord, and pleaded with him to pray to the Lord so that the serpents will be taken away from them. Moses prayed for the people, and God said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole, and anyone who has been bitten can look at it and shall live". According to God's command, Moses made a brass serpent, put it upon a pole, and all those who looked at it were saved. Indeed, Moses' golden serpent was a symbol of Christ's cross.

On this day, according to our faith, we erect the "N'ortho", which identifies Golgotha in the middle of the church, so that all who come inside the church could meditate on the Cross, the symbol of Christ’s crucifixion and death. It is believed that Jesus Christ was crucified at the very center of earth so that everybody could see what He did so that we might be saved. When we look at the cross, we get cured from all our spiritual illnesses.

During the middle of Holy Qurbana,  priest takes the cross from the "N'ortho" and brings it up to the altar. There will be a special service to celebrate the elevation of the Holy Cross. The adoration of the Cross in the middle of Great Lent is to remind the faithful in advance of the Crucifixion of Christ. The passages read this day repeat the calling of the Christian by Christ to dedicate his life, for "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Christ)" (v. 34-35). This verse clearly indicates the kind of dedication which is needed by the Christian in three steps: To renounce his arrogance and disobedience to God's Plan, To lift up his personal cross (the difficulties of life) with patience, faith and the full acceptance of the Will of God without complaint that the burden is too heavy; having denied himself and lifted up his cross leads him to the, Decision to follow Christ.

These three voluntary steps are three links which cannot be separated from each other, because the main power to accomplish them is the Grace of God, which man always invokes. The Adoration of the Cross is expressed by the faithful through prayer, fasting, almsgiving and the forgiveness of the trespasses of others. On this Wednesday the Adoration of the Cross is commemorated with a special service following the Divine Liturgy in which the significance of the Cross is that it leads to the Resurrection of Christ.

Thoughts in the Lent season...

Nombukalachinthakal

The Feast of Mor Ephrem.

Syrian Orthodox Church commemorated Mor Ephrem last saturday,on the first saturday of the great Lent.

Mor Ephrem the Syrian, the great poet saint of the Syriac Church, was born in c. A.D. 306 in Nisibis (North-west of Mosul, Iraq). While some late sources claim that his father was a heathen priest who worshiped an idol called Abnil, his own writings affirm that he was raised in a Christian family. (Adv. Haereses, XXVI. "I was born in the way of truth: though my boyhood understood not the greatness of the benefit, I knew it when trial came." Again more explicitly, if we may trust a Confession which is extant only in Greek, "I had been early taught about Christ by my parents; they who begat me after the flesh, had trained me in the fear of the Lord... My parents were confessors before the judge: yea, I am the kindred of martyrs.")

He was ordained deacon in c. A.D. 338 and served the Bishop of Nisibis, Mor Ya`qub, who participated in the Synod of Nicaea (AD 325). He lived as a solitary and apparently never entered into priesthood. After the cession of Nisibis to Persia in AD 363, Ephrem withdrew into the Roman Empire and settled at Edessa where he composed the hymns that survive to this day. Though in the ecclesiastical hirearchy he was just a deacon, he is remembered as a great doctor of the universal Church.

Ephrem wrote exclusively in Syriac, the Edessene dialect of Aramaic, but his works were translated into Armenian and Greek, and via the latter into Latin and Slavonic. Many works in these languages attributed to him are, however, not genuine. Much of Ephrem's exegetical, dogmatic and ascetic works are in verse form. He wrote several polemical works refuting the heresies of Marcion, Bardaisan, Mani, the Arians and the Anomoeans. He wrote widely regarded biblical commentaries on Genesis and the Diatesseron. His writings extensively employ typology and symbolism. Over 500 genuine hymns survive, of great beauty and insight. His poetry is in two genres: madrãshe (hymns) and memre (verse homilies). After his death, the hymns were arranged into hymn cycles, the most famous of which are those on Faith (including the five 'On the Pearl'), on Paradise and on Nisibis (the second half of which is on the Descent of Christ into Hell). His liturgical poetry had a great influence on Syriac and Greek hymnography. Syriac churches honor him as 'the lyre of the Holy Spirit'.

Mor Ephrem departed to his heavenly abode on 9th of June, A.D. 373. His memory is commemorated in the Syriac Orthodox Church on the first Saturday of the Great Lent.

What are you Giving Up for Lent?