May 2010

© St. Mary’s Malankara Catholic Church, Toronto

."The world and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth and all who live on it

are his." (Psalm 24: 1). The place that we call home is one of the many gifts that our

Good Lord has provided for us and so it belongs to God. When we are using something

that is not ours, we try to work extra hard to take good care of it. However, this may not

always be the case for all the things that God has given us; we sometimes tend to take

Him the gifts he's given us for granted. Taking care of the Earth is an obligation we have

as faithful people. . .

The youth of the Toronto Mission tried to do their part by participating in the Toronto

Community Clean Up as part of the Earth Day tradition. On Saturday April 24th from

10:00 to 11:30am, the youth walked along Lake Ontario and cleaned up the shoreline to

help keep Toronto beautiful. Not only was this an opportunity to work as a team, but to

also give back to the community. There was a great sense of accomplishment among the

youth knowing that we did our part as we collected about five bags of garbage on our

short walk. It was also very inspiring to see others besides our youth participating in the

community clean up. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments was when we saw a

five year old girl picking up pieces of garbage alongside her mother. When young ones

show this much dedication and passion there is no hesitation knowing that they are be-

coming aware of their responsibility for the future of our planet. . .

We as the MCYM are striving towards creating a positive impact in our neighbourhood.

With the continued help and support from the rest of the community, our efforts to pre-

serve the beauty of the Earth the way that God had intended it to be will be all the more

successful. - Leo B.

Earth Day Clean Up Initiative

MONTHLY EVENTS MAY 2010 Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 10

May 1

Sunday School Spe-

cial Mass and Ado-

ration for Children

(6:30pm)

May 2

Sunday School Bake

Sale

May 7

Women’s Prayer

Meeting at Babu and

Valsa’s Residence

(6:30pm)

May 22

Prayer Meeting at

Joshy and Ittalia’s

Residence (6:30pm)

May 23

The Feast of

Pentecost

2:00 PM Malayalam

Classes

2:30 PM Sunday School

3:30 PM Song Practice

4.00 PM Prabhatha

Namaskaram ( Prayers be-

fore the Holy Mass)

4:00-4:30 PM Confession

4.30 PM Holy Mass

Contact Information: Fr. John Kuriakose,

222 Ridley Blvd,

Toronto, ON, M5M 3M6

Tel: (416) 485 7781

[email protected]

Sunday Liturgy

Malankara Catholic Church St. Mary’s Mission Toronto

St. Eugene’s Chapel◊13 Regina Avenue◊Toronto, Ontario◊M6A 1R2 [email protected]

www.stmarysmalankaracatholicchurchtoronto.ca

INSIDE THE ISSUE

Holy Week 2

The Feast of Divine

Mercy 3-4

Liturgy of the

Month 4

The Feast

of Pentecost 5

mailto:[email protected]


The Malankara liturgical

year is divided into seven

main seasons; namely An-

nunciation (Suboro),

Christmas (Yeldo-Denho),

The Big Fast (Saumo

Rabo), Resurrect ion

(Kyomtho), Pentecost,

Transfiguration, and

Sleebo. Out of these, the

third season, Lent, is the

most blessed time of the

year. During this time pe-

riod, we commemorate the

forty day fast of Jesus, His

public life, and His pas-

sion, and His death on the

cross for us sinners. Ac-

cording to the Malankara

rite, we observe fifty days

of fasting; forty days of

lent is marked on

‘Nalpathaam Velly' (40th

Friday) just before the

Holy Week, however, the

fast continues and com-

pletes on Easter Sunday.

On Palm Sunday, The

Malankara Mission of

Toronto commemorated

the triumphant entrance of

Jesus into Jerusalem

(Matthew 21) with the pro-

cession around the church

c a r r y i n g t h e

‘kuruthola’ ( palm leaves),

followed by Holy Mass. Fr.

John shared with the faith-

ful the importance of

prayer during Holy Week

and suggested that if possi-

ble, nearby families should

gather and do the evening

prayers together during the

week.

The following Wednesday

evening, the faithful gath-

ered at the church to cele-

brate Pesaha (Holy Thurs-

day), by taking part in the

Holy Qurbono. There was

time for confession before

Holy Mass and Fr. John

reminded us about the

importance of a good

con fes s ion befo re

Easter. He said that in

order for an individual

to be fully blessed, he or

she must repent for their

sins from their heart and

that confession is a

blessed sacrament which

would help them to do

so. After the service, the

priest blessed the pesaha

appam the congregation

shared with each other .

The Good Friday service is

the longest service of the

Malankara Liturgy as men-

tioned in the previous

month’s article. This year,

Dhukkavelli services be-

gan at 8 am and finished

by 1:30 pm. There were

many special prayers, as

well as a symbolic repre-

sentation of the burial of

our Saviour. Prior to the

end of the service the

Cross (Sleebo) was

anointed with aromatic

spices, and wrapped in a

clean linen cloth. The

Sleebo (which symbolizes

the Body of Christ) was

then ‘buried’ in the Sac-

risty. The service ended

with the faithful taking a

s p o o n f u l o f

‘kaipumneeru’, a bitter

liquid, to commemorate

the sour wine which was

given to Jesus. Then as a

community, we gathered

at Raju Mamootil’s house

and took part in a blessed

meal.

Easter is the foundation of

our faith. Without Easter,

the cross would not have a

meaning in Christian life.

The black cloth on Gol-

gotha which symbolises

the death of Jesus on

Dhukkavelli is replaced by

a red cloth, once again to

represent our risen Sav-

iour.

Malankara Catholic Church

Holy Week and Easter Sunday

We had a procession

around the church, fol-

lowed by blessings of

Sleeba, which is one of the

important services of

Easter. Blessing the four

corners of the globe is very

symbolic; the kingship of

Lord over the earth, word

of God spread among peo-

ple and salvation received

is signified. Jesus was born

through Virgin Mary by the

power of the Holy Spirit to

redeem us from our sins. It

was not a miscalculation of

God’s plan that led to the

death of Jesus, but it was

according to the will and

plan of God that Jesus died

on the cross. Why? Well, to

save me and you—it

was an act with eter-

nal significance! The

resurrection makes it

known to us that we

have to believe

through the eyes of

God. Often, it might

not be in the shape

we expect, or at the

time we want it, but

God has a plan and it

is be beautiful in His

time. Trust in Him.

Trust in His plan and you

will not want. Jesus de-

parted from our sight so

that He could return to our heart. Open the door and let

Him in and He will work

miracles in your life. -Deepthi W.


The Feast of Divine Mercy,

celebrated on the Octave of

Easter (the Sunday after

Easter Sunday), is a rela-

tively new addition to the

Roman Catholic liturgical

calendar. On this Feast, we

are celebrating the Divine

Mercy of Jesus Christ, as

revealed by Christ Himself

to Saint Maria Faustina

Kowalska. This feast was

extended to the entire

Catholic Church by Pope

John Paul II on April 30th,

2000, the day that he canon-

ized Saint Faustina.

On Good Friday, 1937, Je-

sus requested that Blessed

Faustina make a special

novena before the Feast of

Mercy, from Good Friday

through the following Satur-

day. Jesus also asked that a

picture be painted according

to the vision of Himself as

the fountain of mercy. He

gave her a chaplet to be re-

cited and said that it was

appropriate to pray the

chaplet at three o'clock each

afternoon (the Hour of

Great Mercy).

Jesus to Sr. Faustina

"[Let] the greatest sinners

place their trust in My

mercy. They have the right

before others to trust in the

abyss of My mercy. My

daughter, write about My

mercy towards tormented

souls. Souls that make an

appeal to My mercy delight

Me. To such souls I grant

even more graces than they

ask. I cannot punish even

the greatest sinner if he

makes an appeal to My

compassion, but on the

contrary, I justify him in

My unfathomable and in-

scrutable mercy. Write:

before I come as a just

Judge, I first open wide the

door of My mercy. He who

refuses to pass through the

door of My mercy must

pass through the door of

My justice.

From all My wounds, like

from streams, mercy flows

for souls, but the wound in

My Heart is the fountain of

unfathomable mercy. From

this fountain spring all

graces for souls. The

flames of compassion burn

Me. I desire greatly to pour

them out upon souls. Speak

to the whole world about

My mercy." -- Excerpted

from Diary of Sr. M. Faustina Kowalska.

The image of the merciful

Jesus is based on a vision

Saint Faustina had on Feb-

ruary 1931. In it Our Lord

is pictured in the act of

blessing, with two rays,

one red and the other white

(representing blood and

water), shining from his

heart. The words "Jesus, I

trust in you" are placed at

his feet. n

Copies of this image are

today found in many

churches all over the world

-- a sign of the rapid exten-

sion of this devotion.

Concerning the Feast of

Mercy Jesus said:

Whoever approaches the

Fountain of Life on this

day will be granted com-

plete forgiveness of sins

and punishment. (Diary

300)

I want the image solemnly

blessed on the first Sunday

after Easter, and I want it

to be venerated publicly so

that every soul may know

The Feast of Divine Mercy

about it. (Diary 341)

This Feast emerged from the

very depths of My mercy,

and it is confirmed in the

vast depths of my tender

mercies. (Diary 420)

On one occasion, I heard

these words: My daughter,

tell the whole world about

My Inconceivable mercy. I

desire that the Feast of

Mercy be a refuge and shel-

ter for all souls, and espe-

cially for poor sinners. On

that day the very depths of

My tender mercy are open. I

pour out a whole ocean of

graces upon those souls who

approach the fount of My

mercy. The soul that will go

to Confession and receive

Holy Communion shall ob-

tain complete forgiveness of

sins and punishment.* [our

emphasis] ... The Feast of

Mercy emerged from My

very depths of tenderness. It

is My desire that it be sol-

emnly celebrated on the first

Sunday after Easter. Man-

kind will not have peace un-

til it turns to the Fount of

My Mercy. (Diary 699)

Yes, the first Sunday after

Easter is the Feast of Mercy,

but there must also be deeds

of mercy, which are to arise

out of love for Me. You are

to show mercy to our

neighbours always and eve-

rywhere. You must not

shrink from this or try to

absolve yourself from it.

(Diary 742)

I want to grant complete

pardon to the souls that will

go to Confession and receive

Holy Communion on the

Feast of My mercy. (Diary

1109) (Cont’d Next Page)



As you can see the Lord's

desire for the Feast in-

cludes the solemn, pub-

lic veneration of the Image

of Divine Mercy by the

Church, as well as personal

acts of veneration and

mercy. The great promise

for the individual soul is

that a devotional act of

sacramental penance and

Communion will obtain for

that soul the plenitude of

the divine mercy on the

Feast. On the Feast of Di-

vine Mercy, plenary indul-

gence is given.

A plenary indulgence

means that by the merits of

Jesus Christ, the Blessed

Virgin Mary and all the

saints, the full remission of

the temporal punishment

due to sacramentally for-

given sins is obtained. The

person becomes as if just

baptized and would fly

immediately to heaven if

he or she died in that in-

stant.

A partial indulgence means

that a portion of the tempo-

ral punishment due to for-

given sin is remitted. Partial

indulgences are received ei-

ther by doing some act to

which a partial indulgence is

attached (e.g. praying a par-

tially indulgenced prayer), or

by the incomplete fulfillment

of the conditions attached to

a plenary indulgence.

Going to confession is not

the only way we should pre-

pare ourselves for Divine

Mercy Sunday. As Cardinal

F r a n c i s M a c h a r s k i ,

Archbishop of Krakow, Po-

land explains in a 1985 pas-

toral letter, we are not simply

called to ask for God’s mercy

with trust. We are also called

to be merciful:

“Our own merciful attitude is

likewise a preparation. With-

out deeds of mercy our devo-

tion would not be real. For

Christ does not only reveal

the mercy of God, but at the

same time, He places before

people the demand that they

conduct themselves in life

with love and mercy. ...it is

the commandment of love and

the promise: "Blessed are the

To observe the Feast of Mercy, we should: 1. Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter;

2. Sincerely repent of all our sins;

3. Place our complete trust in Jesus;

4. Go to Confession, preferably before that Sunday;

5. Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;

6. Venerate the Image of The Divine Mercy;

7. Be merciful to others, through our actions, words,

and prayers on their behalf.

Be sure to take advantage of God's Mercy on Divine

Mercy Sunday!

(Note: To venerate a sacred image or statue simply means to perform some act or make some gesture of deep religious respect toward it because of the per-son whom it represents ‑ in this case, our Most Mer-ciful Saviour.)

Observing The Feast of Mercy

merciful, for they shall ob-

tain mercy' (Mt 5:7). Let it

be a mercy that is forgiving

and true, and universal, with

good words, deeds, and

prayer for others!"

Our Lord's words to Saint

Faustina about this require-

ment to be merciful are very

strong and leave no room

for misinterpretation:

"Yes, the first Sunday af-

ter Easter is the Feast of

Mercy, but there must also

be acts of mercy ... I de-

mand from you deeds of

mercy, which are to arise

out of love for Me. You

are to show mercy to your

neighbours always and

everywhere. You must not

shrink from this or try to

excuse or absolve yourself

from it" (742).

-Br. Jobin T.

Liturgy of the Month

Week Gospel Readings Epistles Old Testament Readings/Reader

May 2 Luke 24: 36-39 Jesus Appears to His Disciples

Acts 10 34-43

2 Cor 5:17-21

Ex 34:10-17

Job 42:7-17

Isa 49:8-13

Rajan Powath

May 9 John 16:16-24 Sadness and Gladness

Acts 13:44-52

Col 3:1-11

Deut 16:10-12

Pro 10:1-13

Isa 28:23-29

Reji Mani

May 16 John 16:5-11 The Work of the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:12-14

Eph 1:15-23

Ex 6:1-8

Wis 12:1-11

Isa 44:21-28

Joshua Joseph

May 23 John 14:15-24 The Promise of the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-13

1Cor 12:4-11

Ex 19:1-15

Prov 2:1-15

Joel 2:28-32

Rajesh Jacob

May 30 John 6:25-33 Victory over the World

Acts 2:14-21

Rom 8: 1-11

Gen 41:37-45

Josh 5:1-9

Jer 29:4-14

Justin Joy



Hol y Fa ther ’s Pra yer In tentions

APRIL 2010

Fundamentalism and Extremism

General: That every tendency to

fundamentalism and extremism

may be countered by constant re-

spect, by tolerance and by dia-

logue among all believers.

Persecuted Christians

Missionary: That Christians per-

secuted for the sake of the Gospel

may persevere, sustained by the

Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing

to the love of God for the entire

human race.

Congratulations

Sarah Alex celebrated her First

Holy Communion

The Feast of Pentecost

Liturgical Cycle

Ariyippu Kalam Nov 1 – Dec 20

Deneha Kaalam

(Elda kalam)

Dec 21- Feb 21

Valiya Nombu

Kalam

Feb 22 – Apr 11

Kyamtha Kalam Apr 12 – May 30

PentiKosthi

Kalam

May 31 – Aug 5

Tejaskarana

Kalam

Aug 6 – Sept 13

Sleeba Kalam Sept 14 – Oct 31

COFFEE SPONSORS

May 2 Sunday School Bake Sale

May 9 Santhosh & Aswathi

May 16 Leslie & Reni

May 23 Justin & Leena

May 30 Jaison & Jessy


Pentecost Sunday, which marks the end of the Easter Season, celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the

Disciples of Christ. It is celebrated seven weeks (50 days) after Easter.

May 2010

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Transcript of May 2010