Indian Christianity

1	Andamans, Port Blair St Mary's Cathedral Assist Vicar.	Rev.Fr. Jejis V M St.Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, P.O Box No.270, Mohanapura, PortBlair, Andamans - 744101 Rev.Fr. P J Mathew St.Mary's Secondray School, Near Aravind International Hotel, BathuBasti, Garcharma, Andamans - 744 105	Ph : 03192 232755 Mob : 09933281195 geevarghesemani@gmail.com Ph : 03192 251634 Mob : 9474209469 binumulavalli@rediffmail.com
2	Andamans, Bettapur St. Thomas	Rev. Fr. Benny David St.Thomas Orthodox Church, Bettapur ,Middle Andamans, Pin: 744201	Ph : 0319 2270027 Mob : 09476076936 bennydavid024@gmail.com
3	Andamans, Diglipur St Mary's	Rev.Fr.Benny David St.Thomas Orthodox Church, Bettapur ,Middle Andamans, Pin: 744201	Ph : 0319 2270027 Mob : 09476076936 bennydavid024@gmail.com
4	Andamans, Mannarghat St Gregorios	Rev.Fr. P J Mathew St.Mary's Secondray School, Near Aravind International Hotel, BathuBasti, Garcharma, Andamans - 744 105	Ph : 03192 251634 Mob : 9474209469 binumulavalli@rediffmail.com
5	Andamans, Mayabunder St George	Rev.Fr. Liju Koruthu St.Gregorios Orthodox Church, P.B.No:13 Near TV Center, Sabari,Rangat, Middle Andamans - 744 205	Ph : 0319 2274066 Mob : 09531846700 koruththomas@yahoo.com
6	Andamans, Rangat St Gregorios	Rev.Fr. Liju Koruthu St.Gregorios Orthodox Church, P.B.No:13 Near TV Center, Sabari,Rangat, Middle Andamans - 744 205	Ph : 0319 2274066 Mob : 09531846700 koruththomas@yahoo.com
7	Andamans, Kadamthala, St.Dionysius.	Rev.Fr. Liju Koruthu St.Gregorios Orthodox Church, P.B.No:13 Near TV Center, Sabari,Rangat, Middle Andamans - 744 205	Ph : 0319 2274066 Mob : 09531846700 koruththomas@yahoo.com
8	Australia, Melbourne St Mary's Cathedral Assistant Vicar	Rev.Fr. Shinu K Thomas St Mary's Indian Orthodox Cathedral, 118 - 122 Nicholson street, East Coburg,Victoria - 3058, Australia Rev. Fr. James Philip Melbourne St Marys Cathedral, (St Gregorios Indian Orthodox Chapel, Dandenong,Melbourne )	Ph : 0061393837944 Mob : 0061466460552 frshinukt@yahoo.com Ph : +039790077
9	Australia, Perth St.George	Rev. Fr. Saji Mathew 1/69 Power Street Hawthorn, Victoria - 3122 Australia	sajiachen@yahoo.com
10	Australia, Adelaide St. Gregorios	Rev.Fr. Shinu K Thomas St Mary's Indian Orthodox Cathedral, 118 - 122 Nicholson street, East Coburg, Victoria - 3058, Australia	Ph : 0061393837944 Mob : 0061466460552 frshinukt@yahoo.com
11	Australia, Sydney St.Thomas	Rev.Fr. Thomas varghese St.Thomas Indian Orthodox Church, 6 Village Way, Wattle grove, NSW - 2173, Australia.	Ph : 0296057909 Mob : 0297312611 rev_tomv@optusnet.com
12	Australia, Brisbane St.George	Rev. Fr. Vinod George Vicar, St.George Indian Orthodox Church, University Park Appartment 52, Room C, 45 Barrett Street, Robertson, Queensland - 4109, Australia	Ph : 04 11744467 frvinodgeorge@yahoo.com
13	Coimbatore St Mary's Cathedral Asst Vicar :	Rev.Fr. Anish Mathew St.Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, No.1, Syrian Church Road Coimbatore - 641001 Rev. Fr. Aby Philip Varghese St.thomas HSC ,K.K pudur Coimbatore - 641138	Ph : 0422 2472633 / 0422 2448633 Mob : 9585897622 / 9489437381 anishnariyapuram@yahoo.co.in Mob : 9585897633
14	Asst Vicar :(Sulur)	Rev.Fr. Cherian Ayirookuzhiyil St Gregorios Orthodox Chapel, Kangayampalayam,Sulur, Coimbatore - 641101	Mob : 09790882809 frcherian73@yahoo.co.in
15	Coimbatore, Ganapathy, St John's The Baptist Chapel	Rev.Fr. C. Thomaskutty C S Ashramam, Chinnathadakkam, Coimbatore - 641108	Ph : 08012781797 Mob : 09487678697
16	Coonoor St Mary's	Rev.Fr. P P Jacob St Mary's Orthodox Church, Balaclava, Coonoor, Nilgiris TamilNadu - 643102	Ph : 0423 2206621 Mob : 09443355078
17	Malaysia Kulalampur St Mary's Cathedral	V.Rev.Philip Thomas Cor Episcopa St Mary's Orthodox Syrian cathedral, No.1,Jalan Tun Sambanthan Satu, Brick Fields - 50470 ,Kulalmpur, Malaysia. Assist Vicar : Rev. Fr. Thomas Oommen	Ph : 603 22732619 Mob : 603 22741570 philipthomas22@yahoo.co.uk
18	Madras Avadi H.V.F, St George	V.Rev.Joseph J Thaliaparampil Cor Episcopa St George Orthodox Church, H.V.F.Estate, Avadi , Chennai - 600 054	Ph : 044 26554080 Mob : 09884882940 corepiscopajoseph@yahoo.co.in
19	Madras Avadi Ramalingapuram St George	V.Rev. George Varghese Cor Episcopa St George Orthodox Church, No.30, Gandhi Street, Ramalingapuram, Avadi Chennai - 600 071	Ph : 044 26554061 Mob : 09176011431 frgeorgethundiyil@gmail.com
20	Madras Broadway, St Thomas cathedral,	Rev.Fr.M P Jacob St Thomas Orthodox Cathedral, 33/34, Stringers Street, Broadway, Chennai - 600 108	Ph : 044 25380550 Mob : 9444787496 frjacobmp@yahoo.co.in
21	Asst Vicar (Guindy Chapel )	Rev.Fr. Koshy Philip Plot No.37, Sankardasar Street, Ramalinga Nagarr, Puzhuthivakam, Chennai - 600 091	Ph : 044 22580690 Mob : 09840820394
22	Asst Vicar (Mylapore Chapel )	Rev.Fr. Ivan mathew No.9, Venkateshware Avenue, 1st Floor,Sabari Nagar, Porur, Chennai - 600 116	Ph : 044 05380550 Mob : 09176835970 dn.ivanmathew@gmail.com
23	Madras Chetpet St.Mary's	Rev.Fr.Gigi Mathew AL-119 Golden Hive Appartment, 8th main road, Santhi colony, Anna Nagar, Chennai - 600 040	Mob : 09841146079 fr.gijipullukattu@yahoo.co.in
24	Madras Injambakkam, St Mary's	Rev.Fr. Zachariah Mathew St Mary's Orthodox Church, 2/1610 Church Road, P J Thomas Avenue Road, Injambakam , Chennai - 600 041	Ph : 044 24493379 Mob : 09940083961
25	Madras Koyembedu St Peter's & St Paul's Assist Vicar	Rev.Fr. C A Issac St Peter's & St Paul's Orthodox church,New Colony,Koyembedu Chennai - 600 107 Rev.Fr. Paulose Padaveetil	Ph : 044 29312258 Mob : 09840608922 fr.isac_2007@yahoo.in Mob : 9043534386
26	Madras Padi St George	Rev. Fr. Abraham Jacob St George Orthodox Church, 33.Kanniaman Kovil Street, Kanchanamkuppam, Chennai - 600 098	Ph : 044 26254711 Mob : 09444173243 fr.abrahamjacob@yahoo.com
27	Madras Perambur, St Gregorios	Rev.Fr. Thomas Issac St Gregorios Orthodox Church, No.3A, St Mary's Road,Sembium, Chennai - 600 011	Ph : 044 26720553 Mob : 09445150712 frsamissac@yahoo.com
28	Madras Puzhuthivakkam , St Thomas Mount.	Rev.Fr. Varghese John St Thomas Orthodox Church, Church Street, Puzhuthivakkam, Chennai - 600 091	Ph : 044 22420889 044 22421779 Mob : 09884140583
29	Madras Tambaram, Mar Gregorios	Rev.Fr. Aji Varghese Mar Gregorios Orthodox Church, 248, Bharathamatha Street, Tambaram East,Chennai - 600 059	Ph : 044 22391199 Mob : 09443541014 frajikv@gmail.com
30	Madras Tiruvottiyur St Mary's	Rev.Fr. Anup Joseph Eapen St.Mary's Orthodox Church, 128/3 - A, Manali High Road, Mullainagar,Ernavoor, Chennai -600 057	Ph : 044 25733178 Mob : 09500107331 josephmaleparambil@yahoo.com
31	Madurai St Thomas	Rev.Fr. T F Mathews Subbu Illam, 109 Parthasarathy Street,S S Colony, Madurai, Tamil Nadu- 625 010	Mob : 09940274360
32	Mettupalayam St Gregorios	Rev.Fr. Varghese Valayil St.Gregorios Orthodox Church Karmadi Road, K.K. Nagar Mettupalayam P.O, Tamil Nadu - 641 301	Ph : 0425 4227842 Mob : 09940158430 baby_paulose@yahoo.com
33	Neyveli St Thomas	Rev.Fr. Markose Geevarghese Tirupur, St Mary's Orthodox Church, Ponnaiah Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirapalli PO , Tamil Nadu - 620 001	Ph : 0431 2302694 Mob : 08148431340
34	New zealand, Auckland St.Dionysius	Rev.Fr. Biju Mathew P.O Box 57158 Owairaka, Ext: 298, Auckland, NewZealand.	Ph : 00649 3039500 frbijumgocsm@rediffmail.com
35	New Zealand, Hamilton St.Gregorios	Rev.Fr. Biju Mathew P.O Box 57158 Owairaka, Ext: 298, Auckland, NewZealand.	Ph : 00649 3039500 frbijumgocsm@rediffmail.com
36	Pollachi St Mary's	Rev.Fr. Geevarghese P O Calvary Abhaya Bhavan, Puliyur, Chegannur, Alapuzha - 689510	Mob : 09447530606
37	Pondichery St.Antony's	Rev. Fr. C M Philipose Chaplain, Pondichery Institute of Medical Science Ganapathy chettikulam, Kalapet Pondichery - 605 014	Mob : 09047655383 philiposeeachen@gmail.com
38	Salem St Gregorios	Rev.Fr. Abraham Alexander St.Gergorios Orthodox Church, 138,Near Modern Theater Yercaud Road, Salem, Tamil Nadu - 636008	Ph : 0427 2401413 Mob : 09489034494
39	Singapore, St.Thomas Cathedral	Rev.Fr. Saji Thomas St.Thomas Orthodox Church, 650, Yio Chu Kang Road, Singapore - 787075 sajipalathinkal@yahoo.com	Ph : 06564568719 Fax : +6564554565 sgorthodox@singaporeorthodox.org.sg vicar@stthomasorthodoxcathedral.com
40	Tirupur St Mary's	Rev.Fr. Markose Geevarghese Tirupur, St Mary's Orthodox Church, Ponnaiah Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirapalli PO , Tamil Nadu - 620 001	Ph : 0431 2302694 Mob : 08148431340
41	Tiruchirapalli St.Thomas	Very.Rev.Samuel Israel Ramban Ponnaiah Hr.Sec.School Tiruchirapalli Po Tamil Nadu - 620 001	Ph : 09443001928 Mob : 0431 2302694
42	Thiruvarambur St.Mary's	Rev.Fr. Michael Zachariah Mount Tabor Dayara ,Mathur Po Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu - 622 515	Ph : 04339550466 Mob : 09443759865
43	Tuticorin St.Gregorios	Rev.Fr. Michael Zachariah Mount Tabor Dayara ,Mathur Po Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu - 622 515	Ph : 04339550466 Mob : 09443759865
44	Valparai St.Peter's	Rev.Fr. Geevarghese P O Calvary Abhaya Bhavan, Puliyur, Chegannur, Alapuzha - 689 510	Mob : 09447530606
45	Vellore St.Luke's	Rev.Fr.Aby M Chacko St.Luke's Orthodox Church, Old Katpadi Road, Vellore, TamilNadu - 632 004	Ph : 0416 2227108 Mob : 09445709385
46	Erode St.Gregorios Congregation	Rev.Fr. Geevarghese P O Calvary Abhaya Bhavan, Puliyur, Chegannur, Alapuzha , Kerala- 689 510	Mob : 9043534386
47	Tuthukudi St. Gregorios Mission Centre	Rev.Fr. Sleeba John St Gregorios Mission Center, Perumal Nilayam, Sri Vaikundam Tuthukudi, Tamil nadu - 628 601	Ph : 04630 255563 Mob : 9944694026 seardtamilnadu@gmail.com
48	Pondichery St Thomas, Kalpakam, Karunya Chapel Coimbatore	Fr. A.G Samuel chaplian, Mar Dionysius Disabled Home, Vinagapuram, Chennai- 600 099	Ph : 9551134490
49	Institute of Medical Science Pondichery	Rev. Fr. C M Philipose Chaplain, Pondichery Institute of Medical Science Ganapathy chettikulam, Kalapet Pondichery - 605 014	Mob : 09047655383 philiposeeachen@gmail.com
50	Madras Medical Mission	Rev.Fr.John Joshbi Thomas The Madras Medical Mission, J.J Nagar, Mogappair, Chennai - 600 037	Ph : 044 26565961 Mob : 07667609929 frjohnjoshbi@gmail.com
51	Aramana Manager	Dn. Pradeep Ponnachen Bishop's House 4/ 51 Rajesweri Street Metha Nagar, Chennai - 600 029	Ph : 044 23746010 Mob : 8122522462
52	Old Aramana / Mar Dionysius Disabled Home	Rev.Fr.Gigi Mathew No.7 ,Surapet main road Vinagapuram, Chennai- 600 099	Ph : 044 - 25651897 Mob : 09841146079

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Sunday School Annual Report – 2010-11

Orthodox Sunday School Association of the East
Sunday School Annual Report – 2010-11
Madras Diocese

In the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, all our Sunday Schools are functioning very successfully. It's a pleasure to inform you that under the leadership of our Metropolitan H G Dr.Yuhanon Mar Diascoros, Vicars, Vice Presidents, Headmasters, Teachers, Inspectors, Association leaders and Parents our Sunday school children are getting the right guidance to follow our traditions, rituals and for the strong faith they have in our Lord.

The Orthodox Sunday School Associations in the following regions - Chennai, Coimbatore, Andaman Island, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and all other cities are organizing successfully various programs and events for the Sunday school students .

Some of the programs are as mentioned below:
Sunday School Day, Teachers Training Program, Essay Writing and Elocution Competition, One-Day Conference for Teachers, Memory Verses Competition, Annual / Curriculum Exams, Talent Day – Singing, Group Singing, Musical Skills and Skits, Charity Day, Sunday School Picnics, Christmas Carols and other special day's program, Teachers Family Day Celebrations, OVBS, Sunday School Kids Kamp, General Body Meetings and many other programs.

Thanks to the leadership of our Vice Presidents - Rev Fr Abraham Jacob – Chennai, Rev Fr P P Jacob – Coimbatore, Rev Fr Saji Thomas – Andaman Islands, Rev Fr Thomas Varghese – Australia, Rev Fr Shinu K Thomas – New Zealand, Very Rev. Philip Thomas Cor Episcopa – Malayasia and Rev Fr Jiju Varghese – Singapore. And other office bearers were – Mr J Kurian – Diocesan Representative, Mr V P Thomas – Treasurer, Diocesan Zonal Secretary – Mrs Mary Mani and Diary Convener – Rev Fr Dr Thomson Roby

The OSSAE - Orthodox Sunday School Association of the East (Outside Kerala Region) led by President – H. G. Dr Yakob Mar Irenaios, Director-Rev Fr Geevarghese K and team has been doing wonderful work for the Lord by organizing various activities, OVBS, curriculum planning, bringing out new editions of our text books which are kids friendly and many new ideas in training teachers etc. Here is brief report from each region.

MADRAS REGION
OSSAE OKR Madras Region Teachers One Day Conference was held at Mar Gregorios Orthodox Church, Tambaram on 12th June 2010. H G Yuhanon Mar Diascoros led the conference and took a class on Children's Psychology and specified that teachers should have personal touch with students. Thirumeni specified the three categories of students up to 12 years – Period of Integration, 12 to 20 years – period of Disintegration and 20yrs and above – Period of Re Integration. Master Blesen of Tambaram Sunday School and Ms Sheryl of Padi Sunday School spoke on the occasion. Mr Saggen George took a model class on 'Birth to Death of Moses'. There were 75 teachers and 9 priests who took part in the conference.

Madras Regional office bearers were elected - Vice President – Very Rev Joseph Thaliaparambil Cor Episcopa, Secretary – Mr Saggen George, Jt Secretary – Mrs Gracy Ninan, Treasurer Mr Raju P Georg, Inspector Mr Thomas K George, and Internal Auditor Mr V P Thomas.

ARTS Competition was held at St Thomas Cathedral, Broadway on 5th November 2010. The following competitions were held Solo Singing, Elocution, Extempore, Group Song and Quiz. Best Sunday School prize was won by St Mary's Sunday School, Chetpet and St George Sunday School, Padi won the 2nd prize.

Verses Competition was held St Thomas Cathedral, Broadway on 21 November 2010

OSSAE OKR Curriculum Exam was held on 12th Dec 2010 at St.Thomas Cathdral, Broadway. There were 44 students in 10th std and 12 students in 12th std wrote the exam, and 43 students passed in 10th std and all passed in 12th std. and there were around 40 students writing the exam as private candidates. For curriculum exam the Best Sunday School prize was won by St George Sunday School, Padi, 2nd prize was won by St Peters and St Paul's Sunday School, Koyambedu. Overall Championship Award was won by St George Sunday School, Padi. The Best student declared was Ms Meryl Mammen Kurian from St Mary's Sunday School, Chetpet.

OSSAE OKR Annual General body meeting held at Nagpur was attended by headmasters of Madras region on 11th September 2010.

COIMBATORE REGION
The Sunday School re-opened for the new academic year on 3rd Jan 2010 with a pupil strength of 172. Regular classes were conducted on all Sundays after the Holy Qurbana in the Cathedral Sunday School and the St. Thomas Chapel Sunday School. The teachers strive hard to inculcate in children the values of worship, prayer and belief in God.

Half-yearly Examination : Half-yearly examination was conducted on 1st August 2010 and 125 pupils out of 172 attended the exam.

Special coaching classes : Special coaching classes for the benefit of the pupils appearing for the Board exams of SSFC & Std XII of the Coimbatore Region of Sunday Schools were conducted at our cathedral on Sunday the 24th Oct 2010 after the Holy Mass. Rev. Fr. Philip Kuruvilla of Nagpur St. Thomas Theological seminary inaugurated the special classes. The Subject experts Dr. Rachel Supriya, Rev. Fr. Thampi Varghese and Mr. K.M.Chacko conducted the coaching classes. 16 pupils from various parishes of Coimbatore Region participated. Dr. Supriya awarded a special prize to Ms. Blinda Fredy of Std. X who secured the highest marks in the Model exam.

Children's Day - Children's Day was celebrated on Sunday the 5th Dec. 2010.

SSFC & Std XII Board exam 2010 - Board Exams were conducted on12th Dec 2010 for the pupils of Std X & XII of our Sunday Schools. Eight pupils from Std X and 3 pupils from Std XII appeared for the exam. Two private candidates also appeared through our centre. We are very happy to note that all candidates came out successful scoring high marks. The certificates and marks statements along with a copy of the Holy Bible were given away to the pupil by H.G.Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros Metropolitan at a Special Function organized on 6th Mar 2011.

Annual Exams : Annual Examination for all classes except Std. X & XII were conducted on 9th Jan 2011 and promotions were given on 16th Jan 2011.

OVBS 2010 - The Orthodox Vacation Bible School was conducted at our St. Thomas chapel for 4 days from 25th May 2010 to 28th May 2010. On the opening day, Rev. Fr. Varghese Valayil hoisted the OVBS flag and inaugurated the Camp. A day's activities included music session, devotional address, classes and games including intellectual games. The resource person Br. Anish K Sam of the Theological seminary, Kottayam had made valuable contributions to the success of the camp. On the concluding day all the participants received the Holy Qurbana. A colorful rally was the attraction of the day. 81 pupils and 13 teachers participated in the OVBS camp.

Annual Day- Rev. Fr. Joseph John was the chief guest on the Annual Day which was celebrated on 28th May 2010. Children were given prizes and the Senior Headmaster Mr.K.M.Chacko presented the Annual Report and the Income & Expenditure statements for the years 2008-09 & 2009-10 and the same were passed.

Our diocesan Thirumeni H.G.Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros had been a great source of encouragement and inspiration for our Sunday school activities. Let me express our sincere thanks to our Thirumeni. Let me also thank our vicars and Asst. Vicars Rev. Fr. Aji Varughese, Rev. Fr. Varghese Valayil, Rev. Fr. Thampi Varghese and Rev. Fr. Cheriyan Ayrookuzhi for their valuable guidance in the administration of the Sunday Schools. Our thanks are also due to the parish administration, the teachers, pupils and the parents for their co-operation. We also thank Mr.K.M.Chacko, M.A., M.Ed., Senior Head Master for all the good work.

St Mary's Orthodox Church at Coonoor is also conducting classes for children from pre kg to 12th std, they have about 25 children and 3 teachers, Curriculum exams are held and certificates are awarded, children participate in all regular church activities also take part in carols and sing during ecumenical programs held in the city.

Other Sunday schools in the region from Metupalayam, Tirupur and Vellore are organizing regular classes and programs.

KUALA LUMPUR (MALAYASIA) REGION
Sunday school session for the year started on the 17 January 2010.
The 63 children that registered were divided into 8 classes. The graduating class comprising of 16 year olds will join the youth fellowship for its activities. The graduating class was issued with certificates

Regular classes were held according to our Sunday school calendar.

Some of the activities were as follows.

Sunday school party was held on 6 Feb with a total of 139 people attending.

Children had coloring and painting session.

OVBS was held on the 18, 19 and 20 June. A total of 34 children attended with 19 of them staying over. The program included a visit to the visually impaired at the Malaysian Association for the Blind and our children had an eye opening experience.

This year for the first time we had public speaking and debate for the older children. The children performed very well making their parents and children proud. This was not held as a competition but just served as a platform to speak and build their self – confidence.

Younger children had memory verse contest. Children had their mid – term test in May and final test on 14 Nov. Thanks to the effort of Very Rev Philip Thomas Cor Episcopa and Coordinator Mr Varghese Mathew.

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) REGION
The St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Cathedral Sydney, Sunday School is the spiritual organization catering for the spiritual enlightenment of the children of our church, following the curriculum set by the Sunday School Association of the Malankara Orthodox Church of India. The classes are from Kindergarten through to Year 10 and follow the regular Australian school calendar, starting in January and ending in December. Currently we have ninety one students and ten regular teachers and six relieving teachers.

In addition to the prescribed text, a bible verse is taught to the children every Sunday. Before the children go to their respective classes, they are taught to sing a song either from the Holy Qurbana or one of many Christian songs. In the higher classes, the children are taught about the lives and works of the saints. General topics on the orthodox faith and the importance and meaning of the Holy Qurbana and use of the various items during the Holy Qurbana are taught to the children.

The children have acting, musical and vocal talents. To exhibit these talents, they are encouraged to actively participate in all the cultural events that are conducted by our church and Martha Mariam Samajam.

The success of our Sunday School can be attributed to the blessing from the Lord, the able leadership and guidance of our Achen, the dedicated and sincere teachers, the patient parents who wait while the children are learning and the eager and enthusiastic children. Rev Fr Thomas Varghese is our vicar and Headmistress is Mrs. Wendy Mathews.

BRISBANE (AUSTRALIA) REGION
Our Sunday school of St.George Indian Orthodox church was started this year in the month of January only...every Saturday after Holy Qurbana, we get all the children and conduct Sunday school classes.

Right now we have thirty students... five teachers... we follow OKR syllabus and classes are divided into four sections...This year we celebrated Sunday school day.

Thanks to the effort of Rev Fr Vinod George and Headmasters – Mr Abraham John and Mr Anil Abraham (Canberra)

AUCKLAND (New Zealand) REGION
St Dionysius Indian Orthodox Sunday School with 55 students and 14 teachers meet every Sunday, we have regular classes. Our head master is Mr.K.N.Varghese (Sam) and our Achen is Rev Fr Biju Mathew.

Our Sunday school classes for the last year started on 10th of January 2010. Classes were held immediately after the church service on Sundays. In spite of various church activities which clashed with Sunday School timings, we had tried to conduct classes regularly.

For the first time since its inception, our Sunday School had all the first 10 classes during the year.

We followed the OSSAE – Outside Kerala Region curriculum. We had conducted the half yearly examination on 18th July and annual examination on 19th December. There were 44 children in 10 classes at the close of the year and16 church members taught during the year in various classes.

It is a matter of great joy for us to record, that the entire first batch of students who appeared for the SSFC examination on Dec 12, passed with either a first class or a second class.

Other Activities
The senior children above 14 years regularly participated in the youth meetings and discussions on third Sundays. The smaller children occasionally met for the Balasamajam. Rohan Vibu was the secretary and Asha Alex was the teacher co-ordinator for the samajam.

English Service books were made available for all children, after this need was discussed at a teacher's meeting. This resulted in improved involvement of children at the service. We thank Mr A C Philip and Mr Mathew Koshy for their initiative.

The OVBS was conducted for age group 4-16 years, from 29th Sept – 2nd Oct 2010. The theme was "The Teacher is here and He is calling for you". St. John 11:28. 50 children including non-parishioners attended. Apart from the church members, Mr Abel James and Mrs Shobha Philip conducted general classes. Mr A C Philip had served as convenor.

The senior children and teachers had participated in the Christmas Carol visits to the member's households.

Our children participated well in the Christmas programme Sunday 26th December. An added attraction for the programme was the various performances by the Youth Movement and the carols by our Church Choir. Soumya and Sneha had coordinated the event. Falling in line with the church's extra emphasis to save environment, the Santa Claus distributed plants as Christmas gifts to children.

The annual co-curricular competitions were conducted from 15th Jan and 6th Feb 2011, for the second year in succession. Although the participation this year was less than last year, there was general improvement in the performance standards. Mrs Shirley Varghese, Annamma Philip, Asha Sunil and Jasmine Thomas had co-ordinated the events. Mr Denoy, Mr Sajan, and a non-parishioner Mrs Reena Joby, had helped with the assessment this year. We record a special word of gratitude to the Hon. Parish Treasurer and all the managing committee members, for supporting the idea of valuable and attractive prizes for children.

We express our gratitude to our former vicar Rev Fr Shinu Thomas, for his guidance and beloved Jasmine Kochamma, for all her involvement and assistance.

Thanking all the members of our parish for their active and continuous participation and support, I humbly submit this annual report.

Soumya Varghese -Sunday School Secretary, Auckland

PORT BLAIR (ANDAMANS) REGION
St Mary's Sunday School has children from beginners to 8th standard. We have over 120 children and 11 teachers who meet every Sunday for the classes.

We conducted OVBS program during summer vacations, and last year we also continued the Annual Kids Kamp during Pooja Holidays, various competitions like Quiz, Memory Verses, and Elocution was organized. We have invited resource persons from other churches and young leaders to organize classes and singing sessions for our children.

Annual exams were conducted and certificates were distributed. Our children participated in the Christmas Carol program on the Doordarshan TV.

Regular picnics and sightseeing trips were also organized.

Sunday School also functions at Bettapur and Digilipur with few students and teachers. We thank Rev Fr Saji Thomas and Headmaster Mr M Eapen for all the support.

SINGAPORE REGION
Sunday School classes are held at the St.Thomas Orthodox Cathedral. There are over 100 students from K 1 through to Sec 4 and 16 teachers who dedicate themselves for the children and the Church.

Student Strength
We had a total of 100 students from K 1 through to Sec 4 as per follows:

K 1	13 students	Pri 5	12 students
K 2	7 students	Pri 6	8 students
Pri 1	12 students	Sec 1	7 students
Pri 2	11 students	Sec 2	10 students
Pri 3	6 students	Sec 3	2 students
Pri 4	4 students	Sec 4	8 students

All students were given a copy of the textbook. Most of the students were quite regular in classes.

Malayalam Songs. - Mrs. Sonia Jolly conducted Malayalam songs on alternate Sundays.

English Hymns and Messages - Mrs. Sheela George, with the kind assistance of Mrs. Usha Thomas on the keyboard, conducted English Hymns sessions followed by a Message by Mrs. Susan Thomas.

Activities – OVBS - The yearly OVBS for Sunday School Children was held on 5th and 6th June 2010. More than 50 students participated in this program.

Children's Day - Games were organized on 3rd October 2010 to celebrate Children's Day.

Re-dedication.- A Re-dedication service was held on 17th October 2010 for Primary 6 students soon after the Holy Qurbana. Rev.Fr.Jiju Varghese led special prayers on this gracious occasion and explained the benefits of this special service to all present.

Final Examinations - Final Examinations were held on 24th October, 14th and 21st November 2010..

Christmas presents were distributed to all the children below the age of 5years on 19th December 2010.

We thank Vicar Rev. Fr. Jiju Varghese, Headmistress Mrs.Susan Issac, Teachers and all parents for the wonderful way the Sunday School is organized.

The future of our church depends on how we educate our children, let us work together as one team and move forward.

We look forward to your prayers and guidance for all the Sunday School activities. Thank You and May God bless you all to do more for the children's ministry.

Mohan Daniel
Diocesan Director- Madras Diocese

MGOCSM AND OCYM

OCYM & MGOCSM

OCYM & MGOCSM – MADRAS DIOCESE
ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2010-2011

"O my God, take me from the hand of the sinful, from the hand of the wrong doer and the man without pity. For you are my hope, O Lord God, you are my trust since I was Young — Ps. 71:4.5"

Praise be to the Lord Almighty. With the abundant showers of blessings of the Lord Almighty the activities of the OCYM & MGOCSM of the Maddras Diocese was organised very well under the august leadership our beloved president Thirumeni H.G. Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros. Thirumeni's blessed presence and encouragement was there with us throughout the year to make the activities more vibrant and fruitful. All the units in the diocese organised different programs, taking turns in each month on the whole the units were engaged throughout the year.

Leadership Programs
The year started with a bang for the movement with leadership programs being organised. The Chetpet unit organised a regional level one day leadership program in the month of May. The programme was conducted by our dear Rev. Fr. Varghese K. Varghese, General Secretary MGOCSM.

Representatives from all churches attended the one day program. A leadership camp ONYX (Orthodox Nectar for Young Christians) was organised at the theological seminary kottayam led by Rev. Fr. Philip Kuruvilla a few members from our church attended the camp hence the units were ready to start the year on a fruitful mode.

Quiz Competition & Blood Donation Camp
The Padi unit organised a regional level quiz competition in the month of September in memory of our former beloved diocese metropolitan Late H.G. Zachariah Mar Dionysious. A rolling trophy was handed over to the prize winners in our beloved Thirumeni's name. The Chetpet unit got the first prize. It was decided here that hereafter this Quiz competition will be organised on the Diocesan level. The Tambaram unit organised a blood donation camp to spread the social awareness amoung the youth.

Bible Study
The Broadway unit organised a regional level bible study class in the month of October. The bible study was conducted by our MGOCSM Diaspora Secretary Mr. Liju Varghese there was an active participation of all the member units. This was a point of starting the bible study so that all the units could follow this patterns in their own units in the course of the year.

Singing Competitions
The Padi unit conducted their 17th Inter Church Singing Competition Sangeetha Dhara 2010 in the month of November. All the units in Chennai region actively participated in this event. The event was filled with distinguished guest as judges and guest. The Koyambedu unit won the first prize this year. The St. Thomas Mount unit organised their singing competition HYMNS 2010 in the month of December. The program had individual singing and group singing also the event was a grand success. Members from all our units in the region participated in the event.

Sports Meet
The Perambur OCYM unit organised their 3rd One day Cricket match on 19th of February 2011. The tournament was inaugurated by our beloved Thirumeni. The toss for the match was tossed by our Rev. Fr. Anup Eapen. The match started with the first ball being bowled by our dear Very Rev. Fr. George Varghese Cor-Episcopa. Thirumeni in his inaugural speech quoted the youth as the athletes of our church. The Perambur unit won the trophy for the match.

One day Conferences
The Chetpet unit organised their fifth regional level conference Confluenz 2011 in the month of March. The conference was inaugurated by our Very Rev. Fr. Thomas Paul from Kolencherry. The sessions was led by Rev. Fr. Zerah Paul. The session followed by lunch was led by our Dn. Shaun from OTS Kottayam, there was a good participation from all the churches in Chennai.

The Koyambedu unit organised a one day conference also in the month of march with the them "let no one despise your youth". The session was led by Rev. Fr. Albin from the Malankara Catholic Church.

Youth Festival
The Coimbatore unit organised a Youth Festival involving all the churches in the region. The conference was presided by our beloved President Thirumeni. The program was conducted by our Coimbatore Cathedral Unit.

On the whole this year there was lot of activities in all our units. Almost all the units made a visit to our Vinayagapuram Mar Dionysious disabled home and spent their time with the children there tendered their love and care for the kids. Each unit have their own programs and schedules of meeting. These units meet almost twice in a month.

I thank our Vice President Achen Rev. Fr. Thomas Issac (Sam Achen) for his overall leadership in the movement activities and helped and guided me throughout the year Achen is a vibrant and energetic person and was physically present in all the meetings. I also thank our Diocesan MGOCSM Secretary Nikil Alex and our regional Secretary Allin John for all the support and help given to me. I also thank all the Vicars of all the Churches for making their respective church units active.

I specially thank our president Thirumeni for all his care, encouraging and innovative thoughts in bringing up the movement. This year Thirumeni has nominted and selected Mr. Mathew Varghese from Perambur Church to be the Diocesan Treasurer.

Last but not the least I thank God almighty for his abundant blessings and for guiding us so far.

With prayers in Christ

ANU JOY
Diocesan Secretary, OCYM

MARTHA MARIAM SAMAJAM

MARTHA MARIAM VANITHA SAMAJAM

MARTHA MARIAM VANITHA SAMAJAM
MADRAS DIOCESE

ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011

By the Immense Grace of God Almighty, it is my proud privilege to present the Annual Report of the Activities of Madras Diocese Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam for the year 2010-11

Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam is the Women's wing of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. It is one of the major spiritual organization of our church combining all the female members. It is spread throughout the world in all the 30 Dioceses and functioning in almost all parishes of the church. The Motto of Martha Mariam Samajam is "Pray, Work and Shine"

Aims and Objecives
The Aims and objective of Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam is to strive to create an awareness among women to have, Theological Training by studying the Divya bodhanam course of the Orthodox Seminary, Kottayam, Participating in the Annual examination conducted by MOMS, Participating in Church Choir to make the worship more meaningful, Training women to have social awareness, Participation in social activities., Decision-making at every level, Attempts to find out women's potentials to a greater extent, Training women to conduct prayer groups, to lead prayer, Bible classes, Fellowship meetings and to preach the Gospel, to enhance spiritual practices by observing lent and other religious practices, bringing up children etc., attempts to find out more Sunday School teachers with a commitment to Christ.

Diocese Level Activities
The activities of Diocesan level Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam includes, Bible Study, Retreats, One Day Conferences, Seminars, Quiz competetions, Music and Elocution Competetions etc., to improve upon the spiritual life of our members and their families. Added to this, as a part of our Charity Programmes, our members at the unit level as well as at the Regional Level visits orphanages, Old Age Homes, extend financial help for the homeless, providing educational assistance to the needy students and also visits the sick as well as the people in distress. Programmes like, Fellowship of the Least Coin, World Day of Prayer, Observation of the Bible month from July 15 to August 15, Observation of the Feast of Assumption of St. Mary, are also being done at unit level. It is very much encouraging to all our Members that our President Thirumeni His Grace Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros, is actively involving in all our programmes and the presence of our Thirumeni in the Regional Level programmes, boost the morale of our members. Thirumeni's leadership, guidance and concern for all our activities at Regional and Unit level encourage the members to actively participate in the various programmes in large numbers.

Regional Units
It is happy to report that the Regional Level Units are functioning at Andamans, Chennai, Coimbatore and overseas. From the reports gathered from the Regional Secretaries that the Regional Level activities are going on very well and it is encouraging and beneficial for the Spiritual Growth and Development of our Members.

Akhila Malankara MMVS Annual Examinations
Annual Examination of the Akhila Malankara Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam, conducted annually was attended by our Diocese Members in large numbers at the Regional level centres on 03.10.2010. The following are the Rank Holders:

Akhila Malankara Level
Super Seniors Special Prize	:	Mrs. Alice Abraham - St. Mary's Cathedral, Coimbatore.
Seniors Third Rank	:	Mrs. Kunjumol Raju - St. Gregorios Church, Salem.
Madras Diocese Level
Super Seniors First Rank	:	Mrs. Alice Abraham - St. Mary's Cathedral, Coimbatore
Second Rank	:	Mrs. Saramma Thamby - St. Mary's Cathedral, Coimbatore
Third Rank	:	Mrs. Kunjamma Varghese - St. Peter's & St. Pauls Church, Koyambedu.
Seniors First Rank	:	Mrs. Kunjumol Raju - St. Gregorios Church, Salem
Second Rank	:	Mrs. Mary George - St. Gregorios Church, Tambaram
Third Rank	:	Mrs. Jaya Soney - St. Peter's & St. Pauls Church, Koyambedu
Juniors First Rank	:	Mrs. Jenu Joseph - St. Thomas Cathedral, Broadway
Second Rank	:	Mrs. Nisha Mary Jacob - St. Thomas Church, Puzhuthivakkam
Third Rank	:	Mrs. Gracy Raju - St. George Church, Avadi H.V.F.

All the winners were awarded with the certificates and the Rank Holders at the Diocese Level were presented with the Prizes during the Chennai Region Annual Meeting held on 04.03.2011 at St. George Orthodox Church, Ramalingapuram, Chennai. Prizes to the out station members were sent through their Vicars.

Akhila Malankara Annual Conference
The 79th Annual Conference of the MMVS was held at Pampady Mar Kuriakos Dayara from 18.05.2010 to 20.05.2010 and our previous Diocese Secretary Mrs. Lovely John and a team of our members from various Parishes, have actively participated in the Annual conference.

Unit Visits
During the reporting year, I could visit few units at Chennai Region, viz., St. Mary's Church - Chetpet, St. Thomas Church - Puzhuthivakkam, St. Gregorios Church - Perambur, St. Peter's and St. Pauls Church - Koyambedu, St. George Church - Ramalingapuram and attended the meetings.

Moms Navajyothi Society
We are encouraging our Member Units to start the MOMS Navajyothi Society, self help Group for Empowerment of Samajam Members. The members of the St. Gregorios Orthodox Church - Perambur, in their annual meeting has shown interest in starting a Candle manufacturing unit from next year. The details are being worked out by the Office Bearers of the Unit.

Conclusion
I record my sincere thanks to our President Thirumeni H.G. Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros for his valuable guidance, advice and concern Thirumeni is showing for the members as well as for the various activities and also to Akhila Malankara Marthamariam Vanitha Samajam President Thirumeni H.G. Dr. Zacharia Mar Theophilos for all the guidance and periodical advices. I also place it on record our sincere thanks to our dynamic vice president, Rev. Fr. Gigy Mathew, who is endeavouring his best for the active and smooth functioning of all our units as well as for the successful conducting of Regional Level programmes. I also extend my sincere thanks to our Treasurer Mrs. Susha Kurian, all Committee members of the Diocese Marthamariam Vanitha Samajam and the Previous Diocesan level office bearers for their valuable guidance and support. I also express my sincere gratitutde to all the Priests of Madras Diocese for rendering their valuable support and guidance.

I conclude this report by expressing my sincere submission and devotion to the Supreme Head of our Church, H.H. Moran Mar Baselius Didymus I Valiya Bava and H.H. Moran Mor Baselius Paulose II Catholica Bava and the members of the Holy Synod. We also submit in prayers for the intercession of St. Mary, the guiding spirit of our Samajam, and all the Saints and Martyers, especially for the intercession of St. Gregorios and St. Dionysius.

Elsie Mathews
Diocesan Secretary,
MMVS, Madras Diocese

MELTSO D ALOHO

Meltso D’aloho

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son , and of the Holy Spirit- St.Mat 28:19"

It is the need of the hour to spread the Word Of God to all and carry out the mission activities within the Diocese. Realizing this urgency the Diocesan Internal Mission Body christened as Meltso D'aloho (Word of God) was formed with Rev.Fr.Gigi Mathew as the convenor along with Fr.Aji Varghese, Fr.John Joshbi Thomas, Fr. Zachariah Mathew, Fr.Anup Joseph Eapen, Fr. Ivan Mathew and Dn. Pradeep Ponnachen as the members.

The main objectives of the Mission Body are:

To carry out mission activities in the rural areas, schools, college campus etc.
To spread the Word Of God within the territory of the Diocese of Madras
To prepare a Prayer/ Song book which includes songs and prayers in Malayalam and English to be used during the Prayer Meetings in Our Diocese?
To conduct a detailed study about the initiation of Chapels, Congregations and Mission Centers within the Diocesan territory and implement them along with Our Consent.
To co-operate with the Prayer Fellowship of the Diocese of Madras in its activities

ECOLOGICAL COMMISSION

ECOLOGICAL COMMISSION

"God created the world and all that is in it" Psalms 24:1

Nature is the art of God and God owns it. Throughout the scripture we are reminded that God created the world for His purposes and we have the responsibility to take care of it. The energy hungry lifestyles human beings have its impact on nature to a great extent. We should live in a way that does not destroy the beauty or the resources of the earth for the future generations.

With a view to sensitize the members of our Church to the need to preserve God's gift to mankind – the Earth, an Ecological Commission was commissioned with the following office bearers:

Rev. Fr. Anup Joseph Eapen - Vice President
Mr. Thomas Philip - Secretary
Dr. C C Sagy - Advisor
Dr. Rosy Thomas - Advisor
Mrs. Shanthi Thomas – Advisor

The Ecological Commission was launched on Sunday August 14th 2011 in twelve different churches/chapels in the city of Chennai. To mark the launch a sapling was planted in each of these churches/chapels.

We urge all of you to work with the Ecological Commission in conserving the environment.

YOUNG COUPLES FELLOSHIP

YOUNG COUPLES FELLOWSHIP

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" – Joshua 24:15

Young Couples of this generation stand at a very unique and interesting time which challenges their moral and spiritual mindset, when they cope through their personal, family, career, financial and other aspects of their life. Understanding the importance and the need to support the young couples of our church, our Thirumeni; H.G.Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros Metropolitan has started the Young Couples Fellowship in our diocese.

The Key objectives of this fellowship include:

To emphasize the importance of God being the nucleus in the lives of young couples.
To act as an excellent support system to couples who are going through marital, financial, children or any other family related issues.
To enable the church to address the spiritual needs of this young generation of couples in a common forum.
Leverage the talent of the youngsters and assist them to integrate with the church in an effective manner.

The fellowship will primarily target young couples in the age group up to 45 years though; couples above this age group are also welcome to join the fellowship. It was also decided to conduct one regional level meeting to be organized once every quarter of the year wherein specialist speakers can be invited to lead the session. And at the unit levels, monthly meetings can be organized across various parishes.

On the administrative front, Rev. Fr. Aji Varughese was nominated as the Vice President and Mr. Thomas Simon was nominated as the Diocesan Secretary of this fellowship. Also, the following "Leader couples" were nominated for the respective churches in our region.

St. Thomas Cathedral, Broadway : Mr. & Mrs. Koshymon
St. Mary's Orthodox Church, Chetpet : Mr. & Mrs. Mammen Kurien
St. Pauls & St. Peters Orthodox Church, Koyembedu : Mr. & Mrs. Vinod Mathew
St. Gregorious Orthodox Church. Perambur: Mr. & Mrs. P V Paulose
Mar Gregorious Orthodox Church, Tambaram : Mr. & Mrs. Sunil Mathews
St. George Orthodox Church, Padi : Mr. & Mrs. Lijesh George
St. Thomas Orthodox Church , Puzhithivakkam : Mr. & Mrs. Blesson Mathews
St. Mary's Orthodox Church, Thiruvottiyur : Mr. & Mrs. Gemon Mathew
St. George Orthodox Church, Ramalingapuram : Mr. & Mrs. Shaju Thomas
St. George Orthodox Church, HVF, Avadi : Mr. & Mrs. Jojin Ninnan

Regional conference at Aramana:
The first one day regional meeting was organized under the leadership of our Thirumeni at Bishop's House on 18th July 2010 immediately after the Holy Qurbana at the Chapel. Mr. Philip Cherian, Director – Formations, Bangalore delivered the address on the theme "Two are better than one". The session focused on two key thoughts, one – Role of God in marriage and secondly, how to manage one's expectations in marriage focusing on apologizing and forgiving.

One – day Family Conference at St. Paul's & St. Peter's Orthodox Church, Koyembedu:
A one-day family conference was held on 13th February,2011 from 10am to 4.30pm at St. Paul's & St. Peter's Orthodox Church, Koyembedu. Rev.Fr. Issac Prakash, Director, Counselling Centre, Kollam Diocese, was the Chief Guest and the Key Speaker at the event. Interactive sessions on family issues, group discussions and planning sessions were held as part of the event and it was well received by the participants. Question & Answer sessions, Bible Quiz and hymns helped us to understand the Word of God better.

Session at St. Gregorios Orthodox Church, Tambaram:
Rev.Fr. Dr. O. Thomas addressed the Young Couples fellowship members on 26th February 2011 for a half day session. The speaker dwelled on the essence of a Christian Family Life and gave insights into issues faced by couples of this generation and also provided practical solutions based on Christian principles. Post the session, Rev.Fr. Dr. O. Thomas opened the forum for the participants for a Q & A session. The participants thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from the session.

Over the past one year, besides the Regional Programmes, Unit level meetings were organized across the parishes in the region wherein the members met for about an hour or two for a Bible study organized by their respective Parish Vicars and also few of the units have been organizing prayer meetings at their member's house.

I conclude this report by submitting our sincere thanks to our President Thirumeni, H.G. Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros for his valuable leadership and vision for initiating such a wonderful and an important fellowship in our diocese.

I wish to place on record the valuable guidance and motivation by our Vice President Rev.Fr. Aji Varughese, in helping us organize various activities of the fellowship at the regional and also at the unit level. Also, we thank all the parish vicars for their encouragement without which this fellowship would not come this far. Finally, I thank all our unit level secretaries for their tireless efforts and enthusiasm for organizing and encouraging the young couples of each parish to engage and participate in this fellowship.

I thank God Almighty for His abundant blessings and guidance for enabling us to be used as His humble instruments for His Glory. l am expressing our sincere submission and devotion to the Supreme Head of our Church H.H.Moran Mor Baselius Didymus I Valiya Bava and H.H.Moran Mor Baselius Paulose II Catholica Bava and the members of Holy Synod. We also submit in prayers for the intercession of St. Mary the mother of God, St. Thomas the Apostle of India, all the Saints and Martyrs, especially for the intercession of St. Gregorios and St. Dionysius.

SNEHA BHAVAN

SNEHA BHAVAN — VELLORE
This project was conceived and executed by the late Zachariah Mar Dionysius on his 60th birthday in the year 1990 to provide affordable accommodation for the patients and attendant accompanying them to the CMC, Vellore, for medical care. Guidance and spiritual nourishment have been provided and this program functions very well. The demand has been overwhelming and the existing eight furnished rooms are insufficient to meet the current requirement. It is proposed to construct additional rooms, a Chapel, a lounge-cum-reading room, office, kitchen, dormitory and recreation room at an estimated cost of Rs. 50 lakhs.

We hereby appeal to all Christians, particularly the Orthodox Syrian Church members, to contribute generously to expand the accommodation facilities. We are indeed grateful to Rev. Fr. Aby M. Chacko - Vice President, Dr. Ashok Chacko - Secretary, Mr. P.V. Mathew - Treasurer, Br. Aneesh Kunjappan - Warden for their unstinting efforts to make this humanitarian project successful.

TUTICORIN

ST. GREGORIOS MISSION CENTRE THOOTHUKUDI
(SEARD TRUST)
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11

We, the S G Mission collective, are happy to present the report of our activities during 2010-2011 with thanks giving to The Lord Almighty and all that helped and co-operate in the service of S G Mission.

Vision of S G Mission is to build society free from inequality, superstitions, selfishness, fear, alcohol, drugs, dowry, corruption, exploitation and society based on people's power, social injusties, self-reliance, communal harmony and safe environment. Mission of the organization is to struggle with people's participation, which is oppressed and marginalized in the socio-economic and educational fields.

Over the last decade the development strategies have under gone considerable change. S G Mission registered as SEARD Trust, like that in last years gave Emphasis on the work of development by empowering women and children in and around Srivaikuntam through education,Children's Home, formation and development of Self Help Groups, income generation programs for people below poverty line, Rehabilitation of Mentally and physically challenged people, education facility for dropouts, child labour and the like.

This Year we started one Congregation in Tirunelveli around 11 families are members of the Congregation, College students also attend the Holy Qurbana.

The main activities during the year under report are:

CHILD LABOUR ERADICATION PROGRAM
ST. GREGORIOS KARUNALAYAM
PRE SCHOOL EDUCATION
WOMENS FORUM (SHGS for Savings and Credit)
AWARENESS GENERATION
VOCATIONAL TRAINING

CHILD LABOUR EDUCATION PROGRAM
Total beneficiaries under this scheme are 85 in our full time child labour special school students along with medication, orientation programs, vocational training program and education regular school syllabus. It has helped for them to continue students have come to mainstream; it has the main aspects of the child labour eradication program. Monthly parents meeting were conducted. The young men and women - who are school dropouts are the neediest group in this context. The local groups, which discussed these matters, confirmed the need for skill training to dropout youth in respective areas. There are 2 NFE centers in different villages in Srivaikuntam Taluk.

ST. GREGORIOS KARUNALAYAM (Bala, Balika Bhavan)
Under this scheme there are 35 childrens residing at our St. Gregorios Karunalayam, we admit the childrens who are school dropout and child labours. Most of the beneficiaries are the orphans, semi orphans and childrens from broken family. We provide special coaching, food, accommodation Medication, dress and vocational training to the pupil. We have five acre land for the development of the SEARD Trust there we plan a building construction for the Balika Bala Bhavan.

PRE SCHOOL EDUCATION
In one pre-school about thirty two students are getting the fundamental education and socialization process. For the parents this pre-school is blessing, as they are confident enough about the safety and security of their children while they are going to make a living by some daily labour. Every year about 12-15 students used to join regular school from our pre-schools. Regular monthly parents meeting with awareness classes human rights, importance of education health and hygiene, child development are educated.

WOMENS FORUM (SHGS for Savings and Credit)
In a society, income (wealth) and social status are interlinked. Low income is the main reason for the low educational standard among the rural poor. When they find it difficult to feed the family with meagre income, it is impossible to find money to educate their children, to provide health facilities and to spend for their lives. Many depend on moneylenders for immediate need, resulting in permanent indebtedness.

The number of dropouts is alarmingly high in the deep-rooted poverty of the families. At present SEARD is having 54 SHGs of which 5 SHGs is constituted in the year under report. 30 groups have Bank accounts. All Groups more than 80% of the amount was distributed as internal loans and 51 Groups had getting bank loans for different economic development activities. 30 groups are only the members from farmers family. These groups are regularly gathering for monthly meetings in which discussions and awareness sessions on various subjects. Monthly meeting in SEARD Office for all groups delegates there have awareness session conducted in various subjects.

AWARENESS MEETINGS
SEARD Trust have conducted International Women's day program, Yoga and Naturopathy in Association with Ministry of Health, Child labour day program and several awareness meeting about health and hygiene, Ayurvedic Medicines and plantation, Organic farming, Vermy compost making, about the bio-fertilizers, environment protection, government schemes, Panchayatiraj, child right, human rights and free legal aid programme Associate with civil court in Srivaikuntam.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING
We have a St. Mary's tailoring training unit for village people about 42 people have get proper training from the center per year. This center has shifted from village to village wherever the SHGS want for training the village people and one centre in there have different type of craft and Technical Teacher Training course also provide to the village women's in Srivaikundam about 73 people get proper training from the year. 3 students had attended the tailoring and Embroidery higher examination. We have St. Gregorios Computer Training Centre in Srivaikundam about 30 students have get proper training from the centre.

CONCLUSION
Thanks to God Almighty for success of last year our all programs to service with people with name of God. Thanks to our Diocese Metropolitan H.G. Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros, Priests, Board Members, Govt. Officials well wishers who have co-operated with us. In a society, Income (wealth) and social status are interlinked. Low income is the main reason for the low educational standard among the rural poor. When they find in difficult to feed the family with meager income, it is impossible to find money to educate their children, to provide health facilities and to spend for their lives. To help such people we need support from the Govt. Co-operation of the social workers, Community and institution to carry out the mission among the poor. Some of them are cared by us still we have to reach out many, support them which needs finance, education, labour sacrificial love of the care taker. We wish more but our area is Vast !....

As a nation we are obliged to build a healthy nation to achieve this goal led as start a thousand mile journey starts with a single step. Let us take that step that will entail a better tomorrow for the destitute and suffering people of country. In the absence of adequate care and attention the Partially abled children are facing a situation of stagnation of their mental and physical growth. So there is the need for Day Care and Special Education Centers for mentally and physically challenged and school dropout children's to be started in these areas.

Fr. SLEEBA JOHN
Director