Indian Orthodox Diaspora

World Environment Celebration

Youth Movement celebrates World Environment Day

In a first of its kind the Youth Movement in Delhi diocese this year celebrated World Environment Day and organized a symposium on the threat of Genetically Modified (GM) food on our lives.

The session held after the Holy Qurbana on June 7 was hosted in St Stephen's School by the Dilshad Garden unit of the movement in partnership with Greenpeace International.

The volunteers of the Greenpeace presented a film on the threats of GM foods on our lives and also conducted a open house session to debate the issue with the participants.

A film was screened on the issue of conservation of Ganga and other rivers in the country. The effects of global warming and conditions like that of the floods in Mumbai were discussed by the participants.

The session also included also included a short session by the Parish Vicar Fr Saji Abraham, who is also the director of the Sunday School movement in the diocese, on the daily do's and don'ts in our households. The parish discussed small ways like minimizing the use of polythene covers and traffic norms to conserve fuel etc in the session. The discussion concluded with a pledge to contribute towards the safety of our planet Earth in our own small ways as a community.

The winners of the collage making competition for families organized on the occasion on environment theme were felicitated on the occasion.

Dilshad Garden youth movement has plans to hold more such sessions in the future to establish the Orthodox Community as an environment friendly one. Greenpeace team appreciated the church for its awareness drive. The network called upon the Church and promised all support to work towards making the Indian Orthodox Church the first Green Church of the world.

Rino Rachel Joy
E Volunteer
Indian Orthodox Diaspora Secretariat
New Delhi.

One Day Seminar, Mayur Vihar, Nov 16,2008

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At Mayur Vihar Phase -I, Nov 16,2008

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Salient features of the MGOCSM Diaspora Ad Hoc Committee

Held at the end of the Taize Pilgrimage and of a one day MGOCSM conference of Kolkatta parish. The MGOCSM Diaspora Secretariat President HG Geevarghese Mar Coorilos and the Director of the Secretariat were the chief resource persons of the conference who also simultaneously led a Martha Mariam Conference that day.

The developments since the inauguration of the Secretariat at the office were shared by Rev. Fr. Philip Kuruvilla and Br. PT Jobin. The future course of action within the limitations were also discussed.

It was decided that the Secretariat needed to reach out to the parishes and to manage with its human resource shortage the first programme should be a training programme for resource persons of MGOCSM like senior members and seminarians. This could be held in January 2007 at Nagpur or perhaps Vashi. Besides this an Orthodox Leadership Camp could be held in Kerala for MGOCSM members around May- June 2007. During the Outside Kerala Vaidiga Sangam a session could be taken by HG Mar Coorilos and Fr Philip Kuruvilla on the importance and method of youth ministry.

Further it was also discussed whether more youth from the diaspora could benefit from the annual pilgrimages to Taize as they could also help develop resource persons for similar sessions in our conferences.

With the focus on the programme in January the meeting parted with the decision that the training needs be intimated to the Diaspora Secretariat and all efforts be made to ensure that the right candidates come for the programmes of the Secretariat. Participation from Chennai diocese was missed at the meeting.

First IODS Conference

The first conference organised by the Indian Orthodox Diaspora Secretariat was held on the 26th and 27th of August 2006 at St. George Orthodox Church, Dwarka. About 160 college going and working youths attended the conference the theme of which was �Christian life beyond Sunday�. It began on Saturday evening with the theme presentation by Rev. Fr. PA Philip the Vicar of Ghaziabad church. This was also followed up with a Taize meditation led by Br. Oliver from France.

The Holy Qurbana on Sunday was ably celebrated by Fr. PA Philip. Rev. Santosh George, Secretary of the Chaplains section of the Christian Medical Association of India took an interesting session related to pluralism while Rev. Sunny E Mathew from Dharmajyoti Vidhyapeeth, Faridabad, took a skill building session in Bible Study.

The youthful choir from Janakpuri did an excellent job of providing a good musical diet while the Dwarka parishners ensured a good palate for all. The stylish St. Gregorios School just next to a Metro Station proved a perfect location for the conference.

MGOCSM-IOD Delhi Diocese Annual Conference

The annual conference of the MGOCSM of Delhi Diocese was held on 1st and 2nd of October 2006 at St. Thomas School, Sector 8, Faridabad. It was the first time that it was organised in conjunction with the Indian Orthodox Diaspora Secretariat. The theme of the conference was �On the way to Mount Tabor�. About 150 young people from across the Diocese participated in it. The conference began with the celebration of Holy Qurbana in English by Rev. Fr. VM Abraham, the General Secretary of MGOCSM, at St. Mary�s Orthodox Church, Faridabad. In the inaugural programme that followed, Very Rev. MS Sakariah was the guest of honour as a representative of the Diocesan Metropolitan His Grace Job Mar Philoxenos.

Theme presentations were made by Fr. VM Abraham, followed by group discussions. He also took a session on the Christian Ethos of Marriage on the second day. Rev. Fr. VM James took a Bible study while Very Rev. MS Sakariah Ramban took a devotional talk on the 2nd. For the purpose of career guidance Mr.Sanjay Raphael Varghese spoke on the hospitality industry and Mr. Sunny Thomas on the media. Colour was added to the proceedings through ice breaking sessions, skits put up by groups and song sessions. Prayers were held in English and Hindi.

The programme was managed jointly by the MGOCSM (Vice President Rev. Fr. Biju P. Thomas) and the Delhi IODS(Vice President, Rev. Fr. Thomas Ninan) with the co-operation of the Faridabad parish (Vicar, Rev. Fr. Philip M. Samuel).On the whole the participants got to learn much like the importance of Renunciation, pilgrimage and the relevance of the Holy Qurbana. The organisers also got insights into the needs of the youth today.

E******enical Pilgrimage of Trust, Kolkatta, October 5-9

Taizé: Pilgrimage of trust meeting in Kolkata
"On the road of trust, towards a future of peace"

5 to 9 October 2006

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Ghaziabad Diaspora on 'Church and new generation'

Ghaziabad Diaspora Group Views

During a meeting held on Sunday, September 3rd, 2006, the views from the 14 members present on the issues between the Church and the youth were:

On the needs of the New Generation the Church should cater to :

-Developing better understanding of Orthodox faith and identity
-Tackling the language problem by simplifying Malayalam usage and encouraging English and Hindi
-Developing an attachment with the church like our parents have
-Promoting awareness about Orthodox Church in society
-Running counselling centres
-Facilitating prayer which involves through retreats for different target groups
-Facilitate interactions with other religions
-Facilitate social service

Read More...

Youth Voice Encouraged

The other day I heard a young man in one of our Diaspora meetings in Delhi say 'The voice of youth are suppressed'. Subsequently in a combined meeting with seniors I could see that manifest itself when many seniors spoke and the youth had only a few voices in the discussion. Below is the news of the world wide e******enical movement ENCOURAGING the voice of the youth. So lets work on gradually getting youth voice in the mainstream of the church. Further we could also encourage our church leaders to promote youth on the WCC body. Let's see how the Orthodox Church changes to ENCOURAGE youth.

MGOCSM Diaspora Secretariat Inauguration

By the grace of the God Almighty, MGOCSM Diaspora Ssecretariat was inaugurated on 15th July 2006 at Nagpur by H.G. Philipos Mar Eusebius, President of the MGOCSM of India, in the presence of H.G. Stephanos Mar Theodosius (Metropolitan of Kolkata Diocese) and H.G. Geevarghese Mar Coorilos (Vice-President, MGOCSM & Metropolitan of Mumbai Diocese). Fr. Philip Kuruvilla , currently serving as the Consultant on HIV and AIDS to the Christian Conference of Asia, and nominated as the Director of the new Secretariat, which was to be based in Nagpur, co-ordinated the proceedings, ably helped by Fr Bijesh Philip. The General Secretary of MGOCSM, Fr. Dr. V. M. Abraham was also present on this historic occasion, which covered two days of programmes.

Fr. Dr. Reji Mathew, Principal, St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary , Nagpur and most of the staff and students were part of the programmes, as were other eminent members of the clergy like Fr. Dr. Abraham Oommen, (Secretary of Kolkota Diocese and Director of the MP Christian College of Engineering and Technology), stalwarts of the MGOCSM, both past (�Senior Friends�) and present from all Dioceses- including the Gulf Countries- and well wishers from the host Cathedral in Nagpur. Many of those who came were those who had been present at the Seminar in Goa (2004) and the meeting at Aravali (Delhi, 2005) where the seeds of the idea of a Secretariat had germinated, and to prove that this Secretariat was not created in a vacuum , but after serous thought and planning.

Some Pictures of the Nagpur Meeting