Dear All,

It is with a great sense of gratitude, love and bubbling enthusiasm that I am
typing this brief note of testimony. When I was in College, I had recurrent
attacks of Migraine with symptoms of severe headache accompanied by prostration,
nausea, vomiting, and photophobia. There was, sometimes, a preceding aura
consisting of visual disturbance, tingling and weakness of my limbs. I tried all
three systems of treatments like Modern Medicine, Homeopathy and Ayurveda, but
all were of no effect.

In 1986, Mar Osthathios thirumeni made his Apostolic visit to my former parish –
the St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Alleppey. In all faith, hope and love and with
the same attitude of the woman with an issue of blood as narrated in the gospel
of St. Luke 8:40-48, I approached his grace with this my grievance. He prayed
for me by laying his holy hands upon my head and blew on my face. After that
healing prayer, I have never had the attack of Migraine. I still believe that
the very same God who healed the woman who touched His cloak healed me too
through this my beloved mentor and motive – Mar Osthathios thirumeni. I recall
that past solemn event on the very next day when I was ordained as an acolyte by
his grace. The celestial voice from his mouth exhorting me to serve the Lord in
His temple still echoes in my ears. It was indeed an inexplicable heaven coming
down experience for me.

My elder brother Mr. P.T. Varghese too has the same experience to testify for
the miraculous recovery that he had from his illness after having been blessed
by this Holy Father in 1987.

I thank the triune God for having graced the holy Church with Mar Osthathios
thirumeni and for allowing the tenderness of His Fatherly care, the glory of the
Cross of Christ, and the splendour, power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to shine
through this our beloved thirumeni. Trusting fully in God's infinite mercy, in
the intercession of Virgin Mary the Theotokos, and of all saints and by
internalizing the gist of gospel, he has given a living image of Jesus, the Good
Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness and sharing of love are the necessary
measures of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal
communion with God. I do humbly pray to God Almighty to grant us, according to
His will and by the intercession of this our well- beloved guru and shepherd,
the graces we implore, hoping that his grace will be numbered among the "Saints"
in the future.

In Christian Love,
George Achen, Ireland