Sir,
This is to express deep sorrow.Let Almighty take achen
to the parudisa.Condolence to bereved family.
V.M.Thomas
--- Thomas Daniel <daniel_reji@...> wrote:
> Rev. Fr. Kumarakathu T.K. Daniel (70) one of the
> senior priests in
> Malankara Church, member of Malankara Church
> Managing committee and
> our previous vicar passed away on 27 Monday August
> 2001. His burial
> service will be held at St. George Horeb Jacobite
> Church, Chennithala
> on 28 August 2001. The burial service will be lead
> by Catholicose
> designate H.B. Thomas Mor Divaniyasos and other
> bishops from
> Malankara Church.
>
> May God give Eternal peace to the departed soul and
> courage
> to the bereaved family.
>
> With deepest condolence
>
>
>
>


__________________________________________________
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Though not a canonical lent of our church, many of us observe the 8
day lent and receive blessings. Here is a beautiful article about the
Nativity of St. Mary:

http://www.stathanasius.org/bible/sept_8_2000.html

--- In IndianOrthodox@y..., "Fr.Philip Kuruvilla" <frpkuruvilla@>
wrote:

Meeting between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox in Warburg,
Germany

From Friday 27 July 2001 until Sunday 29 we, Eastern Orthodox and
Oriental Orthodox bishops, priests, deacons, readers, monks,
laypeople and youngsters, living mostly in Western Europe, gathered
together in Warburg near Kassel, Germany, in order to know each other
better as well as to discuss issues of mutual interest and of
possible common action. More than 30 people coming from eleven
countries were present. The list of all participants will be given in
the Appendix.  Our meeting was honoured by the presence of three
Bishops: Bishop Damian of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Germany who,
very generously, invited the whole group to stay at the Coptic
premises; Metropolitan Seraphim, Romanian Orthodox  Metropolitan of
Western and Central Europe with seat in Germany and his secretary Fr.
Calinic, as well as by that of Archbishop Mor Julius Cicek of the
Syrian Orthodox Church accompanied by two monks from the monastery in
Hengelo near Enschede, the Netherlands. Our meeting was in fact an
implementation of pastoral outcomes of the official theological
dialogue, in order to know better our Eastern Orthodox and Oriental
Orthodox brothers and sisters and their specific traditions. This was
proposed several times in Recommendations on Pastoral Issues of the
Official Theological Dialogue. For example, in Chambésy, Geneva, in
September 1990, in Relations of our two Families of Churches (I), it
was stated that «We feel as a Joint Thological Commission that a
period of intense preparation of our people to participate in the
implementation of our recommendations and in the restoration of
communion of our Churches is needed. To this end we propose the
following practical procedure. It is important to plan an exchange of
visits by our heads of Churches and prelates, priests and lay people
of each one of our two Families of Churches to the other » (...) and
also « to exchange theological professors and students » (...) « In
localities where Churches of the two Families co-exist, the
congregations should organize participation of one group of people-
men, women, youth and children, including priests-, where possible
from one congregation of one Family to a congregation of the other,
to attend in the latter's Eucharistic worship on Sundays and feast
days. « (see `Towards Unity', chief editor C.Chaillot, Geneva 1998,
p.65). Recommendations of members of the Official Dialogue of
September 1990 also suggest to work for « our common service to the
world of suffering, need, injustice and conflicts » (...)« We need to
think together how best we could co-ordinate our existing schemes for
promoting our humanitarian and philanthropic projects in the socio-
ethnic context of our peoples and of the world at large. This would
entail our common approach to such problems such as: a) hunger and
poverty, b) sickness and suffering, c) political, religious and
social discrimination, d) refugees and victims of war, e) youth,
drugs and unemployment, f) the mentally and physically handicapped,
g) the old and the aged ». So we came together to see what can be
discussed and done together.

Firstly, on Friday afternoon, we went to the Syrian Orthodox
Monastery of St. Jacob of Sarugh situated in Warburg where we learned
about the Syrian Orthodox history, culture and liturgical life. The
questions posed were answered by Father Hanna Aydin, who is the Abbot
of the monastery as well as the director of the seminary (where
theology, liturgy, Syriac language and culture are taught): the place
is also the seat of a new diocese since 1997. We attended vespers
sung in Syriac language by the Syrian Orthodox students of a summer
course of Syriac language. In addition, we were astonished to hear
about the tremendous amount of work done in the 44 Syrian Orthodox
parishes establised in Germany since 1981, with more than 60000
faithful, mostly from Tur Abdin (South East Turkey) and by others
coming from Syria, Lebanon and also Iraq.

On Friday late afternoon we went to the Coptic Village in
Borgentreich, and started there by introducing each other.
Several sessions held on Saturday were dealing with two key issues
chosen by the participants for the morning and afternoon meetings:
(1) interaction in practice betwen the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental
Orthodox;
(2) youthwork.
(1) Within the given theme we identified the following main topics,
and many examples from churches in different countries were given:
- social issues: it was suggested to have a future common net of
diaconial work, e.g. among the immigrants, handicapped, elderly, etc.
- liturgical issues: e.g. to have liturgical explanation about the
different traditions, perhaps in a form of a conference; regular
common meetings of clergy on local and national level were proposed,
who could also be joined by lay and young people, as it has been the
case in Australia for many years.
- cultural issues: an icon exhibition of the different traditions was
suggested. (Bishop Damian is ready to host such an event in the
Coptic Village in Borgentreich).

(2) On Saturday afternoon the core of discussion was on youth work.
The participants shared their experience in youth fellowship and
deliberated how to motivate youngsters to take an active part in the
Church life. Many people stressed that parents and even grandparents,
and the example of an Orthodox attitude especially towards the
children and the family life in general, plays a big role in passing
on the faith in a lively way. The Church herself should be more open
in a way to help the youth to understand the Orthodox Christian life,
for instance by arranging a cathechetical material, perhaps in a form
of leaflets, in different European languages. Moreover, we tried to
reflect upon the mutual relationship of ethnic and religious
identities and upon common problems.

On Saturday evening we attended vespers in the Byzantine rite, sung
in various languages. On Sunday morning the Syrian, Ethiopian and
Armenian Orthodox clergy celebrated the Coptic Orthodox Liturgy, with
the presence of the Eastern Orthodox, in Brenkhausen, in the Coptic
monastery named after the Virgin Mary and St. Maurice, a Christian
born in Egypt who died in the 4th century as a martyr with his Theban
Legion in Switzerland. The Coptic monastery is situated 35 km from
Borgenreich, and is being restored since 1994.

As for the activities of the Coptic Orthodox Church, which has been
present in Germany since 1975, there are now 6 000 Copts organized in
8 communities, (23 in all Europe), with 2 monasteries and a cultural
centre in Borgentreich, 15 km from Warburg, huge ex-military areal
with lots of potential with ambitious plans for the future.

Three Ethiopians, including a priest, Father Semu Mitiku (Germany),
and a deacon, Fisseha Teferi ( the U.K.), also joined the meeting and
helped us to get a basic insight into the situation of the Ethiopian
Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Europe: more than 50000 faithful in
Europe (with about 12 parishes mainly in England, Sweden, Italy,
Austria, Greece, the Netherlands, and about 20000  faithful and 6
priests in Germany). There was a presentation of the Ethiopian
Orthodox Youth Association Mehebere Kidussan, with the seat in Addis
Abbaba and recently being established also in Europe.

An Armenian deacon from France, Philippe Sukiasyan, explained about
the history of the Armenian Church, its modern reality and problems
in diaspora and he also shared his experience of growing in a double
cultural context.

Alexandra Popescu and Lilian Agi represented the Eastern Orthodox
youth movement of Germany.

The two participants from Finland, Lea and Shimelles Tenaw-Rissanen,
explained that the International Orthodox Community of the Helsinki
Orthodox Parish, named St. Isaac of Nineveh, welcomes all Oriental
Orthodox living there to join their parish and liturgical life as
they don't have their own churches there: this situation is fully
recognised by the Orthodox Church in Finland and they have several
activities, such as family camps, excursions, seminars, exhibition of
icons and Church ustensils, food bazaar, as well as the publication
of a newletter `St. Isaac News'. Moreover, Oriental Orthodox priests
are invited from abroad occasionally to conduct Oriental divine
liturgy service in their native tongues and participate in seminars
organized by the Community.

Rudolf Stransky from the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church, who helped to
organise the whole event, spoke on the possibilities of supporting
Armenian immigrants living now in the Czech Republic not to lose
their religious identity.

Concretely, the representants of different youth movement decided to
invite one another to participate at each other's future activities.
Bishop Damian proposed to convert one of the buildings of the Coptic
centre into a youth house so that youth movements of Eastern Orthodox
and Oriental Orthodox could share in their activities. Bishop Damian
also offered the premises of the Coptic village in Borgentreich as a
possible permanent meeting centre for conferences, retreats and other
future happenings. Monasteries were also suggested as another option
of a cheap meeting place.

Metropolitan Serafim informed the gathering about his willingness to
have Saints common to both Traditions depicted in the new Romanian
Orthodox cathedral in Nuerenberg.

We all agreed that conferences, at local and regional levels, on
various themes, including ethics and other contemporary problems,
could be organised. Some people should be appointed to organise
future meetings in order to foster continuing relationship,
principally through the Eastern Orthodox Association `Inter-Orthodox
Dialogue' based in Paris and founded in 2000 by Christine Chaillot,
the main organiser of this meeting.
It was adviced that funds should be raised from within our own
communities, or even through the help of professional fundraisers.

In order to make their presence in contemporary Europe more visible,
the participants have agreed to prepare a Western European guide of
Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox sites (parishes and
monasteries) with addresses, pictures and maps. Having such a book,
it would be easier to organize common visits and pilgrimages. People
have been appointed for each region. (Father Moussa, France; Bishop
Anba Damian and Father Calinic, Germany; etc). In the Netherlands the
Eastern Orthodox have already published such a booklet.

Information from all Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches
in western Europe and information about upcoming events, including
news from other Orthodox sites, newly published books and CDs, etc.,
will be collected  on an international web site, which will be
operated by an appointed committee with responsible persons for each
tradition and to whom news, topics and notices can be sent by email.
(Deacon Philip Sukiasyan for the Armenian tradition, Father Moussa
for the Coptic tradition and other volunteers to be appointed).
There is also a desire to have a Church radio for Eastern Orthodox
and Oriental Orthodox.

Conclusion. This type of meeting of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental
Orthodox prelates, clergy and faithful was held for the first time in
Europe. It is very enriching to learn from the other traditions, at
the liturgical, cultural and, especially, at the spiritual levels. It
was also a unique chance for the Oriental Orthodox to meet each
other. The accent was put on trying to find the way how to attract
young people to Church, and how to increase the quality of the
prayers and divine services, which should not be just a mere
routine , but a means to develop a deep spiritual experience of the
union with God through prayer. We enjoyed very much the hospitality
we received in the Syrian Orthodox monastery and in the Coptic
Orthodox places, and we may say that all participants were really
enthusiastic about the whole event, (as clearly shown by a young
representative of the Fellowship of Orthodox Youth in Poland, Pawel
Zelezniakowicz, who came by hitchhiking!).
We all came to the conclusion that it is a necessity to carry on
similar encounters and events in an atmosphere of mutual love and
respect in order to maintain our own Orthodox Faith Traditon, and
every Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Tradition respectively,
in continuity from generation to generation, which is more and more
difficult in the context of diaspora. We hope to have similar
meetings in the near future in Belgium, the Netherlands, England and
France, and later in other places. All Eastern Orthodox and Oriental
Orthodox Churches have now many parishes all around Europe. We have
to prepare qualified people to serve our churches in Europe. We hope
to produce a common practical network. We shall send these minutes to
our Patriarchs, Bishops and all the people interested in these
issues.


List of participants, Warburg, Germany, June 27-29th 2001

Germany
- Bishop Damian (Coptic Orthodox Church in Germany), Propsteistr.
1a, 37671 Hoexter - Brenkhausen, Germany; phone: 0049527136854/18905;
fax: 0049527136742
- Father Hanna Aydin/monks and students, (Syrian Orthodox Church),
Kloster St. Jacob von Sarug,  34414 Warburg, 10 Klosterstrasse, phone
0049-5641740564/fax 5641741507
- Bishop Seraphim and Father Calinic (Romanian Patriarchate),
Füterstrasse 166, 90429 Nurenberg, phone 0049 9113236910/fax 12/email
vintila@gmx
- Father Isakhanian Servardis (Armenian Catholicossate of Armenia),
Berlin, phone 0049 303442952; phone/fax: 0049 2166 46366/942901;
mobile 0049 1735157117 (excused for sickness)
email: servardis@w...
- Father Semu Mitiku (Ethiopian Church), Wolfartsweierer str. 7/10,
76131 Karlsruhe, phone 0049 7219662509
email: semu_mitiku@y...
- Father Merawi Tebege (priest responsible for the Ethiopian Orthodox
Tewahedo Church in Germany), Ueckarather strasse 2, 50793 Koeln,
phone and fax 0049 2215992623
- Alexandra Popescu (Ecumenical Patriarchate), 139 Kirchfeldstrasse,
40215 Dusseldorf, phone 0049 2113180719
email: popescu@p...
-Lilian Agi, (Orthodox Church of Antioch), Hauffstr.9, 50825 Koeln,
phone 0049 2215507641
email: L.Agi@w...
- Elisabeth Laruelle-Sidarous, (Coptic Orthodox), 23 Boedexer Tal,
37671 Hoexter, 0049 527118906
- Martin Mitry, (responsible for Coptic Orthodox youth), Landgraf-
Georg str. 15, 64283 Darmstadt, phone mobile 0049 1795359496
email: martin@m...
- Michele and Daniel Riad (Coptic Orthodox), Lilistrasse 3, 63067
Offenbach, phone 0049 69810242
email: ariad@t...
- Artin Kaplan (Syrian Orthodox)

France
- Father Moussa Anba Bishoy , (Coptic Orthodox Church), 138 bd Maxime
Gorki, 94800 Villejuif, mobile: 0033603201547/fax 00331 49589200
email: moussa.anbabishoy@f...
- Joseph Stefanos, (Coptic Orthodox), 2 rue des Cailloux 92110
Clichy, phone/fax 00331 42706795; mobile 00331 622962202
- Weessa Marco, (Coptic Orthodox), 28 rue du 8 Mai 1945, 93360
Neuilly-Plaisance, phone 003367696951
- Philippe Sukiasyan, (Armenian), 123 avenue de Saxe, 69003 Lyon
phone 0033 478606457
email: psukiasyan@w...
- Adel and Mervat Ayad, (Coptic Orthodox), 126/128 av. Général
Leclerc, 92340 Bourg La Reine, phone/fax: 0033140910582
email: Ad.Ayad@w...
- Christine Chaillot (Patriarchate of Constantinople),
Association `Inter-Orthodox Dialogue', 3 rue Meynadier, 75019 Paris,
France, phone/fax: 00 33 1 42380104
e-mail: acchaillot@h...

Belgium
- George Vanev (Patriarchate of Bulgaria), 103 rue de Bourgogne, 1190
Forest Bruxelles, phone 00322 3432639
- Miguel Demeter, (Byzantine Catholic Church), 10 rue du Docteur,
1160 Bruxelles, phone 00322 6600590
email: miguel.demeter@p...
- Jakob Akay (Syrian Orthodox)
- Albert Aktan (Syrian Orthodox)

Holland
- Archbishop Julius Cicek, (Syrian Orthodox), 7585 PK Losser, phone
0031 534614764
- Monk Mushe ? (Syrian Orthodox)
- Monk Isa Oygur (Syrian Orthodox)

England
- Deacon Fisseha Teferi (Ethiopian Orthodox Church), 3 St. Nicolas
Glebe, London SW17 9QH, mobile 0044771 4758277
email: fissehat@h...

Poland
- Pawel Zelezniakowicz, (Orthodox Church of Poland), Geshiewicza 9?,
15129 Bialystok, Poland, phone 0049 503376211
email: pawez@w...
Finland
- Shimelles and Lea Tenaw-Rissanen, Metsätontunkuje 3J3902200 Espoo,
Finland; phone 0035894521927/mobile 0414673632
email: shimelleslea@d...
- St. Isaac of Nineveh the International Orthodox Community of
Helsinki Parish,Unioninkatu 39, 10th floor, 00170 Helsinki;
phone00358 968440428 or 4521927, 041 4673632
Sweden
- Yuhanun Kurf (Syrian Orthodox)
- Stefan Guven (Syrian Orthodox)
Czech Republic
- Rudolf Stransky, (orthodox Church of the Czek Republic), Jilova 25,
77900 Olomouc 9, Czek Republic, phone 00420685415595/ mobile
00420608725909
email: samson_cz@h...
India
- Father Aby Kurian Pathickal (Syrian Orthodox from India),
Perumbavoor, S.India 683542/now studying in St Vladimir Orthodox
College, 575 Scarsdale rd, Tuckahoe, New York 10707, USA
Programme for the Meeting between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental
Orthodox in Warburg in the Syrian Orthodox Monastery and in the
Coptic Centre:

Friday 27 July 2001
Arrivals by 2 p. m. Welcome in the Syrian Orthodox monastery and
Seminary in Warburg
Opening speeches by Their Eminences Archbishop Dionysios of the
Syrian Orthodox Church in Germany, and Bishop Damian of the Coptic
Church in Germany, and Bishop Seraphim of the Rumanian Church in
Germany
Speech by Christine Chaillot to introduce the new Association in
Paris `Inter Orthodox Dialogue'
Introduction of all the participants, including their comments on the
program so that it can meet their expectations, and presentations of
some projects
At 5 p.m. vespers according to the Syrian Orthodox rite
Lodging in the Coptic Centre in Borgentreich

Saturday 28 July 2001
Presentations of possible common projects ( e.g. pilgrimages,
retreats, study seminars and lectures, exhibitions of icons or
others, any cultural event, youth camps, charitable and diaconical
work, common website and radio projects, etc.)
Discussions in small groups according to proposals e.g.: What can we
do together in our respective country?
Time for preparation of general and local projects
Vespers according to the Byzantine Orthodox tradition in different
languages
Multicultural evening

Sunday 29 July 2001
Divine Liturgy according to the Coptic Orthodox tradition in
Brenkhausen
Final evaluation with written conclusions for future common projects
Departures




About the Association "Inter-Orthodox Dialogue"

A General Assembly met in Paris, November 29, 2000 to decide on the
creation of an association, "Inter-Orthodox Dialogue" (DIALOGUE ENTRE
ORTHODOXES) with the main goal of providing opportunities for
meaningful exchanges between Orthodox Christians and the general aid
of Orthodox Christians. This association would be governed under the
law of July 1, 1901 and the decree of August 16, 1901. Father Boris
Bobrinskoy was appointed as President and Anne Christine Chaillot to
the position of Secretary/Treasurer. The association DIALOGUE ENTRE
ORTHODOXES was officially recognized on December 15, 2000. The
Association's address is `Dialogue Entre Orthodoxes', c/o Anne
Christine Chaillot (Secretary/Treasurer), 3 rue Meynadier, 75019
Paris, telephone 0142380104, e-mail acchaillot@h...

Father Boris Bobrinskoy

Anne Christine Chaillot


The goal of the association is to provide opportunities for
meaningful exchanges between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox
Christians; and the general aid of Orthodox Christians.
1) Primarily to facilitate dialogue between Orthodox Christians of
the Byzantine/Chalcedon tradition (Greeks, Russians, Rumanians, etc.)
and the Oriental Orthodox Christians (Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian,
Syrian and Indian Malankara) with the
a) Publication of books, brochures, etc.
b) Organization of conferences, concerts, youth meetings, trips, etc.
c) Creation of a website, if cooperation
d) Creation of a global/European orthodox radio broadcast with
programs in English/French and other languages, if cooperation
2) General aid to Orthodox Christians in the world, particularly to
new communities in Africa and Asia and especially to the villages
3) General aid, according to needs, to other Orthodox Christians
In the future, other projects may be added to the ones listed above.




Speech by Christine Chaillot in Warburg 27 July 2001:

In a few words I would like to introduce the new Association, `Inter
Orthodox Dialogue', which I have founded in Paris in December 2000,
and to explain its aims and activities. I am the secretary and Father
Boris Bobrinskoy, the Dean of St Sergius Theological School in Paris
is the President. By `Inter Orthodox Dialogue' I mean the Dialogue
between the Eastern Orthodox and the so-called Oriental Orthodox
(Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian Orthodox and Armenian). `Inter Orthodox
Dialogue' is also the name of my house of publications for my books,
printed in Poland by Orthdruck since 1993. (Rôle des images et
vénération des icônes dans les Églises orthodoxes orientales (
Geneva, 1993 ), The Malankara Orthodox Church ( Geneva, 1996 ),
Towards Unity. The Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church
and the Oriental Orthodox Churches ( Geneva, 1998 ), The Syrian
Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East ( Geneva, 1998 ),
and `Fidélité et vulnérabilité des plus anciennes Eglises d'Orient'
in Les Richesses de l'Orient chrétien, collectif (eds. P.Baud et
M.Egger) edition St Augustin, 2000). Some know that for years I have
travelled in the Middle East, India and Ethiopia and, since 1989, I
have written articles and books on the life and spirituality of the
Oriental Orthodox Churches, with the special aim that Eastern
Orthodox can know better their Oriental Orthodox brothers and sisters
and their specific traditions.
In fact this was proposed several times in Recommendations on
Pastoral Issues of the Official Theological Dialogue. For example, in
Chambésy, Geneva, in September 1990, in Relations of our two Families
of Churches I, it is stated that «We feel as a Joint Thological
Commission that a period of intense preparation of our people to
participate in the implementation of our recommendations and in the
restoration of communion of our Churches is needed. To this end we
propose the following practical procedure. It is important to plan an
exchange of visits by our heads of Churches and prelates, priests and
lay people of each one of our two Families of Churches to the
other » ... and also « to exchange theological professors and
students »... « In localities where Churches of the two Families co-
exist, the congregations should organize participation of one group
of people- men, women, youth and children, including priests-, where
possible from one congregation of one Family to a congregation of the
other, to attend in the latter's Eucharistic worship on Sundays and
feast days. « (Towards Unity p.65) As I was meeting many people of
the two Families in their ancestral places and in the diaspora, I
thought it would be good not only to write about the Oriental
Orthodox, but also to organise meetings and activities in the
diaspora context where we live. With this aim I thought of an
Association with the seat in Paris, where I live, but with possible
branches in all the countries of the diaspora where Eastern Orthodox
and Oriental Orthodox live side by side, still, too often, without
knowing each other.
Here are some of the activities which I have organised since the
beginning of the year in Paris: on March 3rd, in the Hall of the
Musée de l'Homme, I presented a small exhibition entitled « Ethiopia.
Aspects of the historical and cultural patrimony »;on March 25, in
the new room of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Montfermeil, north
Paris, Dr. J.C. Chabrier, a lecturer in Sorbonne university, gave a
conference with slides on `the Monasteries and villages of Tur Abdin
(South East Turkey); on April 19, in UNESCO, in Paris, concert of
Oriental Churches: Ethiopian, Coptic, Syrian Orthodox, Greek and
Arabic Byzantine, Rumanian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Armenian and
Russian; I had organised two similar concerts in November 2000 in an
Orthodox church rue Lecourbe (Russian parish under the Ecumenical
Patriarchate), and on January 19 in the Greek Orthodox cathedral, rue
Bizet.; on April 29 Mrs Gohar Haroutiounian, a graduate student in St
Serge Institute, explained the exhibition `Ani, capital of Armenia in
the year 1000', in the Pavillon des Arts, lles Halles; on May 6, in
the Syrian Orthodox Centre, the Syrian Orthodox liturgy had the
participation of Copts, Ethiopians, Armenians, and some Eastern
Orthodox, and was followed by a lunch and hymns of the present Church
traditions. All events were free of charge, except for one exhibition
entrance.
Similar action could be organised wherever you live. Other projects
are possible such as the following ones: Hildo Bos, present acting
President of Syndesmos, the Orthodox Youth Movement, in a letter
adressed to Bishop Damian on 1 January  2001, is proposing to  have a
Syndemos international event in the Coptic centre in Warburg in 2002
or 2003. We can ask the ideas of Syndesmos members present here such
as Rudolf Stransky who helped me to organise this meeting.
Recommendations of the members of the Official Dialogue of September
1990 also suggest to work for « our common service to the world of
suffering, need, injustice and conflicts »: « We need to think
together how best we could co-ordinate our existing schemes for
promoting our humanitarian and philanthropic projects in the socio-
ethnic context of our peoples and of the world at large. This would
entail our common approach to such problems such as: a) hunger and
poverty, b) sickness and suffering, c) political, religious and
social discrimination, d) refugees and victims of war, e) youth,
drugs and unemployment, f) the mentally and physically handicapped,
g) the old and the aged ». Here we can discuss together all these
subjects, except politics .
We are sorry not to have with us the previous President of Syndesmos,
Vladimir Misiuk, who was recently ordained as priest and has now
parish obligations, as he had organised a similar Syndesmos meeting
last summer in Poland, with Eastern and Oriental Orthodox: its
friendly outcome inspired us to organise our meeting here. And we are
happy to welcome two representatives from Poland. Father Heikki
Huttunen of Finland, also a previous President of Syndesmos, has been
a long time friend of many Oriental Orthodox. He is represented here
by Shimelle and his wife who will tell us about the situation of the
Oriental and Eastern Orthodox in Helsinki.
For different reasons Eastern and Oriental Orthodox people from
Holland and England could not come here. But some are ready to
organise something similar in their country in the future. The
Ethiopian priest in Holland intends to have, in May 2002, a meeting
of the Ethiopian Youth Association called `Mehebere Kidussan', with
seat in Addis Ababa and now with members in Europe, and whose
President in Europe, Father Semu Mitiku, is with us. On that occasion
it would be nice if some Eastern Orthodox people could be included. A
Serbian Orthodox student in England wanted to join us but was
responsible at the same time for a youth camp. With him, and others
such as Bishop Angelos of the Coptic Church, Father Shnork
Bagdassarian of the Armenian Church, and Father John Jillions of the
Orthodox Theological School in Cambridge, a project could also be
elaborated in England.
As for liturgical life we shall have on Friday vespers in Syriac, the
language close to Aramaic spoken by Christ; Byzantine vespers in
several languages on Saturday; and a Coptic liturgy, in Coptic,
Arabic, English and German? on Sunday.
The aim of our meeting is not theological.  As you may know a
Commission of theologian experts have been appointed by their
respective Patriarchates to discuss the theological issues, since
1964 at an unofficial level, then since 1985 at an Official level. I
compiled all their texts in a book called `Towards Unity. The
Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Oriental
Orthodox Churches' (Geneva 1998), with a Russian translation in 2001.
Following these meetings which took place until 1993, some
Patriarchates of the two Families, specially in the Middle East, have
not only agreed on their common christological faith, but have also
signed common agreements on baptism/marriage, etc (Patriarchates of
Antioch and Alexandria). Some conservative Orthodox don't accept yet
the official agreements and think that the texts should be more
developped: such is the case of the Patriarchate of Russia which
began, in March 2001, a Bi-lateral Dialogue with the Armenian Church
of Etchmiadzin and with the Oriental Orthodox Churches of the Middle
East (Coptic from Egypt, Syrian Orthodox from Damascus and Armenian
from Antelias/Beirut). Similar positions are found also in the
diaspora context and we must respect them, waiting for more
information to be given to the clergy and people about this
theological and pastoral Dialogue.
Here we meet to grow friendship and to discover one another life/
reality and tradition at the liturgical, historical, cultural levels
and, above all, at the spiritual level. Let us find new ways of
meeting each other, of creating links and of sharing together our
wonderful and ancient Church traditions. Let us create situations of
integration in which people who maybe had no chance to meet will
meet. Like artists created by God, with lightful energy, let us
create ` new things' together. I hope that now we can learn a lot
from each other and have many fruitful projects together.
Finally I want to thank all of you who came here today and who will
now introduce themselves. I want to thank with all my heart Bishop
Dyonisius and Father Aydin (and all the monks and the students) for
receiving us this afternoon in the Syrian Orthodox Monastery in
Warburg. I also thank Bishop Seraphim of the Rumanian Church in
Germany for his words of blessing for our meeting. Special thanks are
due to Bishop Damian who was so generous, not only to invite us for
this meeting, but to offer everything concerning the hospitality.

Fr.Philip Kuruvilla/Peeli Achen/Phil
--- End forwarded message ---

Dear American friends,

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God..."
These timeless words of assurance, found in Isaiah 41:10, remind us
of God's loving kindness and faithfulness.  It is reassuring to know
that the Lord understands our deepest, innermost needs.  God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore, we
will not fear...(Psalm 46:1-2b).

It is also encouraging to have friends who stand together in prayer.

Let us all join in prayer for world peace.  Let us pray for those
terrorist groups so that the Holy sprit work on them and they will
come to sense.

In Our Lords Love
Thomas Daniel
From the land were Gospel is prohibited
Please remember us in your personal prayers

Dear Members

Visit any of the following links for the latest updates on 'Syrian
Orthodox Church (Malankara Sabha)'

http://www.geocities.com/ti2001in/Malanakra_Voice_Home.htm  Or

http://malankaravoice.cjb.net

In Our Lords Love
Thomas Daniel
From the land were Gospel is prohibited
Please remember us in your prayers

Reports of the terrible tragedies of September 11th and details of
planed memorial services from the Syriac  Orthodox Church Archdiocese
of the Eastern United States.

Please  visit
http://www.syrianorthodoxchurch.org/news/sept11a.htm

In Our Lords Love
Thomas Daniel
From the land were Gospel is prohibited
Please remember us in your personal prayers

Open to us, Lord, your great Door, 0 Fountain of all mercy, hear our
prayer and have mercy on our souls. Lord of the morning and ruler of
all seasons, hear our prayer and have mercy on our souls. Shine upon
me, Lord, and I shall be Light like the day; I will sing your praise
in Light while I marvel; may the morning awaken me to the praise of
your Godhead and I will pursue the study of your Word all the day
long. With the day may your Light shine on our thoughts and may it
drive away the shadows of error from our souls. The creation is full
of Light, give Light also to our hearts that they may praise you with
the day and the night.

(Syrian Orthodox Prayer)

Rise up, 0 children of Light, and let us give glory to the Lord who
alone can save our souls. 0 Lord, as you withdraw sleep from the eyes
of our body, grant us wakefulness of mind so that we may stand before
you in awe and sing your praises worthily.

(Syrian Orthodox Prayer)

Dear Members

Here is a link for Bible in Malayalam.

http://www.gospelcom.net/ibs/bibles/malayalam/

--- In SOR-Forum@y..., "George Kiraz" <gkiraz@B...> wrote:
Mardu is the official newsletter of Beth Mardutho. Mardu is sent via
mail to the Friends of Beth Mardutho. The first issue of Mardu is
made available on the Beth Mardutho site as an example (in PDF
format). To receive Mardu regularly, along with many other benefits,
sign up and join the Friends of Beth Mardutho at
http://www.bethmardutho.org/HelpUs/default.html.
You can read the first issue of Mardu on http://www.bethmardutho.org
(click on Mardu Newsletter), but don't forget to sign up to receive
the subsequent issues.

George Kiraz

--------------------------
George A. Kiraz, Ph.D.
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
http://www.BethMardutho.org

Read Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies: http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye
--- End forwarded message ---

Tuesday, 2 October 2001 18:27 (ET)
Christian Churches to be built in Qatar
By UWE SIEMON-NETTO, UPI religion correspondent

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Qatar is to allow Christian churches to be
built in a special area in a suburb of capital, a senior official of
that Muslim and Arab emirate on the Persian Gulf told United Press
International Tuesday.

Qatar's ruler, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, will arrive in
Washington on a state visit Wednesday after stopping off in New York
where he toured the devastated World Trade Center and donated $3
million to various disaster relief charities.

Roman Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox sanctuaries will be
built in a fenced-in compound near the Marriott hotel in Ras Abu
Abboud, a suburb west of Doha, Qatar's capital city, the official
said.

"Our government has offered the Christian denominations a large piece
of real estate for this purpose. It's now up to each of them to
design their buildings," he added.

"This is part of a well thought-out strategy of the current emir to
liberalize his country," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., told
UPI. "It deserves recognition and applause from the rest of the
world."

On Wednesday, Rohrabacher, a member of the House International
Relations Committee, will co-host a lunch for Qatar's ruler, whose
human rights policies he praised.

The congressman noted specifically the recent municipal elections --
the first in the petroleum-rich nation -- and the voting rights
granted to women.

"I don't know why Muslims should be restricted from hearing about
other faiths," Rohrabacher said, commending Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al
Thani all the more as "a powerful voice of moderation" in the Middle
East.

Construction work on the church compound will probably begin next
year,"the Qatari official informed UPI. He said negotiations were
currently underway between the denominations on how to divide up the
land allotted to them by the government.

"It seems that differences of opinion between Eastern Orthodox
churches are holding up the work. The Orthodox -- Arabs, Greeks,
Indians, Syrians, Palestinians, Lebanese and Egyptian Copts --
evidently find it difficult to agree on how to build and use their
sanctuary," the official continued.

"They have quite different traditions."

Three-fourths of Qatar's estimated 700,000 inhabitants are
foreigners, and of those many are Christians. So far, Qatar has
prohibited the public practice of any religion other than the strict
Wahhabi variety of Sunni Islam, which is also the predominant faith
in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

But in Saudi Arabia, even private practice of other religions is
forbidden and a major crackdown against foreign Christians is
underway, according to The Rev. Steven L. Snyder of International
Christian Concern, a Washington-based religious rights organization.

At least 16 worshipers in clandestine house church services have been
arrested in recent months.

In Qatar, on the other hand, even large congregations of up to 1,000
members have been permitted to worship informally in private homes,
the government official said, adding, "We have some very substantial
residences capable of accommodating that many people."

According to Christianity Today magazine, Qatari authorities do
insist on being notified in advance of such meetings.

Commented the Qatari official, "We want our guests to feel comfortable
practicing their faiths. It's also preferable for us to know where
they are going than have them sneak into somebody's house, as is
happening elsewhere."

"In addition to the three sanctuaries there will be other facilities
in the proposed compound, for example, parsonages and restaurants."

But will these churches have spires with crosses and bells calling
Christians to worship? "I think not," the official said.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

Under the co-chairmanship of His Eminence Metropolitan Bishoy of
Damiette of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and the Rt Revd Dr Geoffrey
Rowell, Bishop-Designate of Gibraltar in Europe (the Church of
England Diocese in Europe), Anglican and Oriental Orthodox
representatives, delegated by their Churches, met to consider the
recommendations of the Lambeth Conferences of 1988 and 1998 and
decisions of Oriental Orthodox Churches that the Anglican-Oriental
Orthodox dialogue be upgraded from a Forum (1985-1993) to a Commission

For more details please visit
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/documents/aooic/200107.html

In the Christian Quarter of Old Damascus, 20 yards from the street
called "Straight," thirteen of us gathered around the long table in
the vaulted dining room of the Syrian Orthodox Seminary. Our simple,
evening meal began with the prayer Jesus taught chanted in a dialect
of the language Jesus spoke, Syriac. The Lord's Prayer was lead by
the spiritual director of the seminary, a gentle and wise monk named
Father Issa. The English equivalent of his name is Jesus.
Father "Jesus" sat at the head of the table which happened to include
12 others that evening. The dining room was framed by two pictures of
the Lord's Supper.

To read more please visit.....
http://www.mcc.org/ask-a-vet/supper.html

Molotov cocktails have been thrown through church windows at
Lidcombe's St John Vianney Church, Greenacre Memorial Uniting Church
and the St Ephreim Syrian Orthodox Church under construction at
Lidcombe.

Pro-bin Laden slogans such as "Osama bin Laden is Great", "Muslims
Rule" and "Kill Jews 1 by 1" were spray-painted on the Syrian
Orthodox church.

For more details please visit....
http://news.f2.com.au/2001/10/12/FFXROCSVOSC.html

14 Oct.

Fr. Thomas Varghese Mullamkuzhy, Omalloor (37) one of the eminent  young
priests of Southern Diocese
was called to the heavenly abode on Friday afternoon.

But you muster your courage and venture inside. You see a Greek
Orthodox monk lighting candles. You hear the Armenian Orthodox choir
singing their Liturgy. You pass by a small chapel where a Copt
Orthodox priest devoutly says his prayer and nearby a Syrian Orthodox
monk recites his. You continue on and meet a Franciscan friar
preparing an altar for the celebration of the mass.

This is too much for your pious expectations. Where have you ended
up? Is this the place that has played such an important role during
the centuries? Is this what you had expected to see? But then, all of
a sudden it dawns on you and it starts to sink in.

To find out were you are.... please visit.....
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/jhs/TSspintr.html

May God give Eternal peace to the departed soul and courage to the
bereaved family.
With deepest condolence
For & on behalf of
St. George Syrian Orthodox Church Community, Cheppaud
http://communities.msn.com/StGeorgeSyrianOrthodoxChurchCheppaud/_whats
new.msnw

--- In SOCM-FORUM@y..., George Varghese <varghese@h...> wrote:
>
> 14 Oct.
>
> Fr. Thomas Varghese Mullamkuzhy, Omalloor (37) one of the eminent
young
> priests of Southern Diocese
> was called to the heavenly abode on Friday afternoon.

The Three Stages of Spiritual Life

Joseph the Visionary, An Introduction

JOSEPH HAZZAYA, or the Visionary, was born into a Zoroastrian family
some time around 710. As a child of seven he was taken captive during
a raid, to be sold first to an Arab, and then to a Christian in the
region of mount Qardu (north Iraq). Impressed by the example of some
local monks, he sought baptism, and when his owner subsequently
liberated him, Joseph became a monk himself. For two separate periods
in his monastic life he lived as a solitary, but he also twice served
as abbot of a community.

Joseph has left a considerable number of writings, some of which were
circulated under the name of his brother and fellow monk, Abdisho. A
number of these writings were included by A. Mingana in his
work "Early Christian Mystics." Among his Letters is an important one
on the three stages or degrees of the spiritual life, wrongly
attributed in the manuscript tradition to Philoxenus. Although the
pattern is based on John of Apamea's threefold division, Joseph
adapts it to incorporate features from other writers, including
Evagrius; we thus have the following main correspondences:

(1) The first stage is that of the body (pagranuta); this is
concerned with external practices, fastings, vigils, and prayer
centered on psalmody and readings. This corresponds to the cenobitic
life and is symbolized by the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt
(i.e. the world) and their passage through the wilderness; it also
represents the state of a servant who is subject to commandments. The
aim is purity, and the stage corresponds to the Evagrian praktike and
the Dionysian 'purification'.

(2) The stage of the soul (nafshanuta) belongs especially to the
solitary life, and is concerned above all with the practice of the
interior virtues, in particular humility. The transition from the
stage of the body to that of the soul corresponds to the crossing by
the Israelites of the river Jordan, and the ensuing fight with evil
demons reflects the Israelites' fight with the inhabitants of the
Land of Promise. This is the state of a worker who awaits his daily
pay. The aim is 'limpidity' or 'transparency' (shafyuta), and this
stage corresponds to the Evagrian 'natural contemplation' and the
Dionysian 'illumination'.

(3) The third stage, that of the spirit (ruhanuta), is concerned
primarily with the activities of the mind; it constitutes the entry
into 'perfection' (or 'full maturity'), and represents 'the glorious
Zion'. This is the state of a son (and no longer that of a servant or
worker), and the most characteristic feature of it is the vision of
the Formless Light of the Trinity and of the Risen Christ. This stage
corresponds to the Evagrian theologia and the
Dionysian 'unification'.

Two excerpts from Joseph's works are translated here. The first is a
short unpublished text on 'spiritual prayer'. Joseph's description of
this exalted form of prayer indicates that he has in mind something
rather different from Isaac's 'spiritual prayer'. The second excerpt
(transmitted under the name of Abdisho) is taken from a longer work
of advanced teaching on prayer entitled 'On the stirrings, or
impulses, of the mind during prayer'. Here Joseph compares the soul
to a ship at sea with the mind as the helmsman, trying to cope with
the various winds, which are the impulses which arise in the mind
during prayer. A detailed analysis of the different kinds of impulses
is given, and the extract ends with a description of the vision of
the Light of the Holy Trinity.  (to be continued)

Sebastian Brock, "The Syriac Fathers On Prayer and the Spiritual
Life," Cistercian Publications

NEW YORK TIMES
'Body of St. Luke' Gains Credibility
October 16, 2001
By NICHOLAS WADE

A new DNA analysis gives tentative support to the belief that the
remains in an ancient lead coffin are those of St. Luke,
traditionally considered the author of the third Gospel and the Acts
of the Apostles.

Dr. Guido Barbujani, a population geneticist at the University of
Ferrara, Italy, has extracted DNA from a tooth in the coffin. He
concluded that the DNA was characteristic of people living near the
region of Antioch, on the eastern Mediterranean, where Luke is said
to have been born. Radiocarbon dating of the tooth indicates that
it belonged to someone who died between 72 A.D. and 416 A.D.

A report by Dr. Barbujani and colleagues appears today in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.

The Evangelist, according to ancient sources, was a physician who was
born in Antioch and died at 84 in about 150 A.D. in the Greek city of
Thebes. The coffin with his remains was taken to Constantinople, the
capitol of the Byzantine empire, in 338 A.D. and later moved to Padua,
Italy.

Dr. Barbujani and his colleagues speculate that the coffin may have
been sent out of Constantinople for safekeeping, either during the
reign of the Emperor Julian, who tried to restore paganism, or during
the iconoclast period of the eighth century, when many religious
images and objects were destroyed.

The coffin is known to have been in Padua at least since 1177 A.D. It
was placed in a marble sarcophagus and kept in the Basilica of Santa
Giustina. It was last opened in 1562 A.D. and seems to have been
somewhat ignored until October 1992. At that time the bishop of
Padua, Antonio Mattiazzo, received a letter from Hieronymos, the
Orthodox Metropolitan of Thebes, asking that part of the relics to
be donated to the site of Luke's tomb in Thebes.

Bishop Mattiazzo, according to an article in November 2000 in Traces,
a Catholic journal, decided to investigate the relics under the
leadership of Dr. Vito Terribile Viel Marin, a pathologist at the
University of Padua. In 1998 the 400-year-old seals were removed from
the lead coffin, and the study began.

The dimensions of the coffin exactly fit the tomb in Thebes onsidered
to be Luke's. In the coffin was a skeleton, but not the skull.

Dr. Barbujani and his colleagues say the body appears to have
decomposed in the coffin because of matching insect marks on the lead
and the pelvis, which has fused to the lead.

The spread in the radiocarbon dating indicates at least two
possibilities. One is that the body is that of Luke or a man who died
at the same time, the other is that for some reason, a new body was
put in the coffin in Constantinople around 300 A.D.

To help distinguish between the two, Dr. Barbujani, an expert on the
genetics of European populations, analyzed fragments of DNA from the
tooth, a canine, found on the floor of the coffin, and sought to
compare them with likely living representatives of the ancient
populations of Antioch and of Constantinople. An Antioch match would
suggest the body could be Luke's.

Since the present population of Antioch includes many Kurds, Dr.
Barbujani sampled the DNA of Syrians from nearby Aleppo. In place of
the inhabitants of ancient Constantinople, now Istanbul, he tested
Greeks from Attica and Crete.

The DNA from the Padua tooth, a type inherited only through the
mother's line, turned out to resemble Syrian DNA more than Greek DNA.

"Our data tell us the body is absolutely compatible with a Syrian
origin," he said. "But I am aware of the limitations of the DNA data,
and though a broad spectrum of ages is possible, the most likely is
300 A.D." Hence both possibilities should remain open, he said.

The body, if indeed it is Luke's, has experienced a simpler voyage
through history than the head, which was removed by the Emperor
Charles IV in 1354 and taken from Padua to Prague, where it rests in
the Cathedral of St. Vitus, in the Prague Castle.

"There were officially two heads of St. Luke, one at Prague and one
in Rome," Dr. Barbujani said. At Bishop Mattiazzo's request, the
Prague skull was brought to Padua and found to fit perfectly to the
topmost neck bone. The tooth, found on the floor of the coffin, also
fit into the right socket in the jawbone.

Though many relics turn out to be forgeries, executed in modern or
medieval times as demand arose, the Padua body seems more likely than
most to be what it is claimed to be, although exact proof is lacking.

"I think we should accept that there is no way to tell if it was the
Evangelist Luke, but the genetic evidence does not contradict the
idea," Dr. Barbujani said.

Last October, according to the Traces article, at least part of the
body completed the circle to its original resting place. Bishop
Mattiazzo sent a rib from the skeleton for Metropolitan Hieronymus to
place in the empty Theban tomb.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/16/science/social/16TOOT.html?
ex=1004247402&ei=1&en=b4f1265f564f16fe

If you have trouble getting access to this article in the NY Times,
try the BBC site which has another article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk

Zoom down to the bottom and look for SCI/TECH (with photographs of
Saint Luke's teeth)