Indian Orthodox Seminarians at STOTS

Mar Nicholovos Celebrates Feast of Ascension at St. Tikhon's Seminary Chapel

2010-05-13T10:28:00.004-05:00

On Thursday, May 13^th, His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, Auxiliary Metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese, celebrated the Feast of Ascension at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary Chapel in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

Consecration of Bishop MICHAEL

2010-05-13T10:12:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, May 8, 2010, the Dean of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Michael [Dahulich] was consecrated as Bishop of New York and New Jersey at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Jersey City, New Jersey. Presiding at the consecration Divine Liturgy was His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, and other members of the Holy Synod of Bishops.

It is bittersweet for us as we are joyous knowing that Bishop Michael has been called to the ministry of the Episcopacy, but saddened that he is leaving St. Tikhon’s. We cannot begin to express our gratitude for all the love and care he has shown our church and our students. He has led many of our retreats and conferences in America, and even travelled to India as a chief guest for the centennial celebrations of the MGOCSM last year. He is the reason many of us have chosen to come here to be formed as pastors for the Holy Church. We are truly thankful to Bishop Michael for his role in our lives as a spiritual father, role model, mentor, friend and teacher.

May God grant the newly consecrated, Bishop Michael, many years!

Ordination of Dn. Jacob Kurian & Dn. Zachariah Skariah

2010-05-13T10:00:00.006-05:00

We were blessed to witness the ordinations of two of our brothers who will be graduating this year. His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebius, Metropolitan of the Diocese of South-West America, ordained Zachariah (Diju) Skariah to the Sub-diaconate on Saturday, March 27^th, 2010 at St. Gregorios Orthodox Cathedral, Bellwood, Illinois and Jacob (Jake) Kurian to the Diaconate on Saturday, April 10^th, 2010 at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas. May God grant them many years!

Ordination of Dn. George to the Priesthood

2010-02-23T14:10:00.005-05:00

Rev. Dn. George Mathew, Jr. lovingly known as ‘Benny Semmasen’, was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at St. Mary’s Bethlehem Orthodox Church, Thottakadu.

Father George, member of St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church of Greater Washington D. C., graduated from St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, South Canaan, Pennsylvania in May 2009 and has tirelessly served as the OVBS Director for the American Diocese, and has been instrumental in the various ministries of the Baltimore/Washington D. C./Virginia Area.

His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, Assistant Metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese led the Holy Ordination Service in the presence of His Grace, Metropolitan Thomas Mar Athanasius (Chengannur Diocese).

May God grant all of His choicest blessings upon the newly ordained Achen and his family, and may the Holy Spirit lead him in the ministry God has entrusted him.

A Teacher and Mentor

2009-12-04T14:52:00.005-05:00

This year, with the approval of the Diocesan Metropolitans, it has been a great blessing to have Rev. Fr. Philip C. Abraham as our Liturgics Professor. Achen was the pupil of the great Rubrics Malpan H.G. Yuhanon Mar Severios. He is also a disciple of H.G. Geevarghese Mar Ivanios. While serving in the Kottayam Diocese, he was asked by Ivanios Thirumeni to train priest candidates. By the request of H.G. Mathews Mar Barnabas, Achen came to the then American Diocese in August of 1997. He was appointed as Vicar of St. Mary's Orthodox Church, Sayville,NY from 1997-2004. He was then transferred to St. George Orthodox Church, Staten Island, NYwhere he served as Vicar from 2004-2008.

Philip C Achen has a deep love and passion for our liturgical prayers and services which is evident in his life. His life revolves around the prayers and services of the Holy Church. His love for the liturgical services emanates in his teaching style as he is very thorough, patient, and prayerful. He has a special gift in teaching and it brings him joy to see people learning and participating in the liturgical life of the Church. Special thanks goes to Kochamma, and the children Philemon and Priya as they have been very kind and hospitable to all the students who attend the classes. We have had the chance to study the Sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Unction, and we are currently learning about the Funeral Services. In addition to the Seminary students, some of the Deacons from the Diocese of North East America have joined for the classes as well. Achen is a great example and inspiration for all aspiring priests, and we pray that God continues to use him to train the future ministers of the Church.

On Sunday, October 18, 2009, Achen celebrated the Holy Qurbana at the St. Tikhon’s Seminary Chapel. We are thankful for his willingness to come and spend a weekend with us in fellowship to teach and lead us in prayers and to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Several Seminary students from other Orthodox jurisdictions attended the Qurbana and expressed their deep appreciation for our Liturgy and the beauty of it.

Minus Three, Plus Two!

2009-09-29T12:04:00.009-05:00

Although three of our brothers graduated last year, two more have joined the brotherhood, bringing our current total to six.

Teji Abraham, a member of St. Mary’s Orthodox Church of India (Dallas, TX) joined us after completing his undergraduate studies in Mathematics. After receiving his certification to teach high school math, Teji taught 9^th grade Algebra at the Plano Independent School District. He had been contemplating Seminary all throughout college, and finally decided this past summer to resign from his position as teacher and come to Seminary. He is entirely motivated to learning the faith and educating our people about the Holy Church. He served as both headmaster and teacher of the Sunday School in his home parish. Teji also loves sports and is huge fan of UT-Austin and the Dallas Cowboys. You will often see at least one piece of attire on him that reflects his love for these teams!

Abraham Philip, known to many as Philemon, is from New York and completed his undergraduate studies this past spring in Counseling and Sociology from Queens College. He is a member of St. James Orthodox Church in Kerala and immigrated to the States with his family in 1997. He is the son of Rev. Fr. Philip C. Abraham, who currently serves as our teacher for Liturgics. Philemon has a deep passion for the Liturgical Music of our Church. He often will be heard singing and chanting, whether it is in the car, on a walk, or even in the shower. Being the youngest of all the seminarians in America, it is great to see that he has accepted the call to the ministry at an early age.

We welcome our brothers to the Seminary community, and pray that God may mold and shape them to be the servant leaders He desires for them to be.

The Newly Ordained!

2009-05-06T22:16:00.008-05:00

This month, three of our brothers will be completing the Masters of Divinity program here at St. Tikhon’s Seminary. It has been a blessing for us to witness them grow and be formed here at the Seminary over the past couple of years. By the grace of God and with the consent of His Grace Mathew Mar Barnabas (Metropolitan, Diocese of Northeast America) and His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebius (Metropolitan, Diocese of Southwest America), the three of them were either ordained or elevated this past Lenten season.

Dn. George Mathew was elevated from the rank of Reader to M'shamshono (Full-Deacon) on Saturday, March 28th at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Washington, D.C.

Dn. Christopher Mathew was ordained as Haupodiakono (Sub-Deacon) on Saturday, April 4th at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Houston, TX.

Dn. Abraham (Abey) George was ordained as Haupodiakono (Sub-Deacon) on Saturday, April 18th at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, West Sayville.

Congratulations and best wishes to the newly ordained! We hope and pray God will continue to bless and guide them in the ministry He has entrusted to them.

Dean of St. Tikhon's Seminary Visits India

2009-03-23T20:27:00.042-05:00

Very Rev. Fr. Michael Dahulich, Dean of St.Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, visited India for one week in late of December 2008 after an invitation to be one of the main speakers for the centenary celebration of the Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement, one of the largest Christian spiritual youth organizations in India. The celebrations were held at Sts. Peter & Paul’s Orthodox Church, Parumala, Kerala, India from December 26-31, 2008.

Father Michael was received at Kochi Airport on the morning of December 27th and adorned with the traditional flower garland.

From the airport, he was taken to the Catholicate Palace, the headquarters of the Malankara Church and the residence of His Holiness the Catholicos. Father Michael was received there by the Rev. Dr. K.M. George (Principal of Orthodox Theological Seminary), Mr. Elias (Public Relations Officer), Rev. Fr. P.I. Philip (Department of Human Resources), Rev. Fr. Mathew Koshy (Media Director), and Rev. Fr. Thomas Zachariah of Kottayam Diocese. Here, Father was given a tour and was able to offer prayers at the tombs of the former Catholicoi of the Church as well as the tomb of the late Metropolitan Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios.

After brief tours there, he visited Parumala Church where he was received by Rev. Fr. V. M. Abraham, MGOCSM General Secretary of India. Here, Fr. Michael met with His Holiness and received his blessings. His Holiness expressed extreme joy to see Father in India for the centenary celebrations. His Holiness was also grateful to St. Tikhon’s Seminary for welcoming students of the Indian Orthodox Church in order to receive their priestly formation. In return, Father Michael conveyed greetings from Metropolitan Jonah, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of America and His Grace Bishop Tikhon, the Rector of St. Tikhon's Seminary. Father offered an icon of St. Tikhon to His Holiness on behalf of the Seminary community.

On the evening of December 28^th, Father Michael offered a retreat message to more than 300 youth in preparation for the Divine Liturgy the next morning.

Following the next day’s Liturgy, Fr. Michael visited St. Basil’s Monastery, Pathanamthitta, and received the paternal blessings and love of Metropolitan Philipose Mar Eusebius, the then President of MGOCSM.

The next day, Father Michael joined the thousands of faithful who received His Holiness Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Father Michael received audience with His Holiness Abune Paulos and the other Hierarchs who accompanied him. His Beatitude Paulose Mar Milithios and other Metropolitans who were present at Parumala also greeted Father Michael.

Later that morning, Father Michael offered a Bible study on the theme for the centennial celebrations, 'Arise and shine.’

The next day, Fr. Michael visited St. Basil’s Monastery at the invitation of Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Ivanios. His Grace offered a tour of the monastery grounds. Rev. Fr. Bijesh Philip, professor of St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary, Nagpur was also present along with Rev. Fr. Zachariah, a resident monk of the monastery.

On Tuesday, December 30th, Father Michael participated in the public meeting at Parumala where thousands of faithful gathered to celebrate the past 100 years of MGOCSM.

On Wednesday, following the Divine Liturgy, Father Michael bid farewell to the youth and faithful who gathered at Parumala for the centennial celebrations. Father offered prayers and flowers at the tombs of St. Gregorios and Metropolitan Yuakim Mar Ivanios.

The next day, Father enjoyed a one night cruise on a house boat through the waters of Kumarokam.

Fr. Michael also visited Mount Tabor Monastery where the late Kuriakose Mar Gregorios (Pampady Thirumeni) is entombed and a place where his intercession remains ever so powerful to thousands of pilgrims. He was also able to visit the Asha Kiran, a home for the children of AIDS patients, the Old Age Home, and the Boys Orphanage. Father Michael visited each individual at these institutions and offered his prayers and blessings.

On the last day of his trip, Father Michael returned to Catholicate Palace where he met with His Beatitude Paulose Mar Milithios and His Grace Geevarghese Mar Coorilose. Both Hierarchs offered their gratitude to Father Michael for his visit to India, his inspiring words to the faithful, and offered their prayers for his ministry and concluded by inviting him to visit again.

Later that evening, Father Michael participated in the Festal Celebrations of the Catholicoi entombed at the Catholicate Palace, which was led by His Holiness the Catholicos and members of the Synod. At the close of Vespers, His Holiness and the members of the Synod offered a gift to Fr. Michael on behalf of the MGOCSM to commemorate his visit. Rev. Fr. V. M. Abraham offered a word of thanks on behalf of MGOCSM for his presence at the centennial celebrations.

After his return to America, Fr. Michael spoke much regarding his experiences in India and was grateful for the opportunity he received. We are truly thankful to Fr. Michael for his role in our lives as a spiritual father, role model, mentor, friend and teacher.

Metropolitan JONAH visits St. Tikhon's

2008-12-08T08:55:00.005-05:00

On Thursday, November 20th, the St. Tikhon’s Monastery and Seminary community came together to welcome His Beatitude, the Most Blessed JONAH, Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of all America and Canada, who made his first visit following his election on November 12th at the 15th All-American Council.

Baptized in the Episcopal Church, he converted to Orthodoxy while a student at University of California, San Diego. He graduated from St. Vladimir’s Seminary and received a Ph.D. at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in 1994 and in 1995 was tonsured to monastic rank at St. Tikhon's Monastery, having received the name Jonah.

Returning to California, Fr. Jonah served a number of missions and was later given the obedience to establish a monastery under the patronage of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. During his time of building up the monastic community, Fr. Jonah also worked to establish missions in Merced, Sonora, Chico, Eureka, Redding, Susanville, and other communities in California, as well as in Kona, HI.

Metropolitan Jonah will be installed by the OCA's Holy Synod of Bishops at St. Nicholas Cathedral, Washington, DC, on December 28, 2008.

May the Lord bless His Beatitude, Jonah, newly-elected Metropolitan of All America and Canada with many years of fruitful service in His Holy Vineyard!

His Grace Mar Ivanios Revisits St. Tikhon's

2008-09-25T10:05:00.009-05:00

During the week of September 8-12, we were blessed once again with the presence of His Grace Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, Metropolitan of the Kottayam Diocese. The presence of His Grace was definitely a blessing for all of us. We were able to witness his smile, humor, love and humility in person and hear numerous stories and words of wisdom that served as an inspiration to all of us. His Grace challenged us to develop our spiritual lives through the disciplines of fasting, meditation, reading, daily prayer and study of the Scriptures. Throughout the week, we were able to witness these disciplines being practiced in his life. His Grace led us in the daily prayers, ate with us, conversed with us, and took some time out for reading and solitary prayer and meditation.

His Grace was welcomed by the Seminary community at the annual Alumni Association Picnic. Later in the week, he also met with Father Michael and re-toured the Monastery, Church, and Seminary grounds. His love for nature, especially flowers, could be seen in his close examination of every single plant and tree that we passed by during our walks.

During the weekend, we traveled to the Indian Orthodox Church Center in New York to meet with our Diocesan Metropolitans, His Grace Mar Barnabas & His Grace Mar Nicholovos. On Sunday, September 14^th, we were blessed to participate in the Holy Qurbana and the Festival of the Holy Cross at St. George Orthodox Church, Port Chester, NY with His Grace as the chief celebrant.

We are forever grateful for His Grace’s willingness to come visit us and spend time with us. May the Lord God bless his ministry in the Church and grant him many years.

Minus One, Plus Two!

2008-09-16T12:33:00.008-05:00

In all seriousness, the Seminary Community, especially us Indian Seminarians definitely miss the presence of Dn. Daniel. Semassan graduated (still a surprise to many of us) and has moved on for further training and learning at Old Theological Seminary in Kottayam where he will be till April of 2009.

During the month of August, St. Tikhon's Seminary welcomed two new seminarians to the Indian Orthodox group bringing our current total to seven.

Joel Mathew, a member of St. Mary's Orthodox Church (Farmers Branch, TX), has joined us after completing his undergradute and graduate studies in accounting and working for a year with Ernst & Young. Joel served as the MGOCSM Council member for the Dallas/Oklahoma area for the past two years, and also took part in the 2006 Missions Trip to Pampady, Kerala, India.

James Cheriyan joins us this year as the first Indian international student to study here. James completed two years of his Seminary education at Nagpur Seminary in India and received the blessing from His Grace Mar Coorilos to complete the Masters of Divinity program at St. Tikhon's.

These two individuals are truly passionate about the Church and are a great asset to the brotherhood here at St. Tikhon's. We take this opportunity to welcome our brothers to the Seminary community. Please continue to pray for all of us, especially as we begin the new academic year.

St. Tikhon's Seminary's 66th Annual Commencement

2008-05-29T15:06:00.012-05:00

On Saturday, May 24th, St. Tikhon's Seminary held its 66th Annual Commencement. This year's commencement speaker was His Emminence, the Most Reverend SERAPHIM, Archbishop of Ottawa and the Archdiocese of Canada. Fifteen individuals completed the Masters of Divinity program and our very own Dn. Daniel Mathai was one of them. Semassan's family was here to show their love and support as well as Nicholovos Thirumeni who awarded his degree to him. We offer our congratulations and best wishes to Semassan and all those who graduated. May God continue to bless and guide them in the ministry He has prepared for them.

Visit of St. Thomas Orthodox Church (Unruh), Philadelphia

2008-05-29T14:45:00.012-05:00

On Saturday, May 17th, 72 parents and Sunday School children of St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Unruh visited St. Tikhon's. It was the most visitors we have had at once. We were blessed to begin the day with the Saturday morning Schima Namaskaram in English followed by a devotional message from senior seminarian, Ted Brenniger, on the Holy Spirit and the Theotokos. Following Noon Prayer and lunch, the visitors were given the full tour of the Monastery and Seminary grounds.

Visit of St. Basil Orthodox Church

2008-05-29T14:32:00.008-05:00

On Saturday, May 10th we were blessed to have Rev. Fr. Thomas Paul and the youth of St. Basil Orthodox Church, Franklin Square visit us. Following a brief Bible study on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, we were able to give them a full tour of the Monastery and Seminary grounds.

Southeast Region Parish Mission

2008-05-29T12:44:00.033-05:00

During April 18-29, 2008, four of us (Dn. Daniel, Chris, Abey, & Diju) were blessed to visit the Southeast Region for the very first time. Beginning in Atlanta and ending in Ft. Lauderdale, we were so amazed by the Southern warmth, love, and hospitality. Below is a schedule of our visit to the Southeast and a few selected pictures.

Friday, April 18th
(Youth Fellowship in Atlanta at the residence of Stanley & Mincy Philip)

Saturday, April 19th
(Sunday School & MGOCSM/FOCUS Conferences at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Atlanta)

Sunday, April 20th
Holy Qurbana celebrated by Rev. Fr. Kurian Joseph at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Atlanta followed by Sunday School General Session & Marth Mariam Vanitha Samajam Meeting

April 21-22
Campus visits to Georgia Tech Univeristy & University of Florida, Gainesville

Wednesday, April 23rd
Fun Day at Universal Studios & Islands of Adevnture, Orlando, FL

Thursday, April 24th
Evening Prayer and Fellowship at St. Gregorios Orthodox Church, Tampa

Friday, April 25th
Youth Fellowship in South Florida at Shirley Aunty's House

Saturday, April 26th
MGOCSM Conference at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Ft. Lauderdale

Sunday, April 27th
Holy Qurbana at St. Thomas & St. Gregorios Churches in South Florida followed by youth fellowship and house visits

It was such a great experience to meet new people and build new relations with the Achens, parents, and youth of the Southeast. We are forever grateful for their love and support.

March for Life 2008

2008-02-26T18:46:00.007-05:00

On January 22, 2008, hundreds of thousands gathered at the nation’s capitol for the 35th Annual March for Life. Students and faculty from both St. Tikhon’s and St. Vladimir’s had the privilege of representing the Orthodox Christians in America in taking a stance for pro-life.

The day started for us at 5 AM with a five hour car ride from Seminary to Washington, D.C. Upon arrival, we set up the HUGE banner that displayed an icon of Christ blessing the little children. We met up with everyone from St. Vladimir’s along with other faithful Orthodox Christians and made our way to the LARGE crowd that was already gathered. For most of us, this was probably the largest event we have been to. People flooded the streets and buses were continually unloading as several states, schools, and churches were represented. Several congressmen and clergymen gave motivational and spiritual messages expressing the need to take a stance on pro-life and make a difference in our society. This year’s theme for the march was “Build Unity on the Life Principles throughout America. No Exception! No Compromise!"

The Most Blessed Herman, Archbishop of Washington and New York & Metropolitan of All America and Canada for the Orthodox Church of America, spoke on behalf of all Orthodox Christians. He pledged support and offered prayers stressing the need to save the lives of innocent children who are becoming victims to abortion each day.

Following the rally, we marched our way to the United States Supreme Court. During the march, we sang several hymns and then stopped just before the Court building where a special memorial service was led by Metropolitan Herman and Bishop Tikhon for all the innocent children who have lost their lives to abortion. It was a powerful and uplifting prayer service that will definitely be remembered by all of us who had the opportunity to go.

Although it was cold day and the wind was against us, we definitely enjoyed our time and are proud to say that we too took part in such a blessed event. It was a great experience to see such a gathering. Every year the march is attracting more people, and we hope you will join us next year for the 36th Annual March for Life! Please continue to pray for the mothers who struggle to make the right choice, and the children who are innocent and deserve a chance to live. May God grant peace to the souls of the children who have passed before us.

Sub-Deacon Elect, Dennis Mathai Unveiled

2008-02-04T16:54:00.000-05:00

On Monday, February 4th, 2008 (4:04 PM EST), Sub-Deacon Elect, Mr. Dennis Mathai shaved off his entire beard after nearly four years. After being asked about the sudden decision, Dennis responded, "I thought it would make me look skinnier." Brother Seminarians stood laughing for nearly ten minutes. Dn. George Mathew of Baltimore declared the day as the Feast of the Unveiling. The shaven hair has been kept in a sacred place as a testament to this day.

Merry Christmas & Have a Blessed New Year!

2007-12-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

"Glory to the Eternal Child Who, for our salvation, was incarnate of the Virgin full of grace; Whose coming was foretold by the prophets; Whose mysterious conception was announced by the angel Gabriel: Whose good tidings were proclaimed by the Apostles; for Whose worship the Magi came in haste: by Whose glory the shepherds were illumined; and by Whose manifestation the world has gained life; to Him be glory, honor and majesty at this time of the Feast of the Nativity and at all festivals, times, hours, seasons and through all the days of our life".
- Promeon from the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Please continue to pray for all the seminarians of our diocese here at St. Tikhon's, at St. Vladimir's and at Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam.

St. Stephen's Church (Long Island, NY) Visits St. Tikhon's

2007-11-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, November 4th, St. Tikhon’s Seminary & Monastery welcomed over 25 kids, youth, and adults from St. Stephen’s Orthodox Church, Long Island (Dennis’ home parish). Upon arrival, the group of visitors was taken directly to the Monastery Church where they were welcomed by the Seminary’s Mission Choir, who chanted a few hymns of the Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Tradition.

Following the chanting, our guests were given a full tour of the Monastery Church by our very own Dennis Mathai, who thoroughly explained the history of the Church, the typical structure and significance of Eastern Orthodox Church buildings, and the importance of relics as well as the use icons in the Eastern tradition.

The group was then led out of the Church and to the Icon Repository where they were able to see a collection of some of the oldest Icons in America.

The tour outside of the Church continued to one of the loudest sights on the Monastery grounds, the Bell Tower. Here, the group was given a thorough explanation of the use of bells and patterns of ringing, as well as the significance of the three bar Cross in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.

The group was then led through the woods to see the numerous shrines placed throughout the serene settings of the monastery and seminary grounds for the purpose of prayer and meditation. After hearing stories of and seeing the historic, hand-crafted wooden Cross everyone drank from the infamous well which pours forth natural spring water, all for free.

As it began to darken outside and the weather became a bit chilly, everyone was taken indoors to the Museum to visualize and learn more about the history of the Orthodox Church in America. They were also shown the Seminary bookstore and were given the chance to make some valuable purchases. After the bookstore, the visitors were brought to the dormitory building to see our rooms as well as our Chapel where we spent a few minutes praying together.

Seeing the hunger in everyone’s eyes, the group was finally led back to our Dining Hall where they enjoyed a meal prepared for them by Subway (sorry…did not have time to make chicken curry!). Following the meal, a slideshow presentation was given highlighting the various events that have taken place during our stay here at Seminary.

A final tour of the Seminary Building and the Seminary Chapel was given where we took a nice group picture. The day concluded with gifts presented to all the visitors on behalf of the Seminary & Monastery Community and the tight squeeze (no joke!) back into their vehicles as they headed back to New York.

A special thanks to all our brothers and sisters from St. Stephen’s Church, Long Island who willingly took the time to come and visit us here at the Seminary and Monastery. It is always a great blessing for us to have a group of people from our diocese come spend time in prayer and fellowship with us, and most especially see where we are formed as (God Willing) future priests of our Church in America. We would like to thank all those who helped coordinate this trip and continually ask for you to keep us and all seminarians of our Diocese in your prayers.

For those who are reading this and have not yet visited the Seminary & Monastery, schedule your visit today! Ask those who have visited. They’ll tell you the drive and time is worth it.

Daniel Achen Visits St. Tikhon's

2007-11-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

On Friday, October 19th, Rev. Fr. Daniel George (Vicar of Diju’s home parish) visited the grounds of St. Tikhon’s Seminary and Monastery. Achen, who is from Chicago, was in the Tri-State area for a wedding and made it a point to come and visit us.

Upon his arrival, he was given the general tour
and also had a chance to meet and talk with Fr. Michael.

Achen led us in evening prayer that day and we enjoyed a great time of fellowship through dinner and conversation.

He only spent a night here but Achen loved his visit so much that he went back to Chicago and used the example of the life here at Tikhon’s in his sermon. We are thankful to Achen for taking the time out to come and see us and for his continual love and support for all of us here at Seminary.

Episcopal Visits & Not So Episcopal Visit

2007-10-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

The month of September was a blessed month for us here at seminary. After hearing about the chicken curry we made, two Metropolitans and a deacon decided to pay their visits to seminary to see what was really cooking.

His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, Assistant Metropolitan of our Diocese was the first to visit this year. It was a blessed time for all of us as Thirumeni took an active interest to see how we were doing, what we were doing, sharing meals with us and the entire seminary community, and most of all praying with us. Thirumeni attended Vespers at the Monastery Church and was received warmly by the monastic community. On one of the nights, we were all able to go out to dinner with Fr. Michael (Dean of the Seminary). It was a great meal and a great time of fellowship with two of our spiritual fathers. We are thankful to Thirumeni for taking time out to visit and stay with us for a few days.

His Grace Dr. Gabriel Mar Gregorios, Diocesan Metropolitan of the Diocese of Trivandrum, made his first visit to St. Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary & Monastery. Although it was just one night, the time spent together was great. We attended Divine Liturgy at the Monastery Church for the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Thirumeni joined the Seminary community for breakfast and enjoyed a few discussions with the students. After breakfast, a full tour of the Seminary and Monastery was given to Thirumeni. Some highlights of this tour, His Grace was able to visit the tomb of Protopresbyter Alexander Schememann of blessed memory and watch 2nd year seminarian Abey George, use his monkey like skills by climbing an apple tree to pick off some apples. We came back to the chapel for 6th and 9th hour prayers.

We had some great conversations about the future of the Church and were able to hear Thirumeni's numerous stories and life experiences. His Grace also met with Fr. Michael and discussed their common field of study/love for Holy Scripture (New Testament). Thirumeni joined the seminary community for lunch, which is the main meal for the community. Afterwards, Thirumeni spent some time at the museum and more time at the bookstore. By the end of the day, His Grace didn't want to leave and kept extending the time for departure. Thirumeni's visit was definitely a blessing for all of us here at seminary.
Finally, our very own Dn. Philip Mathew (graduate of St. Vladimir's Seminary) also made his way out to the roads of South Canaan. Jake especially enjoyed the numerous conversations with Semassan from standardizing prayers before meals to why we do the things we do. All in all, Semassan took some time out to eat with us, pray with us, and even attend a few classes with us. Semassan is definitely one of a kind and although sometimes we wonder at his intellect, we still love the guy!

Good Chicken, Good Curry, Let's Hurry! - The Chicken Curry Experiment

2007-09-26T15:05:00.000-05:00

It can be rough for us living at the dorm, especially when you have a craving for that good ol home cooked chicken curry from mummy. So, we did what any other Malayalee would do…we made some chicken curry. But we weren’t greedy and make it just for ourselves; we made it for the entire seminary community.

With the help of the cook Adam Sexton and Benny Shemasen’s mother’s recipe and a whole lot of onions, tomatoes, potatoes, chicken, and most importantly the curry powders and spices, we cooked a mean pot of chicken curry and served it for lunch. We had a great time of fellowship while making the meal, and especially doing something for the Seminary which has provided us with so much. We were a bit anxious to see how our cooking would go over with the seminary community, but with the look of satisfied smiles and an empty pot (and Diju’s loud AYUMP after he finished his meal), the seminary community enjoyed the meal.

Special thanks to Benny Shemasen, Adam Sexton, Patrick Henre, Chris Mathew, Abey George, Jake Kurian and Diju Skariah for helping to prepare the food, and thanks to Dennis Mathai for tasting the food (he watched).

2 new editions to the Indian population at St. Tikhon's

2007-09-17T20:37:00.001-05:00

We are blessed to have two new additions to the Malankara Orthodox population here at St. Tikhon's Seminary. Jake Kurian (the guy sporting the goatee on the left) is from Houston, Texas. He like Chris, will have to get used to the cold weather here up north, but we trust he will adjust =) Jake has a background in Pharmacy and is a pretty well known youth leader in the southern region of the diocese and has great love for the liturgial hymns of the Church.

Next up we have, Diju Skariah (the pleasant looking fellow on the right) hailing from Chicago, Illinois. Unlike Jake, he is used to the cold weather, but like Jake, Diju loves the liturgical hymns of the Church. Diju has been a very active youth leader and a familiar face in Chicagoland Area and has been involved in coordinating the three successful MGOCSM Missions trips for the Diocese.

We welcome both Jake and Diju, and we look forward to a whole year of ragging...oops I mean growing together as brothers and servants to Christ and His Holy Church.

New Cool Web Sites

2007-09-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

www.malankaraorthodoxchurch.in

www.nylc08.com

MGOCSM of Philly & New Jersey Visit St. Tikhon's

2007-08-17T12:13:00.000-05:00

On Saturday May 12, 2007, we were blessed to have youth from Philadelphia and New Jersey come and visit us at St. Tikhon’s. They were accompanied by Very Rev. K. Mathai Chor-Episcopos, Rev. Fr. Philip (Aju) Mathews, Rev. Dn. Daniel Yohanan, and Rev. Dn. Gheevarghese John. The day started with a welcome by Very Rev. Fr. Michael Dahulich who is the Dean of St. Tikhons. He welcomed the visitors to St. Tikhon’s Monastery & Seminary and gave a brief history of the institution. Fr. Michael also reminded the youth of the great blessing we have of being members of the Ancient Malankara Orthodox Church, which was established by St. Thomas the Holy Apostle of our Lord.

After Fr. Michael, Mr. Kyrill Williams, a second year seminarian at St. Tikhon’s gave a devotional talk on the struggles of life. He impressed the young people with his Malayalam as well.

After Kyrill’s devotional, we gave a slide show presentation of the various events that has taken place here at St. Tikhon’s in relation to the Indian Orthodox Church and Her Seminarians. After the slide show, the clergy led us in Noon Prayer after which we enjoyed some pizza.
After lunch, all the guests were given a tour of the Monastery grounds.
The beautiful mosaic Icon of the St. Mary and the saints was seen first.
Then the outside of the Monastery Church.

After this the youth were taken into the woods to see the shrines that are placed throughout grounds of the monastery and seminary so that the people can come pray and meditate in the serene settings.
Visitors were then taken to the Monastery Church, where they were greeted by a few members of the Seminary Mission Choir. The choir chanted a few Orthodox hymns from the Paschal Season of the Church.
After the choir, guests were given a full tour of the Monastery Church by Father Nicodemus, one of the monks of the Monastic Brotherhood of St. Tikhon’s. He gave a full explanation of the history of the Church, the Relics of the Holy Saints who are kept in the Church, the Miracle working Icon of the Blessed Mother and the many saints who have blessed the lands of St. Tikhon’s.

After a tour of the Monastery Church, Father Nicodemus continued the tour outside the Church, explaining the bell tower, the significance of the three bar Cross in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and gave a tour of the Icon Repository which contains a collection of the oldest Icons in America.

After the tour of Fr. Nicodemus, the youth were taken to the Museum to see the history of the Orthodox Church in America after which they were brought to the Seminary Bookstore.

After the books store, the visitors were brought to the dormitory building to see our rooms and brought to our Chapel where we observed Ninth Hour Prayers.

After prayers, we gave gifts to all the visitors on behalf of the Seminary & Monastery Community. We then gave a tour of the Seminary Building and ended the tour back in the mess hall where we provided snacks and other refreshments before they headed back to Philadelphia & New Jersey.

We would like to thank all our Achens, Shemasens, Brothers & Sisters for coming and visiting our Seminary & Monastery. It was a great blessing to have a group of people from our diocese to come spend some time in prayer and fellowship with us and to see where we are formed as (God Willing) future priests of our Church in America. We would like to thank all those who helped coordinate this trip and pray more members of our church can come and visit this holy place. We continue to ask of your prayers for all our seminarians in our Diocese, here at St. Tikhon’s, St. Vladimir’s & Kottayam Seminary.

Your servants in the Lord,
Dn. George (Benny) Mathew Jr. (1st year)
Dennis Mathai (2nd year)
Christopher Mathew (1st year)
Abey ‘Blazer’ George (1st year)

A Walk Through St. Tikhon's on a Beautiful Spring Afternoon

2007-05-03T22:18:00.000-05:00

Reflections of this year - Christopher Mathew

2007-03-17T21:23:00.000-05:00

This has been a blessed year for the St. Tikhon’s community, especially for the Indian Orthodox seminarians of the American Diocese studying here.

His Holiness Baselios Mar Thoma Didymus I, the Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church made his first Apostolic visit to American Diocese in the summer of 2006 after his enthronement to the Apostolic Throne of St. Thomas in October 2005. During His Holiness’ visit to America he was very keen in visiting the theological seminaries his spiritual children studied at here in America.

His Holiness, accompanied by Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, the Auxiliary Metropolitan of the American Diocese, The Rev. Deacon Moncy Chacko, secretary to His Holiness and Mr. Mathew Alexander, Diocesan MGOCSM General secretary, were warmly received by the community of St. Tikhon’s, especially the children who were in attendance for the annual Youth Camp. Aside from blessing each child at the Camp, His Holiness also enjoyed a tour of the monastery and seminary campus.
At the beginning of the fall semester of 2006, three new seminarians of the American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church were enrolled in the Masters of Divinity program, with one seminarian returning for his second year. The administration of St. Tikhon’s was extremely gracious in allowing the Indian seminarians to have their own chapel, located in Metropolitan Leonty Dormitory, to observe the hours according to the West Syriac Liturgical Tradition.

The Indian seminarians had the blessing to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross on the evening of September 13th. Rev. Fr. Varghese K. Joshua, the pastor of St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church Washington, D.C., served the Divine Liturgy and Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Members from the seminarian community were also in attendance to see the first Divine Liturgy of the Indian Orthodox Church to be celebrated at St. Tikhon’s. Fr. Joshua has been teaching the Indian seminarians liturgical order and chant, Indian Church history, Malayalam (vernacular of Kerala, India) and Syriac (the liturgical language of Indian Church).

With the growing number of seminarians of the Indian Church attending St. Tikhon’s Seminary, the Metropolitans of the Indian Church in America came to visit the institution, especially the community. The Very Rev. Michael Dahulich and the seminary community warmly received Metropolitan Mathews Mar Barnabas, Metropolitan of the American Diocese with his Deacon, Siby Shemasen. Thirumeni offered some enlightening words to the community on Christian Spirituality. Metropolitan Mar Barnabas was graciously received by His Grace Bishop Tikhon, the Rector of the seminary, and His Grace's Diocesan Council at lunch. After given a full tour of the seminary and monastery campus, Thirumeni was extremely pleased with the seminary and the atmosphere it provides for his seminarians.

Later that week Metropolitan Mar Nicholovos visited St. Tikhon’s to celebrate the Feast of St. Gregorios of Parumala, the first canonized saint of the Indian Orthodox Church. St. Gregorios was the venerable and loving Metropolitan of the Diocese of Niranam during the late 19th and early 20th century. St. Gregorios was known for his life of love, humility, compassion and prayer. He was a great witness of Christ to the people of India and converted many to the Orthodox Faith, and fearlessly battled against the heresies of the Anglican Church present in India. The Feast of Indian Church’s most beloved Saint was celebrated with Holy Qurbana and prayers of intercession to the Saint in the Seminary Chapel. Members of the seminary community along with members of the Indian Orthodox Church from both far and near were also in attendance. After the Divine Liturgy, Mr. Ciby Alex and family of Binghamton hosted a sumptuous Indian dinner.

On Friday of that week, Nicholovos Thirumeni offered a lecture in an American Religious History class on the history of the Indian Orthodox Church in North America.

In December His Grace Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, Metropolitan of the Diocese of Kottayam, India, Abbot of St. Basil the Great Monastery and Professor of Orthodox Spirituality at Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kerala, India, visited St. Tikhon’s during his vacation in America. Thirumeni had the opportunity to speak with His Grace Bishop Tikhon, Fr. Michael, and members of the faculty and staff of the seminary. He was also warmly received for the Vigil of St. Nicholas in the Monastery Church. His Grace enjoyed a week of spending time with the seminary community and looks forward to his next visit to the seminary.

St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary community has been so kind, so loving, and so gracious to us. There is no doubt this seminary has a special place in the hearts of the faithful of the Indian Church for their assistance in forming faithful shepherds to the flock of Christ. Despite the lack of communion between our Churches, the fellowship, affection, and sincerity of the St. Tikhon’s community make us hope all the more and pray that one day, and that the day might be soon, that we all in faith, reverence and love may draw nearer to that communion.

St. John Chrysostom Indian Orthodox Chapel

2007-01-23T16:06:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the academic year, the Seminary was so gracious to give us a chapel of our own, so we can maintain the prayer life according to our West Syriac Liturgical Tradition. The chapel originally was designated for the seminary students in the dormitory and set up according to the Eastern Orthodox Tradition. But the chapel still remains open to the whole community (and that will never change), we just adjusted the chapel according to our Liturgical Tradition. As Abey mentioned in the previous posting, we follow the Shimo Namaskaram - the day begins with matins along with 3rd hour, then noon prayer with 9th hour and finally vespers & compline.

We sometimes have our brothers from the Eastern Orthodox Church attend our prayers to get a taste of our Tradition. Sometimes throughout the semester we will attend services or the hours in the Monastery Church (absolutely beautiful church). We celebrated Holy Qurbana in our chapel once on the Feast of the Holy Cross by our teacher Joshua Achen aka Santhosh Achen. We often have our Achen lead us in prayer when he is at Seminary teaching us. We have also had the great blessing of having our beloved Barnabas Thirumeni and Nicholovos Thirumeni leading us in prayer on two separate occasions.

Aside from observing the hours in our chapel, it has become a place of peace, solace...a haven for us, where we can go and silently meditate. We are so grateful to St. Tikhon's Seminary, especially His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman, His Grace Bishop Tikhon and Fr. Michael for being so kind and giving us this chapel for our use. We are also indebted to Ted Brinegar for building our Altar or 'Thronos', and Dimitri who is currently in the process of writing 2 beautiful Icons of our beloved Saints, Mar Gregorios and Mar Dioynsius.

The patron saint of our Chapel is St. John Chrysostom, otherwise known as Mor Ivanios (commemorated in the 5th Thubden during Holy Qurbana). If you have any prayer requests, please email us!

Here's a picture of our Chapel...please keep us in your daily prayers!

My first semester at St. Tikhon's

2006-12-16T20:34:00.000-05:00

It is still a mystery to me why time passes by quickly when I want it to go slow and vice-versa. I still remember as if it happened yesterday, moving into my dorm room, setting up my bed and looking for book shelves but before opening my last box of Caprisun® which I bought in the beginning of the semester, its time to pack everything and head back home. Being in a monastery (St. Basil's Monastery, Kottayam) for eight months and joining Tikhon's was a very smooth transition. I basically found myself doing the same things (more or less) i did while i was in the monastery in Kerala. The day starts off with Morning Prayer (along with 3rd hour prayers from The Book of Common Prayer of the Syrian Church - Shimo) at St. John Chrysostom Indian Orthodox Chapel followed by breakfast (8:00-8:30) at the Refectory- a good time to mingle with co-students before classes. Dennis of course shows up with his large cup of coffee, and cracks a few jokes or three.

Then at noon we are again back at the chapel (or sometimes at the seminary chapel) for noon and 9th hour prayers followed by lunch. Classes commence at 8:30 and ends at 4:20. At 4:45 back at the chapel we do evening prayers (we do Malayalam Sleeba Namaskaram on Wednesday's) followed by meditation, chanting Kyrielaison and the Jesus Prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy upon me a Sinner!) which lasts till 5:30 which will be followed by dinner back at the refectory. After that we are free to go back to the dorm and do work, go to the gym, be at the dorm lounge for some entertainment (we are addicted to 'the office' on nbc which comes on Thursday nights...that's an awesome show everyone should watch it!...of course extra buttered popcorn will be good with that too). The best part about all this is that after all the work and classes, we do get some time on our hands (except during finals week) so we have time to do own reading, extra prayer time, to do laundry or just preparing something to say for our parish visits (something we all look forward to every week). During the day or night we are allowed to go to the monastery church (the highlight of the whole seminary) if students wish to pray or just simply sit in silence. Being in New York for most of my childhood and being used to the daily stress New York has to offer, I find South Canaan to be very peaceful.

It was very sad leaving everyone for the break and I honestly can’t wait till I get back. The Holy grounds of St. Tikhon's is known for its unique spiritual environment and one must come and visit to experience it. Let me quote one of our bishops (His Eminence Geevarghese Mar Ivanios) who stayed at St. Tikhon's for a week...he said "I am glad that I stayed here for a week and I must say that the students here are truly blessed to have their seminary education in such a spiritually enriching place" We are also blessed to have three of our Metroplitans visit us (Barnabas Thirumeni, Nicholovos Thirumeni and Ivanios Thirumeni) and have Nicholovos Thirumeni celebrate Holy Qurbana on the Feast of St. Gregorios.

Last but not least, I cannot stress how thankful and blessed we are to have Santhosh Achen at the Seminary to teach us Malayalam, Liturgical Chant/Order and Malankara Sabha history. He is an awesome teacher, a great disciplinarian and a good role model for us seminarians. St. Tikhon's is more than just a religious community, it is a family. I truly look forward to the spring semester. I request all to keep us in your prayers at all times. Merry Christmas and May God Bless us all!

-with prayers
Abey George

Ivanios Thirumeni & Feast of St. Nicholas

2006-12-12T19:12:00.000-05:00

Thirumeni with a few of the Seminarians

December 3rd to December 8th, St. Tikhon's Seminary was blessed to receive Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, the Diocesan Metropolitan of Kottayam Diocese. Thirumeni's presence was indeed a great blessing for all of us here at the Seminary. Thirumeni met and spoke briefly to His Grace Bishop Tikhon, our Seminary's Rector, Very Rev. Fr. Michael Dahulich the Dean of our Seminary, Fr. David Mezinsky the Dean of Students, Professor Boosalis (teaches us Dogmatic Theology, Christology, Cosmology etc.), Fr. John Kowalcyzk (In charge of Field Education and Chancellor of the Eastern PA Diocese) and Fr. Gabriel (teaches us Greek). Professor Boosalis presented Ivanios Thirumeni with a book he recently published. Aside from these meetings, Thirumeni visited the Bookstore and the Monastery Grounds. Thirumeni attending the Vigil Service for St. Nicholas, and received a special visit from St. Nicholas himself. Thirumeni enjoy a beautiful luncheon with the Seminary Community as well.

Please enjoy a few pictures from the visit!

Bishop Tikhon speaks with Thirumeni

Thirumeni poses with St. Nicholas

Fr. Michael welcomes Thirumeni to St. Tikhon's

Dr. Boosalis presents Thirumeni with his book

Thirumeni enjoying lunch with Bishop Tikhon, faculty and staff of the Seminary

Thirumeni speaks with a student, Fr. David look on

Two seminarians greet Thirumeni

Chit chatting

Presenting an Icon of St. John Chrysostom (Ivanios), Thirumeni's Patron Saint

Dennis and St. Nich!

Peace on earth indeed!

St. Nicholas with the children

Who are these guys?

2006-12-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

Dennis Mathai - He is a small man, born and raised in New York. He graduated from Manhattan College with a Bachelors Degree in Business Management. He currently serves the American Diocese as the Secretary to the Dept. of Campus Ministry (North East Region) and is the MGOCSM Councilman of Queens/Long Island/Brooklyn Area.

Rev. Dn. George Mathew, Jr.- The good Deacon hails from Baltimore. He received his Bachelors in Biology from the University of Maryland. Shemasen is married to Regina, and has two beautiful children Ryan and Rohan. Before joining Seminary, Shemasen worked for the Dept. of State (that's right he worked for the Federal Government)for eight years. In the past Deacon George served as the Director of the Orthodox Vacation Bible School for the American Diocese.

Christopher Mathew - This cowboy hails from Houston, Texas and hates the cold weather here in South Canaan. He received his Bachelors of Arts in Theology from the University of St. Thomas. He is the son of Rev. Fr. Mammen Mathew, the Vice President of the MGOCSM and Director of the Dept. of Campus Ministry in the Southern Region of the American Diocese.

Abey George - A skinny guy, born in Astoria, Queens. He received his Bachelors Degree in Physics from College of Staten Island. Before coming to Seminary, Abey stayed at St. Basil's Monastery in Njaliakuzhy, Kerala, India, of which Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Ivanios is the Abbot. Since Abey is extremely fluent in Malayalam, he is designated to speak to the Martha Mariam Samajam at our Parish Visits =)

We saved the best for last...

Rev. Fr. Varghese K. Joshua aka Santhosh Achen - Fr. Joshua is a monastic who hails from St. Basil's Monastery in Njaliakuzhy, Kerala, India. Achen was a former professor at St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary in Nagpur, India, where he taught Orthodox Spirituality and Liturgical Order. Achen currently teaches the Indian Orthodox Seminarians here at St. Tikhon's. Aside from teaching us here (Malayalam, Malankara Church History, Liturgical Chant and Liturgical Order) and disciplining us =) Achen serves as the Vicar of St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church of Washington D. C. His presence on campus is definitely a blessing to both the Indian Students as the Seminary Community in general.