St. Sebastian Church

We have a long-standing tradition in the Church, to begin the New Year with the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. This is not merely an honour but a Dogma of our faith. As we celebrate this feast on the 1st January, the Church calls us all –

(a) To give glory to our heavenly Father for having bestowed on Mary this unparalleled honour;
(b) To honour Mary for this singular blessing – the unique privilege to be the Mother of God;

(c) To follow the Will of God, as did Mary our Mother. The Litany of our Blessed Virgin Mary speaks volumes, yet I add a few thoughts / insights on Mother Mary. Read more

The First Indian Layman to be declared a Saint

Devasahayam Pillai (named Neelakanda Pillai at birth) was born into an affluent Nair-Caste Hindu family at Nattalam in the present day Kanyakumari District, on April 23rd, 1712. His father Vasudevan Namboodiri hailed from Kayamkulam, in the present day Kerala and his mother Devaki Amma hailed from Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari District. In the Nair matrilineal tradition of the day, Devasahayam Pillai was raised by his maternal uncle, and was inculcated with Hindu beliefs and traditions. Pillai was married to Bargavi Ammal. She was persuaded and converted to Christianity by her husband. His wife was given the baptismal name of Gnanapoo Ammal (equivalent to Theresa in Tamil and Malayalam). Read more

Ami Goykaramnim Povitr Sobhek ek bhagevont dilo mhonn amkam obhiman bhogunk favo. To ek maha-dhormporgottnnar. Tachea pavlamnim cholun amchea jivitantlean ami Jezukuch porgottcho. Ani amchim magnnim ani gorzo, tache vinovnnen ami Jezu mukhar dovorcheo.

Tacho zolm ani xikop – Juze Vaz, Cristopher Vaz ani Maria Miranda hancho tisro put. To April-ache 21ver 1651 vorsa aplea avoychea ghora Bannavle zolmolo. Zolmachea atthvea disa Jacinto Pereira, hea Jezuit Vigaran Sant Juanv Batistache Igorjent, Bannavle taka Povitr Snan dilem. Mullavem xikxonn tannem Sankvalle kelem. Fuddlem xikop korunk taka Adlea Goyam Sant Pauluchea Kolegint patthoun dilo. Tannem padriponnachem xikop kortoch, sovis vorsanche pirayer, Juze Vaz-ak yadniki makhnni favo zali. Read more

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, into that heaven of freedom my father let my country awake. Where the mind has not broken up into narrow domestic walls…what a beautiful poem by Rabindranath Tagore! Do these words seem unrealistic in our country today?  Yes! For if we reflect on our lives, most of us would agree that though we have achieved freedom, it seems so far away from our reach! For we are burdened with so many things…. We seem to be in a rat race for power, fame , money and luxuries, that we often forget to notice our neighbour in need. Besides there is so much of jealousy and unforgiveness that it traps us like a bird in a cage. But is freedom so unachievable?   Read more

Family life is often messy. So how does that square up with the idea that it is also holy? Is a family only holy to the degree that it can spend time in prayer or in service to others? Or is there something more to it?

Attempting to reinvent the family isn’t a new game. Historians have clay-pot records of all kinds of household arrangements dating back to 4000 B.C. Humans always have thought of a million different ways to do a family. It is true that there are strong social-science arguments to be made for the idea that the traditional family — understood as one man in a lifelong committed relationship to one woman and the children they have together — is the most stable, most satisfying, and most socially beneficial household arrangement. Even so, the notion that this is the ideal family arrangement is ultimately not discovered by humans but revealed to us by God. The Father, himself, instituted the human family in the Garden of Eden when He told Adam and Eve to “go forth and multiply.” Further, he gave us his Son who, by choosing the wedding at Cana for His first miracle, gave marriage and family life sacramental dignity, asserting that this union was a sacred reality capable of conveying sanctifying grace. Read more

Brushing and flossing are the best ways to help prevent cavities, but it is not always possible to clean every nook and corner of your teeth especially your back teeth. So, there is another safety net to help keep those back teeth (molars) clean. It is called ‘pit and fissure sealants ‘.

Pit and fissure sealants are a safe and painless way of protecting your teeth from tooth decay. A sealant is a protective plastic coating which is applied to the biting surfaces of the back teeth. The sealant forms a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the tiny grooves in the teeth and causing decay. Read more

My heart is filled with gratitude for the Almighty, as I step into yet another new year welcoming it with joy, happiness and new hope.
New year – New resolutions, every year we set new resolutions/goals, start them on a high note and suddenly they fizzle out, only to realize at the end of the year that you haven’t achieved anything. This year shouldn’t be the same. If you haven’t decided on any goal to achieve then decide now, for I will give you a few tips that will help you “hit the target right”.· Read more

Tadev: Dev Boro dis dium, Simao Titiv. Sokallim-sokallim, vortoman-potr gheun, kosli mahiti vachtai? Kosli khobor ailea?

Simao: Tukai dium Tadev.  Khobor ani kosli? Ailelea disa tench. Vachun – vachun vitt ailea.

Tadev:  Kitem ailam tor, tuka itli vitt-xi aili?

Simao: Hea disamnim rajkarann amkam pixem laita. He amche fuddari asat te eka pokxant thaun, dusrea pokxant uddki marit asat ani amchim potram hi khobor vaddoun – vaddoun ek vhoddlo vag marlelea porim amkam vachunk ditat. Read more

Mogall Firgozkaramno,
Dezembr mhoino suru zatanch thonddi vaddta ani Natalancho ugddas ieta ani sogllo lok toiarek lagta. Jezuchea zolmant akho sonvsar veg-vegllea karannak lagun kuxal zata.

Jezuchea zolma somoiar zaiteo vostu amkam niallunk melltat. Tantuntli ek mhollear, Jezuchea zolma adim ani Tachea zolmank lagun Marie-k ani Juzek, Jezuk gheun zaitem hanga-thoim bonvchem poddlem. Survatekuch, Juzek aplem nanv aplea ganv-ghora lavunk gorbest aslole Maria-k Nazareth thaun Bethlehem gheun ieuchem poddlem. Bethlehem tankam zago nam zaun tim hanga-thoim ghor sodit bonvlim. Bhov gorjechea vellar ekleanui tankam asro dilo nam. Tea pasot ganva bhair, dongrar, gorvam ghotteant tannim asro ghetlo ani Marie-n Jezuk zolm dilo. Nhesunk kaim nam zaun tannim Jezuk fallianim guttlaun khavnnent dovorlo. Read more