HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER

He saw the slavery of the Isralites and was concerned for them. Ex. 2:25

The Lord then passed in front of him and called out, "I, the Lord , am a God who is full of compassion and pity, , who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness. Ex 34:6

One of them may encourage you to worghip the gods of the people who live near you or the gods of those who live far away. But do not ler him persuade you, do not even listen to him. Show him no mercy or pity, and do not protect him. Dt. 13 : 6-7

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful father , the God from whom all help comes.2Cor 3:3
God in his mercy has given us this work to do, and so we do not become discouraged. 2Cor 4:1

So then evrything depends upon not on what man wants or does, but only on Gods mercy. Ro. 9:16

He rescues the poor who call to him. and those who are needy and neglected. He has pity on the weak and poor. Ps. 72: 13-14

The Lord is merciful and good, our God is compassionate. Ps.116:5

Let the wicked leave their way of life and chage their way of thinking. Let them turn to the Lord our God, He is merciful and quick to forgive. Is. 55:7

I will be mercifu to my people and and make them prosperous again. Jr. 33:26

So then your majesty, follow my advice . Stop sinning do what is right and be merciful to the poor, Then you will continue to be prosperous. Dn 4:27

Don`t give up my friends, Let`s wait five more days to see if the Lord our God will be merciful to us. Jdt. 7:30

The Lord is kind and merciful: He forgives our sins and keeps us safe in time of trouble. Si 2:11

Immediately all of them together thanked God for his mercy, he had made them brave enough to attack not only man, but even the most savage animals or even walls or iron. 2 Macc 11:9

Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. Lk. 6:36

SIN

When your people sin against you and there is no one who does not sin and in your anger you let
their enemies defeat them and take them as prisoners. 2 Ch 6:36

Who ever sins is guilty of breaking God`s law, because sin is a breaking of the law. 1 Jn 3:4

As they stood there asking him questions, he straightened up and said to them. "Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her." Jn 8:7

The king sent for Moses and Aron and said, "This time I have sinned: The Lord is in the right, and my people and I are in the wrong. Ex 9:27

The people came to Moses and said , "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Now pray to the Lord to take these snakes away. So Moses prayed for the people. Nu 21:7

My people cry out to me, even though our sins accuse us. Help us, Lord as You have promised. We have turned against You many times , we have sinned against You. Jr 14:7

We have sinned, we have been evil, we have done wrong. We have rejected what You commanded us to do and have turned away from what you showed us was right. Dn 9:5

And in this way you will be sinning against Christ by sinning against you Christian brothers and wounding their week conscience. 1Cor 8:12

But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty fo sin,and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker. Jas 8:12

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God , He will keep his promise and do what is right. He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. 1Jn 1:8-10

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep his promise and do what is right. He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. 1Jn 1:8-10

O Lord, do to me whatever shall seem good in Thy sight. If Thou wilIest that I should be in darkness, blessed be Thou! If Thou wilIest that I should be in light, still blessed be Thou! If Thou deignest to comfort me, blessed be Thou! And if Thou wilIest that I should be afflicted, equally blessed be Thou forever! I will willingly suffer for Thee, O Lord, whatever Thou wilIest should come upon me. I am ready to receive alike from Thy hand good and evil, sweet and bitter, joy and sadness, and to give thanks for everything that befalls me. Keep me only from all sin and I will fear neither death nor Hell. Cast me not off forever, nor blot me out of the Book of Life, and whatsoever tribulation befalleth me shall not hurt me.

FEAR THE LORD ALONE

What if, GOD couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?
What if, GOD decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today?

What if, we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when GOD sent the rain?

What if, GOD didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if, GOD took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?

What if, GOD took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if, GOD didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?

What if, the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?

What if, GOD stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?

What if, GOD would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him yesterday?

What if, GOD answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?

What if, GOD met our needs the way we give Him our lives???

FEAR THE LORD ALONE

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and sould in hell. Mt 10:28

Don`t be afraid of this butcher. Give up your life willingly and prove yourself worthy of your brothers, so that by Gods mercy I may receive you back with them at the resurrection.
2 Macc 7:29

He answered,"I heard you in the garden, I was afraid and hid from you because I was naked." Gn 3:10

Is anything too had for the Lord? As I said nine months from now I will return and Sarah will have a son. Because Sarah was afraid she denied it "I didnt laugh" she said "Yes you did" he replied "you laughed".

The way to become wise is to have reverence for he Lord, he gives sound judgment to all who obey his commands , He is to be praised forever. Ps. 111:10

Have reverence for the Lord and you will live longer. The wicked die before their time.
Pr 10:27

If you fear the Lord, honor and pride will be yours: you will be crowned with happiness and joy. Si 1:11

To fear the lord is the flower of Wisdom, that blossoms with peace and good health. Si 1:18

To fear the Lord is the root lof Wisdom her branches are long life. Si 1:20

The Lord himself will lead you and be with you, He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid. Dt 31:8

Jerusalem go up on a high mountain and maintain the good news. Speak out and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah that their God is coming. Is 40:9

The angle said to her "Don`t be afraid Mary. Gad has been gracious to you, You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus. Lk 1:3

THE LETTER FROM JAMES

James is one of the three disiples closest to Christ Jesus. The other two were Peter and John.

FAITH AND WISDOM
My brothers consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials the result is the ability to endure.
James 1:2,3

If any of you lacks wisdom he should pray to God, who will give it to him; because God gives generously and graciously. James 1:5

Realizing that I was only a man, I prayed and was given understanding. The spirit of Wisdom came to me. Ws 7:7

TESTING AND TEMPTING

Happy is the person who remains faithful under trials, because when he succeeds in passing such a test , he will receive as his reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

HEARING AND DOING
Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word, instead put it into practice.

WARNING AGAINST PREJUDICE
As believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearances. James 2:1

FAITH AND ACTION
As the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.

THE TONGUE
No one has ever been able to tame the tongue. It is evil and uncontrollable, full of deadly poison,

We use it to give thanks to our Lord and Father and also to curse our fellow man who is created on the likeness of God. James 3:8,9

FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD

The spirit that God placed in us is filled with fierce desires. But the grace that God gives is even stronger. James 4:5-6

Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. James 4:10

AGAINST JUDGING

God is the only law giver and judge, He alone can save and destroy, who are you to judge your fellow man. James 4:12

The person who does not do the good he knows he should do is guilty of sin. James 4:17

PATIENCE AND PRAYER

Do not complain against one another, my brothers, so that God will not judge you. James 5:9

Do not use an oath when you make a promise. Do not swear by Heaven or by earth or by anything else. James 5:12

PATIENCE IS VIRTUE

TO BE HUMAN IS TO CHANGE. TO BE PERFCT IS TO HAVE CHANGED OFTEN.

Cardinal Henry Newman

They refused to obey: they forgot all you did:

They forgot the miracles you had performed.

In their pride they chose a leader to take them back into slavery in Egypt

But u are a God who forgives;

Your are gracious and loving SLOW TO BE ANGRY

Your mercy is great; You did not forsake them. Ne. 9:17

Year after year you PATIENTLY warned them ,

You inspired your prophets to speak,
But your people were deaf so you let them be

Conquered by other nations. Ne. 9:30

I waited PATIENTLY for the Lord`s help:

then He listened to me and heard my cry. Ps.40:1

The Lord is merciful and loving,

SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY and full of constant love. Ps.103:8

It is better to be PATIENT than powerful.

It is better to win control over yourself than over big cities. Pr. 16:32

People with a HOT TEMPER do foolish things, wiser people remain calm. Pr. 14:17

Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good:

IMPATIENCE will get you into trouble. Pr19:2

PATIENT persuasion can break down the strongest
resistance and can even convince rulers. Pr. 25:15

Stupid people express their anger openly,

but sensible people are PATIENT and hold it back. Pr.29:11

Don`t think that you can sin and get away with it:

the Lord does not mind WAITING to punish you. Si.5:4

No sinner can escape with what he has stolen.

the Lord will reward the PATIENCE of devout people. Si.16:13

Wait and be PATIENT and later you will be glad you did. Si.1:23

And life goes on....

Meanwhile there were many ups and downs in the parish , but devotion to Infant Jesus increased steadily. There were many new faces in church and the attendence increased. By this time our shed was weather beaten and looking dilapidated. Soon it was December and we began choir singing again. Another X`mas programme was planned and very well executed by the children of our parish, on 23rd December, immediately after Sunday mass. Hats off to all the organizers and participants.. Church at chirstmas, that's the crib at the far right... sorry I don't have a better picture.

Christmas mass and New Year mass were well attended. Then we began planning for the Infant Jesus festival. Building a church was our main purpose, so we did not want to spend lavishly on the festival. We decided to have a five day festival starting from Jan 10th to Jan 14th. Special decorators were called to make the shed as presentable as possible. Again we had many sponsors for the sound system, decorations, chairs, etc. etc. The flag was hoisted on the 10th of Jan at 6: 30pm, amidst singing and clapping. Everyday there were about three to four priests celebrating Mass. Phidalys our special organist was superb. On Sunday, the 4th day of the festival, First Holy Communion was given to 8 children. It was a great day, the service was very meaningful and beautiful. The photographers kept to their places but tackling the crowd was a bit tough. That same evening we had holy hour for three hours, followed by benediction. Father took pains in making this holy hour very special. After that there was dinner for one and all, sponsored by Five Star Caterers. The children kept finishing off the ice-cream and they kept supplying more and more. Everyone had a good time. The festival ended the next day on Jan 14th, with a high Mass after which the flag was brought down.

WHY DO WE HAVE FORTY DAYS OF LENT ?

Seven days from now I am going to send rain that will fall for forty days and nights , in order to destroy all the living beings that I have made.. Gen. 7:4

After forty days Noah opened a window and sent out a raven. Gen. 8:6

Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and nights , eating and drinking nothing. Ex.34:28

Joseph gave orders to embalm his father`s body , it took forty days, the normal time for embalming. Gen. 50:2

Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day , he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!” Jon. 3:4

After spending forty days and nights without food Jesus was hungry. Mt. 4:2

David died and was buried in David`s City. He had been king of Israel for forty years, ruling seven years in Hebron and thirty three years in Jerusalem .. 1K 2:10,11

Solomon was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 1K 11:42

Remember how the Lord your God has blessed you in everything that you have done. He has taken care of you as you wandered through this vast desert. He has been with you these forty years and you have had everything you needed. Dt. 2:7

Your children will wander in the wilderness for forty years , suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last one of you dies. Nu. 14:33

The no of lashes will depend on the crime he has committed. .He may be given as many as forty but no more. Dt. 25:2-3

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel and sister of Laban. Gen. 25:20

After exploring the land for forty days the spies returned. Nu. 13:25

For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God . Ac. 1:3

“Take the stone away” Jesus ordered. Martha the dead man`s sister, answered, “There will be a bad smell , Lord . He has been buried four days!” Jn. 11:39

And Life Goes On.....

After Easter we had the first wedding of our parish, again our shed was too small to accomodate everyone inspite of shamyana and extra chairs. Here is a picture of thec shed that was decorated for the wedding. Then it was the month of May and we had ten days of Bible Study for the children . The teachers and kids came enthusiastically every morning, They were served snacks and cool drinks everyday, sponsored by parishioners. Later on each and every child was given a small gift.

Our main aim was to build the church and this kept delaying due to some reason or the other. There was a house blocking part of the entrance of the land, so we decided to buy the house. After several attempts we finally agreed on a reasonable deal (22 lakhs) and paid the advance. Again we began going for collection house to house. It took us nearly six months to collect this amount, but we managed it and bought the house on the first day of Infant Jesus festival on January 10th, 2008.

Nature of God

GOD'S LOVE IS SO WONDERFUL..... ITS SO HIGH U CANT GET OVER IT, ITS SO DEEP U CAN'T GET UNDER IT, ITS SO WIDE U CAN'T GET ROUND IT, SO WONDERFUL IS GOD'S LOVE , U CAN'T EVEN MEASURE IT.

‘’God is love.’’ 1 John 4:8

I love u just as the Father loves me; remain in my love. If you obey my commands you will remain in my love. Jn . 15:9-10

So that all God's people may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep is Christ's love. Yes may you come to know his love – although it can never be fully known – and so be completely filled with the nature of God. Eph . 3: 18,19

GOD'S LOVE FOR THE LONELY
I will be with you always, to the end of the age. Mt. 28:20

GOD'S LOVE FOR THOSE WHO ARE BURDENED
Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest.
Mt. 11:28

GOD'S LOVE FOR THE WEAK IN SPIRIT AND BODY
I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gave me. Phil 4:13

GOD'S LOVE FOR THE SINNER
If we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right, he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrong doings. 1 Jn. 1:9

GOD'S LOVE FOR THE NEEDY
And with all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs.
Phil 4:19

GOD'S LOVE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN UP HOPE
For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid, instead, his spirit fills us with power , love and self-control. 2 Ti 1:7

GOD'S LOVE FOR THOSE WHO WORRY
Leave all your worries with Him because He cares for you. 1 P 5:7

GOD'S LOVE FOR THE ABANDONED
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said “I will never abandon you”

GOD'S LOVE FOR THE MERCIFUL
Happy are those who are merciful to others . God will be merciful to them.

GOD'S LOVE FOR THOSE WHO ARE LOST AND ARE IN DESPAIR
In just the same way your Father in heaven does not want any of these little one to be lost.
Mt 18:14

GOD'S LOVE FOR THOSE WHO LONG FOR PEACE
You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.
Is 26:3

Praise the Lord, all nations! Praise him, all peoples! His love for us is strong, and his faithfulness is eternal. Praise the Lord! Ps.117

God's love has always existed and will always exist. His love is unconditional.

God's love is like an ocean –vast unfathomable. God has given us access to his love. It is up to us to bathe in it and be refreshed by it.

Let us pray for the grace to be open to God's loving presence in our lives.

Passion Week Service

May all who come to you be glad and joyful. Psalm 70 : 4

Soon after the festival Lent started, we had an unexpected crowd for the Ash Wednesday evening mass. This year the Station of the cross was more organized and we had a bigger crowd. Around this time trouble started brewing among the parishners, ego was the main culprit, misunderstanding and anger crept in. We took it in our stride trusting infant Jesus to solve all our problems.
Palm Sunday arrived bringing Fr. Stanley to our church. He was appointed to conduct the Holy Week services. Everything went well, and during the Easter vigil it started pouring outside. Even after the mass ended it did not stop raining. Everyone was huddled together inside the shed waiting for the rain to stop, it was an opportunity to mingle and know each other. After two hours the rain subsided and people began going home.
Meanwhile devotion to Infant Jesus kept increasing. People began talking about how their prayers to Infant Jesus was answered, how Infant Jesus performed miracles in their lives or in the lives of their loved ones. Everyone had a story to say about how Infant Jesus helped them through tough times.

Salvation and Redemption

The spirit of the Lord speaks through me: His message is on my lips. 2 Sam 23 : 2

Fathers sermon was about death, resurrection and everlasting life.

THE AWARENESS OF DEATH IS THE BEGINNING OF REDEMPTION.
1. He is the God of the living not of the dead , for Him all are alive Lk. 20 : 38

2. Why do you who are here find it impossible to believe that God raises the dead? Act 26 :8

3. I have hope in God that all people both good and bad will rise from death so I must do my best to have a clear conscience before God and man. Act 24 : 15

4. God will reward each one according to the work he has done. 1 Cor : 8

5. We have an obligation, but it is not to live as our human nature wants us to, but if by His spirit you put to death sinful actions, u will live. Rom 8 : 12, 13

6. I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul. 1 Pet. 2 : 11

7 .For if we share Christ sufferings we will also share His glory. Rom 8 : 17

8. It is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me, I refuse to reject the grace of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. Gal 2: 20

9. We beg you who have received God's grace not to let it be wasted. Hear what God says "When the time came for me to show you favor I heard you: When the day arrived for me to save you, I helped you.” Listen! This is the hour to receive Gods favor, today is the day to be saved.
2 Cor 6 : 1-2

10. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day. Jn. 6 : 54

11. We eagerly wait for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule. Phil 3 : 20 – 21

12. “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25,26

THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN IS THE BEGINNING OF SALVATION
In Paradise we shall rest in freedom and we shall see. We shall see and we shall love. We shall love and we shall praise. This is what will be at the end without end. St. Augustine.

THE FESTIVAL

His name will be called Wonderful Counseller, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isiah 9:6


Soon after new year we began preparing for Infant Jesus festival which falls on 14th of January. A few children were preparing to receive their First Holy Communion. Uniforms were stiched for the alter boys and they looked cute in their red and white flowing robes. A new organist arrived to train the choir group. We were to celebrate the festival for ten days from the 12th of Jan till the 23rd. The bishop was to come on the last day of the festival, he was eager to see how we were faring. We decorated the shed again, lights were put up, banners were put up , sound system hired, everything had to be grand, it was going to be our first Festival. Every evening we celebrated high mass with three or four priests. Every priest was introduced by Fr. Antony and welcomed with a shawl by the members.

On the first day the parishners welcomed the parish priest with fruits and shawl. Then commenced the flag hoisting. On the 3rd day of the festival which fell on a Sunday, we had morning mass and 13 children received their First Holy Communion . It was beautiful, later on they were given certificates. There was a huge crowd and the choir performed exceptionally well. The same evening we had a two hour adoration followed by the Benediction. After that dinner was served for everyone, and everybody had a great time sharing food and happiness. On the 5th day of the festival our dear bishop expired and we had three days of mourning. Then on the 8th, 9th and 10 day the mass went on as planned. On the last day, soon after mass the flag was brought down, and thus ended our ten days of festival.

A Wonderful Christmas

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And He will be our Ruler. Isaiah 9 : 6

December 24th 2006 was a Sunday, so the Christmas tree and the crib was put up the previous day. Gifts were arranged under the tree for the children. The Crib was set up and kept hidden from view, until the mass commenced. The alter was decorated with beautiful flowers. We made the shed look as beautiful as we could.

Soon after Sunday mass the curtains went up, and the children got into their costumes, many of the adults stayed back to watch the tableau. Everything went off very well. As a tribute to the cast I wish to mention all their names here. Niveda, Anita, Aishwarya, Richi, Sally, Chris, Jeshilya, Abhilash, Risho, Johnny , Andrew, Priyanka, Roger, Abinaya, and Genanie. The people applauded the whole cast and everybody kept saying it was the best play they had ever seen. After that Santa distributed gifts to each and every child, the children enjoyed each and every moment of the day. Father Antony received his surprise gift, it was a huge greeting with the signatures of all the children.

Church Friends...

That same night we had Christmas Mass at 10pm. We had an unexpectedly large crowd, there was hardly any place to accomodate everybody. Baby Jesus was placed in the crib during the mass and the crib was blessed. It was our first Christmas and we were all very happy. After mass everybody was served cake and coffee.... nobody felt like going home.

The crib in church........

New year eve we had an adoration service and the new year 2007 was welcomed with a morning mass. Ours was a model parish, just as the bishop wanted, but unfortunately this didn't last long.

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

My servants shall sing for joy. Isaiah 65 : 14

Then came November and we began preparing for Christmas. Our shed had to be decorated. We didn’t want to spend too much on decoration so we decided to make them ourselves. Under the guidance of Mrs. Aloysius we learnt to make flowers, bouquets, wreaths etc. Each of us did our own share of the decorations at home, we brought out all our creative abilities and made many beautiful things. We amazed ourselves, they were even more beautiful than the ones sold in shops. We were proud of our work, here are some pictures of them.

The wreath was hand made.....

So were these stars, candles, christmas cards and wreaths.....
We managed to give our little church a christmas-y look.....

We planed to have a small Christmas celebration in church after the Sunday Mass on 24.12.2006. It was decided to put on a small play by little children depicting the nativity scene. For this a few catechism children were selected and the practice began. Roles were alloted to the kids and the practice sessions were filled with fun and laughter. The five boys selected to be shepherds had a nice time torturing Joseph and Mary, they used to run away with Baby Jesus and beat their little lambs. They were a restless bunch, they used to throw mud on the angels and when the angels complained, these shepherd boys would say, "Instead of complaining, why don't you fly away with your wings". They were a naughty lot, but at the end, they performed beautifully.

Here are the kids who tested our patience and but made the whole ordeal pleasantly memorable.

Around December 15th, we began caroling, we enjoyed going from house to house celebrating the birth of Christ and spreading Christmas joy.

Caroling, it was great walking around in our colony.... singing and celebrating the miracle of CHRISTMAS......

THE BIBLE

Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world. Isaiah 45 : 22

Father's sermons were fabulous, he prepared diligently before each mass and told us about siants, people in the bible and the historical significances evident in the Holy Book. He made us think without forcing us to follow inane ideologies. He opened up our minds and enabled us to perceive the events with a historical view (by keeping in mind the times and traditions of an olden era), thus enlightening us on many obscure references in the Bible. Many of us started jotting down the refrences and looking it up later on. Fr. Antony even took the trouble to print leaflets showing the references the Bible makes to certain events and distribute them to the people. For some of us the bible became an everyday part of our lives.

Every parish should have a cemetery, obviously, and so the parish members started looking out for a suitable piece of land. The female members were given the task of finding out how many people wanted to join the parish of Infant Jesus Church. Rs. 3000 was the joining fee which is mandatory in almost all churches. The membership could only be confirmed if the people received a letter ascertaining that their previous parish priest had no objection. The men met with many philanthropist's and collected a tidy sum. Due to our had work and zealous labour, a plot of land was finally procured at Vattakarai. Some work was done on the land to level it off, after that we had the Blessing of the cemetery. Till date two people who had led a long and confortable life, have been laid to rest there.

The First Adoration

For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly. Psalm 138:6

This is the current agenda of our small parish

Every Sunday : Holy Mass at 7.30 am
Baptism : First Sunday of every month after mass
Novena : To Infant Jesus , every Thursday along with mass.
Adoration : Every first Thursday after mass and novena

We started catechism classes after Sunday mass, we have around seventy children and some dedicated teachers.The first Adoratoin brought tears to my eyes. I have always seen our Lord being praised and worshiped in big posh churches but never in a poor shed. I was wonderstruck ..... my Lord! The King of Kings! In our shed? In our humble land? I humbly thanked Him for His love and mercy. After that every adoration brings tears to my eyes.

As the church activities progressed and as the people and children became more involved, small changes were soon evident in every household. Pop songs were replaced by hymns in most of our houses, friendships were formed, people were happy to just be part of the church. Things were going smoothly, it was one big happy family.

P.S: I wanted to open a site for Infant Jesus Church but Karen says opening a blog is easier and that's how this one came into being.

A new priest and a new shed.

Isaiah 49:5 My God shall be my strength

We celebrated Palm Sunday with a procession and Fr. Stephen Henry handled the service. Easter morning mass was celebrated great joy and beautiful songs. On 9th June 2006, St Joseph`s Church, Vattakarai became an independent parish with a new parish priest: Fr. Antony. Infant Jesus church became a substation to St. Joseph's Church and Fr. Antony took charge and got everything into order. As soon as he arrived, he called a meeting of all who were interested in the development of the church. It was decided to demolish the old foundation as it did not adhere to the construction norms. A committee member offered his piece of land in the colony to build a temporary shed until the main church was constructed. A sturdy and comfortable shed soon came into being and the first mass in this new place was held on the 1st Sunday of August, 2006. Huge loads of clean beach sand was dumped onto the ground and a few chairs were provided for the elders. August 15th was celebrated with a mass and the Flag hoisting ceremony. Very soon we became a proper parish and meetings were held regularly and people started coming regularly to church.

Here are a few pictures.....

Here's the temporary shed, a place filled with beautiful memories.

The altar

Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady

Hoisting of the Flag

OUR FIRST MIRACLE

In those days we just informed a few ladies who we knew would be interested in joining a choir, that is how we got to know Maggie. She has leadership qualities and she soon got the choir in order, they kept improving with every song. It was not an easy job, every Sunday after Mass the chairs and the heavy alter table had to be hauled over the compound wall to the neighbouring land where it would be safe. The mike, speakers, amplifiers etc. had to be carried upstairs to the neighbouring house, the other mass articles had to be packed in a bag. The tent had to be dismantled (we couldn't leave the tent up due to the strong winds). Every Saturday evening everything had to be set up again. People willingly pitched in to help set up the tents and take it down again after every mass. Then the Lenten season arrived along with the monsoon season in full swing, this was when we witnessed the first miracle. Not once did it rain during the mass or during the Stations of the Cross . It used to rain just before or after the service but never during mass. We were all grateful to the Lord for His mercies.

THE FIRST MASS

We were to have mass every Sunday and it was decided to hold the first mass on February 5th 2006. We were all very exicited. We went to Assisi church and bought a few things required for Mass. Everybody was given some work to do. Shamiana , chairs, sound system and a few other necessities were hired. Manohari had to prepare the prayer of the faithfull, everybody had to be informed , etc.etc. Finally the day arrived, and a few ladies were selected to sing in the choir accompained by Merwin on the casio. Merwin played beautifully and everything went off well. Everybody was happy.... it was like a cherished dream coming true for Jessy and me. Slowly things started going on routinely, people began to donate chairs, mike, speakers etc.. We no longer required the shamiana. Every Saturday evening the men put up the tents, while the choir practiced in the evening breeze. On the last Sunday of February we started singing one English song in mass, sometimes during Holy Communion and other times the closing hymn. The girls became interested in the choir and they were eager to learn new songs and perform well. They started downloading, preparing copies and practicing over and over to make the song sound perfect. Ashiwini took over playing the Casio as Merwin was in the 12th. The number of people attending mass began to increase.

Here are a few pictures of the first mass....

IN THE BEGINNING

The concept of building an Infant Jesus church in Ponnapa Nadar Colony, (Nagercoil, Kanyakumari District, India) started about 10 years back. A few like minded people formed a group and had their first meeting at Servite Convent. A committee was formed, Mr Soosai was unanimously chosen as the president and Mr Panipichai as the secretary. Under the direction of Fr. Yesu Rathnam who was then the parish priest of Holy Family Church, the committee planned to procure a piece of land. The idea was presented to the Bishop and the request for a new parish was met favourably. The President was the first to say that he would donate
Rs. 50,000 after that everybody pitched in and the committee started raising funds. They began going for collection and everybody in the colony were rather interested at the idea of having a church close by. Mr.Athanas had some land in Carmel Mount Street, he offered to sell it, so the committee bought his share of the land and the land adjoining it. They finally had about twenty cents of land in the church's name.

Next step was getting the approval from the government officials, which took us about ten years. It was only due to the untiring perseverance of the secretary that we received the offical green signal. Meanwhile in our eagerness to have a church we started the foundation work which was blessed by Fr. Amalraj Nevis. Some priests came from the bishop house, a parish council was formed and handed over to Fr. Ladislause , parish priest of St Antony's church. The INFANT JESUS CHURCH became a sub- station. We were all exhilarated.