New Year’s Eve Service

The New Year's Eve Services will be held on Monday, December 31st at 6:30pm.

Wishing all our families and friends a safe new year.

2018 Miracle of Christmas Program - Sat., December 22nd @ 4pm

Our 2018 Miracle of Christmas Program will be held on Saturday, December 22nd at 4pm, in Bellflower. Please make sure to let your family and friends know and invite them to attend. 

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help out, please contact Mrs. Helen Abraham, Program Coordinator.

Location:
William Bristol Civic Auditorium
16600 Civic Center Drive
Bellflower, CA  90706

Photos from Ordination of Fr. Samuel (Saju) Varghese

Please see the photos from the Holy Priesthood Ordination of Fr. Samuel (Saju) Varghese.

Click here to view

ORDINATION OF DN. SAMUEL (SAJU) VARGHESE - Sat., December 8th

These are the details of the ordination of Deacon Samuel (Saju) Varghese to the Holy Order of Priesthood (Qashisho). His Grace Dr. Zacharias Mar Aprem, Assistant Metropolitan of the Diocese, will ordain Deacon Samuel on Saturday, December 8, 2018, at St.Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Los Angeles. Morning prayer will begin at 7:30 AM followed by the Divine Liturgy and the Service of Ordination. Saju Semassan has been working as the Youth Minister of the Western Region since 2011 as well as for the Ministry of Liturgical Resource Development from 2015 onwards. He will be the second celibate priest ordained from our diocese.

Saju Semassan's home parish is St. Gregorios Orthodox Church, Elmhurst and the son of Mr. & Mrs. Peter and Lilly Varghese. They belong to St. George Orthodox Valiyapally, Mylapra in Kerala. He completed his B.A. at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) in 2005, B.D. at the Orthodox Theological Seminary (Kottayam) in 2011, and MFT from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2016.




SCHEDULE
Fri., 7pm - Evening Prayer

Sat., 7am - Members to arrive at church
Sat., 7:15am - Procession for H.G. Dr. Zacharias Mar Aprem
Sat., 7:30am - Morning Prayer
Sat., 8:15am - Holy Qurbana (Ordination will take place during the Qurbana)
                       - Lunch will be served following Holy Qurbana (outside tent)
Sat., 6:30pm - Evening Prayer

Sun., 9:00am - Morning Prayers
Sun., 9:45am - Holy Qurbana
                     - Lunch will be served following Holy Qurbana
PARKING
Saturday - Parking will only be available in the front area of the church.  Back area will have tent so no parking will be available.  Additional parking has been arranged at the Indian Pentecostal Church (14415 Imperial Hwy, Whittier) about a mile away.  Please drop your family off in front of the church and park car at the additional parking area.  Shuttle service will be provided from 7am to 2pm to and from church.

Indian Penticostal Church
14415 Imperial Hwy.
Whitter, CA  90604

VOLUNTEERS
FOOD PREP - The church will be sponsoring the food on Saturday so preparation will be held at the church on Friday starting at
10am.  Please volunteer your time if possible.  For additional details, please contact Sodharan Varughese.

PROCESSION TENT - We need volunteers on Friday to setup the tent in front of the church entrance.  Please come between 3-6pm. For additional details, please contact Abraham Varughese.

FOOD SERVERS (SAT) - We need volunteers to help serve the lunch on Saturday so if you can assist, please contact Sodharan Varughese.

ADDITIONAL BATHROOMS
The bathrooms in the school building and the parsonage will be open for use on Saturday.

Please be courteous and allow our guests to partake in the lunch first as many of them will be in hurry to catch flights.

Sunday School General Assembly - Sun., November 11th

A Sunday School General Assembly will be held on Sunday, November 11th, after the Holy Qurbana.  This will be an opportunity for our children to share what they learn in their classes as well as discuss the accomplishments and upcoming Sunday School Activities.  The odd numbered classes (Pre-KG, 1, 3, 5, 7 and Intermediate) will make presentations this time.  All students, teachers and parents are requested to attend.

Our children are the greatest gift that God has given us!

MMVS Yummy Snack Sale - November 4th

St. Thomas LA MMVS will be hosting a Yummy Snack Sale on Sunday, November 4th after Holy Qurbana.  Please come support the fundraiser and purchase the delicious snacks.

 

Bava Thirumeni's Visit to LA

CHURCH PICNIC - Cerritos Park East, Sat., September 15th @ 10am

The church picnic is scheduled for Saturday, September 15th at Cerritos Park East. There will be lots of fun and games along with food for everyone. This is a time for all of us to close the Summer and enjoy some family time together. The cost for the picnic is $5/person.  Please contact Mrs. Helen Abraham to sign-up your family so we can plan the event better.

Time: 10am
Location: Cerritos Park East, Cerritos, Shelter #3
Address: 13234 166th Street., Cerritos CA 90703
Click here for directions

General Prayer Meeting - Sat., September 8th @ 6:30pm

A general prayer meeting has been scheduled at church on Saturday, September 8th at 6:30pm.  The prayer meeting is hosted by Mr. K.I. Varughese and family.  The family invites all members to attend the prayer meeting.

The previously scheduled prayer meeting at Mr. George Mathew's (Madhu) home will be rescheduled to a new date later.

Holy Qurbana Celebrated by Bava Thirumeni - September 2nd @ 8:30am

The following are the details to follow for welcoming our Catholicose to St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Los Angeles.

8:00AM – All members to arrive at church (Please arrive as early as possible)

8:15AM – Setup for procession and welcome

8:30AM – Bava Thirumeni arrives

            – Procession to inside church

            – Morning Prayer

            – Absolution (please arrive prepared and on-time)

9:30AM – Holy Qurbana

11:00AM – NO Birthday, Wedding or Memorial Prayer today

11:15AM – Pictures with Clergy and Altar Assistants

11:30AM – Welcome Ceremony for Catholicose

12:00PM – Lunch

12:30PM – Meet with Catholicose inside church and pictures (All Organizations come prepared)

1:30PM - Departure

Dress Code:  Men – Black or dark suite with white shirt and red tie, Boys – Black pants, white shirt and red tie, Women – Kerala sari or churidhar, Girls – Kerala outfits or light cream color dress

Procession:  Procession will begin from the flag pole area to inside church.  Please enter from side door by parking lot and occupy inside church before Bava enters.  We should have full church as he enters the church.  Please occupy all the spaces towards the front to maximize our capacity.

Parking:  Please park outside church area once it is full.  Do not double park and block others

Meet Bava and Pictures:  There will be time to meet Bava Thirumeni from 12:30 – 1:30pm inside the church.  All organizations group should plan to take picture with him so please be prompt as time is very short.

Parsonage:  The parsonage will be used for hosting lunch for Bava Thirumeni and will be off limits for MGOCSM and children for eating lunch and hangout.  Please inform your children.

Sunday School Begins September 9th @ 8:45am

The 2018-19 Sunday School year will begin on Sunday, September 9th at 8:45am.  All children 3 years and older should be attending our Sunday School.  If you haven't registered your child, please fill out the form below with all the details.  Please remember to bring your children on time.

If you have any questions, please contact Mathew Varughese.

REGISTER YOUR CHILD

2018 Annual MMVS Conference, Sept 28-30

Annual MMVS Conference

Date:  September 28-30, 2018
Location:  Dallas, Texas

2018 MMVS Conference Flyer

2018 MMVS Conference registration form

Also the link for reserving the hotel rooms are here.  Host homes are also available.  Rooms are at $89 per night that accommodate four people.

Book your group rate for MM SAMAJAM WOMENS CONFERENCE 2018

2018 OVBS, July 20-22

The 2018 OVBS will be held at our church from Friday, July 20 to Sunday, July 22.  Please register your children by using the link below by July 14. We need everyone to register on-time so we can plan and prepare properly. Please make sure to include your child's t-shirt size correctly while you register.  All 10th graders and above will be volunteers so if you would like to help, please contact Mathew Varughese.  All volunteers also need to register so we have full count for materials, t-shirts and food.

Theme:  “God molds us”
- Isaiah 64:8

Schedule:
Friday - 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday - 10:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday - After Holy Qurbana

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Sunday School Final Exam - June 10th @ 8:45am

The Final Exam will take place on Sunday, June 10th at 8:45am.  Parents are kindly requested to prepare their children and bring them on time. Exams will take place from 9-9:50am, so please don't be late.

Please contact your child's teacher or Mathew Varughese, if you have any questions.

H.G. Dr. Abraham Mar Seraphim Visits LA - June 16-18

H.G. Dr. Abraham Mar Seraphim, Metropolitan of Bangalore Diocese will be visiting our church from June 16 - 18.  We welcome thirumeni to St. Thomas Orthodox Church.  Please plan to attend with your family and receive his blessings on Saturday evening prayer meeting and Holy Qurbana on Sunday.

His Grace was born on 28th December 1969 as the son of Puthenveedu V. A. Mathews and Annie. His Grace is a member of St. George Valiyapally, Eram, Thumpamon Diocese.  After taking his Bachelors Degree in Science from  Mahatma Gandhi University, he joined the  Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam, for theological studies. From the Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam, he took Graduate Degree in Sacred Theology (GST) and the Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree at the Senate of Serampore University. After taking his M. Th from  Dharmaram Theological College, Bangalore,  he took  D. Th from  Chikkago Theological Seminary, America.

His Grace took several key positions of the church as General Secretary, Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Movement of  India,Member, Managing Committee, Orthodox Church, Member, Governing Board Thadakam Ashram, Coimbatore, Director, Santhinilayam Counselling Centre, Pathanamthitta.

He is elected as the  Metropolitan candidate on   17th February at the Malankara Association held at Sasthamkotta. He is consecrated as Metropolitan on  12th May 2010 at Mar Elia Cathedral, Kottayam.His Grace  is serving the Banglore  Diocese as its Metropolitan.