CALC Food Sale - Sun., February 23rd

The CAlifornia Leader Camp (CALC) Committee will be holding a food sale this Sunday, February 23 following the Holy Liturgy. We ask that all our families join together with us in this luncheon.  All proceeds will go towards funding of the California Leadership Camp, which will be hosted on July 23-26, 2014. This annual leadership camp of the Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement (MGOCSM) is a great opportunity for the young generation of the United States to be trained as future leaders of our communities and churches. We ask that you keep the progress of CALC in your prayers, and we appreciate all aspects of support that you have provided us.

MMVS Meeting - Sat., January 25th @ 4pm

The first meeting for MMVS of this year will be held on Saturday, January 25th from 4 to 6 pm at the Church. Very Rev. K.O. Philip Cor-episcopa will preside the meeting and give a devotional talk.  

Also, there will be a cooking class after the meeting mainly for our young adults.  For the cooking class, Mrs. Aleyamma Mathew will teach how to make Kerala style Fish Curry.  All the ladies are invited.

Mrs. Susan (Ammukutty) Varughese's Sister Passes Away

We are very saddened to inform you that the sister of Mrs. Susan (Ammukutty) Varughese, has passed away in India this evening. There will be a prayer meeting at the home of Mathew Varughese (Viji) tomorrow, Tuesday at 6:30pm. Please join us for the prayer.  

The St. Thomas Orthodox Church gives our heart-felt condolences to the family.  Please keep the family in your daily prayers as they pass through this difficult time.

Address: (Click here for directions)
9965 Princeton St.
Cypress, CA  90630
(714) 821-3677

Miracle Of Christmas Program - Sun., Dec 22nd @ 4pm

Miracle of Christmas Program will be held on Sunday, December 22nd at 4pm at the Bellflower Civic Auditorium.  Please try to bring at least one more family to the program.

Please remind all your family and friends to attend.  See you all there!

MGOCSM California Basketball Tournament - Sat., Nov 30th @ 1pm

The MGOCSM California Basketball Tournament will be held tomorrow, Saturday November 30, 2013 starting at 1:00 PM in the Brea Community Center (695 Madison Ave., Brea, CA 92621).  Please come out and support this event and enjoy a day out with your family.  See you all there!

Click here for directions

Funeral Details for Philipose Geevarghese

We are very saddened by the loss of our dearest Philipose uncle (79) on Saturday, October 19th. He is survived by his wife, Aleykutty, brothers, Kunjumon and Mathewkutty, sisters, Saramma and Kunjumol and children Jessy, Saji and Joice.  We pray for his soul and ask courage and strength for the families in this difficult time. The following are the details for the funeral:

Viewing/Funeral Services:
Sunday, October 27th, 5pm - 8pm
Forest Lawn Cypress
Church of our Fathers Chapel
4471 Lincoln Ave.
Cypress, CA 90630

Click here for directions

Burial Service/Final Resting Place

Monday, October 28th at 11:30am (No Viewing)
Forest Lawn Cypress
Church of our Fathers Chapel
4471 Lincoln Ave.
Cypress, CA 90630

Please participate in refreshments afterwards at the Cypress Room Hall in Forrest Lawn, Cypress.

Flowers can be sent to Forest Lawn Cypress, (800) 204-3131.

Mr. Philipose Geevarghese (Cerritos) Passes Away

It is with deepest sorrows that we inform you that our dearest friend, Mr. Philipose Geevarghese, 79 years old, passed away yesterday evening. He is survived by his wife, Aleykutty, brothers, Kunjumon and Mathewkutty, sisters, Saramma and Kunjumol and children Jessy, Saji and Joice.  Funeral details will follow as it gets finalized.

The St. Thomas Orthodox Church gives our heartfelt condolences to all the families.  Please pray for them during this difficult time.

Church Retreat - Sat., October 26th, H.G. Yuhanon Mar Meletius

A Retreat has been scheduled for Saturday, October 26th from 9am - 4pm at Church.  H.G. Yuhanon Mar Meletius will be visiting Los Angeles and will conduct the Retreat.  Please mark your calendars and plan to attend with your family.

Thirumeni will be celebrating the Holy Qurbana on Sunday, October 27th and will also be hoisting the flag for St. Gregorios Day Perunal which will be held the following weekend.

Divyabodhanam Class - Monday, October 7th at 6pm

A Divyabodhanam class will be held tomorrow, Monday, October 7th by Tele-Conference. Classes sessions are held for 1 hour every month . The topics to be covered are from the associated books. The time and the date is fixed on the First Monday of Every Month at 06:00 PM Pacific time.


Western Regional Coordinator:  Mr. Abraham Mathew, Fullerton

The tele-conference number is 1- 218-632-0187 Code 3703#

Please click here to see more details about Divyabodhanam.

Bava Thirumeni's Onam Message

Blessings and wishes for a prosperous, joyous and peaceful Onam!!

Pictures from Church Picnic

See all the pictures from the church picnic.

Click here to see pictures

Sunday School Teachers Meeting - Sun., August 25th

A Sunday School Teachers meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, August 25th after the Holy Qurbana.  We are also seeking volunteers to assist with our Sunday School so if you are interested, please contact Mr. Mathew Varughese, Principal.  Please plan to attend and bring your ideas for the new year.

San Diego Chapel Service - Sat., August 24th

There will be Holy Qurbana celebrated at the San Diego Chapel on Saturday, August 24th at 9:30am.  Please plan to attend with your family.

Grace Chapel
9050 Mira Mesa Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92126

Fr. Dr. Reji Mathew Visits LA - July 28th

Fr. Dr. Reji Mathew visiting from India will celebrate Holy Qurbana on Sunday, July 28th.  Please plan to attend and hear his message.

Fr. Dr. Reji Mathew is currently professor at the Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam. He is also Dean of Studies for the Seminary as well as Registrar of the Federated Faculty for Research in Religion and Science(FFRRC). Following a Bachelor in Education (B.Ed.) from the Mahatma Gandhi University, Fr. Reji Mathew began his theological education at the Orthodox Theological Seminary at Kottayam where he completed the Graduate in Sacred Theology (diploma) and Bachelor in Divinity degree with first class and second rank from Serampore University. He earned a Master in Theology (New Testament) from the FFRRC under the Senate of Serampore. He further completed an M.A. in English from the Kerala University. He has earned a Doctorate in Theology in New Testament from the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen, Germany. His research was on The Christological Significance of the Geneology of Jesus in St. Matthew's Gospel. He has been lecturer at the OTS Kottayam since 2010

His principal areas of teaching are New Testament, Inter-Testamental Period and Dead Sea Scrolls.

Fr. Reji Mathew is the Executive Editor for the Thiruvachana Bhashyam and is on the Curriculum Committee of the Orthodox Sunday School Association of the East (OSSAE). He currently serves as Vice-President of Akhila Malankara Orthodox Susrushaka Sangom (AMOSS). He is also a member of the Joint Commission for Orthodox – Roman Catholic Church.

‘A Commentary on I Corinthians’ (Thiruvachana Bhashyam) and ‘I Worship Therefore I Am’ are two of is very popular books. Along with several other articles in various Church publications, he also authored the popular article ‘Jesus Christ as the Hermeneutical Key for Interpreting the Book of Revelations’.

Fr. Reji Mathew has served as Principal of the St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary (STOTS) at Nagpur (1991-2010), Director of the OSSAE Outside Kerala Region (2000-2010), President of Prerana School for Mentally Challenged Children (2001-2010) and Chief Editor of the Sahayatra Magazine.

First Holy Qurbana at San Diego Chapel - Sat., July 27th

A handful of families from our Church, who live in San Diego, have taken the initiative to form the San Diego Congregation as an extension of the St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Los Angeles.  They plan to host a Holy Qurbana service in San Diego the fourth Saturday of each month.

The first Holy Qurbana will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Panicker at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 27th, at Grace Chapel located at 9050 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92126.

This Chapel is easy to get to, because Mira Mesa Boulevard is an exit from 15 and 805 freeways. It can conveniently accommodate up to 80 people and has a large parking lot.

We invite you to show your support by attending this joyous event.

If you plan to attend this Holy Qurbana, could you please send Dr. Kandathil Jacob an e-mail at kjacob@earthlink.net and let him know how many adults and kids will be there in your party. This would help the San Diego Congregation ensure a pleasant experience for you.