|
|
April 2006 Dearly Beloved in Christ, Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is said that once a
peculiar idea troubled a certain author and left him no peace of mind. He wished to write a book having only one
page, and on that page he thought there should be only one sentence, and that
sentence he thought should consist of only one word, and that word he thought
should express all that he as an author wanted to say. He fretted over this idea for a long period
of time and finally gave up; realizing that what he was aiming at was beyond
the possibilities of human language. But what was impossible
to that author, the Creed has solved, for in the Creed there is one word that
sums up everything. Indeed, God’s plan
for human kind and man’s destiny upon the earth is summed up in that one
word, viz., “Crucified”. We honor the cross
because Christ died upon it. By dying on the cross, Christ transformed the
cross into an instrument of Salvation from the symbol of disgrace that it
was. By Christ’s death upon the cross,
the cross has become the hope of the living, the symbol of resurrection for
the dying, the key to eternal life for the righteous and the sure way to the But was it necessary for
Christ to die on the cross? St. Thomas
Aquinas answers this question in the affirmative. He says that it was necessary for Christ to
die upon the cross on two counts, viz., as a remedy for our sins, and as an
example for our behaviors. All the
evils that befall human kind due to sin find their remedy in the passion and
death of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we then learn to
glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that, sharing in his cross on
earth; we may be counted worthy to share in his glory hereafter. Let us always be happy
with the Lord. I pray that this Lenten
Season will help us to enter into a life of commitment, obedience and
devotion. Let us always be happy
with the Lord I wish all of you a life giving Easter!. Yours in Christ’s Love Jojan Achen |
We are blessed to be
under the pastoral guidance and leadership of Rev. Jojan
Mathew John as Vicar of St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church
NY. Achen's mother parish in Rev. Jojan M. John was ordained as a priest in the Jojan Achen was the convener for Land for Landless project and council member of the Trivadram Quilon Diocese. He served also as the president of the 35th Western India Youth Conference in 2001, Mumbai. In his many roles Achen has served very well as an administrator, organizer, and is also a talented singer. Achen's wife is Mrs. Susan
Mathews John BSc, BEd,
and children, Vishakh John Mathews, age 5, and Vrindha Chinnu Mathews, age 2. Achen's father, Rev. V. K. John, is a senior priest of the
Jojan Achen's
Address in Varikkamakkal House Chumathra P.O. Kuttapuzha, Thiruvalla 689103 Phone: 0469-2601424
email Jojan Achen
at |
|
Vicars of the Past
Quarter Century |
||
|
||
Rev. Oommen Koruthu |
(Student Achen later elevated as |
May 1975 — Aug. 1975 |
Rev. K. S. Mathew |
(Student Achen) |
Sept. 1975 – Sept. 1977 |
Rev. Thomas P. George |
(Student Achen) |
Sept. 1977 – Aug. 1979 |
(Late) Rev. M. V. Benjamin |
|
Sept. 1979 – May 1981 |
|
||
(Late)
Rev. M. V. Benjamin |
|
Oct. 1980 - Jan. 1981 |
|
Vicar |
Jan. 1981 - May 1981 |
(Late) Rev. K. J. Philip |
|
Oct. 1980 - Jan. 1981 |
|
Associate Vicar |
Jan. 1981 - Aug. 1981 |
Rev. N. M. Cherian |
Vicar of
all Mar Thoma
Congregations in |
May 1981 - June 1983 |
Rev. Dr. T. Jacob Thomas |
(Student Achen) |
|
|
Assistant Vicar |
July 1981 - May 1983 |
|
Vicar |
June 1983 - Mar. 1985 |
Rev. George Varghese |
|
Mar. 1985 - April 1989 |
Rev. Johnson Varghese |
|
June 1989 - May 1992 |
Rev. Dr. T. P. Abraham |
|
June 1992 - May 1995 |
Rev. P. M. Thomas |
|
May 1995 - April 1999 |
Rev. K. Y. Jacob |
|
May 1999 - June 1999 |
Rev. Thomas P. Chandy |
|
June 1999 – May 2002 |
Rev. Dr. K. A. Abraham |
|
May 2002 - August 2004 |
Rev. Jojan Mathews John |
|
May 2004 - Present |