ST. THOMAS ORTHODOX CHURCH TORONTO
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Mission Statement
The church & Its Mission The St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Toronto is a local congregation of the Orthodox Church of India, also known as The Malankara Orthodox Church. Malankara refers to the region of its origin at the Malabar Coast in the State of Kerala, India. The Malankara Church has been in existence from the early days of the Christian era. Its founder is St. Thomas the Apostle, who landed in South India at the port of Cannanore in A.D. 52. The St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Toronto is under the administrative authority of the Catholicos/Malankara Metropolitan, also the successor to the throne of St. Thomas. St Thomas Orthodox Church Toronto The St. Thomas Orthodox church Toronto started in 1975 when it had a membership of only about a dozen families until we started meeting every week for worship and fellowship since September 2002. We gained considerable growth ever since. We now have a membership of over 84 families. Each family size would be average of 3 members each. The church caters to over 250 people on a daily and weekly basis year on year. The members give donations to run the church expenses like priest, mortgage, charity work and events for the members spiritual and overall wellbeing. St. Thomas Orthodox Church Toronto key focus and mission is for facilitating the spiritual needs and emotional well-being of the members. The parish priest Rev Fr Dr Thomas George is the Vicar and President of the Board of Trustees. The priest performs all the spiritual and sacramental needs from birth to death of these members. The mission of the church is to make the members God fearing good citizens of Canada. To exist with brotherly and sisterly love to each other and to serve for the good of fellow humans and to be responsible citizens of Canada. The St Thomas Orthodox church, Toronto is a non- profit organization established. The church is governed by the constitution of the Malankara Orthodox Church and a copy is attached for reference. The administration of the church is run by the Managing Committee who are the Board of Directors under Public Charity and Public Guardianship Act. The mission of the church as a not for profit organization is to cater to the spiritual wellbeing of the members and to make them good human for the society and our country Canada. The church also engages in outreach and charitable work for the society the community.
About This Cause
The St Thomas Orthodox church has different segments that serve these over all spiritual and emotional wellbeing of the people they serve through the following arms of the church: 1. Worship: The parish priest is the main celebrant of the weekly worship and prayers as per the Malankara Orthodox church worship calendar. There is regular Sunday service and periodic weekly worship. The worship is a structured Holy Eucharist governed by the Malankara Orthodox traditions. The church web site will give details of the service time and annual event summary. The choir supports the worship and the members participates actively in the rituals. There are volunteers and acolytes to support the priest during the worship service. The members have a fellowship meal after the service where there is nurturing of bonding and community togetherness. 2. Sacraments: In the Orthodox tradition, although the term sacrament is not so common as the term ‘mystery ‘(rozo), the inner idea of the sacrament is endorsed and holistically acknowledged. The Latin term “sacramentum” is generally defined as the visible means of invisible grace and refers to certain specific events or acts or signs of Christian living. But according to the Orthodox understanding, sacramentality is the very nature of the new creation in Christ and therefore it sounds odd to identify certain acts, or events or signs alone as ‘sacraments. However, the sacramentality, involved in our being born as the children of God in baptism, our participation on the life of the Incarnate Lord in Eucharist, the holy matrimony, etc. is well recognized in the Orthodox churches. The sacraments that the Orthodox church follows are : Baptism( at the time of the birth after few weeks purifying the child to the faith), Chrismation, Holy Confession( repenting through the medium of the priest to God for pardon of sins done),Holy Eucharist( the worship and partaking in the sharing of the body and blood of Christ), Anointing of the sick( this is a real mental and spiritual healing support to the person and family normally at the time of sickness that is leading to death),Marriage( a holy unification of the bride and the groom in the presence of God) 3. Women’s wing (MMVS) : This is a group of membership that is dedicated for the participation and prayer and wellbeing needs of the adult woman members of the church. They have study sessions, talks and self- learning activities. They also run charity drive for the people in crisis and stress. 4. Sunday School: This group focuses on the segment of children and young adolescents. The Sunday School has a structured curriculum ranging from young kids to youth classes. At an early age when they are indoctrinated to the faith and good values. This early intervention helps the children to become better adults and citizens of the country. Members of the church give back to the children by giving their time for teaching the children the beliefs and scriptures. The investment in the Sunday school is to groom better leadership for the church, society and our country. 5. Students Wing (MGOCSM): This is a group that services the prayer and adjustments needs of the of students who are in the University levels. This wing focusses on the mind and spiritual development of the young adults. They have programs and camps to channelize their energies for enhancing the scripture knowledge, clarify issues due to peer pressures and doubts that come in the youths growing phase. 6. Youth Forum( Focus/OCYM): These are group of employed men and women who maybe single or married young adults of the church. They adopt a method of learning issues and scriptures by holding seminars and learning workshops for these youth members of the church. The methodology they use is to learn by questioning the epistemology of the theory of faith, worship and traditions. 7. Bible Study & Home Prayer Meetings The priest of the church gives leadership on a monthly basis by visiting homes of the members and conducting study classes, discussions and prayer sessions for the members of the church in an out -reach initiative at the members informal home setting where it is congenial for fellowship and learning. 8. Fellowship Group: These are sessions run by successful elders of the church for their members where they narrate their life journey and the challenges they overcame by hard work, ethical approaches and with faith. By participating in these sessions, the new immigrants and younger members need not reinvented the wheel of settling in the new country. They learn to accept uncertainties and settling in challenges. They get practical ideas for settling in the new country by gaining Canadian certifications to become successful members of the Canadian diaspora. 9. Counselling: The parish priest reaches out to people who may be in emotional distress or psychological distress. The counselling service can be taken by anyone needing emotional help be it members or from referrals of members from the community. The priest is trained counsellor with the recognized qualifications to administer such services to people in distress in strict confidentiality. The counselling efforts reaches out to all community and religions in Toronto. 10. Out-reach and Charity: Annually the board of directors of the church identifies any crisis or projects that need help and institutional support. They conduct annual blood donation camps. Money is raised for victims in crisis or for cases or institutions that will need support for education, medication, food and burial. It could be supporting people in distress through visits and mental health support or by giving economic help or donating articles to the deprived children who may need I phones or note pads to do on-line school or are members of families who may be victims of flood or any such God created calamities. “Our motto is to serve and not to be served”.