Wednesday, March 18, 2009

A VISIT TO ST.MARY'S CHURCH, KANDANAD

It is time for me to visit a new Church to pray and make three wishes. So I went to St.Mary’s Church, Kandanad. This is a Syrian Jacobite Church. Syrian Jacobites claim their church was founded by St. Peter. We know St. Peter –THE ROCK- was chosen by Jesus himself to build the Church on earth. While I am praying, you can do any or all of the following:

PRAY WITH ME
MAKE THREE WISHES
SIT AND SOAK IN THE PEACE PREVAILING INSIDE
ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF THE CHURCH
REFLECT ON THE GLORY OF GOD, THE ALMIGHTY

In one church, I saw a young girl reading her text book and preparing for her competitive examinations. This might look strange. Perhaps she believed that God will bless her if she prepares for her exams in the Church. We all know God is merciful, forgiving, understanding, benevolent, kind and ready to bless all who come to HIM. I am curious to know whether that girl did well in her exams.









31 comments:

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

this is a beautiful blog, the photo's are lovely did you take them yourself?

Thanks for your comment on my St. Patrick Day poem, glad it made you feel happy.

Take care.

Yvonne.

Anonymous said...

Our thoughts and perceptions so influence the results I believe. I imagine if she felt she was blessed while studying, she did well on her exams, or at least better than she would have had she not felt a benefit to studying in a church.
Beautiful photos. Were these taken by you?~Mary

FCB said...

Hi Joseph,
Wow, what architecture! I wonder how old that beautiful church is?
I can imagine what its like to "sit and soak in the peace prevailing inside". Thanks for your tour,
Fred

Amrita said...

Josephji the church is so beautiful.And they have kept it up so well.

Its great to feel God 's presence in a beautiful place like this.I would love to sit awhile and read here as the girl was doihg.

The Indian style brass lamp stand is very charming.

Mel said...

Joseph, thank you for this wonderful peek into your world. The church is absolutely beautiful! Just looking at these pictures makes me want to go pray and think about the glories and greatness of God. :)

Keep up the great picture taking and post writing! You rock!

Yours in Christ,
Mel

Leo said...

Nice photos. No. 2 really transmits the peace of the sanctuary.

SkyJuice said...

Hello Joseph,

Hope you're well, and may you get what you wished for. God bless.

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Yvonne :)

Welcome :)

Those photos were taken by me.

Best wishes :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Mary :)

Yes, those photos were taken by me.

All the best :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

H Fred :)

Many thanks for your words of encouragement.

God bless :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Amrita :)

Many thanks for your lovely comments.

God bless :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Mel :)

Many thanks for your enthusiastic comments. They keep me motivated.

God bless :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Leo :)

I'm glad you liked the second photo.

Many thanks :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Skyjuice :)

I'm delighted to see back :)

Best wishes :)

Unknown said...

Hi JPC, U have captured the images very well. I saw the photograph of Parumala Thirumeni inside the church and was very much delighted.
I am a strong devotee of Parumala Thirumeni and I have felt his divine power in my daily life. I want to inform U that I have submitted my thesis on March 9th and at present waiting for the reviews. It may take another 4/5 months as the thesis is evaluated by foreign examiners. ThanX & keep posting.

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Paul :)

I am delighted to see you and read your feedback on the post.

I am very glad to note that Parumala Thirumeni has divine powers and you are an ardent devotee. I am so happy to have captured his picture and it my proud privilege to have that picture on my post.

I am also very happy to note that you have completed your doctorate thesis and waiting for the assessment by foreign examiners.
I an eagerly waiting for the day to call you Dr.Paul.

My prayers and best wishes :)

Catherine said...

Bonsoir Joseph,
Well, I believe that people has different "level" in their Faith. Some believe in a unconditional way, some are very devout, some ask for miracle for themselves, some have doubts.....
Only God can unite all these people in a whole Communion.
Maybe, this young girl was just taking advantage of the peaceful place and its coolness.

This is a wonderful church. So white and welcoming. Its facade is amazing, so different from ours, of course. The indide is decorated differently too. Our churches are so old, and dark sometimes.

I haven't heard about this 3 wishes tradition before. Is it because you visited it for the first time ?

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Catherine :)

Whenever we visit a church for the first time it is our habit to make three wishes.

I hope this habit will spread to your country :)

Best wishes :)

Femin Susan said...

i hope she had a good exam...but how was she able to study with the crowd...quite interesting!!!!!
mine most exams are now over...only two more exams left!!! of course then i will have a blast!!!!

Swarna said...

Thanks for sharing those pics, JP. Even the pics impart a sense of peace. God bless!

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Susan :)

I hope and pray that you will do extremely well in your exams.

Best wishes :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Swarna :)

Many thanks for your visit and comments.

Best wishes :)

Manivannan Sadasivam said...

Beautiful photos here sir. The interiors are wonderful! I feel that the serene ambiance and vibration inside the church may help her stay focussed in studies... And of course God's blessing would always be on her :)

Thanks a lot for making us visit the church! It's lovely!

*Cheers*

Maria said...

Joseph, thank you for your visit, I want to reply quickly.
Well, we could need some of your vicious sun, because it's still a bit cold here (not so bad as in Canada, of course :), but please send us some rays, please!!! because when blue sky changes with snowfall, then this is typical of April, cold, with sun and rain alternating.
Fritzl. It is a human tragedy. It's not typical Austrian but, I think, it's a human tragedy. Nothing more, nothing less.
I can't say more about it, you know. You may find psychological explanations, and he is sentenced for a lifelong detention.
Have a nice weekend :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Mani :)
Many thanks for your visit and interesting comments.

All the best :)

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hello Maria :)

Just hold on till Easter and as I predicted there will be bright sunlight in Vienna :)

Best wishes :)

Unknown said...

A Syrian Jacobite Church! I think it's the first time I ever see one. It's beautiful!

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi JM:)

I'm glad you liked it.

Best wishes :)

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Hi, thanks for stopping by, the photo my friend and I were taken at a bull ring but we were watching
a horse display. I don't like bull fights.The horse display was truly
magnificent.

Take care.

Yvonne.

Unknown said...

This church is the oldest Orthodox church. There is a tomb of the then ruler of the Orthodox Church MarThoma IV

Unknown said...

Hai joseph...
nice pictures
keep it up
god bless u