From New York to London, Ethopia to UAE, Delhi to Kolkatta, Mumbai to Chennai...all to God's own Country Kerala, a journey that has brought all the youth united in the name of the Lord and which will be remembered and cherished forever.
Dear Friends,
Presenting to you the report of the "Centum Gratia"
The year 2008 had been a remarkable year as MGOCSM celebrated its centenary year and on account of this,several centenary programmes were held in different dioceses.
The Centennary celebrations started with a bang with "Centum Glorious",a four day conference held at its birth place in Chennai and delegates from various parts of the globe attended it. There was active participation from Bombay Diocese crossing the count to over 100.Centum Glorious initiated the spark,and Mumbaikars carried back the flame and kept it burning.
The Centennary celebrations have finally come to an end with the gigantic conference "Centum Gratia" from 26th-31st Dec,2008 at Parumala. From various parts of the country and across the globe,around 800-1000 delegates were present.Once again It was great to see active participation from the Bombay Diocese with a strength of over 50 and from Mumbai region more than 20. It was a great experience for all of us who attended the Centum Gratia.
The theme of the conference was "Arise and Shine..."(Isaiah 60:1)
The Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church His Holiness Abuna Paulose was the chief guest of the Centum Gratia conference. Leaders from many of the sister churches also participated in the events.
Dignitaries at "CENTUM GRATIA"
His Holiness Baselios Mar Thoma Didymus First
(Catholicos of the East & Malankara Metropolitan )
His Beatitude Paulose Mar Milithrios (Cathoicos Designate)
His Grace Bishop Angelos (Coptic Orthodox Church)
Rev.Fr. Miachel (American Orthodox Church)
Rev.Fr.Dr. K.M George (Principal ,Orthodox Theological Seminary,Kottayam)
Rev.Fr.Dr. O.Thomas (Orthodox Theological Seminary,Kottayam)
Mr.Tenny Thomas (A research student at Colombia University, New York)
The motto of MGOCSM>Worship,Study and Service was covered and each speaker presented their views based on the theme followed by group discussions.To clear the thoughts and doubts and to answer all the questions of the delegates,panel discussions were held.
Workshops on various topics like Event Management,Media Pollution,Youth and Crime,Religion and Politics,Open Software,Relevance of Sisterhood,Literature,Finding Lifepartner-tips,Life and Litigation,Women in Church,Practical Christianity,Value Education were also conducted by experts in their respective fields so that our youth could get the best knowledge which could be useful for them in the years to come.
Music sessions were held timely by each Diocese to boost the crowd and It was The Divine Ragas of the Bombay Diocese that rocked the entire conference hall and created history after the action song,"Blind Man sat on the road and he cried....". They also participated in the music video competition which was composed and presented by the members of the group.
A unique feature of the Centum Gratia was ' Pratibha' ,a competition to help identify Orthodox youth under 25years of age, who have contributed to church activities and are well versed in the knowledge & values of Orthodoxy .Mr. Justin Joseph from Bharuch,Gujarat,represented the Diocese of Bombay for the competition at Parumala,Kerala.
The reports of different Dioceses were presented and again it was the Bombay Diocese that gave an incredible presentation.
Cultural programmes were also arranged to expose the hidden talents of the delegates.
Food was ' yummy' and accomodation was as safe and secure as an eagle's nest.
On the whole,Centum Gratia was a grand success and made it an historical event.
May the presence of the Lord guide the movement as it is now and forever more.
Hereby,attaching some of the photos at the Centum Gratia.
Warm Regards,
Ms.Elizabeth Thomas
Regional Co-ordinator,
Mumbai.
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