VICAR’S MESSAGE

Advent: A Season of Hope and Expectation “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.” — Isaiah 9:2 Dear Beloved in Christ, We are at the door steps of yet another season of Hope and Joy, Christmas. The season is widely known as Advent, which starts from 30th of November this year. As we enter the holy season of Advent, we are invited to prepare our hearts and homes for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Advent is a time of waiting—not a passive waiting, but one filled with hope, faith, and anticipation. It reminds us that God’s promises are sure and that light will always overcome darkness. In this season, we look back with gratitude at Christ’s first coming in Bethlehem and look forward with hope to His coming again in glory. Let us take these weeks to renew our faith, deepen our prayer life, and share God’s love with those around us. May our waiting be filled with joy, peace, and a renewed sense of God’s presence in our lives. May God bless you! Let us prayerfully observe and celebrate the season. With prayers, Rev.Jenu John Vicar

Dear Beloved Parish Members, As we approach the sacred days of Passion Week and the glorious celebration of Easter, my heart is filled with both reverence and joy. This season invites us to journey with Christ—from the sorrow of the cross to the triumph of the empty tomb. Passion Week reminds us of the deep love of Jesus, who willingly walked the road of suffering for our sake. His sacrifice was not a moment of defeat, but the ultimate expression of God’s love—a love that bears our burdens, forgives our sins, and redeems our lives. Then comes Easter morning, bursting forth with light, hope, and new life. The resurrection of Jesus is not just a historical event—it is the foundation of our faith and the promise of our future. Because He lives, we have hope that overcomes despair, peace that surpasses understanding, and joy that no circumstance can take away. I encourage you to reflect deeply during this season. Walk through the Gospels. Sit quietly in prayer. Join us in worship. Let the story of Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection renew your heart and revive your spirit. As a church, may we not only remember these events, but live in their power every day—reaching out in love, walking in grace, and proclaiming the hope we have in Christ. He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! This Lent season, we are having worship services and meditation series. All these would help us grow closer to God, I believe. Kindly make yourselves available to experience the grace and blessings together with our fellow believers through the worship services. Passion Week Services are as follows : April 17 -Maundy Thursday at 07:30 PM April 18- Good Friday at 11:30 AM April 19 – Easter service at 07:30 PM May God bless you all. With love in Christ, Rev. Jenu John Vicar 04-04-2025

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” — Hebrews 12:1-2 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I find this as a great joy to address you all through the website of our church. May the Grace Peace and Fellowship of the Triune God be with you all. Liturgically, we are about the complete the calendar by the end of November and prepare ourselves for the new Liturgical Calendar beginning with the season of Advent from December.  Looking back, we see many reasons to praise and thank God. In November, We are reminded of the beauty of our faith’s continuity across time and eternity. We begin by honouring all saints—those known to history and those known only to God. They inspire us to live fully for Christ, showing us that our lives, too, can shine as lights for future generations. On All Souls’ Day, we lift up in prayer our beloved departed. We trust in God’s mercy and offer our prayers as a sign of our love, remembering that in Christ, death is but a passage to everlasting life. In many countries, there is a practice of observing  Remembrance Day, especially to remember the military personnel who died in service;  we pause to honor those who gave their lives in the pursuit of peace and justice. May their sacrifices inspire us to work for a world where Christ’s peace reigns. As the liturgical year concludes with the Feast of Christ the King, let us renew our commitment to Christ, our King and Lord of all creation. In His kingship, we find the perfect model of humility, love, and grace. Finally, as Advent begins, we are invited to prepare our hearts once more to receive the gift of Christ. Let us enter this season with prayerful anticipation, creating space for His light to fill us. I encourage you all to prepare yourselves for the new liturgical season, which the whole world observes as the birth of the Saviour of the World. Our hope lies in Christ Jesus and we look to him for guidance in life. May this truth instil in us forever and provide us with a solemn heart that speaks in love. May God bless you all. In Christ’s peace, Rev. Jenu John Vicar

Dearly beloved in Christ, Bringing greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ. Feeling so proud and humbled to address you through this medium once again. May the Lord shower His mercies upon all of us.  As a church, we are entering into the Pentecost phase as per the ecclesial calendar. Pentecost experience explained in the Acts of the Apostles chapter 2 is considered in general as the birth of the church. It marks the descent of the Holy Spirit and the commissioning of the believers to be witnesses of the salvific act of our Savior Jesus Christ. The word ‘Pentecost’ literally means ‘fiftieth’ and is observed on the 50 th day after the resurrection. The Holy Spirit as the third person in the Trinity is with us at present as we believe. Though we are not given the grace to have a physical vision of the Spirit of God, we are taught to have faith in the Holy Spirit as the One who walks and talks with us throughout our life (John 14:15-21). When Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans” (Jn 14:18) he was promising the presence of the Holy Spirit with us from then on till our final breath. What a joy to receive such a promise from God!  Now it’s our turn to look into our lives for the elements that repel or negate the presence of God with us. Being in Christ is an evolving experience, and it is on a daily basis. Let us get refined day by day in the Spirit of God and let the world watch us and testify of our depth in faith. May the Lord bless us all.  The meeting with the Archbishop of the Church of Ireland was fruitful and it marked the fellowship and the mutual commitments we have with each other. Thanking the Archbishop the Most Revd. Dr. Michael Goeffrey St Aubyn Jackson for the warm welcome given to me as the Vicar of the Holy Trinity CSI Congregation. The house visits are in progress. The worship at Co. Cork is also getting organized. Let me conclude by quoting the famous lines of the English poet Robert Frost,      The woods are lovely dark and deep,     But I have promises to keep,    And miles to go before I sleep,    And miles to go before I sleep.  As a church, we have started off well. There is a saying that, well begun is half  finished; yet we have a long way to go and there is a need of walking together, bearing each other, praying for one another, and standing united. May the Lord of Peace be with us now and forever more. Amen. Yours in Christ, Rev. Jenu John Vicar 25 May 2023

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ It is purely God’s grace to address you through our website for the first time as the Vicar of Holy Trinity CSI Congregation, Dublin and I thank God for all the benevolent mercies showered upon us. God has been so gracious to us for the last dozen years to be in the land of Ireland and worship with freedom. Let us praise God and thank the presbyters who served formerly as the spiritual guides to our parish. As per the church calendar, we are in the season of Lent and are journeying toward the culmination of the season. The most important days in the Lenten season, commonly called the Passion week begins with Palm Sunday (Hosanna) which marks the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem. This journey to Jerusalem on a donkey is one of the most exciting and defensive journeys that Jesus did in his earthly life. The journey is exciting because Jesus is making his ride amidst a crucial social circumstance that seeks to extinct Jesus. It is clear from the pages of the gospels that it was not so safe for Jesus to make a public appearance that too in the midst of a crowd at that point in time. In addition, the journey is only for a short distance and Jesus waits for a donkey to be brought to do the ride. Hence it is very clear that Jesus uses the donkey not as a vehicle for travel but as a sign to exhibit what he is for the many unsaved people of that land. The journey is defensive as Jesus was making a statement that the Messiah as the King of the Kingdom of God brings peace, not war by choosing a donkey to ride. Usually, the kings use a donkey to ride around when the state is in peace. Jesus was demonstrating that the way of peace is to be endorsed to listen to the cries of the people and to have a vision that responds to the pleas of the people. The word Hosanna means “Save us now”. When the crowd repeats this word, it denotes an urgency of salvation. It also brings out the fact that they are in search of a new leader, a different one, a distinct one. It requires courage and conviction to be on the side of justice. Palm Sunday, in a way, is an exhortation to stay alone and proclaim peace rather than being with the crowd endorsing injustice. The world has always shown that every triumphal entry is followed by a crucifixion. But spiritually we need to understand that every crucifixion is followed by resurrection. We all have this experience of crucifixions but do not be discouraged, we have a Lord who has won even the death. We need to present ourselves with courage and conviction, and it may not always be a ‘happy ending’, but remember it is not final or fatal, there are still days left to see things getting normal, getting back in place. May the Lord help us and bless us to continue our spiritual journey. With love and prayers Jenu Achen

Dearly beloved in Christ, God has been very good to us in getting us to the second month of this year. January reminded us to appreciate God for the blessings we had received and hope for new gifts, trusting in Him. February, the new month, contains two unique messages for us. It encourages us to purify ourselves and to give up our possessions. Firstly February was named from the Latin word Februum, which means ‘purification’, linked to the Roman purifying festival of Februa or Februatio, on 15 February. Intriguingly, the Latin term for fever is febris, which also suggests purification via sweating, a common side effect of fevers. Thus, February serves as a reminder of purification or sanitization. Secondly, one of the hypotheses regarding why February is the shortest month says that February had 30 days. Julius Caesar took a day away from those 30 days and added it to June. When Augustus became emperor, he wanted the month of August, named after him, to have 31 days. Hence, February was once again sacrificed. In other words, the month of February reminds us of the need to give up one’s rights to help others thrive. A believer’s purification and renunciation nurtured through prayer, penitence, almsgiving, and self-denial are crucial to the Church’s witness, especially as she approaches the Ash Wednesday (2 March 2022) and the Lenten Season. These qualities help us prepare for the annual commemoration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Therefore, as a secular and spiritual community, this is the perfect moment to understand the necessity for purification and sacrifice. It is an invitation to realign our lives vertically and horizontally, vertically through confession and penitence, and horizontally through almsgiving and self-denial. Prayers and blessings, Yours-in-Christ Vijiachen