Dukhrana, in Syriac means remembrance or commemoration and on July 3rd, the feast of Dukhrana, we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Thomas the Apostle. Being Mar Thoma Nazranis, we are proud to be given the light of faith by St Thomas. Our parish is named after St Thomas so this feast calls for elaborate and jubilant celebrations and the whole parish family partakes in it with great excitement and enthusiasm.
Since 2005, we have celebrated the feast of St Thomas on the 3rd of July or the closest Friday, Saturday & Sunday. The preparations start with Novena for 9 days. The church is adorned in true Keralite Perunal decorations and paraphernalia. The festivities begin on Friday with the flag hoisting followed by Holy Qurbana. The celebration include Solemn Holy Qurbana and ladeenju, a vibrant and colourful procession around the church carrying the statues of saints with muthukuda, kodi etc, and a snehavirunnu (agape feast) in the church hall. There is also the opportunity for Kazhunnu Nercha for the intersession of St Sebastian. Since 2018, we have been celebrating the Catechesis Annual Day along with Dukhrana Thirunnal. The celebration concludes with a solemn Holy Qurbana and ladeenju on Sunday. In previous years Dukhrana Thirannal was held at Clifton Cathedral and St Teresa’s Church Filton to accommodate the large crowd. Now it is held at St Joseph’s Church, Fishponds.
The season of Great Lent is observed with solemn prayerfulness and reflective actions. Since 2005, we were following all the observances in the Syro-Malabar tradition diligently. Lenten season starts with Ash Monday services (Vibhoothi Thirunal). Way of the Cross and Holy Qurbana is celebrated every Friday, and a 3-day retreat, with separate sessions for children, youth, and adults is conducted during the last weeks of Lent.
Palm Sunday with oashana songs and palm leaves; Maundy Thursday with the washing of the feet and sharing of Pesaha appam and paal as one church family; Good Friday services with reflective Way of the Cross and Kaippu Neer followed by sharing in kanji and payar to break the fast, and paana vayana in the evening and Holy Saturday services with blessing of the Holy Water and Candles all lead the parish in prayerfulness towards the great feast of Easter. The contributions from Lenten sacrifices by the parish members are collected to support a charitable cause.
Rosary remains the beautiful binding link in a Catholic’s prayer life and during October, the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, this special devotion is observed ardently across the parish. For 10 evenings we come together in the Church to pray the rosary together. Further, parish members also gather in their own family units and pray the rosary for another 10 days. It is a time of warm bonding that is appreciated and cherished by children and adults alike.
From early times, the Church has marked the first Fridays of the month with a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We have a deeply prayerful service every first Friday between 19:00 to 21:30 and includes Holy Qurbana, talks and testimonies, praise and worship, and adoration.
Vidyarambham is the wonderful Indian tradition of prayerfully initiating children to the world of letters and is conducted in a unique way in our church. On the day of Pentecost, when the songs invoking the presence of the Holy Spirit are sung, the priest holds the child’s hand and assists them to write their first word- Easho (Jesus). It is a beautiful occasion where little 3-4 year olds begin their learning journey with the blessings of the whole parish family.
Summer season is made even more enjoyable through Family Fun Day every year. This is a family event organised in the local park, packed with recreational activities, sports and games for adults and children, delicious barbeque and Kerala delicacies and is the perfect way to spend time as one big community on a sunny day.
The magical time of Christmas is celebrated in all its splendour at STSMCC. At the formation of the community in 2001, we celebrated Christmas with carols and a cultural program. Over the years, the preparations have become extensive, and Christmas has become the time that nurtures and strengthens our bond. A retreat is held to help prepare everyone spiritually and carolling in the family units is a really enjoyable time for all. The Christmas and New Year Gathering offers a unique stage where outstanding performances and entertainments organised by various family units amaze and delight everyone. The celebrations also include a visit from Santa Claus, Christmas raffle and concludes with a delicious feast.
The church offers the opportunity and training for young talents to grow in faith by praising God through hymns. The children take part in the practice sessions enthusiastically and harmoniously sing the Holy Qurbana songs. The youth group leads the Holy Qurbana arrangements once a month and the dedicated and active leadership of the youth choir enriches the liturgical celebration. We are proud to say that both choir groups are well-versed with all the Malayalam Holy Qurbana songs and prayers and even sing songs in Syriac melodiously.
House blessings are done each year by the priests. All our parishioners welcome priests to their homes and due arrangements are done by family unit co-ordinators. The priest offers special prayers and blesses the home and family members. This also gives more personal time for the parishioners with our priests on a one-to-one basis.
New homes are blessed at request.
“Making a pilgrimage to shrines is one of the most eloquent expressions of the faith of God’s people,” said Pope Francis. True to this, the parish members actively join in the annual diocesan pilgrimages, to Glastonbury (organised by local parishes), and Aylesford and Walsingham (organised by CSMEGB). The church also organised a parish pilgrimage to Fatima in 2022 and it was a truly memorable experience for the 100 + people who undertook that special journey.
“You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”(Acts 20:35) As staunch followers of Christ, Women’s Forum, SMYM (Youth Team), Mission League, and the Catechesis Team, with the support of the whole parish, enthusiastically engage in various activities to raise funds throughout the year. We have raised funds to support several projects like building homes for the needy, aid for a school in Tanzania, paying medical expenses, and supporting local charities for the homeless in Bristol.
Our Year 11 ran a campaign to minimise single-use plastic and for the community to make a pledge to protect our environment and raise awareness. We advocate the encyclical message of our Pope, “Laudato Si,” to embrace zero waste and call for strong action on climate change.
In 2011, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our Community’s formation by conceptualising and conducting the Bristol Bible Kalotsavam for the Syro Malabar Community in the UK. This was the first Bible Kalotsavam in Europe and the event served as a great platform to celebrate the glory of God and the beauty of our faith through various art forms. Since the institution of our own Eparchy, the Bristol Bible Kalotsavam was entrusted to the Bible Apostolate in 2017. Following this, the first and second Eparchial Bible Kalotsavams were held at Bristol in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
With the recent increase in the migration to UK for jobs and higher education we welcomed many new members to our church. To support and assist them with housing, travel and assimilating to UK life we formed the Helping Hands support group. This group is coordinated by Dn Joseph Philip, Christymol James, Teresa Mathew, Cisily Joseph & Siji Sebastian.
Regular meetings are held with University students and youth in our church hall every Sundays after Holy Qurbana. This group was organised for the support and welfare of those living in Bristol. Shaji Varkey provides leadership and coordinates the activities for the new members.