Fr. Dr. Bijesh Philip , the former Principal of St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary, Nagpur led the retreat sessions. H.G. Alexios Mar Eusebius Metropolitan also addressed the participants along with Fr. Geevarghese Varghese, the Clergy Secretary of the Diocese
His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulose II Catholicos, the Supreme Head of the Indian Orthodox Church enters eternal abode
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His Holiness, Moran Mor Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, Catholicos of the East and primate of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, passed away at 2:35am on Monday. His Holines was the 91st reigning Catholicos of the East.
The funeral services will be held on Tuesday at the Catholicate Palace chapel in Devalokam in Kottayam, Kerala from 3 pm. The Catholicos had been ailing for quite some time from lung cancer. Though His Holiness had recovered from Covid in February, 2021, was on continued treatment for post covid health issues and in the past few days on ventilator support.
A much-loved personality, Bava Thirumeni, as His Holiness was known to all, was a great source of support to the destitute and the poor for whom he executed many a service scheme. His Holiness had given the ancestral property for building houses for the homeless. A great humanitarian, the Catholicos was a votary of social justice and equality. This was amply evident when the Malankara Metropolitan broke age-old traditions by allowing women equal participation in the administration of the church and the community too. His Holiness went a step ahead when in 2011 by granting them voting rights along with their male counterparts in all parishes of the Church. The Catholicos was a symbol of change with his contemporary moves and courage of conviction. The adorable Primate had also authored 5 enlightening books.
His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II was enthroned as the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan on the Holy Apostolic See of St. Thomas on 1 November 2010. Prior to that, starting in 1985, as H.G. Paulose Mar Militheos, His Holiness was the Metropolitan of Kunnamkulam Diocese, and later, in 2006, as Catholicos Designate of the Church. His Holiness was ordained as a Priest in 1973.
The Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Syrian Church was founded by St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, who came to India in A.D. 52. The Church now consists of about 2.5 million members, who are spread all over the world, though the majority reside in Kerala in South West India.
His Holiness was plenteously revered and beloved of his flock, particularly for his judicious administration and leadership skills that shepherded the Church in spiritual and the secular realm. His Holiness was keen in maintaining ecumenical relationship with sister churches and cordial brotherhood with their leaders.
The Headquarters of the Diocese of Calcutta ( one of the Dioceses of Indian Orthodox Church) and St. Thomas Mission at Bhilai was blessed by three Apostolic Visits of His Holiness, who was also the patron of M.G.M. group of institutions, which consists of 32 schools and three colleges located in Chhattisgarh , Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. .
With profound grief, His Grace Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius Metropolitan along with all the priests, office bearers and believers of the Diocese of Calcutta, office bearers of St. Thomas Mission Bhilai and MGM Group of institutions expressed heartfelt condolences and prayers for the Holy Father.
As part of the commitment to provide quality education, the MGM Group of institutions emphasis on continual faculty development programmes. From the 1st week of June a series of e-workshops ( webinars) have been organised to train the Principals and teachers to cope up with the challenge of online education. A Career guidance session was also arranged for Class X passed out students. The aim to make them aware about the opportunities of various discipline and guide them to choose their higher studies accordingly. A webinar for the Principals and other Schools leaders on Virtual School Platform was arranged with Google South Asia Head to know more about Google Classroom.
The Diocesan- Mission Education Board arranged 20 subject specific webinars ( e-workshops ) for teachers and Principals. Separate sessions were conducted for Schools and Colleges. About 3200 teachers and principals directly benefitted from these webinars. The details of the webinars are given below:
| Webinar – 2021 | |||
| Date | Topic | Resource Person | Target Group |
| Jun 3, 2021 | Teacher: The Behaviour Manager | Dr. Rosamma Philip, Principal, Mount Tabor Training College | |
| Jun 5, 2021 | Effective Pedagogical Practices in English Classrooms | E. K. Jijan, Teacher Educator | |
| Jun 7, 2021 | Instructional Strategies & Modern Techniques of Teaching Science | Dr. Mariamma Mathew, Principal, Peet Memorial Training College, Mavelikara, Kerala | |
| Jun 9, 2021 | Addition and Subtraction to Multiply the Dividends | Dr. Sunila Thomas, Associate Professor, Titus II Teachers College, Thiruvalla, Kerala | |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Pedagogical Practices of Teaching Commerce | Dr. Issac Paul, Assistant Professor & Head Department of Commerce Education, Government College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Creative Avenues of Technopedagogy | Dr. George Varghese, Assistant Professor, Mount Tabor Training College, Pathanapuram | |
| Jun 14, 2021 | Magic of Teaching Social Science Effectively | Dr. ( Prof.) Sam V Daniel, Professor, MEd. Department, Titus II Teachers College, Thiruvalla | |
| Webinar – 2020 | |||
| Date | Topic | Resource Person | Target Group |
| Jun 3, 2020 | How to address the parents to meet the present situation? | Mrs. T. Rajeswari Mohan, ECCE Expert, Hyderabad | Pre-primary Teachers |
| Jun 4, 2020 | EVS (inquiry based approach) how to transact the topic and to assess the learners through online and offline platform? | Mrs. T. Rajeswari Mohan, ECCE Expert, Hyderabad | Pre-primary Teachers |
| Jun 5, 2020 | Language and Math concepts | Mrs. T. Rajeswari Mohan, ECCE Expert, Hyderabad | Pre-primary Teachers |
| Jun 6, 2020 | Rhymes and Storytelling | Mrs. T. Rajeswari Mohan, ECCE Expert, Hyderabad | Pre-primary Teachers |
| Jul 16, 2020 | Pre-Primary Teaching & Techniques | Mrs. Padma Priya, ECCE Expert, Hyderabad | Pre-primary Teachers |
| Jun 8, 2020 | Post Covid Challenges In School | Mrs. Smitha Matai, Mumbai | Principals |
| Jun 13, 2020 | Remotely Teaching Through Technology | Mrs. Shilpi Bhattacharya, Mumbai | Principals |
| Jun 17, 2020 | Virtual Schools | Ms. Bani Dhawan- South, Asia Head, Google Cloud | Principals |
| Jun 10, 2020 | Online English Language Teaching | Mrs. Smitha Matai, Mumbai | English Teachers |
| Jun 15, 2020 | Online Social Science Teaching | Ms. Heena Ansari, Mumbai | EVS and Social Sc. Teachers |
| Jun 16, 2020 | Technology Integration in Teaching Mathematics | Dr. Rama Krishna Adury, Hyderabad | Mathematics Teachers |
| Jun 17, 2020 | Technology Integration In Teaching Science | Dr. Rama Krishna Adury, Hyderabad | EVS and Social Sc. Teachers |
| Jun 18, 2020 | Teaching Computer Science : Scratch & Cyber Security | Dr. Abhay Dongra, New Delhi | Comp. Sc. & I.T. Teachers |
| Jun 19, 2020 | Hindi vyakran | Dr. Shailesh Srivastava, Noida | Hindi & Sanskrit Teachers |
| Jul 19, 2020 | Curriculum Changes | Dr. C. B. Mishra | Commerce Teachers |
| Jul 6, 2020 | Webinar Concepts | Mrs. Smita Daniel, Bhilai | College Faculty Members |
| Jul 7, 2020 | Webinar Concepts | Mr. Santosh Kumar Miri, Bhilai | College Faculty Members |
| Jul 7, 2020 | Upskill and Upscale | Mr. Rishikesh K. B., Christ University, Bangalore | College Faculty Members |
| Jul 8, 2020 | Spheres of Marketing Intelligence | Mr. Krishna Prasath S, Christ University, Bangalore | College Faculty Members |
| Aug 8, 2020 | Research Publications | Ms.Lakshmi. B, Christ University, Bangalore | College Faculty Members |
| Jul 29, 2020 | Career Guidance | Dr. Prof. Sam V Daniel | Class X passed students |
The 6th edition of Mar Theodosius Memorial Inter School MGM Fest held from 9th December to 19th December 2020 as a virtual / online competition amid the restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic..In this inter school cultural Literary Fiesta about 800 students from 23 schools under the MGM group of institutionsparticipated in the various events in Sub- Junior, Junior and SeniorCategories.. The Fest which was hosted by Christian College of Engineering and Technology (CCET), Bhilaiwas held through virtual mode successfully.A glittering opening and valedictory ceremonies were also was telecasted live.
The Fest started with the prayer song by the students of Mar Baselios Vidhya Bhavan Bhilai followed by welcome speech by Very Rev. Father Geevarghese Ramban, secretary of Mission- education board. The Presidential address was given by H. G. Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius Metropolitan. The chief guest of Fest Shri Tamrdhwaj Sahu, Honorable Home Minister, Government of Chhattisgarh said in his inaugural speech that right from March 2020 onwards the whole country was facing a nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic. In this tough situation also the MGM group of institutions were continue running all their activities and were continue getting touch with students for their betterment. The MGM administration provided the opportunities to students to show their talents. These type of cultural and sports activities not only develop the personality of students but also students learn the value of discipline in their life. He congratulated once again the students, teachers and the whole team of MGM Fest. Dr. Aruna Palta, Vice Chancellor, Durg University, said that the MGM group holds the very important status in Chhattisgarh in the field of education and it is one the pioneer group of education serving the state for over 54 years. The Chief Guest for the valedictory programme was Padmashree Dr. Mamta Chandrakar. The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya Khairagarh. Padmashree Dr. Chandrakar congratulated the MGM Group of Schools for organizing suchliteraryand cultural Fest amidst Covid-19. His grace felicitated all the MGM schools, teachers and students for taking the initiative to motivate the students to participate virtually in all the respective events.Welcome speech was delivered by Rev. Father Dr. Joshi Varghese,Diocesan Education Officer
A song was presented by the students of MGM Sr. Sec. School Bhilai. Students of St. Mary’s Nursery school Bokaro presented prayer dance and students of Mar. Baselios Vidya Bhawan Bhilai and MGM Higher Secondary School Bokaro mesmerized the audience by their Dance Performance. Melodious Carol song was presented by students of MGM Higher Secondary school Raipur. Various Virtual Events like Dance, Song, Essay Writing, and Speech. Poem Recitation, Best out of the Waste, Coding Designing App Development, Creative Tagline and Quiz Competition were organized at Sub-Junior, Junior and senior level by the host institutions.
The Program concluded by announcing the name of the winners of various Categories of the Cultural, Literary and Creative events. Master Justin Eldos of MGM Public School, Shanti Nagar Bhilai became the individual runner up while Master K. Abhishek Sai of MGM hr. Sec. School Balco, Korba bagged the individual Championship. In the Schools category, MGM Hr. Sec. School, Gayatri Nagar, Raipur was announced as the 2nd Runner-up. In a nail biting finish MGM Sr. Sec. School, Bhilai with 59 points won the championship whereas MGM Hr. Sec. School, Boakro with 58 points was declared as Runner-up. Vote of Thanks was proposed by Rev. Fr. George C.Varughese, Executive Vice Chairman CCET College Bhilai. Very Rev. Fr. George Mathew Ramban( Secretary of Mission- Education Board), V. Rev. Fr. Thomas Ramban ( Secretary, Calcutta Diocese), Fr. Jose K Varghese ( Secretary, St. Thomas Mission) , Fr. Kurian John Principal (MGM Public School , Bhilai), Fr. Aju K Varghese ( Treasurer, St. Thomas Mission), Dr. M.G. Roymon ( Principal, St. Thomas College) and Dr. Dipali Soren ( Principal, CCET Bhilai) graced the occasion with their virtual presence. Dr. Sandhya Pillai and Dr. Archana Choudhary impressively conducted the programme.
The 13thRemembrance Day of Mar Stephenos Mar Theodosios of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church was held at St. Thomas Ashram, Kailash Nagar Bhilai from 1st to 5th November.
On 1st Nov., after the Holy Qurbana the H.G. Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysus, the Diocesan Metropolitan hoisted the Feast flag. He also prayed that this remembrance feast will be a blessing to all. His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebios, Auxiliary Metropolitan of the Mavelikkara Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, delivered the keynote address at the webinar on November 3rd at 7 pm on the theme ‘Vision of Christ: A Comprehensive Perspective of Mar Theodosius’. Mar Eusebius reminisced that Mar Theodosius as, “a great humanitarian who was fondly called as the Bada Baba by the villagers”. He was a great visionary father who always worked for the uplift of the villages.
The 48th Anniversary of St. Thomas Mission, Bhilai was oragnised as per the Covid protocols. The present Director of Bhilai Mission, H.G. Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius chaired the programme. V. Rev. Thomas Ramban (Diocesan Secretary) and Fr. Aju K Varghese felicitated the meeting. A documentary on the various educational and social service activities of St. Thomas Mission conducted during the year was presented. V.Rev. GeevargheseRamban (Mission Vice President) welcomed the guests and Fr. Jose K Varghese ( Mission Secretary) proposed vote of thanks.Mar Theodosius Memorial Mementos and Cash Awards were conferred to the toppers of classes X and XII from various Schools under MGM Group of institutions affiliated to CBSE, ICSE and other State Boards.
On 5th morning, Holy Mass, incense prayers at the tomb and Apostolic blessings were offered by the Diocesan Bishop His Grace Joseph Mar Dionysus.
The feast came to an endwith the partaking in love-feast.
The services were held as per standard operating procedures of Covid-19. The programmes which were Live cast was viewed by tens of thousands of people worldwide.
48th Annual Day Celebration of St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Mission, Bhilai & Silver Jubilee Celebration of St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary, Nagpur
“Education is a fundamental right of every Indian child- Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam . This lines aptly describes the mission and vision of Bishop His Grace Dr. Stephanos Mar Thedosius of Blessed Memory, the founder Manager of MGM Group of Institutions. MGM Fest 2019 , a three day cultural and sports event was organized at the Christian College of Engineering and technology (CCET) Bhilai on a grand scale with great fervor to commemorate the Visionary Bishop Mar Theodosius. The mega event was organized to bring all the 31 schools run by St. Thomas Mission and Calcutta Diocese of Indian Orthodox Church under one umbrella and to evoke a feeling of unity and fraternity. These 31 Schools along with the 3 Colleges are popularly known as MGM (Mar Gregorios Memorial) Group of Educational Institutions. More than 1300 students from the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh participated in the event including 200 Principals , teachers , sports and cultural in charges.
The spectacular event commenced with a Torch Rally flagged off from the Tomb of H.G. Dr. Stephanos Mar Theodosius and crossing Gurudwara chowk , Kailash Nagar and concluding at the campus of Christian College of Engineering & Technology (CCET), Bhilai. Thereafter the MGM FEST ’19 flag was hoisted by the Chief Guest Shri. V Vikraman , DIG, Sashatra Seema Bal followed by the Lighting of Ceremonial Torch. Very. Rev. Fr. George Mathew Ramban, Vice President of St Thomas Mission welcomed the gathering . In his speech he emphasised on the values and objective of the MGM group of Schools. The stage came alive with a colourful Welcome Dance presented by MGM H.S. School, Raipur added colour to the inaugural ceremony of this mega meet. The students of MGM Public School performed a vibrant dance performance depicting different cultures of India from North to South.
The Presidential address was delivered by H.G. Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius Metropolitan, In his address, the Arch Bishop focused on the importance in students life and encouraged them to actively participate in curricular and co–curricular activities. Shri Rajesh Chauhan, Former Indian Cricketer graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour and praised the contribution of the group in the field of education and sports.
Shri. V Vikraman , DIG, SSB was the chief guest of the inaugural ceremony . In his address he appreciated the initiative by MGM group of schools for organizing such a mammoth Sports and Cultural event.
MGM Fest 2019 was declared open by the Chief Guest by releasing the balloons. Before commencement of the cultural and sports events Oath was administered to all participating school captains by the Captain of Mar Baselios Vidhya Bhana (MVB School), Bhilai.
On all the three days of the 5th MGM Fest 2019, various cultural and sports competitions were held at CCET, Bhilai. The students were seen performed excellently. There was a cut throat competition among the MGM students of various schools from the different places of the country. All the students performed very well making it a tough job for the judges to judge the winners. For judgment a panel of experts from their respective field were invited to judge each event. Cultural Night was organized on 17th and 18th where students unwind their tensions and showcased their talents.
Shri M.S Varghese, Director, Sports Authority of India (SAI), New Delhi, was the chief guest for the valedictory session. He addressed the students and appreciated them for their achievements and also encouraged them to participate in such events. He urged all the Schools to give more emphasis on sports so that MGM Group can in future produce Olympic medalists. Prize distribution ceremony was also held for the winners of the various events.
Champions !!!
Shrishti Sharma, MGM Sr. Sec. School, Sec-6 Bhilai and Prashant Murti, MGM Hr. Sec. School, Balco, Korba were adjudged as Sports Champions, among girls and boys respectively. G.C. Divya of MGM Hr. Sec. School, Korba won Individual Championship in cultural events.
MGM Hr. Sec.School Bokaro was declared as Cultural Champions with 49 points. Mar Baselios Vidhya Bhavan (MBVB ), Bhilai came second in cultural category. MGM Sr. Sec School, Sec-6 Bhilai became the Sports Champion with 112 points whereas MGM Hr. Sec. School, Bokaro were sports runner-up with 100 points. MGM Hr. Sec. School, Bokaro won the overall championship for showing brilliant performance in both cultural and sports events.
H.G. Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius Metropolitan in his Presidential address of the closing ceremony propounded his happiness for the successof the MGM Fest 2019 and congratulated one and all for their untiring efforts for organizing the event. He extended his special thanks to staff members of Christian College of Engineering and Technology , Bhilai, St Thomas College, Bhilai, MGM Public School and Mar Baselious Vidhya Bhavan, Bhilai for their contribution and pain taken for conducting the event successfully. He thanked the St Thomas College Principal Dr. Roymon, sports Officer and the referees for conducting all the sports events successfully. He asked all the students of MGM Group of schools to opt for higher Education in Bhilai as it is an education hub of Chhattisgarh and two big academic institution of MGM group Christian College of Engineering and Technology and St.Thomas College is situated in Bhilai, where students can pursue Engineering, various Degree courses and professional courses and register themselves for Ph.D and do research work. His Grace informed the students that Christian College is NBA accredited and St. Thomas college is NAAC accredited.
Welcome speech was delivered by Fr. Kurian John, Principal, MGM Public School, Shanti Nagar Bhilai and Fr. George C Varughese, EVC, CCET proposed the vote of thanks . The program ended by lowering the MGM Fest Flag followed by the National Anthem
The Chief Guest was felicitated by the Mementos as mark of respect and love by the MGM Group of Institution. Thereafter Cultural Coordinator, Sports Coordinator, Website developer were also felicitated. Student left the campus of CCET, Bhilai with great joy andhappiness with lot of sweet memories waiting to return again for MGM Fest 2020. The team led by Fr. Dr. Joshi Varghese, Diocesan Education Officer of MGM Group of Schools, Fr. George C Varughese, EVC CCET and Fr. Aju K Varghese, Bursar CCET, worked tirelessly to make the event a grant success.
Bhilai: The Two-day Annual Meet of the Heads of the Institutions under the MGM Group was conducted at Christian College of Engineering & Technology (CCET) Bhilai. The meet was inaugurated by H.G. Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius Metropolitan, the President/ Manager of MGM Group of Schools .
Prof. (Dr.) John Varghese, Principal, St. Stephen’s College Delhi Varghese, Principal, St. Stephen’s College Delhi took lively and interactive sessions on the topic “Shared secrets, shared strengths: Some useful strategies for teacher-administrator “.
Mrs. T Raja Rajeshwari, ECCE Expert, Hyderabad elaborated on ‘How to better Pre-Primary Education’ and ‘Role of Principal in Pre-Primary Education’.
The participants also brainstormed on How to improve the quality of teaching – learning process. About 80 delegates, including Principals and Vice Principals from 10 states attended the meet. Principals belonging to Schools which are members of Association of Chhattisgarh Christian Educational Societies (ACCES) also participated in the meet.
The meet was organised by the Diocesan- Mission Education Board on 16th & 17th October, 2019 at Engineering & Technology. The Diocesan-Mission Education Board which runs 31 schools and 3 colleges is commonly known as MGM Group of Schools. The Schools which had enrolled maximum students for Logos Olympiad were also awarded.
Fr. Dr. Joshi Varghese, Diocesan Education Officer welcomed the dignitaries and participants. Fr. Jose K Varghese, Secretary of St. Thomas Mission proposed the vote of thanks.
The 20th Annual conference of Martha Mariam VanithaSamajam, Calcutta diocese was held at Christian College of Engineering & Technology (CCET) ,Bhilai from 6th – 8th October 2019. About 160 delegates from our 17 parishes of the diocese attended the conference. The theme for the conference was ” The gracefulness of forgiveness”( Ephesians 4 :32). The chief resource person for the conference was Rev. Fr. Dr. Bijesh Philip ( Principal, STOTS). The theme was presented by Fr. Dr. Joshi Varghese ( Diocesean Education Officer). The conference started with the Holy Qurbana celebrated by Fr. Philip Kuruvilla. The different aspects of the theme were explained by the resource person in 2 sessions.Fr. Philip Kuriuvila took session on Family life. An interactive session with the Diocesan Metropolitan was also held. Meditation classes were taken by Fr. Biju Daniel and Fr. ShinuCherian. Medical class was taken by Dr. Mary Abraham. Inter unit arts competition like elocution, group song, bible quiz and bible verses were held. All the winners were honoured with gifts and Mar Gregoriousorthodox Church, Bhilaspur bagged the ever rolling trophy with maximum points. In cultural night different units performed colourful programmes like skit , dances ,etc. The business session was also conducted. All the delegates above 70 years of age were honoured. All the rank holders of MOMS Examination 2018 were honoured with trophies. MOMS Annual Report 2018-2019 was presents by Mrs. Annamma Mathew, General Secretary . Mrs. Annamma Mathew proposed the vote of thanks.
H.G Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius ( Metropolitan of Calcutta Diocese),Very. Rev. GeevargheseRamban (vice President, St.Thomas Mission), Very. Rev Thomas Ramban (Diocesan Secretary), Rev.Fr. Jose K Varghese (Secretary, St.Thomas Mission), Rev.Fr. Aju K Varghese (Treasurer, St. Thomas Mission),Rev. Fr. George C Varghese ( Ex. Vice chairman, CCET College) Rev. Fr. Anish Joseph Varghese (Vice- president of MOMS Calcutta), Mrs. Annamma Mathew ( General Secretary, MOMS Calcutta Diocese), Mrs. Merlin S Chacko (Treasurer, MOMS Calcutta Diocese)and Mrs. Mini Markose (unit secretary ) gave leadership to the conference. ). The conference was also graced by the auspicious presence of Fr. Kurian John, Fr. Dr. Joshi Varghese, Fr. Lijo John, Fr. Geevarghese Varghese, Fr. Biju Daniel, Fr. ShinuCherian and Reverendsisters. The conference concluded with prayer and benediction.