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Milestones
Christian Chelackal
Christian Chelackal is a
fifth grade student and a
member of the Sacred
Heart Parish. He is ten
years old; as old as this
parish. He is sharing how
he is attached to this
church.
460 ZihÕc kvarXn
I am proud to say that I belong to Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic family,
which I consider as my second home. A unique fact about me is that I
am ten years old and the Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Church is also ten years old.
This shows that the church has been a part of my life from by birth. My sister and
myself were fortunate to have both our parents very active and deeply involved in all
the activities of our parish. The Sacred Heart church helped me to grow in many ways
through the Holy Mass, Religious Education School, annual retreats for children and
many other activities of our church.
Since I was little, I have been attending Holy Mass at our church every Sunday
and weekdays whenever possible. It helps me to grow spiritually by receiving the
spiritual food for my soul. Our religious education classes taught by the dedicated
teachers enrich me with the knowledge of God. I am so blessed that I was able to
receive my First Holy Communion at our own church after learning the true meaning
of the presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Our church is active with many programs for all ages. I have been participating
in the Bible quiz conducted by our parish since I was in the first grade. The Bible quiz
really helped me to study the Bible in detail and also develop the habit of reading the
Bible for night time prayers with my family. I also learned a lot from the Eucharistic
Year challenge quiz. It helped me to understand the Holy Mass better and participate
more effectively by learning the meaning of different prayers and symbolic meanings
of different parts of the church. We are fortunate to have retreats in English, which
have affected me tremendously to grow spiritually.
In this Year of Mercy, we have been doing Saints of Mercy quiz. Saints’ quiz is
helping me to learn about different saints every month and I am touched by their good
examples, hard work, and sacrifices.
Since we have a church of our own,
there are many opportunities for us
kids to be active in various church and
community activities. I am an altar
server at our church and I have been
serving at the Holy Mass for the last
three years. I always wanted to be an
altar server since I was little because I
know that altar servers represent the
angels in heaven. I think of our church
as a ‘‘Noah’s ark.’’I feel very comfort-
able and protected in the presence of
God inside the church. I believe that
God is the number one in my life.
The church has not only helped me
to grow spiritually but also helped to
develop my talents such as public
speaking. Reading the Bible, saying
speeches, saying prayers at Mass have
all helped me to improve my talents.
My family is not the only people who
motivate me but there are also many
uncles and aunties at our church who
encourage me.