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Milestones
The Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish of Chicago has a signif-
icant role in my life. It is here that I learnt the fundamentals of our Catholic
faith and made friends within the community. I attend Religious Education
School, sing in the church choir, and participate in dances for special
events. However, most people don’t realize that the church is more than a
place of worship. It is a place where people make friends, learn about their
Knanaya history, and most importantly, a place where children and teens
learn more about our Christian faith, as well as culture.
Sacred Heart church has a great CCD program. Each grade level has
Jessica Pullappallil about 15 to 20 students, and everyone advances to the next grade level each
year together. So you form really close friendship and bonds with the same
group of people, over the years. This allows us to learn more about our faith
Why a church? People with our closest friends. The CCD teachers are also very dedicated and
may have many answers. have developed great curriculum that provides a deeper understanding of
Jessica Pullappallil, as a certain elements of our faith, along with education about our Knanaya cul-
ture.
Knanaya Catholic child Knanaya history is also one of the things we learn at our church, in addi-
tells us what a church tion to religion. In CCD, we read about our forefathers, such as Thomas of
means for her! How the Kana (Knai Thomman), and how his actions were the reason why our
descendants came to settle down in Kerala. We also learn about topics, such
church impacts in her life as the sacraments, and how we can lead our community into the next cen-
and in her friends’ lives! tury by honoring and following our traditions and customs.
The church also has frequent special events such as adoration, confes-
How Catholic faith and sion, and retreats. My brother and I just attended the last retreat held here,
Knanaya traditions meet and it was an amazing experience. We heard personal stories from speak-
and mix here! How her ers about their interactions with God, and how their whole life and perspec-
tive changed from those experiences. These stories and interactions
social life become more enhance and strengthen our Christian faith. The church especially focuses
colorful! on correcting our sins and fixing our relationship with God during impor-
tant seasons, such as Lent and Advent.
I am really happy and fortunate to belong to such an amazing church.
There are so many people to interact and to make friends with. I met some
of my closest friends through Church and it has become an extension of my
family. We learn more about our Knanaya history here than anywhere else.
The CCD program is also a fun way to interact with people, but at the same
time, learn more about our Christian faith. It is hard to believe that the
Church opened up ten years ago. I have grown up within the Church and it
has been such an integral part of my 13 years of life. Not only is the Church
the center of our community, it is also a second home for many of us.
472 ZihÕc kvarXn
