Syro Malabar National Convention 2019

The 7th Syro Malabar National Convention is a gathering of St. Thomas Christians from all over North America to reflect on our past, discuss our present, and look towards our future. Hosted by the St. Joseph Syro Malabar Catholic Forane of Houston with the support and guidance of the St. Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic Diocese, the gathering will be a stay-in event with a wide range of activities, discussions, and cultural programs. The opportunity will be taken to bring a deeper understanding of our heritage from St. Thomas, and look at ways that we can improve our path going forward. This will also present an opportunity for members of the Syro Malabar community to extend their connections beyond their own parishes and cities through networking events, social events, and discussion panels.

SCHEDULE
Day One: The convention programs will start on Thursday, August 1st at 4 PM with Holy Qurbana. Guests will be able to check into their rooms starting at 3 PM, and are invited to arrive as early as 12 PM noon to start the check-in process. After Holy Qurbana and dinner, there will be inauguration programs, followed by the first round of networking events and mixers for each of the age categories.
Day Two: The day will start with breakfast at 7 AM, followed by the Convention procession that every parish is invited to participate in. The procession will bring us into the ballroom where Holy Qurbana will be celebrated. The morning will wrap up with the key note speaker. The morning session will conclude with a break for lunch. Following lunch, sessions and activities will start breaking out into each of the designated categories, followed by national-level Church organization meetings such as DYA, STAFF, St. Vincent De Paul, Jesus Youth, SMCC, CCD etc. This will take the second day into late afternoon where there will be various talk sessions, panels, and networking events. The networking events will take us into dinner, followed by a masquerade ball for youth and young adults. After dinner, there will also be a cultural program to showcase the talent from all participating parishes. These programs will conclude the day’s events.

Day Three: The third day will also begin at 7 AM with breakfast at the GRB. We will start off the morning with Father Kevin and Father Rajeev’s panel session. The morning session will continue, ending with Holy Qurbana. Once we regather from lunch, we will once again break out into the designated categories and focus on the key topics that have been carefully chosen for discussion. There will also be fun activities like a dodgeball tournament, as well as additional networking opportunities and mixers. In the evening, young professionals will have the opportunity to attend an optional ticketed networking event, while the rest of our attendees will gather for dinner.

Day Four: The final day of the convention will start with breakfast at 7 AM, followed by Holy Qurbana. We will conclude the convention at 1130 AM with a closing ceremony and a reflection on the past days.