SaiRam Dear Members. Please find below the latest Sri Sathya Sai Center of Loudoun Newsletter.
Please join us with family this Sunday Sep 29th for our Devotional Satsang (Bhajan Workshop) with Special Guest Speaker Brother Krishna Prayaga @ Hovatter Elementary School in Aldie – 41135 Collaboration Dr, Aldie, VA 20105.
More Details about Devotional, SSSE, Seva, and YA Activities below.
SRI SATHYA SAI GLOBAL COUNCIL – ZONE1 (USA- REGION 2)
A Warm and Loving Sai Ram Dear Members,
Hope all of you had a divine and wonderful week with Swami’s Grace!
With Divine Grace of our Dear Swami, we had a wonderful session with Dr. Axay Kalathia Zone1 Chair last Sunday where he reiterated that love should be the undercurrent of all our center activities, and how it is always important to go back to basics to realign ourselves to Swami's Teachings, followed by bhajan offerings to Swami by members in the devotional hall. Dr. Axay visited all SSSE classrooms and had lively interaction with all kids. We Thank Swami for sending Dr. Axay to our center.
This Sunday September 29th, we will have a Bhajan Workshop with Brother Krishna Prayaga (SSSGC USA Region 2 Devotional Coordinator) @ Hovatter Elementary School from 9:30 AM EST. This will be a wonderful opportunity for all members, SSSE kids, to learn about the nuances of Bhajan Singing and the best way to offer it to our Beloved Swami. Please don't miss this opportunity to learn how to offer Good Quality Bhajans. See more details in the Devotional & SSSE section below.
See below for important details.
Please find this week's Centre Newsletter, updates from all wings (Devotion, SSSE, Seva & YA) along with Center Calendar for September 2024 and Zonal/National and Regional updates.
Sri Sathya Sai Center of Loudoun (SSSCL) Feedback form: We are requesting all members to provide your feedback about how the center is functioning or anything to improve center operations using the link below. SSSCL Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/VN64wmpAZFnj322H6
PARTHI PILGRIMAGE CENTENNIAL YEAR 2025 (July 10 -13, 2025) – Registration is now open. We are truly blessed by His Grace to embark on both an inner and outer journey to our spiritual source, Prasanthi Nilayam. Parthi Pilgrimage, set during the centennial year, has been confirmed by the ashram authorities for the auspicious dates of July 10-13, 2025. Last Date: Oct 1st
“Devotion and self confidence are like the negative and positive. It is the combination of these two that will enable us to fulfill our sacred thoughts.”
Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Please check the attached September 2024 Calendar above.
Look for more details from Center, Devotional and SSSE, and Seva Sessions.
Subscription
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This Sunday Sept 29th, we will have the Bhajan Workshop with Special Guest Brother Krishna Prayaga (SSSGC USA Region 2 Devotional Coordinator) in Devotional Hall starting from 9:30 AM onwards @ Hovatter Elementary School. See below Tentative Agenda and join us.
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM – Setup (Please join if available)
9:30 AM – 09:45 AM – 3Oms, 21 Samastha Lokah, Writing “Om Sri Sai Ram”(5 mins), Gayatri & Sai Gayatri Mantra, Swami Darshan Video (please bring any ruled book & a pen for Nama Likitha Japam)
9:45 AM – 10:00 AM – Practicing Mahishasura Mardini (Tentative)
10:00 AM – 10:05 AM – Introduction of Guest Speaker
10:05 AM – 12:00 PM – Bhajan Workshop by Brother Krishna Prayaga (Region 2 DC)
SSSCL – Upcoming Akhanda Bhajans & Bhagawan’s 99th Birthday Celebrations – medley’s & song practices at center.
Birthday Songs will be shared on September 2nd week.
Akhanda Bhajans Medley Offerings: As part of AKB, we will be offering Men’s & Ladies Medleys which will be practiced every Sunday at the Center. Please participate. (below are the Youtube links for Medleys)
SSSE kids will have the bhajan workshop as part of the center activity starting from 9:30 AM @ Hovatter Elementary School. This is an excellent opportunity for all kids to interact with USA Region 2 Devotional Coordinator Brother Krishan Prayaga and learn to offer Good Quality Bhajans from a person who has personally trained hundreds of Kids. Please arrive by 9:25 AM.
We are truly blessed by His Grace to embark on both an inner and outer journey to our spiritual source, Prasanthi Nilayam.. Our Parthi Pilgrimage, set during the centennial year, has been confirmed by the ashram authorities for the auspicious dates of July 10-13, 2025.
If interested to join the pilgrimage & want to participate in SSSE or Adult programs , please register using the below RSVP link. Last day to register is Oct 1st 2024.
All SSSE kids are encouraged to sign up and be part of the SSSE program that will be offered at Bhagawan’s Sannidhi in Prasanthi Nilayam
For any Seva related questions, please reach out to Seva Coordinator, Brother Vijay @ seva@loudounsai.org.
Sai Ram
SSSCL – Young Adults Updates
YA Re-registration Form: Please look for information from YA reps to re-confirm as active YA of the center by registering using the link below. YA Re-Registration Form
Region 2 Fall YA Retreat from November 29th – December 1st, 2024: Sairam Dear Young Adults, I hope this message finds you well! With Swami's blessings, we are excited to announce that we will be conducting a region-wide Fall YA Retreat from November 29th – December 1st, 2024 (Thanksgiving Weekend) at the Vraj Temple in Schuylkill Haven, PA. The Retreat will be centered around the theme, “The Attitude of Gratitude.” We look forward to coming together as the Region 2 YA community and urge you all to register using this link by Saturday, September 28th, 2024.
Please see the attached flyer for more details and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us! Let us all celebrate this Thanksgiving together by showing our gratitude to our Beloved Swami.
Loving Sairam, Region 2 YA Team Sejal Rajagopalan T: (908) 487-3722
We express our immense gratitude to Dearest Swami in launching the “100 Acts of Kindness” National Sri Sathya Sai Global Council-USA Young Adult Service Project: a Heartfelt YA Service Offering to Our Dearest Swami, On Occasion of Swami's Holy Centennial Birthday Celebrations!
We envision every YA across the U.S. to fulfill at least 100 acts of kindness each, leading up to Swami’s Centennial Celebrations in November 2025. Partaking in this service sadhana is a special opportunity to offer our deepest gratitude to Swami through our unity of thought, word, and deed.
“Acts of kindness” could be leaving a kind thank you note, giving a small token of appreciation to the local fire station or custodial staff, spending time with the elderly, or just taking the time to smile and listen to others! It is any act of selflessness that promotes positivity and looking outwards to “see the Sai in all.” Each time you partake in an act of kindness, kindly log in your service experience through this brief Google Form: https://forms.gle/uVmgmYhhqGWdfK4b6.
Through this Google Form, we hope to collect an abundance of heartfelt reflections that can be compiled and expressed in a final offering for Swami’s 100th Birthday. It will be inspiring to read about the diversity of service projects and acts of kindness completed by all of us YAs, through a spirit of unity and teamwork.
The 100 Acts of Kindness Service Project is simply a goal, as the magnitude of our devotion and love cannot be quantified for our Dearest Swami! Let us all join together in offering these service acts of kindness to our Dearest Swami and may we experience His infinite love and grace.
If you have any questions and (or) looking for more YA updates, please reach out to our Female YA Rep Varsha Rao @ yafrep@loudounsai.org and Male YA Rep Arjun Sundaram @ yamrep@loudounsai.org
Sai Ram
SSSGC's Regional, National and Zonal Updates
Updates from DMV & Region 2 Centers:
None
SSSGC (USA) – Region 2 Updates:
SSSGC Region 2 – Second Sai-lent Retreat of 2024 | 25-27 Oct 2024
Offering our most reverential pranamas at the Divine Lotus Feet of our Dearest Lord Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. We are delighted to announce that SSSGC-USA Region 2 will be hosting the second Sai-lent Retreat of 2024 in October. Here are the details:
Dates: 5 PM 25th Oct (Friday) to 12 PM 27th Oct (Sunday) 2024
Location: Vraj Temple, 51 Manor Rd, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972. (This has AC/heated rooms and auditoriums.
Please use the following website to register for the Sai-lent retreat:
Please note that the retreat can accommodate only 50 participants. We encourage devotees to register early to secure their place. Open until Oct 11th or for First 50 registrations.
Sadhana Initiatives for all devotees/centers in our region 2 as a collective/individual offering to our beloved Bhagawan on his 99th Birthday and Centenary celebrations. Our Region 2 Devotional Coordinator Krishna Prayaga in collaboration with Our SSSGC Region 2 Center Devotional Coordinators formulated the following.
Individual/Family Sadhana:
– Chant “Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavanthu” at least 9 times a day.
– Chant any or all of these Mantras at least 9 times a day
“Om Sri Sai Ram”, “Gayatri Mantra”, “Sai Gayatri” or “Mrutyunjaya Mantra”.
– Read Tapovanam once a month (Read the whole book in a day/week or a chapter a week, according to convenience/preference).
– Likhita Japa – Write “Om Sri Sairam '' at least for 9 minutes a day. ( The books will be collected and sent to Parthi to be used for Vibhuti Packaging.)
– Learn 9 New Bhajans before November 2024
– At Least for 9 minutes a day Read Swami’s Literature, Listen to Swami’s Speeches or devotees experiences about Swami
Ladies-Wing-National-Webinar-Flyer.pdf