Catholicos Arrives in Delhi for Golden Jubilee of Janakpuri Church

His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, arrived in Delhi to take part in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Mar Gregorios Orthodox Church, Janakpuri.

Often referred to as the “Parumala of the North” because the relics of St. Gregorios of Parumala are enshrined there, the Janakpuri Church draws thousands of pilgrims each year. The main feast is observed on the first or second Sunday of November, with many devotees arriving on foot as part of a traditional padayatra.

On Sunday morning, the Catholicos will celebrate the Holy Qurbana (Holy Mass) at the Janakpuri Church. In the evening, a valedictory public meeting will be held at St. Gregorios School, Dwarka, following a grand procession welcoming His Holiness at 4 p.m.

The event will be inaugurated by Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood, and attended by MLAs Shyam Sharma (Hari Nagar) and Parduymn Singh (Dwarka). The meeting will be presided over by Yohanon Mar Demetrios, Metropolitan of the Delhi Diocese. And Mar Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Faridabad, will be the chief guest.

The evening will also feature a Biblical dramascope titled ‘Thachan’, presented by the renowned Amala Communications, Kanjirappally.

A year-long series of jubilee events has been underway at the church to mark its 50th anniversary. The celebrations began last November with a torchlight procession (Deepshikha) from the parent parish, St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, Hauz Khas. As part of the jubilee observance, all senior members above 60 and couples who completed 40 years of married life were also felicitated.