The Eparchy of Mavelikara
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is entering in to a new era with the erection of the new Eparchy of Mavelikara. In consultation with the Holy See, the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Malankara Catholic Church held in November took the decision to create the Eparchy of Mavelikara to carry out effective pastoral care for the faithful in the north-western part of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum. The Holy Synod proposed Mavelikara, the birth-place of Archbishop Mar Ivanios, the founder and father of the Reunion Movement in the Malankara Church in Kerala, as the See from which the new Eparchy can take its name. His Beatitude Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church made the formal declaration of the new Eparchy on 1st January 2007 in the Metropolitan Church at Pattom, Trivandrum in the presence of all the Metropolitans of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. His Excellency Joshua Mar Ignathios, the then Auxiliary Bishop and Proto Syncellus of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum, is appointed the Metropolitan of the new Eparchy of Mavelikara.
The new Eparchy consists of the Mavelikara and Kollam ecclesiastical districts and parts of the Chengannur and Adoor ecclesiastical districts. There are 25000 Catholic faithful distributed over the 94 parishes in the new Eparchy. There are 52 diocesan priests in the Eparchy. The patroness of the Eparchy is Mary, Mother of God. The Cathedral of the Eparchy is St. Mary’s Church, Punnamoodu, Mavelikara.
The inauguration of the new Eparchy and the installation of the Bishop took place on 16 February 2007 at the St. Mary’s Cathedral, Punnamoodu, Mavelikara.
Ever since his sacerdotal ordination in 1978, His Excellency Joshua Mar Ignathios has been carrying out excellent ministry in various parishes and mission stations in the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum. The present Malankara missions and institutions in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, outside the jurisdictional territory of the Malankara Catholic Church, owe much to the vision and commitment of Metropolitan Joshua Mar Ignathios for their present stature and rapid growth. The Metropolitan has an excellent academic career including a doctorate in Educational Administration from the Madras University, Tamil Nadu. He is known as an eloquent preacher and powerful speaker and has an admirable command over many languages including Malayalam, English and Tamil. He is known for his organizational capabilities. Besides his manifold commitments in his home Major Archieparchy, he servers the Indian Church in his capacity as the member of several commissions of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, including the Labour Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India of which he is presently the chairman.
The parish hall of the church at Kallumala was temporarily converted and arrangements were made to use it as the minor seminary of the diocese till the new seminary buildings will be constructed. The blessing and formal inauguration of the minor seminary was on Sunday 3rd June 2007. The foundation stone of the new seminary buildings is laid on 8th October 2007 at Kallumala.
The foundation stone of the bishop's house is laid on 7th June 2007 at Punnamoodu, Mavelikara.
The 125th birth anniversary of Archbishop Mar Ivanios, Servant of God, was celebrated on Sunday 23rd September 2007 at Puthiacavu, the home parish of Archbishop Mar Ivanios.
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