AHMEDABAD ORTHODOX DIOCESE TO BE KNOWN AS “GANDHI SMARAN DIOCESE

AHMEDABAD  ORTHODOX DIOCESE 

TO BE KNOWN AS

“GANDHI SMARAN DIOCESE

After having celebrated Holy Qurbana at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, Arthatt, Kunnamkulam, the mother church of many Marian Churches at the northern part of Malankara, Metropolitan Pulikkottil Dr. Geevarghese Mar Yulios was on his way to set his feet at the Ahmedabad Diocese for the first time as Metropolitan.

Metropolitan Dr. Mar Yulios reached Mumbai on September 1st, 2010 and celebrated Holy Qurbana at St. George Orthodox Church, Borivli, Mumbai. The previous Metropolitan of the  Diocese, Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Coorilos will lead the new Metropolitan to the infant diocese and will officially install him with responsibilities.On September 2nd, the diocese will receive both the Metropolitans at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad and will lead them to St. Mary’s School, Naroda, Ahmedabad with accompanying motorcade.The Diocesan Council of the Ahmedabad Diocese will meet on September 3rd, 2010. The priests’ meeting of the diocese will follow the Diocesan Council meeting. The Diocesan Development Committee will also convene its meeting on the forenoon. There will be an ecumenical meeting also at Ahmedabad in honor of the Metropolitans.

       On September 3rd, in the evening, Metropolitan Mar Yulios will celebrate Holy Qurbana at St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral, Ahmedabad to mark the onset of his apostolic responsibilities. Priests of the diocese and a great multitude of faithful are expected to attend the Holy Qurbana. .

Earlier Metropolitan Pulikkottil Dr. Yulios visited important pilgrim places of the Church like Old Seminary Chapel, Parumala, and Devalokam Catholicate Palace Chapel to pray and seek intercessions of all the departed fathers of the Malankara Church. He had also visited the tomb of Mahatma Gandhi, Rajkhat, New Delhi earlier. “I wish that the Ahamedabad Diocese, which is entrusted upon me by the Church, shall be known as ‘Gandhi Smaran Diocese’ because of two reasons. For one, Mahatma Gandhi is the symbol and fundamental reason for India’s independence and for the second, Gandhi’s life of simplicity is drawn from Biblical precepts. I want to see the Ahmedabad Diocese is completely depicting the freedom of the Malankara Church. Gandhi envisaged the political freedom of India a tool for the spiritual freedom of humans. Spiritual freedom is the holistic freedom of humans. Malankara Church, which is the National Church of India shall have such a vision on her freedom. Secondly the simple life of virtue that Gandhi adopted was of an extreme spiritual nature and the complete Christian version of such a life shall fetch us a share in the Kingdom of God”, acclaimed Mar Yulios.

Prof. John Kurakar