The Syro-Malabar Catholics of North India got their own diocese on Saturday, May 26th 2012. The diocese of Faridabad, or administrative unit of the church, was inaugurated in a grand ceremony at Thyagaraj Stadium in the capital was witnessed by thousands of faithful. Monsignor Kuriakose Bharanikulangara was appointed its first bishop.
The new Diocese of Faridabad comprises the states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir and the districts of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad, UP.
Dignitaries included Cardinal George Alencherry, the head of Syro Malabar Church; Archbishop Vincent Concessao of Delhi; Cardinal Oswald Gracias, CBCI President; and Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio, among others.
The Faridabad diocese will serve some 1.5 lakh Syro-Malabar Catholics. A total of 88 priests and 855 religious women work at the convents, religious homes, schools and hospitals in the area.
White and yellow paper-flags were waved amid prayers by thousands who turned up for the ceremony. A message from Pope Benedict XVI sanctioning the new diocese and appointment of the new bishop was read out.
The ceremony included a dance performance by a group of children dressed in the colours of the national flag. It was followed by a holy mass where the newly appointed Bishop greeted the people. Dressed in red and golden robes, archbishops, bishops, and heads of other Christian denominations attended the ceremony. The new diocese is the 165th Diocese of Catholic Church in India and the 31st Diocese of Syro-Malabar Church.
The ordination ceremony of the new bishop was followed by a public meeting which was inaugurated by Sheila Dikshit, the Chief Minister of Delhi.
Bharanikulangara belongs to the Parish of Karippassery under the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.
The Syro Malabar Church is the second largest among the Eastern Catcholic Churches. The Church serves over 4.6 million believers spread out in India and different parts of the world.
