Wanawadi Mar Thoma Church completes 70 years
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- CAMIL PARKHE
Friday, 14 March 2014 - 10:06 PM IST
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Pune: St Peter's Mar Thoma Parish in Wanawadi, one of the oldest Malayali churches in the city, has launched its year-long 70 years' anniversary celebrations.
The church congregation, established in 1943, now has 200 families.
The 70 years' anniversary or 'Sapthathy' celebrations were inaugurated by Bishop Dr Euyakim Mar Coorilos of Kottarakara Punalur Diocese in Kerala at a religious ceremony held on Saturday. The church's vicar, Rev Stanley Thomas, was also present.
Maj (Retd) Mathew Oommen, one of the parishioners of the church, said that the history of the church began in 1943 when a group of Mar Thomas Christians from Kerala started worshipping as a congregation in the city. The congregation used to conduct its Malayalam religious services at St Mary's Church in Pune Camp.
The congregation formally came to be recognised as St Peter's Church in 1967 and the land for the church building was acquired a year later. The present church building at Divyanagar in Wanawadi was inaugurated in 2009.
As a part of the year-long 70 years anniversary, the church members have planned various activities including opening of palliative care unit, providing home for homeless, a 'day care centre' and periodic medical camps.
Oommen said Mar Thoma Church Christians believe their church history is as old as 52 AD when St Thomas, an apostle of Jesus Christ, preached Christianity in Kerala.
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What this article doesn't mention is when the Marthoma Church wanted to start their services in Pune camp, a kind God fearing Catholic lady gave them a small room temporarily on her plot of land so they could run their office till they got on their feet, which is why St Mary's church in Pune camp was chosen for services. The church officials agreed they would vacate once they expanded as a church. At present the church has acquired a huge parcel of land in Wanawadi and do not have any need for this room in Pune camp but the religious officials of this church still refuse to hand it back to her family, instead they ask for sums of money as settlement and continue to harass her family by not handing it back since many years. If Christians, especially religious officials treat fellow Christians this way, what hope is there for humanity!
ReplyDeletethanks for the update
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