Mar Demetrios Youhanon Enthroned as the third Metropolitan of Delhi

Very Rev. Monk Priest Skaria,
Diocesan Secretary, Diocese of Delhi
The Indian Malankara Orthodox
8/10/2012

HIS HOLINESS THE CATHOLICOS INAUGURATES THE JOB MAR PHILOXENOS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION TO CARE FOR THE NEEDY SICK.

His Holiness announces the new project of the Church to care for the elderly irrespective of caste, creed or religion
The Job Mar Philoxenos Healthcare Foundation of the The Indian Malankara Orthodox Church was inaugurated on Sunday at a public function on the occasion of the Enthronement of Metropolitan Dr. Youhanon Mar Demetrios as the third Metropolitan of the Diocese of Delhi. His Holiness the Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan Baselios Mar Thoma Baselios II at the function also announced the new project of the Church to take care of the well-being of the elders of the society irrespective of caste and creed: Twlight Years in the Shades of Love.

Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Shri. P J Kurien, Rt. Rev. Jacob Mar Barnabas were the guests on the occasion. Lay Trustee of the Church M G George Muthoot. Rev. Fr. Philip M Samuel made the welcome remarks and Secretary of the Delhi Diocese Very Rev M S Skariah Remban gave the vote of thanks.

Job Mar Philoxenos, the second Metropolitan of the Diocese of Delhi passed on to his heavenly abode on 20th November 2011. The last years of his life was spent as a true suffering servant of Jesus Christ as he battled illness valiantly with cheer to the end. To commemorate the extraordinary life of the Metropolitan, the Job Mar Philoxenos Healthcare Foundation was envisaged and marks yet another milestone in the developmental map of the Diocese.

The Enthronement or Sunthroniso Ceremony represents the ritual passing of the baton. The new Metropolitan assumes his responsibilities amidst the acclamation of the Church, and begins the work to which he has been called. The Sunthroniso is not merely the formalisation of office, it is a vow taken to attest one’s commitment to the Church and to humanity as a whole. In response, the faithful declare him deserving of the new responsibility. Trained both in India and abroad, Mar Demetrios is ideally suited to lead the Church in the nation’s capital, consolidating the relationship of the Indian Orthodox community with that of the wider nation.

The project to care for the elderly comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Resource Empowerment of the Church and aims to bring the elderly of the society in a particular neighbourhood, irresepctive of caste, creed and religion to the nearby Church and get them together in prayer, reading newspapers and singing songs. His Holiness said on the occasion, “There are large number of our elders in our society where their children do not stay wth them. Many of them are lonely. It is the duty of our Church to care for them and this will not be exclusive to the members of the Orthodox community.”

The nearly two thousand year old The Indian Malankara Orthodox Church rests on key pillars of worship, universal love, education and healing ministry. With a Mission to serve the under-served and with a Vision to provide quality healthcare facilities, the Diocese of Delhi in its six decade existence in north India has many healthcare delivery centres including those in Aya Nagar in the outskirts of Delhi, Shantigram in the Mandavar village of Haryana and Kanpur stand as fitting testaments of our commtment in this field.

The Mar Philoxenos Healthcare Foundation comes under the umbrella project of the Job Mar Philoxenos Centre for Social and Human Development that was set up about a year back to commemorate the life of our late Metropolitan. The Shantigram Mahila Swayam Sahayta Samooh started last year for empowering women through the creation of self-help groups involving women from Mandawar village in Haryana is also under this programme. The Church established the St. Mary’s Medical Centre at Aya Nagar to provide medical services to the downtrodden living in the region. This was inaugurated by the Honourable Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in August 2002.

Through the integrated community development programme, ‘Shantigram, the Church provides a Children’s Home, school and a healthcare Centre. The church has had its presence in the national capital for close to six decades. Currently, the Diocese has 42 parishes, 21 schools, two hospitals and a host of community development projects spread across Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and the Gulf region.

The Indian Malankara Orthodox Church, popularly known as the Indian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest churches in Christendom dating back to 52 AD, when St.Thomas, one of the direct disciples (apostles) of Jesus Christ came to India and established the church. Indigenous, dynamic and devoted to social and welfare activities, it is founded and committed to a tradition of worship, love and service. The Indian Malankara Orthodox Church was autonomous then, as it is now. The supreme head of the church in India is the Catholicos and the Malankara Metropolitan. Today, with 2 million followers in all parts of India and across different continents of the world in 30 dioceses, its headquarters is based in Kottayam, Kerala. Currently, the head of this ancient and global church is the 91st consecrated Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan, His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Paulose II.

The Church entered a new phase of its history with the establishment of the Catholicate in 1912 which was a reiteration of its autonomous and autocephalous status proclaiming that the successors to the throne of St. Thomas as equal among the heads of all apostolic Churches across the globe. This year, 2012, we conclude the centenary celebrations of the Catholicate in India.

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