New Delhi: In a historic and solemn celebration, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church witnessed the installation of Mar Kuriakose Bharanikulangara as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the newly elevated Archeparchy of Faridabad. The grand ceremony took place at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, drawing clergy, religious, and faithful from across India.
The event was presided over by Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil, the Father and Head of the Syro-Malabar Church, who formally installed Mar Bharanikulangara into office, invoking blessings upon his pastoral mission in the nation’s capital region.
The installation marks a milestone in the life of the Syro-Malabar Church, highlighting the growing presence and vitality of the Eastern Catholic community in North India. The elevation of the Eparchy of Faridabad to a Metropolitan Archeparchy is seen as a testament to the Church’s continued pastoral commitment to the Syro-Malabar faithful spread across northern dioceses.
Approximately thirty bishops from various Syro-Malabar, Latin, and Syro-Malankara dioceses across the country joined the Eucharistic celebration as concelebrants, symbolizing the unity of the Catholic Church in India. Priests, religious sisters, seminarians, and hundreds of lay faithful filled the venue with prayer and song, transforming the stadium into a space of reverent worship and cultural harmony.
During the solemn liturgy, Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil extended warm greetings to the newly installed Archbishop, acknowledging his years of dedicated service as the first Bishop of Faridabad and his leadership in strengthening the spiritual and administrative framework of the Church in North India.
In his address, Mar Kuriakose Bharanikulangara expressed deep gratitude to the Holy See, the Major Archbishop, and the faithful of his Archeparchy. He reaffirmed his commitment to guiding the Church with humility, pastoral care, and missionary zeal. “The call to serve as Metropolitan Archbishop is a call to greater love and responsibility,” he said, adding that his mission will focus on evangelization, youth formation, inter-ritual collaboration, and social outreach in the multi-religious context of northern India.
The establishment of the Archeparchy of Faridabad and the installation of its first Metropolitan Archbishop signify the steady growth of the Syro-Malabar community in India’s capital and neighboring regions. It also reflects the Church’s vision to ensure pastoral care for thousands of migrant families who have made Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and surrounding states their home.
As the ceremony concluded with a solemn blessing, the congregation joined in heartfelt applause and hymns of thanksgiving, marking not only the beginning of a new chapter for the Faridabad Archeparchy but also a moment of joy and renewal for the entire Syro-Malabar Church.