Malyankara is the place where the light of Christianity was ignited first, and it has to glow brightly shedding the light all over the world, said Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Dr Salvatore Pennacchio to the believers while visiting the St Thomas Pilgrim Centre at Malyankara on Monday.
The vicar of the centre, Fr Joshi Muttickal, assistant vicar Fr Biju Thengapurackal and hundreds of believers welcomed the archbishop at the centre.
Fr Dr Dennis Kuruppassery, Msgr Dr Dominic Pinheiro and Rev Dr Johnson Panketh delivered felicitations on the occasion.
According to the conveners of Kottappuram silver jubilee celebrations, the visit of the Nuncio to Malyankara is a landmark incident after Cardinal Eugene Tisserant’s visit in 1953.
The Mar Thoma Pontifical Shrine, the pilgrim centre, is a monument to St Thomas situated at Marthoma Nagar at Kodungallur.
Built on the model of St Peter’s Basilica, Rome, the shrine is a historic centre for Indian Christians.
But its historical importance was rightly acknowledged when the Holy See, the official seat of the Vatican, thought to offer a befitting gift to St Thomas Christians in Kerala.
And it was the late Eugene Cardinal Tisserant, the then Prefect of Oriental Congregation, who solemnly brought the bone of the right arm of the apostle from Ortona in Italy and enthroned it in the present Shrine on December 6, 1953.
Archbishop Dr Salvatore also visited Mar Thoma Church Museum built at Malyankara.
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