ST. LUKE'S CHURCH

Defence Colony Parish was first a part of Okhala Parish. There were two Mass Centres - one at the residence of one Mr. Dunn and another at the residence of St. Paul Fathers.

There is a very interesting story of the beginnings of the earstwhile St. Luke's Church and it will be really interesting to hear it from Fr. George Kureethra himself as he has so beautifully related it as follows :-

....... I can tell you some interesting stories of the beginning of the parish. You know that Defence Colony is so called because the colony came upon plots allotted to the Defence Personnel (Navy, Air Force and Army) for constrction of personal habitations. Some plots were large, especially in the D Block, and others small. The plot B-68 was allotted to an Army Major. But he could not construct the house because he died of a heart attack. Some time later the plot was acquired by another person who also died of a heart attack. And the plot remained vacant because no one would purchase it. That was the time we were looking for a plot. When Frs Charles and Pascal Rodrigues came to know of the vacant plot, the Church decided to acquire it. The plot was purchased and a "residence" was put up, since it was a residential area. The residence was called St Luke's Residence. However, for practical purposes it was used as a church, and a new parish was erected, with Fr Pascal Rodrigues as the first Parish Priest. The church-residence was blessed in March 1979. But six months later Fr Pascal also died of a heart attack, the third one in a row. Since I was known to be a person without a heart, I was asked to succeed Fr Pascal as Parish Priest. Everyone waited for my death, but not only did I not die of a heart attack, but went on for ten years to be the Parish Priest! Finally the people got fed up of me, and I myself asked for a transfer. I was in 1989 transferred as Assistant Parish Priest of Kingsway Camp. I was succeeded by Fr Thomson Panakkal, who was succeeded by Fr Joseph Kudilil.

I do not quite remember the names of my assistants in the proper order, but they were Frs John Patrick, Celso Furtado, Neville Lobo, Michael Xalxo and Elias Dungdung.




ADDRESS :
ST. LUKE'S CHURCH
B-68, DEFENCE COLONY, NEW DELHI - 110024
PHONE NO. : 011-24334300

email : saintlukesdefcolony@gmail.com

Website:
http://www.saintlukeschurch.com