St Francis Church

St Francis Church is the biggest CNI Church in Delhi. Approach the front to get a better look at the serene picture of Mother Mary. There is another picture of her near the donation box which says “Mother of perpetual help, pray for us”. On the sides are tiny open rooms that have mikes used by the choir for prayers.

Uprooted from their homeland in south India, these people wandered through the heart of India treated as untouchables, unemployed due to physical handicaps. Some of them taken courage and moved in search of shelter, food and employment from home land to heart of the National Capital. Later when they saw the prosperity and opportunity in this land for which God has promised to them, they have called their friends and relatives to accompany with them. In all these years, even as they settled in Delhi by side of river Yamuna, God did not forget them.

1951: A PASTOR FINDS THE WANDERING FLOCK

Then it happened in 1951, some requested Fr. Ian Weathrall (then Vicar of St. James Church, Kashmiri Gate, Delhi and member of Delhi Brotherhood Society) to perform a burial. This led him to discover that they were Christians. He was glad to extend his Pastoral Care to them. He regularly conducted worship for them, performed a mass marriage and all other rituals. The Register entry of marriage, baptism and funeral etc. are then recorded in the books of St. James Church itself. 1957, this may be the year in which small hut was given a shape of the Chapel, by the FIRST GENERATION congregation, in Yamuna Bazar, Bank of Yamuna river. The faith in Lord Jesus Christ was very deep in them because of the solid foundation laid by their family and TLM Hospital, Vada Thorasallur, where most of the believers were together because of their illness.



Service Timing:
All days of the week 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Address:

St Francis Church
Anand Gram, Tahirpur,

Near Dilshad Garden, Delhi-110095

Email: presbyter@stfrancischurchdelhi.in
Presbyter-in-Charge: Rev. Vimlesh Khanna
Phone: #9313562357

Website:
http://www.stfrancischurchdelhi.in

St.Stephen's Orthodox Church

St. Thomas, the Apostle

Saint Thomas was one of the twelve apostle of Jesus Christ. He was also called Didimos, which means ‘twin’, probably because of the paired fingers of his hand. The bible portrays him as a man of bravery and strong attachment to his Teacher. Jesus made the proclamation that ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ (St. John 14:6) as an answer to the question of St. Thomas. After Jesus’ resurrection, when He appeared before his apostles, St.Thomas was not present there. When his colleagues told him later that they saw the resurrected Jesus, he was reluctant to believe it. He proclaimed, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it”. (St. John 20:26). It was his earnest desire to see his resurrected Master. Jesus respected his disciple’s wish and made an appearance again before the group in which St. Thomas was also present. Jesus invited him to put his fingers in his wounds and get convinced. In the ecstasy of the moment, S. Thomas addressed Jesus, “My Lord and My God” – which is a basic creed of Christian faith. The tradition says that when St. Thomas put his paired fingers in Jesus wounds, they got separated and became normal and other apostles kissed his hands which touched the resurrected Jesus Christ. The Christian practice of kissing the hands of bishops and priests is believed to have originated from this. St. Thomas is the patron of architects, geometricians, stone masons, builders and above all the patron Saint of India.

St. Thomas and India

Modern developments in archeology, anthropology, numismatics, place name studies, geography and trade route investigations have revealed evidence of trading which form the background to the st. Thomas tradition of India.

The lute of spices attracted traders from the Middle East and Europe to the many trading ports – Calicut,. Cranganore, Cochin,. Aleppey and Quilon – long before Christ.

According to the first century annals of Pliny the Elder and the author of the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, Muziris in Kerala could be reached in 40 days time from the Egyptian coast purely depending on the South West Monsoon winds. The Sangam works Puraana Nooru and Akana Nooru have many lines which speak of the Roman vessels and the Roman gold that used to come to the Kerala ports of the great Chera Kings in search of pepper and other apices, which had an enormous demand in the West.

According to tradition, it was on a trading vessel plying between Alexandria (Egypt) and the Malabar coast that St. Thomas, the Apostle arrived to Maliankara village in 52 A.D. St. Thomas arrived on the south side of Periyar, on the north is Crangannore. Himself a Jew by birth, St. Thomas is said to have begun preaching the gospel to the already existing Jewish settlers in the Malabar Cost and other locals. According to the Acts of Thomas the first converts made by Thomas in India were Jewish people (Jews settled in India).

There is a wealth of corroborative evidence to support and no good reasons to doubt the living tradition of Thomas Christians that the Apostle arrived in Muziris (Kodungallore) in Kerala in 52 AD., preached the gospel, established seven Christian communities (churches) and moved on to other kingdoms, returning to Madras (Mylapore) in 72 AD., where he was martyred that year. Writers of the 4th century, St. Ephraim and St. John Chrysostem knew also about the relics of St. Thomas resting at that time in Edessa having been brought there from India by West Asian merchants. In 232 AD, the relics of the Apostle St. Thomas are said to have been brought from India to the city of Edessa, Mesopotamia. Eusebius of Caesarea (Historia Eeclesiastica III.1) quotes Origen (died mid 3rd century) as having stated that St. Thomas was the apostle to the Parthians, but Thomas is better known as missionary to India, which lies beyond Parthia to the East. The Syrian Christians believe that S. Thomas arrived in Kerala in the first century and converted some Brahmins to Christianity (the concept of converting Brahmins is only a legend because Brahmins arrive in Couth India only in 8th century during the reign of Gupta dynasty). However, these converts were India’s first St. Thomas Christians. They include Kalli, Kallarackal, Kalliankal, Manki, Madathalan, Plavunkal, Mattamuk, Manavasri, Pakalomattom, Sankarapuri, Thayil, etc. the church founded by St. Thomas must have been rather spread out in the sub continent including North-West, the Western and Eastern coasts of the Peninsula, probably also reaching Sri Lanka. Tradition associates the ministry of St. Thomas with the Indo-Parthian king Gondophares in North and with King Vasudeva of the Kushan dynasty in the South. The St. Thomas Tomb at Mylapore (Chennai) and the legends associated with it clearly connect St. Thomas with India



Address:

St.Stephen's Orthodox Church
P.S.P. Area,Adjoining Service Centre-5
Dilshad Garden,Delhi
Pin code-110093
India

Ph. +91-11-22313104


Website: http://ststephens.in

St. Mary's Malankara Catholic Church

                                                   
The establishment of Bethany Ashram in Pune led to the beginning of St. Mary's Malankara Catholic Church. It was from Pune that the Bethany Fathers took care of the Malankara Catholic in Mumbai.  Soon, in Delhi and other cities, the Malankara Catholics initiated the formation of Malankara Catholic Associations, sending priests and fathers from the Eparchies to these associations. Appointing Rev. Fr. John Berchmans OIC as the coordinator of the Malankara Catholics in 1997, led to the organization of many communities under the MCCETRI banner - ‘The Malankara Catholic Church Extra Territorial Regions in India'. As of now the MCCETRI includes around 2550 families in 42 parishes.

150, Neb Sarai Ignou Road, Sainik Farms, New Delhi, Delhi, India

St. Michael's Church

                                                 
St. Michael’s Church is one of the most stunning churches in the city. With breathtaking architecture and amazing atmosphere inside, this church is quite famous amongst Catholics. You wouldn't mind unfolding the rich history the church carries with itself, if you happen to stop here for a brief visit.

Service Timing;
All days of the week except Sunday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Address:
Prasad Nagar, Pusa Road, New Delhi, - 110005, Delhi, India

Phone:
+91-11-25757997

St. Peter's Cathedral

                                                          
Located in an exclusive and well laid out site in the heart of Delhi, St. Peter's Cathedral is known to be the spiritual center of Syrian Orthodox Christians. This site was handpicked by Indira Gandhi, the late Prime Minister of India. It was on May 28, 1990 that this cathedral was designated as the “Eastern Cathedral of the Patriarch of Antioch” by H.H. Mor Ignatius Zakka I (the Patriarch).

Service Timings:

All days of the week except Sunday 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sun 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM


Address:
Bhai Veer Singh Marg, Connaught Place, New Delhi, Delhi - 110001, India

Phone:
 +91-11-23364740

Believers Church

                                                              
Dynamically involved in nation-building projects, community development programs and relief works, Believers Church is a Christian denomination that encapsulates a universal nature and follows an ecumenical outlook. This church at present has 13 Bishops and is headed by Metropolitan who offers his leadership in fulfilling administrative and spiritual responsibilities in the serve of God and humanity. Believers Church relates to Biblical Faith, Episcopal Governance and historical traditions of its very own Canonical Constitution. Also, it is involved in various educational projects, rehabilitation projects and charitable activities.

Service Timing:

Sun 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM


Address:
 M4, Hauz Khas, Aurobindo Marg, Delhi, India

Phone:
 +91-11-26858465

St. Paul's Church

                                                                 
Built in 1971, St. Paul’s Church is known to be the Parish Church and not the Chapel. Presently, it operates under the guidance of a new Archbishop, Anil Jose Thomas Couto, who took this responsibility on January 20th, 2013. Fr. Valerian Baretto was transferred from the Parish in July 2012.

Service TImings:
All days of the week except Sunday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Address:
Parade Road, Delhi Cantt, Delhi-110010, India

Phone
 +91-11-25693674

Jeevan Jyoti Ashram

Situated in Ibrahimpur Village in North Delhi, Jeevan Jyoti Ashram is a Retreat Centre of Delhi Renewal Services. It’s around 24 kms away from Delhi. This Ashram started off as a small prayer group of members including Rev. Fr. Joe Thomas, Rev. Fr. Vincent Concessao, Rev. Fr. Susai Sebastian and Rev. Fr. George Kureethra. It’s running since 1976 and was initiated by Fio Mascarenhas, a young Jesuit Scholastic, who was studying in Vidyajyoti. It is interesting to learn that the Ashram activities successfully began in the end of 1984.

Service Timing:

Experience Seekers Pampered Souls timings

Prayers Start at 6:30 AM in the morning

Contact Detail:

Jeevan Jyoti Ashram

Ibrahimpur, Burari, Delhi-84, India

Phone Number:

 +91-11-24521618

The Cathedral Church of the Redemption

The Cathedral Church of the Redemption was open to  the public in 1931 and was built with keen support
from Viceroy Lord Irwin, who also played an instrumental role in giving the church the name it bears today. The significance of the church is heightened by the simple fact that people from all sects, caste and creed have regularly and consistently come here to pray and be a part of paying regard to the holy spirit that envelops and protects mankind from all perils and evil - an idea that is widely believed and bears testimony to all that constitutes worshiping the Lord Almighty. However, special light is thrown on the understanding and an embrace of notions of redemption, salvation and meditation which were imperative of the time in which the church was constructed and opened up, owing to the political and economic unrest that the country and the world at large was going through at the time.

Service Timing:

Summer Service Timings: English - 8:00 AM, Tamil - 9:35 AM ,Hindi - 11:15 AM
Winter Service Timings: English - 8:30 AM, Tamil - 10:05 AM ,Hindi - 11:45 AM

Address:

The Cathedral Church of the Redemption

1, Church Road, North Avenue

New Delhi- 110001

India

Contact:

Church Office +91-11-230-94229, +91-11-230-93325  

Church Administrator cum Accountant +91-9911604440

Rev.Dr.Paul Swarup - Presbyter in Charge +91-11-230-94229 (O) +91-98-113-97771

Rev.Christopher Raj +91-11-246-20042 (R) +91-98-181-31479

Fr.Jaikumar +91-95-555-76276

Email: cathedraldelhi@gmail.com

Website:

http://www.theredemptionchurch.org