By Fr Robinson Rodrigues
New Delhi, Nov 26, 2019: More than 15,000 people attended the opening of the diamond jubilee year of the Archdiocese of Delhi.
Archbishop Anil J T Couto of Delhi on November 24 unfurled the diamond jubilee flag and declared the diamond jubilee year open at the beginning of Mass, held at St Columbus School ground in New Delhi, on the occasion of Christ the King feast.
During the introduction a brief history of the archdiocese was read out in which all the former archbishops were gratefully remembered for their selfless and tireless services to the Church in the national capital.
During the homily Archbishop Couto reminded the gathering that their call is to search for the kingdom of God and not any earthly kingdom, and for that they need to take up their crosses.
“Let us empty ourselves so that the kingdom of God will come on this earth,” he added.
While talking to our reporter after the Mass, the archbishop said, “Whatever we see today in the Archdiocese of Delhi is the result of the hard work of my predecessors, my priests and Religious, and my people. I thank God for them all.”
To mark the diamond Jubilee, the archdiocese has decided to build a church in St Monica’s Parish, in Delhi’s Bhurari area. After the communion Father Bipin Ekka, the parish priest of the place was handed over the picture of the planned church.
The Archdiocese of Delhi came into existence in 1959 when then Archdiocese of Delhi-Simla was divided into Diocese of Simla and Archdiocese of Delhi. Joseph Alexander Fernandes became the first archbishop of Delhi.
Today the archdiocese has 64 parishes and mission stations. Around 135 diocesan priests, and almost the same number of religious priests serve more than 90,000 Catholics through different ministries in the archdiocese.
The archdiocese had celebrated its golden jubilee then years ago under the then Archbishop Vincent Concessao.
Monsignor Susai Sebastian, the vicar general and chairperson of the jubilee organizing committee, said the yearlong program has been planned by different commissions of the archdiocese.
“It is not a one-day celebration. We enter into prayer and reflection and try to find out whether we are faithful to the calling of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Asked about his experience in the archdiocese for several decades, the monsignor said, “Through our institutions and social work we try to uplift people, not only academically but also morally, socially and spiritually.”
At the end of the Mass, a prayer, specially composed for the jubilee year, was recited by all present. After the Mass, the annual Christ the King procession with the Blessed Sacrament was taken around Connaught Place area. The program ended with the Benediction.