Thane, Oct 15: The St Thomas church at Kalyan in adjacent Thane district is to be declared as a pilgrim centre in Maharashtra like cathedral church in Mylapore. Announcing this at a press conference today, bishop Thomas Elavanal said, "I got an occasion to visit the cathedral and the mortal remains of St Thomas in Orthona in June 2001 and the bishop Enzio D'antonio of the diocese of Orthona gave me a relic of St Thomas (a small part of the bone) as he came to know that St Thomas is the patron of our diocese."

He further said this year being the jubilee year of St Thomas's arrival in India, it is proper that the faithful of the diocese of Kalyan and other Christians get an occasion to venerate the relief of St Thomas as an expression of love and gratitude to the saint. On December 15 the relic will be formally installed in St Thomas church in Kalyan.

St Thomas, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, arrived in India in 52 ad at Cranganore in Kerala. He founded seven churches on the Malabar Coast. The saint died on 3 July 72 ad.

Bureau Report