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Parumala is a
small town in Pathanamthitta district, bordering Alappuzha district. This is an
island in Pampa River.
The
parumala church is dedicated in the names of the Apostles St. Peter and St.
Paul. The saintly Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Gregorios is buried in the
northern corner of the church were the octagonal altar and the rectangular
‘Haikla’ of the church join together (the saintly Metropolitan was taken to his
heavenly abode on 2 November 1902. The Holy Episcopal Synod Canonized him as a
saint in 1947). |
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Geevarghese Mar Gregorios is the first declared saint of The Malankara Orthodox
Syrian Church is entombed. The commemoration ormapperunnal celebrated on the
first and second of every November, a large number of people flock to this place
for worship. People prefer to get here at that time by walking from all over the
Nation. The government recognised Parumala Church is known as the International
Pilgrim Center.
The altar on the
northern side was dedicated in the name of St. Mary and the one on the southern
side in the name of St. Thomas |
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St.
Peter |
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Peter, the first pope, was a fisherman from Galilee. Jesus invited him to follow
him, saying: "I will make you a fisher of men." Peter was a simple, hard-working
man. He was generous, honest and very attached to Jesus.
This
great apostle's name was Simon, but Jesus changed it to Peter, which means
"rock." "You are Peter," Jesus said, "and on this rock I will build my Church."
Peter was the chief or prince of the apostles. St. Peter was martyred on Vatican
Hill. It was around the year 67. Emperor Constantine built a large church over
that sacred location in the fourth century. Recent archaeological findings
confirm these facts. |
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St. Paul |
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Paul is the great apostle who first persecuted the Christians.
Then he was converted. We celebrate Paul's conversion on January
25. At the time of his conversion, Jesus had said: "I will show
him how much he must suffer for me." St. Paul loved Jesus very
much, so much, in fact, that he became a living copy of our
Savior. All his life, during his many missionary trips, St. Paul
met troubles and went through dangers of every kind. He was
whipped, stoned, shipwrecked, and lost at sea. Many, many times
he was hungry, thirsty and cold.
Yet he always trusted in God. He never stopped preaching. "The love of Jesus
presses me onward," he said. In reward, God gave him great comfort and joy in
spite of every suffering. He is under house arrest, waiting to be tried by
Emperor Nero. A famous early Christian writer, Tertullian, tells us that Paul
was freed after his first trial. But then he was put in prison again. This time
he was sentenced to death. He died around the year 67, during Nero's terrible
persecution of the Christians.
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May our hearts be filled with joy as we honor these two great apostles: Peter,
our leader in the faith, and Paul, its fearless preacher. |
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