CONTRIBUTE GENEROUSLY TO THE PARISH DEVELOPMENT FUND

A general body meeting of the members of the parish held recently arrived at the following decisions.

1. To purchase 20 cents of land as recommended by the Managing
2. Committee. To construct a multi-storeyed building in the proposed plot.
3. To extend the main hall of the cathedral to accommodate more people.

The land we propose to purchase is at the north eastern side and is adjacent to the cathedral compound. The additional advantage is that the cathedral gets direct access to the Market Road through this plot. If a multi-storeyed building is constructed in this plot, the ground floor can be used for parking the vehicles and the other floors for a spacious auditorium and a commercial complex. This will become a permanent source of income to the cathedral. At present the number of marriages solemnized in the cathedral has come down for want of proper parking space, curtailing the revenue generated substantially.

About 750 of our members and an equal number of non-members attend the church services regularly. But even half of this number cannot be accommodated inside the cathedral hall for want of space. To counter this problem, it was decided to open up the wall at the western entrance of the church and tro provide a suitable extension and also a magnificent steeple befitting the cathedral. It is estimated that the floor area of the main hall of the cathedral can be increased by 33% and the cathedral will look elegant.

As a result of the untiring and unstinted efforts of our illustious predecessors our parish took shape in the blessed name of our Holy Mother in the year 1926. It took up the responsibility of accomplishing the spiritual needs of the members of the orthodox church who kept coming to Ernakulam from the four corners of Kerala in connection with their profeession and trade and settled down here. We purchase plots of land wherever available and built chapels. Forgetting our own needs these chapels were looked after with motherly love and affection presumably instilled in us by the benign influence of St. Mary and transformed them into parishes. As a mark of recognition of our accomplishments in this direction, our church was raised to the status of a cathedral.

Time has now come to look into our own needs and all the proposals of the parish development have to be taken up immediately on a war footing. This requires funds and minimum Rupees Three Crores has to be raised without delay. In the present situation when even an inch of land is not procurable in the prime locations in Ernakulam our Holy Mother has made available 20 cents of land at the very boundary of our cathedral. We have to grab this opportunity and we are confident that all members of our parish and our well wishers will rise to the occasion and extend their co-operation whole heartedly for the development of the parish.

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE ACCORDING TO YOUR MIGHT REMEMBERING THAT GOD IS NOBODY'S DEBTOR AND THAT HE WOULD PAY YOU BACK IN MANY FOLD WHATEVER YOU GIVE.

Fr. O.V Elias,
Vicar.

Note: Donations may be sent by Cheque or Demand Draft in the name of 'St.Mary's Orthodox Cathedral' payable at Ernakulam to The Vicar, St .Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, Park Avenue, Ernakulam 682011, Kerala, India.