Hyderabad: St. Gregorios Othodox Cathedral, Hyderabad – celebrating its Golden Jubilee is one of the first Orthodox churches established outside Kerala where St. Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, came in A.D.52 and established Christianity. The Cathedral has been named after St. Gregorios of Parumala, Kerala – the first Indian Saint of any Christian denomination.
In 1939, a United Malayalam Congregation was formed in Hyderabad by the expats from Kerala, to meet and conduct a common Sunday worship service. By 1951 an Orthodox parish was formed, and the Orthodox services were conducted by the Late Lamented His Grace Matthews Mar Barnabas. In 1956, the Late Lamented His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma II formed a building committee to purchase a piece of land and build a Church. On Nov 2, 1969, a newly built Church was consecrated by Late Lamented His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma-I.
Through the years many developments like building of a Cross Tower in 1974, elevating the parish as a Cathedral and establishing the relics of the Holy Saint of Parumala in 1994 – the Cathedral has served as a spiritual and educational center for the people of Hyderabad and is now popularly termed as ‘Parumala of Telangana/Andhra Pradesh’.
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As part of Golden Jubilee celebrations, the Cathedral has organized many spiritual activities along with the assistance program as part of charity to assist financially backward girls for marriage, medical assistance and assistance to build a house for the needy. In the age of pomp and show, glitter and twitter, the St. Gregorios Orthodox Cathedral celebrates the 50 glorious years of its existence with some much- needed spiritual guidance and thoughtful charity programs – serving as a great example in humility and social service.