A Gentle Visit of Remembrance and Solidarity

This week, the faithful of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, particularly from the Eparchy of St. John Chrysostom, Gurgaon‑Delhi, received a gracious and unexpected gesture of solidarity. Mar Joseph Perumthottam, Bishop Emeritus of the Archeparchy of Changanacherry, visited the tomb of Jacob Mar Barnabas, the first Eparchial Bishop of Gurgaon, at St. Mary’s Malankara Catholic Cathedral, Neb Sarai, New Delhi.

After offering prayers at the tomb, Mar Joseph visited the Bishop’s House and spent time with seminarians and priests of the Diocese. The Diocese of Gurgaon–Delhi offered heartfelt thanks for this kind initiative, seeing in it a sign of fraternity across rites and generations, and a concrete expression of ecclesial unity and remembrance.

Who Is Mar Joseph Perumthottam

• Born on 5 July 1948 in Kongandoor, Kottayam district, he was ordained a priest on 18 December 1974.
• Early in his priesthood, he served as Assistant Vicar and later became Director of Sandesanilayam, the catechetical centre of the Archdiocese, as well as Chaplain of its Catholic Workers’ Movement.
• In 1983, he went to Rome for higher studies and obtained a Doctorate in Church History from the Pontifical Gregorian University.
• On return to India, he served as professor in seminaries and helped establish Marthomma Vidyaniketan, a theological-religious institute for the laity — a sign of his commitment to theological formation and education.
• On 22 January 2007, he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Changanacherry, assuming charge on 19 March that year.
• In his long service he has contributed through education, catechesis, and ecclesial leadership; his presence at the Gurgaon Diocese today speaks to genuine humility and brotherly concern beyond his own archdiocese.

His visit thus carries a double weight: respect for the memory of a departed bishop, and a living sign of unity across the Catholic communion in India, Malabar, Malankara, Latin or otherwise.

The visit of Mar Joseph Perumthottam to the tomb of Jacob Mar Barnabas is a quiet but powerful reminder that the bonds of Christian communion transcend rites, eparchies and geographical distance. It is a tribute to one who offered his life in missionary service, and a gesture of unity and memory by one who has led another great archdiocese for decades.

For the Diocese of Gurgaon–Delhi, it is encouragement to continue building in the spirit of their first shepherd. For the larger Church, it stands as a visible sign of solidarity across traditions, a unity rooted in grace, history, and love.