SEPTEMBER 2022

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Top of page: San Thome Church was renovated in 1896 according to neo-
Gothic designs, as was favored by British architects in the late 19th century.
Above: Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai, is the 300-year old cathedral church of
the Diocese of Mumbai of the Church of North India.
Mount and pierced him with a lance
when he reached the Big Mount.
At around 1551, Little Mount,
which until then was only a steep
rocky elevation, began to be cleared
and levelled for the convenience of
the pilgrims of his devotees. Today
it’s called the Shrine of Our Lady of
Health and St. Thomas the Apostle.
The Cathedral is presently monitored
and maintained by His Grace
the Most Rev. Dr. George Antonysamy,
the Archbishop of Madras – Mylapore.
On July 1, 2022, his Grace solemnly
inaugurated the “Jubilee Year”
in Little Mount Shrine, celebrating St.
Thomas’ martyrdom.
Under his guidance and encouragement,
a lot of initiatives were taken
by Rev. Fr. H. Joe Bala, who said,
“This special celebration is to cherish
the faith and history of our place.”
The Chaldean Connection
Few Chaldeans are aware of St. Thomas’
Cathedral in India. But Asmaa
Jamil worked in India for over two
years and at one point lived only 10
minutes away from it; she attended its
service every Sunday. Jamil, author of
the Kingdom of Treasures series, is
from Tel Keppe and came to the United
States in 1977. She currently lives
in Michigan.
At the Little Mount, where St.
Thomas was martyred, Jamil was
amazed by the number of people
visiting the small church and kept
thanking God for giving her this great
opportunity.
When she visited the St. Thomas
Cathedral Basilica during Mass, she
saw many tourists and people of different
faiths walk in, pray, then leave.
“But the faithful focused on the Mass
which impressed me,” she said. “After
the Mass, I walked towards the altar
and noticed glass on the floor. When
I looked down, it was the Tomb of St.
Thomas.”
Jamil visited the museum devoted
to St. Thomas at the back of the Basilica.
Below the museum is a small
chapel which had a family preparing
for baptism. “I remember hearing
Aramaic words and felt connected
to St. Thomas, the people that were
there, and our Lord Jesus,” she recalled.
SEPTEMBER 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 29