Our Patron Saint

St. Gregorios of Parumala

Our Saint

No one born out of a woman is with holiness except our Lord Jesus Christ. But in a few selected people we can observe the holiness, as they grow up, due to their oneness with God, their noble deeds, spiritual thoughts, and due to their virtuous actions, which are consistent with the wishes of our Almighty. During the turn of 20th centaury, a holy man lived in an isolated and haunted island on the banks of River Pampa in Kerala. His words were as powerful as Prophet Elijah of the Old Testament time and his personality was shinning like John the Baptist in New Testament era. He was none other than Parumala Kochu Thirumeni born on 15th June 1848 in Chathuruthy family , Mulanthuruthy and had a pet name of Kochu Ipeora (Geevarghese) . Right from his childhood he was gifted with humility, maturity and also with modesty. He spent most of his time reading scriptures, engaging in meditation, and it is no wonder he became a scholar in syriac at a very young age.

His unquenchable thirst to drink from the chalice of Holy Spirit may be the reason for abandoning his job as a diocesan metropolitan to accept the true life of a monk in Vettickal Dayara. In the Dayara , he subjected himself for an ideal monastic life of very long hours of continuous prayers and meditations along with rigorous fasting, preparing his body and soul for a holy life in future. Vettical Dayara is to be considered as a mount of transfiguration, not only for him but also for the place he had lived a true Christian life. Like the parable of the merchant who had sold all his wealthy belongings to acquire the land in which costly pearls were hidden, Parumala Thirumeni had abandoned all the temptations of this worldly life to achieve the most valuable and ever lasting heavenly wealth- the communion with God and membership with His Holy Folks.

As our Lord Jesus had said Himself “For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them.” (St Mathew 18:20) True to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, the early jobseekers of Kerala belonging to the Malankara Orthodox Church settling in this part of UAE , had started a congregation in 1978 along with people of other Episcopal churches. Members of the congregation enjoyed spiritual happiness through regular interdenominational prayers. Celebration of Orthodox Holy Qurbana by priests from Sharjah St: Gregorios Church was a major event in the history of our church. It was started as early as 1979 and was conducted once in every month in a rented villa and that arrangement continued till2003.

Yet another milestone in our history was the gracious granting of our request by the ruler of Fujairah emirate HH Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi for a piece of land with the intention of constructing our parish church. Our new church building was consecrated in the name of St: Gregorios of Parumala by HG Job Mar Philixinos on 22nd & 23rd May 2003 and was granted a full-fledged independent parish status under the Diocese of Delhi.

Many people are considering our church as source of great spiritual power, after their prayer of intercession through Parumala Thirumeni is being answered promptly.

Consecration of Holy relics of St: Gregorios of Parumala in connection with the “Pearl jubilee” celebrations in 2008 had established an ever living physical presence of our Saint in our church.