The decision to constitute the Diocese of Delhi, along with the other four dioceses of America, Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, in 1975 by the Holy Synod under the leadership of His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews 1, must be viewed as visionary and a masterstroke. The decision was born out not only for the tremendous growth of the Church in these areas but also the strategic implications. As the Church had a national footprint by then, there was also the consequent need to have a centre in the capital city to attend to these, and baise with the Government of India and the Judiciary. At its inspection, the Diocese of Delhi had only a few churches of note, the others mostly being congregations in the adjacent states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The architect of the present Diocese of Delhi was H.G Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios, its first real metropolitan. A church leader of international stature, Met. Dr. Mar Gregorios had by then become a legendary figure as a result of his connections with the Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, his contributions to the World Council of Churches (WCC), his theological acumen, his engagement with other faiths, and not to mention his involvement with every field of human endeavor. The foundation he laid for the Diocese was significant, in that it helped the Church establish a noteworthy national presence. Alongside Met. Mar Gregorious’ efforts at developing the Diocese, it was his dream to establish a retreat centre where all people could come together for meditation and spiritual revitalization. His search for an ideal location led him to the picturesque Aravalli Hills, where he purchased a plot that would eventually become the eponymous Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Retreat Centre. It continues to attract people of all the denominations as they make it the locus for spiritual reflection and quiet devotion. In a sense, then, Met. Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorious became the face of the Malankara Orthodox Church’s interests so well in all these areas. It was the outcome of the Met. Dr. Mar Gregorios’ master plan to build a Diocesan Centre. Relying mostly on his contacts in Christian churches and organization, he built the landmark Byzantine-style Centre which was dedicated to the nation and the CHURCH ON 24th November 1984. It served not only as the Diocesan Administrative and the Residential Centre but was renowned for its programmes, such as the SARVA DHARMA NILAYA, which brought together leaders from other faiths for a fruitful interaction. When he was called to make our maker in 1996, he left the Diocese with its yet-to-be fulfilled character posing a challenge to bothe the Diocese and the Church. The mantle of leadership of the Diocese now fell upon Met. Job Mar Philoxenos, who had already served for a long spell as its Assistant Metropolitan. It was the period marked by the remarkable growth of churches and their schools, which brought to the fore the talents of priest with the sense of dedication and commitment, outstanding church members occupying significant positions in civil positions, and the earnest and generous contribution of men and women, both financially and otherwise, into a symbiotic trajectory of growth. An enduring institution that H.G. Mar Philoxenos bequeathed to the Diocese is the SHANTIGRAM VIDYA NIKETAN SCHOOL, a landmark institution located amidst 10 villages in Mandawar, in the Sohan District of Haryana. It symbolises the commitment of the church to the holistic development of people through education of the children of these villages, Met. Mar. Philoxenos envisaged the gradual improvement in the lifestyle and standard of these village residents. At present the school has a strength of approximately 500 students with the promise of more number as its infrastructure is further developed. The vision of the retreat centre certainly belonged to Met. Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorious; but the person who made that reality to a great extent was Met. Dr. Philoxenos. It was due to his painstaking efforts and financial campaign that made it possible to present the facility, a blessing for all those who visit the Centre. It is our hope that the programmes will be further developed, so that it becomes a much-frequented place by groups, families and individuals who seek solace from the stress and pressures of a hectic city life. Plans are afoot to hold periodic retreats, especially after the enlightening response to such an appeal last year. Eventually, it would be possible to staff it in such a manner that there will be a resident priest and staff to run round-the-year programmes for such interested people. If today, the Diocese can review with some sense of satisfaction the many churches that now dot the landscape of northern Indian states, it is no small measure to the untiring zeal of Met. Job Mar Philoxenos, whose visits and personal relationships with the Parishes and the members produced the sure basis of the future development of the Diocese manages in conjunction with the St. Gregorios Orthodox Society, Rohini, signals the Church’s resolve to care for all in our society, especially those who are developmentally disadvantaged The Diocese of Delhi represents the regional Church, through which the Malankara Orthodox Church has a visible presence in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjacent states. The fact that St. Thomas preached the gospel initially in Northern India establishes the premise that he is the Apostle of all of India, and the Church is committed to reflecting his values nationally, especially the Diocese of Delhi. The onus of this apostolic commission requires the Diocese of Delhi to shoulder a great burden in realising these goals. It requires the Diocese to project the values of the Church, especially as it disseminates the values of the Kingdom of God. Throughout its history, the Malankara Orthodox Church had demonstrated strong credentials in the social upliftment of the marginalised, enlarged areas of involvement for women, spread of quality education, care of the sick, and the overall development of humankind by engaging them in all spheres of activities. No doubt, the Diocese of Delhi has to sustain these objectives as it works for the growth of the Church in the areas in its care. Insofar as this is the commission of the Diocese of Delhi, it can be stated that these goals have been incorporated into the charter of each and every church and parish under it. From its very inception, the Diocese has been noted for its strong resolve to spread the light of learning through its schools, bearing in mind that its members hail from a state with an exceptionally high literacy. And true to its social concerns, these schools have not only provided education of high academic quality and standards, but also made provisions for the financially disadvantaged, even before such accommodations were mandated by the central and state administrations. It should be noted that St. Thomas School, Indirapuram, has taken the initiative to provide tutorial classes for the children of migrant labourers (HOPE) especially in the context of a Parliamentary bill making education the constitutional right of every child. Medical care, especially for the aged, those afflicted by cancer, renal failure, and other issues, has always engaged the attention of the churches in the Diocese. Not only does the Diocese provide financial assistance to such persons, but every parish sets apart a sizable part of its income to the care of sick persons, irrespective of their colour, caste, or creed. This would include such programmes undertaken by the spiritual organisations, especially the Diocesan units of the Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam (MMVS), the Youth Movement (OCYM), the Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Students Movement (MGOCSM), and the Sunday School (OSSAE). A quick estimate would place such medical care provided by all the churches well over Crores of Rupees. Other areas where such safety nets for the society are in the building of houses for the homeless, rehabilitation of those affected by natural calamities and those who have been disadvantaged in general. All these have formed an important part of the Diocese’s care and concern. These initiatives reflect the love of Christ and the open borders of the Kingdom of God that permits all, especially the lost, the last, and the least. The onus for the future development of the Diocese rests on several committees entrusted with various responsibilities (renovation & construction, education, ekkara, human resources). It would be through these committees that the Diocese would chart out the trajectory of its plans. An area of promise is the Committee on Education which aims to bring together all the educational institutions in the Diocese to work harmoniously and in close collaboration. The committee aims to achieve higher academic standards and incentivize teachers and staff who have proved their commitment and dedication. It is also hoped that through such a framework, the Committee could produce a roadmap for establishing more schools and educational institutions that work closely with the Diocese. To state that all is well with the Diocese would be to gloss over the difficulties it experiences. The backbone of the Diocese is its spiritual organisations, through which it nurtures and cares for its faithful. While the diocese units have set benchmarks for their parent organisations, much requires to be done to deal with exigencies of its current situation There is issue of diminishing numbers of its members in many churches as many families return to Kerala after retirement. especially in cantonment areas such as Ambala, Bikaner, and Ganganagar. This is further compounded by the fact that there is no flow of members from Kerala to these areas, as more of them find the Gulf regions to be more attractive. Add to this situation those who find greener spiritual pastures in other denominations, and one can visualise the immensity of the issue at hand. Commendable efforts by all spiritual organizations are certainly under way to deal with these concerns, but they do have their limitations. It is with a prayerful concern that the diocese looks to find an avenue whereby it can deal with this issue that confronts us. Just as challenging is the topic of how the Diocese nurtures its faithful. This issue also includes the problem of the continued dependence of Malayalam in our liturgical services and the incoming of members from other communities. While there have been attempts to use Hindi and English in our services, they remain token, and often, it is the upcoming generations that are deprived of a linguistic comfort zone when they attend our services. This also is a continuing issue for the Diocese and we must find a way that will retain the appeal of the vernacular, along with the need to adapt to the future. While the last issue cannot be said to be overwhelming. A critical deficit has been the inability of the Diocese to find the financial resources for its development. It has been quite a feat to find the resources to complete the renovation of the Diocesan Centre. Such commitment from its members and parishes has to be there if other such projects are to be realized. For instance, the dream of what the Diocese must realize in Shantigram languishes because financial resources are unavailable for the completion of the project. Even today, only a third of the original master plan has been completed. Due to this, the school suffers from lack of infrastructure, adequately equipped labs, a library, and a staff. Consequently, the institution suffers from benign neglect when it comes to meeting the obligations imposed by the state and national educational bodies. This is certainly a challenge that we cannot be indifferent about. Shantigram regains one such instance. It is due to the fact that the Diocese has no resources for sufficient income that projects aimed at establishing churches and parishes have not found ready acceptance. Future projects would not only call for the Diocese to respond to these, but also to necessary projects such as enabling the Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Centre, Aravalli, to become a good retreat centre. All these will be chal- lenges that the Diocese will have to attend to as it continues on its path of progress. We all have to pray together and work together to ensure that the Malankara Orthodox Church will become a readily recognisable entity through the work and witness of the Diocese of Delhi. It is our prayer that God will continue to bless our efforts and work so that the name of the blessed Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, will continue to be glorified and magnified through the endeavours of the Diocese of Delhi, and through it, the Malankara Orthodox Church.