We meditate thus in the fourth glorious mystery, “A few years after the assumption of our Lord Jesus Christ, Mary was taken to heaven by the angels,” This raises a question in the mind of a person who says the fourth mystery , whether the relic of Mother Mary can be a truth if she is taken to heaven. First and foremost, we need to understand that relics are not necessarily only body parts, but also the articles that the person had been using such as clothes, rosary, scapular etc. In Catholic Church, the significance of Mother Mary’s intercession is beyond words.
The most revered late Rev. Msgr. Thomas Thalachira, soon after taking charge as the vicar of Mary Matha Church, Sakinaka in 1993, visited the Holy Land and brought a relic of Mother Mary from there, as shared from the cherished memory of some of the Mary Matha parishioners who have been an integral part of the parish then and now. Late Rev. Msgr. Thomas Thalachira showed this relic to the parishioners and a novena was conducted in the church in honor of this. The parishioners then bought a tabernacle to house the relic. Without much delay the beautiful Sakinaka Mary Matha Church was built. Twenty four long years elapsed during which many vicars took charge and served this parish one after another with full dedication. The parishioners had been experiencing the divine presence of Mother Mary in the church all these years even with the relic lying unnoticed inside the tabernacle.
The present Vicar Rev. Fr. Zacharias Nilamkavil, who is a famous preacher of Kalyan Diocese and a well known evangelist across India, took charge as the vicar of the parish that turned out to be a special blessing to the parish. Subsequently, the liturgical services and other ministries of Fr. Zacharias infused fresh vigour and spirit into the members of the parish and that of nearby places. It was on 24th March, 2017, when the parish priest was cleaning the tabernacle in preparation of Maundy Thursday adoration that his hand accidently touched the relic. When he read what was written on the relic, he understood that it is the precious relic of Mother Mary. He conveyed this glad news to the parishioners as well as the diocese. He then decided to consecrate and instate the relic in the church with the desire that the world should witness the powerful touch of Lord Jesus Christ in their lives through the intercession of Our Lady when the children of God venerate the relic. Thus in September 2017 on the Feast of Nativity of Mother Mary, the relic was reinstated in the church by His Excellency Bishop Mar Thomas Elavanal of Kalyan Diocese.
Every Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm the proclamation of the word of God and healing services are conducted in this church along with the liturgical services by Rev. Fr. Zacharias Nilamkavil. People irrespective of their caste, creed and religion, participate in these services and go back praising the Almighty God for the mighty healing and for the spiritual and material prosperity received. The great miracles by the powerful intercession of Mother Mary and the presence of the relic is believed to be a glorious sign given by Mother Mary not only for the parishioners and the diocese but also for the whole Catholic community of India.
