Catholics prepare to honour Trichur archbishop’s 50-year priestly ministry

THRISSUR, Kerala (Indian Catholic News)  — The Archdiocese of Trichur is preparing to celebrate the golden jubilee of Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, marking 50 years since he was ordained to the priesthood.

The archdiocesan-level celebrations will take place November 30, coinciding with the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle. The events will begin with a solemn Mass of Thanksgiving at the Lourdes Metropolitan Cathedral in Thrissur, Kerala, followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Cathedral Centenary Auditorium.

Auxiliary Bishop Tony Neelankavil of Trichur extended a warm invitation to “all the clergy, consecrated religious, and lay representatives of the Archdiocese of Thrissur” to join the archbishop and other visiting prelates in the celebrations.

Organised in a modest manner per the wishes of Archbishop Thazhath, specific representatives are invited to attend, including clergy, seminarians, major superiors, religious house delegates, pastoral council members, and designated parish representatives.

Bishop Neelankavil, highlighting the milestone, noted that “we are those who have abundantly experienced the beneficial fruits of the spiritual ministry and other services rendered by Archbishop Thazhath, who was ordained as a priest on March 14, 1977”.

Throughout his service as a “priest, bishop, and metropolitan,” Church leaders emphasised that “the entire people of God and particularly the children of the Church in Trichur have received peerless blessings through our revered Father,” Bishop Neelankavil wrote in his circular to the archdiocese, published in the November issue of the Trichur Archdiocesan Newsletter.

Bishop Neelankavil had instructed that this circular be read in all churches and institutions, or its contents conveyed to the faithful during the Nov. 8  Sunday Mass.

Describing the milestone as a “golden opportunity bestowed upon us to offer our gratitude to the good God who gave us our revered Father,” he called on the faithful to “express our love, reverence, and debt of gratitude towards him”.

Bishop Neelankavil urged Catholics to “participate fully in the Holy Mass of Thanksgiving and the felicitation ceremony on November 30, and thereby make the golden jubilee celebrations of the revered Father’s priesthood another luminous memory in the history of our archdiocese”.

Full statement available: original Malayalam and AI‑generated English translation.