Indian Christian Day: A Day of Unity Observed to Show Solidarity With Persecuted Christians in India
- Organized by the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA), the New York event celebrated Indian Christian heritage.
The Indian Christian Day (Jesus Bhakti Divas) was observed on July 3 at the Syro Malankara Catholic Church in Elmont, New York. It was organized by the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA), to celebrate Indian heritage and Christian spirit, and to show solidarity with persecuted Christians in India. FIACONA is a cultural, charitable and voluntary organization based in Washington, D.C., representing the concerns and interests of over a million Indian American Christians across all 50 states, according to its website.
The July 3 event coincided with the 1950th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas, which is celebrated as St. Thomas day by Christians across India. However, since 2021, the day is being celebrated as Indian Christian Day in India as well as among the global diaspora of Christians. FIACONA estimates that Christians from India constitute about 20 percent of the diaspora.
Indian Christians from the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut attended the event, along with bishops and priests from various churches. They read the Bible in their own language and sang prayer songs. The celebration began with a chendamela and a procession, after which the bishops lit the lamps to inaugurate the conference.
FIACONA President Koshy George delivered the welcome speech. He expressed his deep concern about the growing persecution of Christians in India as the fundamental religious freedom guaranteed under the Indian Constitution is no longer guaranteed under the BJP rule under the Indian courts’ eyes, according to a FIACONA press release. Last year alone, 761 cases of persecution have been identified which have been published in a book form by FIACONA, the press release added.
Rev. Dr. Ruben Mark, the deputy moderator Bishop spoke about the love Indian Christians in the diaspora have for India and encouraged them to continue with the unity they have exhibited at the gathering.
Rt. Rev. Dr. Dharmaraj Rasalam, the moderator of the Church of South India, spoke about how the arrival of St. Thomas not only impacted the lives of Christians and paid tribute to the sacrifices of the Christian community to the nation in uplifting the poor and oppressed.
Rev. Dr. Ruben Mark, the deputy moderator Bishop spoke about the love Indian Christians in the diaspora have for India and encouraged them to continue with the unity they have exhibited at the gathering. He described how the arrival and activities of St. Thomas influenced India. Bishop Johncy Itty of the Episcopal Church in Long Island, New York, told the attendees that despite the crisis the world is facing, “our faith should sustain us in such a time as this.”
Other speakers like Rev. Dr. Itty Abraham of the Indian Pentecostal Church; Adv. Fernandez Rathinaraja, general secretary of CSI Church; and Bishop Mar Joy Alappatt, head of Syro Malabar Eparchy of SaintThomas the Apostle of Chicago, also talked about the work and influence of St. Thomas, as well as the plight of Christians in India.
The program included Bible readings in Malayalam, Telugu, English, Tamil, Punjabi, Kannada, Hindi, and Gujarati and prayer songs by choirs by several churches. A group of nurses from Saint Mary’s Syro Malabar Church entertained with a Marggam Kali, a traditional Christian dance from Kerala. The event was moderated by Shre John and Leno Thomas.