The chapel of the Kattachira St Mary’s Jacobite Syrian church, near Kayamkulam ,where believers throng to have a glimpse of St.Mary shedding fragrant tears for more than two months from a photograph, is all set for a proud conversion as a Global Marian Pilgrimage Centre. Based on the miracle and testification by scores of terminal patients afflicted with many diseases that their illness has been proved to be fully cured through prayers in front of the photograph, the Patriarch of Antioch has granted a Marian Pilgrimage status for the place. Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I has recently passed his order in a communiqué to Catholicos Baselios Thomas I, the  head of the Jacobite Syrian church in India.

The formal announcement of the status will be done at a function in the chapel, slated for January 10,at 2 pm, said Mathews Mor Theodosius, Metropolitan of the Kollam diocese, Abraham Mannikarotttu Corepiscopa, diocesan secretary, Chevalier Bibby Abraham Kadavumbhagom, church working committee member, chapel vicar Fr P K George, Manoj Mathew church managing committee member and Alex M George at a news conference here today.  The decision of the Patriarch is also based on the report of a three member Synod committee headed by Catholicos Baselios I.

The bishop and office bearers said that there is no valid explanation for the tears pouring from a flex photo occasionally ,but only as a miracle and unusual powers which might have come to the place .It is for the believers to approve or disapprove it. They added that the same phenomenon is seen in three more snaps taken from the master photograph and placed in the altar of the chapel. That it is not so with photographs taken by believers from the same master copy and placed at their homes, they pointed out and added it is for those concerned to scientifically explore the phenomenon, if at all such a measure is warranted. They also said that fragrant oil is also coming out of the Holy Scriptures kept in the chapel for service.