The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is entering in to a new era with the erection of the new Eparchy of Mavelikara. In consultation with the Holy See, the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Malankara Catholic Church held in November took the decision to create the Eparchy of Mavelikara to carry out effective pastoral care for the faithful in the north-western part of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum. The Holy Synod proposed Mavelikara, the birth-place of Archbishop Mar Ivanios, the founder and father of the Reunion Movement in the Malankara Church in Kerala, as the See from which the new Eparchy can take its name. His Beatitude Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church made the formal declaration of the new Eparchy on 1st January 2007 in the Metropolitan Church at Pattom, Trivandrum in the presence of all the Metropolitans of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. His Excellency Joshua Mar Ignathios, the then Auxiliary Bishop and Proto Syncellus of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum, is appointed the Metropolitan of the new Eparchy of Mavelikara. The new Eparchy consists of the Mavelikara and Kollam ecclesiastical districts and parts of the Chengannur and Adoor ecclesiastical districts. There are 25000 Catholic faithful distributed over the 96 parishes in the new Eparchy. There are 73 diocesan priests in the Eparchy. The patroness of the Eparchy is Mary, Mother of God. The Cathedral of the Eparchy is St. Mary’s Church, Punnamoodu, Mavelikara.The inauguration of the new Eparchy and the installation of the Bishop took place on 16 February 2007 at the St. Mary’s Cathedral, Punnamoodu, Mavelikara.