Bhilai is a city in the district of Durg, Chhattisgarh, in eastern central India. With an urban population of more than 1 million, Bhilai–Durg is the second largest urban area after Raipur in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Bhilai is a major industrial city in India as well as an education hub of central India. Bhilai was a small village and a part of the Haihaivanshi Kingdom until 1740, when it was conquered by the Marathas. It was administered by the British from 1853 until 1947, when it merged with the Indian union. The foundation of the modern city of Bhilai was laid in 1955 when the Indian government signed a historic agreement with the Soviet Union in Magnitogorsk to establish a steel plant near the village. The first blast furnace of the plant was commissioned in 1959 by the first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
In the process of nation building, many malankara Christians came to Bhilai seeking job in Bhilai Steel Plant. During that period none of them dreamed about staying in Bhilai for permanently. But the growth of the steel plant and the city gave them an opportunity to make their abode in Bhilai. Thus, seeking for the spiritual satisfaction, some of the early members requested the then vicar of Jabalpur parish, Fr. K.K. Punnoose to come and celebrate a Holy Qurbana in Bhilai. On August 15, 1957 Fr. Punnoose (later the late lamented Dr. Stephanos Mar Theodosius) celebrated the first Holy Qurbana at a temporary setup at camp-2, Bhilai. Later in 1961, a land at Industrial Area was purchased and a church was build. In 1977-78, the Holy Synod decided to elevate the Mar Gregorios Orthodox Church to a Cathedral church and thereon the place had significant importance in the geography of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (Indian Orthodox Church) as the head office of the Calcutta Diocese was also placed at Bhilai. Bhilai Mar Gregorios Orthodox Cathedral holds good all the spiritual organizations in the church viz. MGOCSM, Youth Movement, Martha Mariam Samajam, Sunday School, Prayer groups.
In 1976 the outside Kerala Diocese was divided into three, namely Bombay, Madras and Delhi dioceses as per the Catholicose Order No.58/76. The present Calcutta Diocese was included in Madras Diocese. The Madras diocese was further restructured and with effect from 1st January 1979, the Calcutta diocese had a separate identity with Indian States of Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tripura, West Bengal, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagpur in Maharashtra and Ahmadi, Kuwait, Muscat and Salalah from Gulf region. H.G. Dr. Stephanos Mar Theodosius was made its Shepherd and Thirumeni continued to lead it from Glory to Glory until he was called to the heavenly abode on 5th Nov. 2007 and H.H. Catholicose took the charge of the diocese and nominated H.G. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Coorilos of Bombay diocese to assist the Catholicose in the administration. H.G. Dr. Joseph Mar Dionysius took over the Metropolitan of Calcutta Diocese on March 2009.
The farsightedness of the members of the Cathedral led to the establishment of the first English medium CBSE affiliated school in Chhattisgarh state. Established in 1965, Mar Gregorios Memorial Senior Secondary School caters to the need of value based education to about 6500 students with dedication and contribution of more than 300 staff.