Syro-Malabar Church
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| Syro-Malabar Catholic Church | |
| Founder | St. Thomas the Apostle |
| Independence | Apostolic Era |
| Recognition | Eastern Catholic |
| Primate | His Eminence Cardinal Varkey Mar Vithayathil |
| Headquarters | Kochi, Kerala |
| Territory | India |
| Possessions | United Arab Emirates, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Kuwait, Malaysia, Germany, and Singapore etc. |
| Language | Malayalam, English, Hindi |
| Population | 1,000,000 Worldwide |
| Website | Syro Malabar Catholic Church |
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is a Major Archiepiscopal Church in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is one of several groups of Saint Thomas Christians tracing their origins to St. Thomas the Apostle who, according to tradition, came to India in AD 52. It is the largest Christian community in Kerala.
The Syro-Malabar Hierarchy was founded on 21 December 1923 with Ernakulam as its centre and its Major Archbishop (of the See of Ernakulam-Angamaly) as the Head.
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[edit] History
Before the fourteenth century they had no direct contacts with Western Christianity, which makes it somewhat meaningless to ask whether there was communion in a concrete sense between Rome and these Christians, who received their bishops from the Church in Persian Empire, the Assyrian Church of the East, which Europeans looked on as Nestorian, not having accepted the decisions of the Council of Ephesus. They themselves deny any Nestorian tendencies.
With the establishment of Portuguese power in parts of India, clergy of that nationality, in particular certain members of the Society of Jesus, attempted to Latinize the Indian Christians (see Synod of Diamper). This led to the 1653 Coonan Cross Oath revolt. This was the starting point of division among the Christians who till then were one Church. Though most of the Thomas Christians gradually relented in their strong opposition to the Western control, the arrival of the Bishop Mar Gregory of the Syriac Orthodox Church in 1665 marked the beginning of a formal schism among the Thomas Christians. Those who accepted the West Syrian theological and liturgical tradition of Mar Gregory became known as the New Party (Puthankuttukar) and remained outside of communion with Rome. The Old Party (Pazhayakuttukur) remained in communion with Rome and constitutes the Syro-Malabar Church.
Mar Gregory's followers abandoned their former connection with the Assyrian Church of the East and entered union with the Oriental Orthodoxy tradition of Christianity, which accepts the Council of Ephesus, but not that of Chalcedon. They are now known as the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church and have adopted the liturgy of the Syriac Orthodox Church.
The Syro-Malabar Church kept the liturgy that was in use before the arrival of the Portuguese, but increasingly Latinized it. After the Second Vatican Council, these modifications were removed, though not without some internal conflict. Currently they celebrate the Divine Liturgy of Addai and Mari in Malayalam, the native language of Kerala.
In 1887, Pope Leo XIII created for the Syro-Malabar faithful the first Vicariates of Kottayam and Trichur, but the Vicars Apostolic appointed for them were personally of the Latin Rite.
Then in 1896, when the two Vicariates were reorganized into the three Vicariates of Changanacherry, Ernakulam and Trichur, the Syro-Malabar Church received Vicars Apostolic of its own rite. In 1911 the Vicariate of Kottayam was recreated, this time exclusively for the Suddists (Southists) of the Syro-Malabar Church, descendants of the colony of emigrants from Edessa, Syria, in 345 under Thomas of Cana.
On 21 December 1923 Pope Pius XI established the Syro-Malabar Church as an autonomous particular Church with Ernakulam as the Metropolitan See and Changanacherry and Trichur as its suffragans; Kottayam was also raised to the status of a diocese.
From 1950 onwards the Syro-Malabar Church and its jurisdiction was gradually extended in Kerala and beyond by means of division of the old dioceses and establishment of new exarchates and dioceses. The need for giving pastoral care to the emigrants of the Syro-Malabar Church necessitated establishment of the diocese of Tellicherry in 1953 and the territorial extension of the dioceses of Changanacherry and Trichur in 1955. In 1956 the diocese of Changanacherry was made an Archdiocese.
Syro-Malabar Church exarchates were established in mission territories from 1962 onwards which later became dioceses. At present the Syro-Malabar Church has 4 ecclesiastical provinces and 25 dioceses in India with around 4 million of faithful. On 16 December 1992, through the constitution Quae maiori, Pope John Paul II] raised the Syro-Malabar Church to the status of a Major Archiepiscopal Church and Cardinal Antony Padiyara, the Archbishop of Ernakulam was appointed the first Major Archbishop, with the title of Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, and with the two Metropolitan Provinces of Ernakulam and Changanacherry as his territorium proprium. Archbishop Abraham Kattumana, until then Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Ghana, Togo and Benin, was appointed Papal Delegate, with temporary powers of Major Archbishop, to complete the process. On 20 May 1993 Cardinal Antony Padiyara was installed as Major Archbishop.
On 18 December 1999 Mar Varkey Vithayathil was appointed Major Archbishop by Pope John Paul II. He was installed Major Archbishop on 26 January 2000, and on 21 February 2001 he was created Cardinal.
[edit] Timeline
- AD 52 Arrival of St. Thomas, the Apostle
- 72 Martyrdom of St. Thomas the Apostle at Mylapore
- 250-325 Bishops Mar David & Mar Yohannan ("Metropolitan of India")
- 340-360 By the Thazhekad Sasanam the Nazranies granted special rights and privileges
- 345 Arrival of Thomas of Cana at Kodungalloor
- 9th century Chaldean Patriarch, Timeotheus I sends Bishop Mar Sapore(Kollam) Mar Proth (Kodungalloor).
- May 20, 1498 Vasco da Gama's arrival
- 1504 Bishop Mar Yacob (Kodungalloor)
- June 6, 1542 Francis Xavier's preaching
- 1555 Bishop Mar Joseph takes charge.
- 1564 Mar Abraham appointed Archbishop of Angamaly (Pope Pius IV)
- February 23, 1565 Establishment of Archdiocese of Angamaly as Metropolitan see
- 1597 Mar Abraham the last Syrian Bishop died.
- June 20, 1599 Synod of Diamper
- December 7, 1603 Angamaly Synod
- December 3, 1609 Archdiocese of Kodungalloor established
- December 22, 1610 Archbishop Menezes of Goa restricts the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of St. Thomas Christians from the north of Malabar to the south.
- January 3, 1653, Coonan Cross Oath
- December, 1647 Archbishop Garcia Appoints Fr. Jerome Furtado as Vicar General in place of the traditional Archdeacon
- 1657 Bishop Sebastiani OCD takes charge
- January 31, 1663 Fr. Alexander Palliveettil (Parambil) appointed the first Syrian Vicar Apostolic of Malabar.
- June 29, 1704 John Ribeiro S. J. appointed Abp. of Kodungalloor (Padroado)
- December 16, 1782 Mar Joseph Kariyatty appointed Archbishop of Kodungalloor.
- September 10, 1786 Archbishop Kariyatty dies. Paremmackal Thoma Kathanar Gubernador of the Archdiocese of Kodungalloor. This in which has been very difficult to deal with.
- February 1, 1787 Angamaly Padiyola
- June 8, 1861 Fr. Kuriakos Elias Chavara appointed Vicar General for Syrians.
- 1865 Jurisdiction of East Syrian Patriarch over St. Thomas Christians terminated.
- August 13, 1866 Establishment of Seminary at Puthenpally.
- November 11, 1877 Bishop Marcellinus OCD appointed Bishop for the Syrians.
- March 19, 1878 Bishop Marcellinus OCD.
- 1886 The Metropolitan See of Kodungalloor - Angamaly - suppressed. St. Thomas Christians placed under the Vicar Apostolic of Varapuzha.
- May 20, 1887 Two independent Vicariates of Kottayam and Trissur for Syrians; Bishops Lavigne and Medlycott.(Quod Jampridem, Leo XIII)
- July 28, 1896 Vicariate of Ernakulam created, with territories from both Vicariates. Bishops Pazheparambil, Makkil, and Menachery (Quae Rei Sacrae, Leo XIII)
- December 21, 1923 Establishment of the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy with Ernakulam as the Metropolitan See and Mar Augustine Kandathil as the first Head and Archbishop of the Church (Romani Pontifices, Pope Pius XI).
- 18 November 1924 Mar Augustine Kandathil installed Archbishop.
- June 1, 1932 Establishment of Mangalapuzha Seminary.
- 10 January 1956 Death of Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil.
- July 29, 1956 The diocese of Changanassery made an archdiocese.
- July 3, 1962 Establishment of St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor.
- December 16, 1992 Major Archiepiscopal see of Ernakulam-Angamaly created from the Archdiocese of Ernakulam.
- January 29, 1993 Cardinal Antony Padiyara, the first Major Archbishop (Quae Majori Christifidelium ,John Paul II), Mar Abraham Kattumana, Pontifical Delegate.
- May 20, 1993 Cardinal Padiyara takes charge. First Synod of the Church.
- December 18, 1996 Cardinal Padiyara's resignation accepted. Archbishop Mar Varkey Vithayathil CSSR, Apostolic Administrator of Ernakulam-Angamali.
- February 3, 1998 Major Archiepiscopal Headquarters at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad.
- November 9, 1998 First Major Archiepiscopal Assembly
- July 6, 2001 In USA St. Thomas Diocese of Chicago established.
[edit] Head
Cardinal Varkey Mar Vithayathil is Major Archbishop and head of the Church. He is based in the Ernakulam–Angamaly Archdiocese, in Kerala, India. He is also assited by the Permanent Synod and the Synod, itself.
[edit] Dioceses
Syro-Malabar Church has its presence all over the world. However the proper territory assigned for this Church is limited to India, specifically South India. There are 26 Syro-Malabar dioceses world wide though only 15 of them come under the direct control of the Major Archbishop. The rest of the dioceses are directly under the Pope and the Major Archbishop has only limited control over them.
[edit] Archdioceses
The believers of this church are organized under 5 Archdioceses. All five are in Kerala.
- Archdiocese of Changanassery
- Archdiocese of Eranakulam-Angamaly
- Archeparchy of Kottayam
- Archdiocese of Thrissur
- Archdiocese of Tellicherry
[edit] Dioceses
- Diocese of Adilabad
- Diocese of Belthangady
- Diocese of Bijnor
- Diocese of Chanda
- Diocese of Chicago (Saint Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago)
- Diocese of Gorakhpur
- Diocese of Idukki
- Diocese of Irinjalakuda
- Diocese of Jagadalpur
- Diocese of Kalyan
- Diocese of Kothamangalam
- Diocese of Kanjirappally
- Diocese of Mananthavady
- Diocese of Palghat
- Diocese of Palai
- Diocese of Rajkot
- Diocese of Sagar
- Diocese of Satna
- Diocese of Thuckalay
- Diocese of Thamarassery
- Diocese of Ujjain
[edit] See also
- Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of London
- Saint Thomas Christians
- Knanaya Christians
- Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
- Blessed Alphonsa
- Blessed Chavara
- Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
- Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
[edit] External links
- The website for Synod of Diamper
- Syro-Malabar Church, All 26 Dioceses, Photo Features, Matrimony
- Syro Malabar Mission of San Francisco
- Syro-Malabar Mission of Philidelphia
- Syro-Malabar Mission of Los Angeles
- Syro-Malabar Mission of New Jersey
- Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly
- Archdiocese of Trichur
- Archdiocese of Kottayam
- Syro-Malabar Dioceses -- All 26 dioceses of the Syro-Malabar Church with photographs
- Syro-Malabar Diocesan Cathedrals with photographs
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Diocese Of Cochin
- Welcome to Indian Christianity
- Christian Musicological Society of India
- Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: CST Brothers
- Carmelites of Mary Immaculate Homepage
