Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Encyclopedia
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (also known as Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, Malankara Syriac Catholic Church; ) is an Eastern Catholic Church in full
communion
with the Holy See
. It has a total membership of around 500,000.
The Church is one of the Saint Thomas Christian churches centered in Kerala
, India
, which trace their origin to the evangelism of Saint Thomas the Apostle
in the 1st century. It is one of two Saint Thomas Christian churches in the Catholic communion, the other being the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
. Among the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is a Major Archiepiscopal Church
, headed by Major Archbishop
Baselios Cleemis
(Thottunkal), who was elected in 2007. In Malankara tradition, the head of church is addressed as Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholica Bava.
The liturgy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is of the Antiochene Rite
, West Syrian
in character. The liturgy today is celebrated in Malayalam
, Syriac
, English
, Tamil
, and Hindi
.
The church was established in 1930 when it split from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, an Oriental Orthodox (Monophysite) church, and subsequently entered into communion with Rome. The Malankara Church
itself had emerged out of the split within the Saint Thomas Christian community of the 16th century; previously the entire community had comprised a province of the Church of the East
, or the Nestorian Church, based in Persia. However, the collapse of that church and influence from the Portuguese
, who tried to bring them under the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, led to a rift in the community. Eventually, the majority entered into communion with Rome as the Eastern Catholic Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, while the rest formed the Malankara Church and aligned with the Syrian Orthodox Church.
This latter group became gradually closer to the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch
, leading to a series of splits concerning the extent to which the Patriarch would be given authority; the faction giving the Patriarch full administrative powers became the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church.Taking only five members of his church with him, Mar Ivanios had founded the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, on 20 September 1930.
The slang "Reeth" is used in a colloqial way in Malayalam to refer to the church or its members by others (especially by other St.Thomas Syriac Christians
).
from whom Mar Abdulla usurped the Patriarchal See of Antioch, and invited him to visit Malankara and to establish a Catholicate
here. Accordingly, Abded M’siha came to Malankara in 1912 and established the Malankara Catholicate. This created a split in the church:
Baselios Paulose I (1912–1913), the first Catholicos, died after a short period of five months on 13 May 1913. After his demise, the See remained vacant until 1925. That was a period of litigation in the Malankara Church, and also a period of spiritual renewal. The litigation for Vattippanam (a fixed deposit of money in the name of the Church) and its after-effects in the community was at its zenith.
. In 1925, the Episcopal Synod installed Baselios Geevarghese I as Catholicos. The Catholicos then consecrated Fr. P. T. Geevarghese under the name Geevargese Mar Ivanios as the Bishop of Bethany.
On 1 November 1926, the Episcopal Synod held at Parumala
, re-opened negotiations with Rome
for communion
with the Catholic Church. The Synod authorised Mar Ivanios, the then Bishop of Bethany, to mafgjgjke necessary correspondence with Rome
regarding communion.
The second Catholicos died on 17 December 1928. Baselios Geevarghese I succeeded him as the third Catholicos. On the day following his installation, he consecrated Mar Theophilos of Bethany and Mar Gregorios of Pampady as Bishops.
In the meantime, the civil court’s decision on the litigation for the Vattipanam endowment was declared in favour of the Malankara Orthodox Church.
, which met on 4 July 1930, took the final decision on the issue of the communion of the Malankara Church. But only Mar Ivanios the Metropolitan of Bethany and his suffragan Mar Theophilos stood by the early decision of the Synod. Mar Ivanios and Jacob Mar Theophilos
along with Rev. Fr. John Kuzhinapurath OIC, Deacon Alexander OIC and Mr. Chacko Kilileth made their profession of faith before Bishop Benziger OCD of the Diocese of Quilon and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church on 20 September 1930.
, through the Apostolic Constitution Christo Pastorum Principi of 11 June 1932, established the Syro-Malankara Hierarchy for the reunited community and erected the Archiparchy of Trivandrum with the Eparchy of Tiruvalla
as its suffragan. The Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum was established in 1933. Ivanios was enthroned as its first Metropolitan Archbishop
. The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was established in 1933. Jacob Theophilos was enthroned as its first Bishop.
In 1937, Joseph Mar Severios of the Orthodox Church reunited with the Catholic Church. In 1939, Thomas Mar Dioscoros, the Metropolitan of the Knanaya Jacobite Church, reunited with the Catholic Church.
In 1938, the missionary congregation of the Daughters of Mary
was founded at Marthandom
in Kanyakumari District.
Bishop Dioscoros died in 1943.
Ivanios consecrated Benedict Gregorios as his Auxiliary Bishop in 1953. Ivanios died on 15 July 1953.
The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was led by Jacob Theophilos and Joseph Severios. Severios was the Administrator of the Eparchy until 1950 due to the ill health of Theophilos. In 1950 he was appointed as the Bishop of Tiruvalla. He was also invested with the title ‘Archbishop’. He died on 18 January 1955.
was enthroned as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum and the Head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
The Holy See appointed Zacharias Athanasios as successor to Severios, whose consecration took place in 1954. Jacob Mar Theophilos
died in 1956.
Fr. Francis Acharya
, a Cistercian Monk came to the Eparchy of Tiruvalla. In the year 1957 he founded the Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj, Kurisumala Ashram
in the high ranges of Vagamon.
In 1958 the territorial boundaries of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla was extended north to include the Malabar region of Kerala, the civil districts of Coimbatore
and Nilgiris and Karoor Taluk in Tiruchirappally District of Tamil Nadu and districts of Mysore, Mandya, Coorg, Hasan, Chickamangalore, Shimoga and South Kanara of Karnataka State.
Athanasios died in 1977.
Paulos Philoxenos, the Metropolitan of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church
, was received into the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 28 August 1977.
The appointment of Isaac Yoohanon as Bishop of Tiruvalla and erection of the Eparchy of Bathery
with the appointment of Cyril Mar Baselios
as its first Bishop through the decree of the Holy See took place in 1978. Both prelates were consecrated that year.
The Eparchy of Bathery was officially inaugurated in 1978. In 1979 the Eparchial contemplative monastery, Dhyana Ashram, was founded in the Eparchy of Bathery by Fr. Silvester Kozhimannil.
Lawrence Ephrem was consecrated Bishop in 1980. Wladyslaw Rubin
, the then Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, was the Papal Delegate for the Jubilee. Other eminent participants included Maximos V
, the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of Alexandria and Jerusalem, Luciano Storero
, the then Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to India and Mother Teresa
of Calcutta.
Malankara Catholics within India but outside the canonical territorial boundaries of the Church were first organized as Malankara Catholic Associations, and later came to be erected as personal parish communities. A coordinator was appointed to oversee them, by the Council of Hierarchs of the Malankara Catholic Church.
St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary
, the first local seminary, was inaugurated at Pattom in 1983 and the new building was blessed at Nalanchira
, Trivandrum was blessed in 1989.
Pope John Paul II
visited on 8 February 1986 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum.
On 28 April 1987, Mar Yoohanon, the Bishop of Tiruvalla died.
Cardinal Lourdusamy, the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
, visited the Malankara Catholic Church in August 1987.
Geevarghese Timotheos succeeded Yoohanon as the Bishop of Tiruvalla. He was consecrated Bishop in 1988.
Metropolitan-Archbishop Gregorios died in 1994 after serving 41 years.
, the Bishop of Bathery having been appointed by Pope John Paul II, was enthroned as Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum and as the head of the Malankara Church on 14 December 1995. Geevarghese Mar Divannasios was consecrated Bishop of Bathery in the place of Cyril Mar Baselios
on 5 February 1996.
Achille Silvestrini
, Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, visited the Malankara Catholic Church on 11, 12, 13 February 1996.
On the request of Cyril Mar Baselios, by an Apostolic Bull dated 16 December 1996, Pope John Paul II erected the Eparchy of Marthandom bifurcating the Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum. Lawrence Mar Ephrem was appointed as its first Bishop. He died after a few months of his enthronement as Bishop of Marthandom, on 8 April 1997.
In the meantime the Eparchy of Tiruvalla was blessed with an Auxiliary Bishop in the person of Thomas Mar Koorilos
who was consecrated Bishop on 17 July 1997. On 29 June 1998 Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom
was consecrated as the Bishop of Marthandom and Joshua Mar Ignathios
as the Auxiliary Bishop for the Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum. Paulos Mar Philoxenos passed away on 3 November 1998.
Christu Jayanthi Maha Jubilee and the Sapthathy of the Re-union Movement of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church were celebrated jointly at Tiruvalla on 26, 27, 28 December 2000. The Patriarch-Emeritus of Syrian Catholic Church, Cardinal Ignace Moussa (Daoud), Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches was the Papal Delegate for the Celebration.
A significant development in this period has been the establishment of parishes for the faithful of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the United States of America. Pope John Paul II nominated the Proto-Syncellus of Bathery Isaac Thottunkal, as Apostolic Visitor and the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum on 18 June 2001 for the Syro-Malankarites residing in North America and Europe. He was consecrated on 15 August 2001 at Tirumoolapuram, (Tiruvalla) and he assumed the name Isaac Mar Cleemis.
Bifurcating the Eparchy of Tiruvalla, the Eparchy of Muvattupuzha was erected on 15 January 2003 and Thomas Mar Koorilos was appointed as its first Bishop.
On 29 March 2003 Bishop Mar Timotheos gave resignation to the Holy See due to superannuation and the Holy See appointed Isaac Mar Cleemis, the Apostolic Visitor to Europe and America, as the Bishop of Tiruvalla. Mar Cleemis took charge of the Diocese on 2 October 2003. On January 5, 2005 Joseph Mar Thomas was appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum and Apostolic Visitor to North America and Europe.
On February 10, 2005, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was raised to the status of a Major Archiepiscopal Church
on that day by the papal document Ab ipso Sancto Thoma. and As a major archiepiscopal church, the Syro-Malankaras possess the greatest level of autonomy under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
, governed by the Major Archbishop and the general synod
of all bishops of the church, subject to papal oversight.
Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Apostolic Nuncio in India read the official declaration at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. The Hierarchical Head of the Church was elevated as Major Archbishop
who exercises patriarchal powers and governs the Church assisted by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church. The Major Archbishop also assumed the title “Catholicos
” according to the Antiochene-Malankara tradition.
On 19 February 2005, Joseph Mar Thomas was consecrated as the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum and the Apostolic Visitor to North America and Europe. On 11 April 2005 the Faculty of Theology of St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary
got affiliated to the Pontifical Urbaniana University
, Rome.
The enthronement of the Major Archbishop
as the Father and Head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 14 May 2005 was officiated by the Patriarch-Emeritus of the Syrian Catholics Ignatius I Daoud, Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Pope in India, was present at the enthronement ceremony. The Malankara Major Archiepiscopal Curia (Catholicate Centre) started functioning at the St. Mary's Campus, Pattom, Trivandrum. On 20 May 2005, the Catholicos Cyril Baselios blessed the Curia building. The Catholicos soon constituted the Holy Episcopal Synod. The first Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was convened from 16 to 18 August 2005 at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Trivandrum.
The first Holy Episcopal Synod constituted the Permanent Synod and the various Synodal Commissions headed by Bishops to take care of various Apostolates of the Church. The official bulletin, MALANKARA, is published from the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, to communicate the Synodal acts and voice of the Syro-Malankara Major Archiepiscopal Church.
The Platinum Jubilee of the Reunion Movement and the Year of the Eucharist were celebrated jointly at Mar Ivanios Nagar, Punnamoodu, Mavelikara on 19, 20, 21 September 2005. Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Pope in India, Shri Bhaironsingh Shekhawat, the Vice-President of India, and Sri Oommen Chandy
, the Chief Minister of Kerala
, participated in the celebrations.
By the decrees of the Major Archbishop the Metropolitan Province of Tiruvalla with the Eparchies of Bathery and Muvattupuzha as suffragans, was established on 15 May 2006 and Isaac Mar Cleemis was appointed as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tiruvalla. On 10 June 2006 Isaac Mar Cleemis was enthroned as the first Metropolitan-Archbishop of Tiruvalla.
By the decree of the Major Archbishop, on 1 January 2007, the new Eparchy of Mavelikara was erected and Joshua Mar Ignathios, the Auxiliary Bishop and protosyncellus of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum, was appointed as its first Bishop.
The Second Ordinary Holy Episcopal Synod was convoked on 6–7 December 2006 and it was decided to revive the ministerial titles of Ramban
and Corepiscopo which were in vogue in the Church and to honour a few priests for their meritorious service in the Church. Isaac Mar Cleemis, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tiruvalla, conferred the consecrations on Saturday, 13 January 2007 on three priests at St. John’s Cathedral, Tiruvalla and Cyril Baselios Catholicos conferred these consecrations on priests on 17 Wednesday, 2007 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum.
On Thursday, 18 January 2007 Cyril Baselios, the first Major Archbishop of the Syro- Malankara Catholic Church died. The Catholicos was entombed by the side of his great predecessors at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum on 20 January 2007.
confirmed the election on 9 February and it was announced on 10 February at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum.
The installation of Aboon Mor Joshua Ignathios was held on 16 February 2007 at Mavelikara and Aboon Geevarghese Mar Divannasios, the Administrator of The Malankara Catholic Major Archiepiscopal Church presided over the installation ceremony. The new eparchy has a 30,825 Syro-Malankara Catholic faithful of a total population of 2,998,325 inhabitants. Of this 269,849 are Malankara non-Catholics and 598,824 Christians of other denominations.
On 7 February 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Chacko Aerath OIC as the Apostolic Visitor
with Episcopal status for the Malankara Catholic faithful residing in the Extraterritorial Regions of the Church within India.
Baselios Cleemis
was enthroned the Second Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 5 March 2007 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. His installation service was officiated by Geevarghese Mar Divannasios, the Synodal Administrator of the Church. Ecclesiastical and political attendess included Mar Varkey [Cardinal] Vithayathil (Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church), Cardinal Telesphore Toppo (the President of the CBCI), and Sri. V. S. Achuthanandan
(the Chief Minister of Kerala).
On Monday, 26 March 2007 the Aboon Thomas Mar Koorilos
was appointed the Second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla. His installation Ceremony was held on Wednesday, 2 May 2007 at St.John’s Cathedral, Tiruvalla. Catholicos Cleemis was the main celebrant.
Baselios Cleemis Catholicos visited Pope Benedict XVI on 28 May 2007 at Vatican and received ecclesiastical Communion. The Congregation for the Oriental Churches in Rome gave him a reception on his first visit to the Holy See.
On Saturday, 14 July 2007 Baselios Cleemis declared Archbishop Mar Ivanios as a Servant of God
.
As per the provisions of CCEO can. 1063 the Ordinary Tribunal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was constituted on November 15, 2007.
Aboon Dr. Abraham Mar Julios
was consecrated Bishop of the Eparchy of Moovattupuzha by Baselios Cleemis on 9 February 2008 at Moovattupuzha.
Baselios Cleemis blessed the newly built Tomb Chapel of Servant of God Mar Ivanios in St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum on 1 July 2008.
Leonardo Sandri
, Cardinal Prefect of Congregation for the Oriental Churches visited the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on November 10, 2008. Concelebrated Holy Mass in the Malankara Rite
was followed. Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis was the main celebrant. In the following meeting Cardinal Sandri declared the Queen of Peace Pro-Cathedral at Palayam
, Trivandrum as Basilica
. Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis dedicated St. Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica
on December 7, 2008.
Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, the Major Archbishop with the consent of the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and having consulted the Apostolic See of Rome, has created two new Eparchies in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. They are Pathanamthitta
in Kerala
and Puthur in the State of Karnataka
. Having been elected by the Holy Episcopal Synod, he appointed four new bishops, with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. He announced the transfer of Bishop Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom
, the present Bishop of Marthandom to the new See of Pathanamthitta
and Bishop Geevarghese Mar Divannasios from the See of Bathery to the new See of Puthur. Most Rev. Joseph Mar Thomas, the Apostolic Visitator to North America
and Europe
is appointed Bishop of Bathery. To the See of Marthandom, falling vacant due the transfer of its present Bishop is appointed Very Rev. Dr. Vincent Kulapuravilai, the Professor and Registrar of St. Mary's Malankara Seminary Trivandrum. Very Rev. Dr. Samuel Kattukallil, the Syncellus of the Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum and Very Rev. Dr. Stephen Thottathil, Dean of the Faculty of Theology of St. Mary's Malankara Seminary are appointed Auxiliary Bishops of the Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum and the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla respectively. Very Rev. Dr. Antony Valiyavilayil OIC, the Postulator of the Cause of Canonisation of Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios and the Chancellor of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia is appointed the Bishop of the Curia. The announcement was simultaneously made in Rome
at 12 noon local time and in Trivandrum, the headquarters of the Syro-Malankara Church and at other Eparchial centres at 4.30 p.m. IST on January 25, 2010. In Trivandrum Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos made the announcement at St. Mary's Cathedral
in the presence of Bishops and a large number of Priests, Religious and Faithful of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The Bishops of the Church invested the Bishops Designates with Episcopal insignia and congratulated them.
The Episcopal Ordination of Bishops Vincent Mar Paulos, Samuel Mar Irenios, Philipose Mar Stephanos and Thomas Mar Anthonios took place at Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar in Trivandrum on March 13, 2010
Dr. Thomas Naickamparampil
was appointed as the first Exarch of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United States by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 July 2010.He was ordained bishop and received the name Aboon Thomas Mor Eusebius
on 21 September 2010 at St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral, Trivandrum and his installation ceremony was on October 3, 2010 at Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale, New York
In the course of the growth and development of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, besides the canonical institutions, various associations such as the Malankara Catholic Youth Movement
(MCYM), the Malankara Catholic Association (MCA), the Legion of Mary, Matruvedi, Pithruvedi, and other pious associations have emerged.
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church engages itself in humanitarian activities. One example of such services is Thapovanam, Shelter of Hope, Sulthan Bathery
, a centre for the rehabilitation of the mentally ill persons.
for 2010, the Syro-Malankara Church has approximately 420,081 members.
erected an apostolic exarchate for Syro-Malankara Catholics in the United States of America, and appointed Father Thomas Naickamparampil
, then head secretary general of the major archiepiscopate of the Syro-Malankara Church, as first apostolic exarch of the new exarchate. The bishop-elect was ordained to the episcopacy on 21 September 2010 at St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral, Pattom receiving the name "Aboon Thomas Mor Eusebius" and the Enthronement Ceremony in the United States was held on October 3, 2010 at Kellenberg High School, Uniondale, New York.
also appointed Aboon Thomas Mor Eusebius
as Apostolic Visitor for Syro-Malankara Catholics in Canada and Europe, alongside his primary work as Apostolic Exarch of the above-mentioned newly created Syro-Malankara exarchate in the U.S. There are Syro-Malankara parishes and communities in Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
President and His Excellency Most Rev Dr Samuel Mar Irenios is the Vice Chairman of Malankara Catholic Educational Society.
(MCYM) is the official organization for the youth in Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The Catholic Youth Movement of Kerala dates back to the second half of the 1960s. Although there were some youth organisations in the parish level at different parts of Kerala, the spread of the organization of the youth movements in the diocese took place rather late. Two reasons seems to be of prime importance for the foundation of the youth organizations in the late 1960s.
Current President of M.C.Y.M is Mr. Aji Daniel.
MCYM Branches
Kerala MCYM
1) Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum
2) Archieparchy of Thiruvilla
3) Eparchy of Bathery
4) Eparchy of Marthandom
5) Eparchy of Muvattupuzha
6) Eparchy of Mavelikkara
7) Eparchy of Pathanamthitta
MCYM ETR in India
1) Apostolic Visitation of North India Malankara Syrian Catholic Churches (MCCETR – New Delhi
)
MCYM of the Exarchate and Apostolic Visitation of Canada and Europe
1) Exarchate of United States Malankara Syrian Catholic Churches (Long Island
– New York
)
Full communion
In Christian ecclesiology, full communion is a relationship between church organizations or groups that mutually recognize their sharing the essential doctrines....
communion
Communion (Christian)
The term communion is derived from Latin communio . The corresponding term in Greek is κοινωνία, which is often translated as "fellowship". In Christianity, the basic meaning of the term communion is an especially close relationship of Christians, as individuals or as a Church, with God and with...
with the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. It has a total membership of around 500,000.
The Church is one of the Saint Thomas Christian churches centered in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, which trace their origin to the evangelism of Saint Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
in the 1st century. It is one of two Saint Thomas Christian churches in the Catholic communion, the other being the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
. Among the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is a Major Archiepiscopal Church
Major Archiepiscopal Church
Major archiepiscopal churches are the Eastern Catholic Churches governed by the major archbishops, assisted by the respective synod of bishops. These churches also have almost the same rights and obligations of patriarchal churches...
, headed by Major Archbishop
Major Archbishop
right|200 px|thumb|Archbishop [[Sviatoslav Shevchuk]], Major Archbishop of Kyiv-HalychIn the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an hierarch to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in...
Baselios Cleemis
Moran mor Baselios Cleemis
Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis is the Major Archbishop Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.Mor Cleemis was born at Mukkoor, Tiruvalla, Kerala, India.-Education:...
(Thottunkal), who was elected in 2007. In Malankara tradition, the head of church is addressed as Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholica Bava.
The liturgy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is of the Antiochene Rite
Antiochene Rite
Antiochene Rite designates the family of liturgies originally used in the Patriarchate of Antioch.-Liturgies in the Antiochene Rite:The family of liturgies include the Apostolic Constitutions; then that of St. James in Greek, the Syriac Liturgy of St. James, and the other Syriac Anaphoras. The line...
, West Syrian
West Syrian Rite
The West Syrian Rite, also known as the Syrian Rite or the Syro-Antiochene Rite, is a Christian liturgical rite chiefly practiced in the Syriac Orthodox Church and churches related to or descended from it. It is part of the liturgical family known as the Antiochene Rite, which originated in the...
in character. The liturgy today is celebrated in Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
, Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
.
The church was established in 1930 when it split from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, an Oriental Orthodox (Monophysite) church, and subsequently entered into communion with Rome. The Malankara Church
Malankara Church
The Malankara Church is the church of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, with particular emphasis on the part of the community that joined Archdeacon Mar Thoma in swearing to resist the authority of the Portuguese Padroado in 1653...
itself had emerged out of the split within the Saint Thomas Christian community of the 16th century; previously the entire community had comprised a province of the Church of the East
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
, or the Nestorian Church, based in Persia. However, the collapse of that church and influence from the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, who tried to bring them under the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, led to a rift in the community. Eventually, the majority entered into communion with Rome as the Eastern Catholic Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, while the rest formed the Malankara Church and aligned with the Syrian Orthodox Church.
This latter group became gradually closer to the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its earliest period...
, leading to a series of splits concerning the extent to which the Patriarch would be given authority; the faction giving the Patriarch full administrative powers became the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church.Taking only five members of his church with him, Mar Ivanios had founded the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, on 20 September 1930.
Official name of the church
The official name of the church is the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. In Malayalam, the church name translates to Syro-Malankara Catholica Sabha or Malankara Suriani Catholica Sabha. Another name that can be associated with the church is Malankara Syrian Catholic Church of India.The slang "Reeth" is used in a colloqial way in Malayalam to refer to the church or its members by others (especially by other St.Thomas Syriac Christians
Syrian Malabar Nasrani
The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people, also known as Saint Thomas Christians, "'Nasrani Mappila'" and Nasranis, are an ethnoreligious group from Kerala, India, adhering to the various churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition...
).
Modern times
It was in this contentious context that Patriarch Mar Abdulla came to Malankara, and excommunicated Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril in the year 1911. Fr. P.T. Geevarghese (later Archbishop Mar Ivanios) played a vital role in reinstating the position of the excommunicated Metropolitan, and in regaining the self-governance of the Malankara Church. To ward off the undue interference of Patriarch Abdulla in the administration of the temporalities of the Church, Fr. P.T. Geevarghese with the blessing of Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril contacted Abded M’siha, the Patriarch of AntiochPatriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its earliest period...
from whom Mar Abdulla usurped the Patriarchal See of Antioch, and invited him to visit Malankara and to establish a Catholicate
Catholicate
A Catholicate or Catholicosate is the area of responsibility of a catholicos, a leader within any of the several churches of Eastern Christianity, especially those regarded as Oriental Orthodoxy...
here. Accordingly, Abded M’siha came to Malankara in 1912 and established the Malankara Catholicate. This created a split in the church:
- the faction resisting the Patriarch's administrative interference became the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, an autocephalous Church under its head the Catholicos.
- the faction supporting the Patriarch's administrative interference became the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church
Baselios Paulose I (1912–1913), the first Catholicos, died after a short period of five months on 13 May 1913. After his demise, the See remained vacant until 1925. That was a period of litigation in the Malankara Church, and also a period of spiritual renewal. The litigation for Vattippanam (a fixed deposit of money in the name of the Church) and its after-effects in the community was at its zenith.
The establishment of Bethany Ashram
The Order of the Imitation of Christ also called Bethany Ashram was established in 1919. The first Ashram was erected at Mundanmala of Ranni Perunad. In 1925 was founded: the community of the Sanyasins, the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ also called Bethany MadhomBethany Madhom
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ - or Bethany Madhom is a congregation in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Bethany Madhom was founded by the Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios in 1925 in the Malankara Orthodox Church...
. In 1925, the Episcopal Synod installed Baselios Geevarghese I as Catholicos. The Catholicos then consecrated Fr. P. T. Geevarghese under the name Geevargese Mar Ivanios as the Bishop of Bethany.
Parumala
Parumala is a small village and island on the Pampa River in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, India.Parumala is renowned for the presence of the Tomb of St. Gregorios , the Greatest Saint of India belonging to the Indian Orthodox Church and Syriac Orthodox Church, so it is a pilgrimage site...
, re-opened negotiations with Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
for communion
Full communion
In Christian ecclesiology, full communion is a relationship between church organizations or groups that mutually recognize their sharing the essential doctrines....
with the Catholic Church. The Synod authorised Mar Ivanios, the then Bishop of Bethany, to mafgjgjke necessary correspondence with Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
regarding communion.
The second Catholicos died on 17 December 1928. Baselios Geevarghese I succeeded him as the third Catholicos. On the day following his installation, he consecrated Mar Theophilos of Bethany and Mar Gregorios of Pampady as Bishops.
In the meantime, the civil court’s decision on the litigation for the Vattipanam endowment was declared in favour of the Malankara Orthodox Church.
Ecclesial communion
After prolonged negotiations, the plenary session of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental ChurchesCongregation for the Oriental Churches
The Congregation for the Oriental Churches is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Eastern Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and also maintaining whole and entire in the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical,...
, which met on 4 July 1930, took the final decision on the issue of the communion of the Malankara Church. But only Mar Ivanios the Metropolitan of Bethany and his suffragan Mar Theophilos stood by the early decision of the Synod. Mar Ivanios and Jacob Mar Theophilos
Jacob Mar Theophilos
Jacob Mar Theophilos was the first bishop of Eparchy of Tiruvalla of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.-Early life:...
along with Rev. Fr. John Kuzhinapurath OIC, Deacon Alexander OIC and Mr. Chacko Kilileth made their profession of faith before Bishop Benziger OCD of the Diocese of Quilon and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church on 20 September 1930.
Metropolitan Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios
Pope Pius XIPope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
, through the Apostolic Constitution Christo Pastorum Principi of 11 June 1932, established the Syro-Malankara Hierarchy for the reunited community and erected the Archiparchy of Trivandrum with the Eparchy of Tiruvalla
Tiruvalla
Tiruvalla , is a city and a Taluk headquarters located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala in South India, spread over an area of 27.94 km2...
as its suffragan. The Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum was established in 1933. Ivanios was enthroned as its first Metropolitan Archbishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
. The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was established in 1933. Jacob Theophilos was enthroned as its first Bishop.
In 1938, the missionary congregation of the Daughters of Mary
Daughters of Mary
Daughters of Mary The Congregation of the Daughters of Mary is a missionary congregation in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. With the blessing of Archbishop Mar Ivanios, Monsignor Joseph Kuzhinjalil founded the missionary congregation of the Daughters of Mary in 1938 at Marthandom in Kanyakumari...
was founded at Marthandom
Marthandam
Martandam is a major trade centre in Kuzhithurai municipality across National Highway in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India, at the border with Kerala. Originally called Thoduvetty, it was a portion of Kanyakumari district which was added to the state of Tamil Nadu on November 1, 1956...
in Kanyakumari District.
Bishop Dioscoros died in 1943.
Ivanios consecrated Benedict Gregorios as his Auxiliary Bishop in 1953. Ivanios died on 15 July 1953.
The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was led by Jacob Theophilos and Joseph Severios. Severios was the Administrator of the Eparchy until 1950 due to the ill health of Theophilos. In 1950 he was appointed as the Bishop of Tiruvalla. He was also invested with the title ‘Archbishop’. He died on 18 January 1955.
Metropolitan Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregorios
In 1955 Metropolitan Archbishop Benedict Mar GregoriosBenedict Mar Gregorios
Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregorios was the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church....
was enthroned as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum and the Head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
The Holy See appointed Zacharias Athanasios as successor to Severios, whose consecration took place in 1954. Jacob Mar Theophilos
Jacob Mar Theophilos
Jacob Mar Theophilos was the first bishop of Eparchy of Tiruvalla of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.-Early life:...
died in 1956.
Fr. Francis Acharya
Francis Acharya
Francis Acharya is a Cistercian Monk and the founder of Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram.- Early life :...
, a Cistercian Monk came to the Eparchy of Tiruvalla. In the year 1957 he founded the Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj, Kurisumala Ashram
Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj, Kurisumala Ashram
Kurisumala Ashram is a Cistercian Monastery in Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. "Kurisu" is the translation of the word Cross, into Malayalam the language of Kerala, the small State in the South West tip of India; "Mala" means mountain; "Ashram" means Monastery...
in the high ranges of Vagamon.
In 1958 the territorial boundaries of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla was extended north to include the Malabar region of Kerala, the civil districts of Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
and Nilgiris and Karoor Taluk in Tiruchirappally District of Tamil Nadu and districts of Mysore, Mandya, Coorg, Hasan, Chickamangalore, Shimoga and South Kanara of Karnataka State.
Athanasios died in 1977.
Paulos Philoxenos, the Metropolitan of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church
Malabar Independent Syrian Church
The Malabar Independent Syrian Church, also known as the Thozhiyur Sabah , is a Christian church centred in Kerala, India. It is one of the churches of the Saint Thomas Christian community, which traces its origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.Considered part...
, was received into the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 28 August 1977.
The appointment of Isaac Yoohanon as Bishop of Tiruvalla and erection of the Eparchy of Bathery
Syro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy of Bathery
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy of Bathery is an eparchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Sulthan Bathery, in Kerala, India. Aboon Joseph Mar Thomas is the current bishop. The seat of the eparchy is at St. Thomas Syro-Malankara Catholic Cathedral in Sulthan Bathery.-History:The eparchy...
with the appointment of Cyril Mar Baselios
Cyril Mar Baselios
Major Archbishop Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholcios Bava O.I.C. was the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church based in Trivandrum, Kerala...
as its first Bishop through the decree of the Holy See took place in 1978. Both prelates were consecrated that year.
The Eparchy of Bathery was officially inaugurated in 1978. In 1979 the Eparchial contemplative monastery, Dhyana Ashram, was founded in the Eparchy of Bathery by Fr. Silvester Kozhimannil.
Lawrence Ephrem was consecrated Bishop in 1980. Wladyslaw Rubin
Wladyslaw Rubin
Władysław Rubin was a Polish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches from 1980 to 1985, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1979.-Biography:...
, the then Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, was the Papal Delegate for the Jubilee. Other eminent participants included Maximos V
Maximos V Hakim
Maximos V Hakim was elected Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch in 1967 and served until 2000. He guided the church through tubulent changes in the Middle East and rapid expansion in the Western hemisphere.-Life:...
, the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of Alexandria and Jerusalem, Luciano Storero
Luciano Storero
Luciano Storero was born in Pinasca, Italy. He served in the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See.He was ordained a priest on 29 June 1949. On 22 November 1969 he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Tigimma and the same day was appointed an Apostolic Delegate...
, the then Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to India and Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
of Calcutta.
Malankara Catholics within India but outside the canonical territorial boundaries of the Church were first organized as Malankara Catholic Associations, and later came to be erected as personal parish communities. A coordinator was appointed to oversee them, by the Council of Hierarchs of the Malankara Catholic Church.
St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary
St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary
St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Major Seminary is a centre of priestly training of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.- History :It was the long cherished dream of the Malankara Catholic Church to have a Major seminary of its own for the formation of its clergy.The desire to set up a Major...
, the first local seminary, was inaugurated at Pattom in 1983 and the new building was blessed at Nalanchira
Nalanchira
Nalanchira is a suburb of Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala State in India. It is the educational hub of Kerala and is rightly called the Oxford of the South. It is situated between Mannanthala and Paruthippara. Nalanchira is approximately 8 km from the...
, Trivandrum was blessed in 1989.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
visited on 8 February 1986 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum.
On 28 April 1987, Mar Yoohanon, the Bishop of Tiruvalla died.
Cardinal Lourdusamy, the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
Congregation for the Oriental Churches
The Congregation for the Oriental Churches is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Eastern Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and also maintaining whole and entire in the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical,...
, visited the Malankara Catholic Church in August 1987.
Geevarghese Timotheos succeeded Yoohanon as the Bishop of Tiruvalla. He was consecrated Bishop in 1988.
Metropolitan-Archbishop Gregorios died in 1994 after serving 41 years.
Major Archbishop Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos
Cyril Mar BaseliosCyril Mar Baselios
Major Archbishop Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholcios Bava O.I.C. was the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church based in Trivandrum, Kerala...
, the Bishop of Bathery having been appointed by Pope John Paul II, was enthroned as Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum and as the head of the Malankara Church on 14 December 1995. Geevarghese Mar Divannasios was consecrated Bishop of Bathery in the place of Cyril Mar Baselios
Cyril Mar Baselios
Major Archbishop Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholcios Bava O.I.C. was the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church based in Trivandrum, Kerala...
on 5 February 1996.
Achille Silvestrini
Achille Silvestrini
Achille Silvestrini was one of the most prominent Vatican diplomats during the long reign of John Paul II...
, Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, visited the Malankara Catholic Church on 11, 12, 13 February 1996.
On the request of Cyril Mar Baselios, by an Apostolic Bull dated 16 December 1996, Pope John Paul II erected the Eparchy of Marthandom bifurcating the Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum. Lawrence Mar Ephrem was appointed as its first Bishop. He died after a few months of his enthronement as Bishop of Marthandom, on 8 April 1997.
In the meantime the Eparchy of Tiruvalla was blessed with an Auxiliary Bishop in the person of Thomas Mar Koorilos
Thomas Mar Koorilos
His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Koorilos is the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tiruvalla, Kerala, India. He was born to Chakkalapadikkal Ninan Varghese and Aleyamma. His native parish is St. Catherine Malankara Catholic Church, Kadapra-Mannar in the revenue district of Pathanamthitta. He...
who was consecrated Bishop on 17 July 1997. On 29 June 1998 Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom
Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom
His Excellency Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom is the Metropolitan Bishop of the Eparchy of Pathanamthitta of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was the third son of Abraham and Achiyamma of the Kalloor family at Kadammanitta, in Pathanamthitta District. He completed his Secondary Education at...
was consecrated as the Bishop of Marthandom and Joshua Mar Ignathios
Joshua Mar Ignathios
Dr. Joshua Mar Ignathios is the Metropolitan Bishop of the Eparchy of Mavelikara of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was born at Kottarakara in the Kollam District as the son of Kizhakkevettil Oommen Varghese and Polachirackal Annamma Varghese. They gave the child the name Koshy. He had...
as the Auxiliary Bishop for the Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum. Paulos Mar Philoxenos passed away on 3 November 1998.
Christu Jayanthi Maha Jubilee and the Sapthathy of the Re-union Movement of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church were celebrated jointly at Tiruvalla on 26, 27, 28 December 2000. The Patriarch-Emeritus of Syrian Catholic Church, Cardinal Ignace Moussa (Daoud), Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches was the Papal Delegate for the Celebration.
A significant development in this period has been the establishment of parishes for the faithful of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the United States of America. Pope John Paul II nominated the Proto-Syncellus of Bathery Isaac Thottunkal, as Apostolic Visitor and the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum on 18 June 2001 for the Syro-Malankarites residing in North America and Europe. He was consecrated on 15 August 2001 at Tirumoolapuram, (Tiruvalla) and he assumed the name Isaac Mar Cleemis.
Bifurcating the Eparchy of Tiruvalla, the Eparchy of Muvattupuzha was erected on 15 January 2003 and Thomas Mar Koorilos was appointed as its first Bishop.
On February 10, 2005, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was raised to the status of a Major Archiepiscopal Church
Major Archiepiscopal Church
Major archiepiscopal churches are the Eastern Catholic Churches governed by the major archbishops, assisted by the respective synod of bishops. These churches also have almost the same rights and obligations of patriarchal churches...
on that day by the papal document Ab ipso Sancto Thoma. and As a major archiepiscopal church, the Syro-Malankaras possess the greatest level of autonomy under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches is the title of the 1990 codification of the common portions of the Canon Law for the 22 of the 23 sui iuris Churches in the Catholic Church. The Roman or Latin rite Church is guided by its own particular Canons...
, governed by the Major Archbishop and the general synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of all bishops of the church, subject to papal oversight.
Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Apostolic Nuncio in India read the official declaration at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. The Hierarchical Head of the Church was elevated as Major Archbishop
Major Archbishop
right|200 px|thumb|Archbishop [[Sviatoslav Shevchuk]], Major Archbishop of Kyiv-HalychIn the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an hierarch to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in...
who exercises patriarchal powers and governs the Church assisted by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church. The Major Archbishop also assumed the title “Catholicos
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
” according to the Antiochene-Malankara tradition.
On 19 February 2005, Joseph Mar Thomas was consecrated as the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum and the Apostolic Visitor to North America and Europe. On 11 April 2005 the Faculty of Theology of St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary
St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary
St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Major Seminary is a centre of priestly training of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.- History :It was the long cherished dream of the Malankara Catholic Church to have a Major seminary of its own for the formation of its clergy.The desire to set up a Major...
got affiliated to the Pontifical Urbaniana University
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
, Rome.
The enthronement of the Major Archbishop
Major Archbishop
right|200 px|thumb|Archbishop [[Sviatoslav Shevchuk]], Major Archbishop of Kyiv-HalychIn the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an hierarch to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in...
as the Father and Head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 14 May 2005 was officiated by the Patriarch-Emeritus of the Syrian Catholics Ignatius I Daoud, Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Pope in India, was present at the enthronement ceremony. The Malankara Major Archiepiscopal Curia (Catholicate Centre) started functioning at the St. Mary's Campus, Pattom, Trivandrum. On 20 May 2005, the Catholicos Cyril Baselios blessed the Curia building. The Catholicos soon constituted the Holy Episcopal Synod. The first Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was convened from 16 to 18 August 2005 at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Trivandrum.
The first Holy Episcopal Synod constituted the Permanent Synod and the various Synodal Commissions headed by Bishops to take care of various Apostolates of the Church. The official bulletin, MALANKARA, is published from the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, to communicate the Synodal acts and voice of the Syro-Malankara Major Archiepiscopal Church.
The Platinum Jubilee of the Reunion Movement and the Year of the Eucharist were celebrated jointly at Mar Ivanios Nagar, Punnamoodu, Mavelikara on 19, 20, 21 September 2005. Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Pope in India, Shri Bhaironsingh Shekhawat, the Vice-President of India, and Sri Oommen Chandy
Oommen Chandy
Oommen Chandy is an Indian politician and the current Chief Minister of Kerala. He has held the Chief Minister of Kerala position earlier from 2004 to 2006, and was the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.-Early life:Oommen Chandy or 'Kunjoonju' was born...
, the Chief Minister of Kerala
Chief Minister of Kerala
The Chief Minister of Kerala is the elected head of government of the state of Kerala, India. By the Constitution of India, the Chief minister is appointed by the Governor of the state....
, participated in the celebrations.
By the decrees of the Major Archbishop the Metropolitan Province of Tiruvalla with the Eparchies of Bathery and Muvattupuzha as suffragans, was established on 15 May 2006 and Isaac Mar Cleemis was appointed as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tiruvalla. On 10 June 2006 Isaac Mar Cleemis was enthroned as the first Metropolitan-Archbishop of Tiruvalla.
By the decree of the Major Archbishop, on 1 January 2007, the new Eparchy of Mavelikara was erected and Joshua Mar Ignathios, the Auxiliary Bishop and protosyncellus of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum, was appointed as its first Bishop.
The Second Ordinary Holy Episcopal Synod was convoked on 6–7 December 2006 and it was decided to revive the ministerial titles of Ramban
Ramban
Ramban, RaMBaN can refer to:* Nahmanides , Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, Kabbalist and biblical commentator* Ramban Synagogue in East Jerusalem* Cave of the Ramban in East Jerusalem...
and Corepiscopo which were in vogue in the Church and to honour a few priests for their meritorious service in the Church. Isaac Mar Cleemis, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tiruvalla, conferred the consecrations on Saturday, 13 January 2007 on three priests at St. John’s Cathedral, Tiruvalla and Cyril Baselios Catholicos conferred these consecrations on priests on 17 Wednesday, 2007 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum.
On Thursday, 18 January 2007 Cyril Baselios, the first Major Archbishop of the Syro- Malankara Catholic Church died. The Catholicos was entombed by the side of his great predecessors at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum on 20 January 2007.
Major Archbishop Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos
Isaac Mar Cleemis was elected the Second Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church through the first Episcopal Synod of election of the Syro Malankara Catholic Church convoked on 7–10 February 2007 at Catholicate Centre, Pattom, Trivandrum. Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
confirmed the election on 9 February and it was announced on 10 February at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum.
The installation of Aboon Mor Joshua Ignathios was held on 16 February 2007 at Mavelikara and Aboon Geevarghese Mar Divannasios, the Administrator of The Malankara Catholic Major Archiepiscopal Church presided over the installation ceremony. The new eparchy has a 30,825 Syro-Malankara Catholic faithful of a total population of 2,998,325 inhabitants. Of this 269,849 are Malankara non-Catholics and 598,824 Christians of other denominations.
On 7 February 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Chacko Aerath OIC as the Apostolic Visitor
Apostolic visitor
In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration...
with Episcopal status for the Malankara Catholic faithful residing in the Extraterritorial Regions of the Church within India.
Baselios Cleemis
Moran mor Baselios Cleemis
Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis is the Major Archbishop Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.Mor Cleemis was born at Mukkoor, Tiruvalla, Kerala, India.-Education:...
was enthroned the Second Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 5 March 2007 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. His installation service was officiated by Geevarghese Mar Divannasios, the Synodal Administrator of the Church. Ecclesiastical and political attendess included Mar Varkey [Cardinal] Vithayathil (Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church), Cardinal Telesphore Toppo (the President of the CBCI), and Sri. V. S. Achuthanandan
V. S. Achuthanandan
Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of the state of Kerala. He had been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India since 1985, and until July 2009, when he was reverted to the Central Committee of the party owing to his...
(the Chief Minister of Kerala).
On Monday, 26 March 2007 the Aboon Thomas Mar Koorilos
Thomas Mar Koorilos
His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Koorilos is the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tiruvalla, Kerala, India. He was born to Chakkalapadikkal Ninan Varghese and Aleyamma. His native parish is St. Catherine Malankara Catholic Church, Kadapra-Mannar in the revenue district of Pathanamthitta. He...
was appointed the Second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla. His installation Ceremony was held on Wednesday, 2 May 2007 at St.John’s Cathedral, Tiruvalla. Catholicos Cleemis was the main celebrant.
Baselios Cleemis Catholicos visited Pope Benedict XVI on 28 May 2007 at Vatican and received ecclesiastical Communion. The Congregation for the Oriental Churches in Rome gave him a reception on his first visit to the Holy See.
On Saturday, 14 July 2007 Baselios Cleemis declared Archbishop Mar Ivanios as a Servant of God
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
.
As per the provisions of CCEO can. 1063 the Ordinary Tribunal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was constituted on November 15, 2007.
Aboon Dr. Abraham Mar Julios
Abraham Mar Julios
Dr. Abraham Mar Julios is the Metropolitan Bishop of the Eparchy of Muvattupuzha of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Abraham was born to late Varghese Kakkanattil in Padinjaremannil branch of Paramel family, Cherukole-Kozhenchery and Annamma Varghese in the village of Kalloopara, Thiruvalla...
was consecrated Bishop of the Eparchy of Moovattupuzha by Baselios Cleemis on 9 February 2008 at Moovattupuzha.
Baselios Cleemis blessed the newly built Tomb Chapel of Servant of God Mar Ivanios in St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum on 1 July 2008.
Leonardo Sandri
Leonardo Sandri is a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia, having previously served as Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela , Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico and Substitute for General Affairs...
, Cardinal Prefect of Congregation for the Oriental Churches visited the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on November 10, 2008. Concelebrated Holy Mass in the Malankara Rite
Malankara Rite
The Malankara Rite or Syro-Malankara Rite is the form of the West Syrian liturgical rite practiced by several churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition in southern India...
was followed. Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis was the main celebrant. In the following meeting Cardinal Sandri declared the Queen of Peace Pro-Cathedral at Palayam
St. Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica
The St. Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica, located in the Palayam/Cantonment area of the city of Thiruvananthapuram, in the state of Kerala, India, is the first Syro-Malankara Catholic Church to be elevated to the rank of a Catholic basilica. It is the fourth basilica in Kerala.On November 10. 2008,...
, Trivandrum as Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
. Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis dedicated St. Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica
St. Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica
The St. Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica, located in the Palayam/Cantonment area of the city of Thiruvananthapuram, in the state of Kerala, India, is the first Syro-Malankara Catholic Church to be elevated to the rank of a Catholic basilica. It is the fourth basilica in Kerala.On November 10. 2008,...
on December 7, 2008.
Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, the Major Archbishop with the consent of the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and having consulted the Apostolic See of Rome, has created two new Eparchies in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. They are Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta is a large town and a municipality situated in the central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, south India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The city has a population of 38,000...
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and Puthur in the State of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. Having been elected by the Holy Episcopal Synod, he appointed four new bishops, with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. He announced the transfer of Bishop Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom
Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom
His Excellency Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom is the Metropolitan Bishop of the Eparchy of Pathanamthitta of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was the third son of Abraham and Achiyamma of the Kalloor family at Kadammanitta, in Pathanamthitta District. He completed his Secondary Education at...
, the present Bishop of Marthandom to the new See of Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta is a large town and a municipality situated in the central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, south India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The city has a population of 38,000...
and Bishop Geevarghese Mar Divannasios from the See of Bathery to the new See of Puthur. Most Rev. Joseph Mar Thomas, the Apostolic Visitator to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
is appointed Bishop of Bathery. To the See of Marthandom, falling vacant due the transfer of its present Bishop is appointed Very Rev. Dr. Vincent Kulapuravilai, the Professor and Registrar of St. Mary's Malankara Seminary Trivandrum. Very Rev. Dr. Samuel Kattukallil, the Syncellus of the Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum and Very Rev. Dr. Stephen Thottathil, Dean of the Faculty of Theology of St. Mary's Malankara Seminary are appointed Auxiliary Bishops of the Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum and the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla respectively. Very Rev. Dr. Antony Valiyavilayil OIC, the Postulator of the Cause of Canonisation of Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios and the Chancellor of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia is appointed the Bishop of the Curia. The announcement was simultaneously made in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
at 12 noon local time and in Trivandrum, the headquarters of the Syro-Malankara Church and at other Eparchial centres at 4.30 p.m. IST on January 25, 2010. In Trivandrum Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos made the announcement at St. Mary's Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral, or St. Mary Cathedral or Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin, or other variations on the name, may refer to:-Canada:* St. Mary's Cathedral, Calgary* St. Mary's Cathedral, Kingston* St. Mary's Cathedral, Winnipeg-Ireland:...
in the presence of Bishops and a large number of Priests, Religious and Faithful of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The Bishops of the Church invested the Bishops Designates with Episcopal insignia and congratulated them.
The Episcopal Ordination of Bishops Vincent Mar Paulos, Samuel Mar Irenios, Philipose Mar Stephanos and Thomas Mar Anthonios took place at Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar in Trivandrum on March 13, 2010
Dr. Thomas Naickamparampil
Thomas Naickamparampil
Aboon Thomas Mar Eusebius is the first and current bishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United States since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 July 2010.-Early life and education:...
was appointed as the first Exarch of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United States by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 July 2010.He was ordained bishop and received the name Aboon Thomas Mor Eusebius
Thomas Naickamparampil
Aboon Thomas Mar Eusebius is the first and current bishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United States since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 July 2010.-Early life and education:...
on 21 September 2010 at St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral, Trivandrum and his installation ceremony was on October 3, 2010 at Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale, New York
In the course of the growth and development of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, besides the canonical institutions, various associations such as the Malankara Catholic Youth Movement
Malankara Catholic Youth Movement
Malankara Catholic Youth Movement is the official organization of the youth in Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The Kerala Catholic Youth Movement was officially inaugurated on December 28, 1978 in the special senate held at Mannam, Kottayam...
(MCYM), the Malankara Catholic Association (MCA), the Legion of Mary, Matruvedi, Pithruvedi, and other pious associations have emerged.
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church engages itself in humanitarian activities. One example of such services is Thapovanam, Shelter of Hope, Sulthan Bathery
Thapovanam, Shelter of Hope, Sulthan Bathery
Thapovanam, Shelter of Hope, Sulthan Bathery Wayanad, Kerala, India is an endeavor of the Eparchy of Sulthan Bathery. This house is a rehabilitation centre for the mentally ill persons. Geevarghese Mar Divannasios, the Bishop of Sulthan Bathery founded this house of hope in 2002. Rev. Fr. Wilson...
, a centre for the rehabilitation of the mentally ill persons.
Eparchies
- Major Archeparchy of TrivandrumSyro-Malankara Catholic Major Archeparchy of TrivandrumThe Syro-Malankara Catholic Archeparchy of Trivandrum is an archeparchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Trivandrum, in Kerala, India. Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum and Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, currently presides. The seat of the...
- Eparchy of Marthandom
- Eparchy of Mavelikara
- Eparchy of PathanamthittaSyro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy of PathanamthittaThe Eparchy of Pathanamthitta constitutes the Malankara Syrian Catholic Community in the Vicinity of Pathanamthitta in the Indian State of Kerala. The Diocese came into existence with the consent of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, on 25 January 2010. Most Rev. Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom is the first...
- Exarchate of United StatesSyro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United StatesThe Syro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United States is an apostolic exarchate for Syro-Malankara Catholics in the United States of America....
- Archieparchy of TiruvallaSyro-Malankara Catholic Archieparchy of TiruvallaThe Syro-Malankara Catholic Archeparchy of Tiruvalla is an archeparchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Tiruvalla, in Kerala, India. Metropolitan Archbishop Aboon Mor Thomas Koorilos currently presides. The seat of the eparchy is at St...
- Eparchy of BatherySyro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy of BatheryThe Syro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy of Bathery is an eparchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Sulthan Bathery, in Kerala, India. Aboon Joseph Mar Thomas is the current bishop. The seat of the eparchy is at St. Thomas Syro-Malankara Catholic Cathedral in Sulthan Bathery.-History:The eparchy...
- Eparchy of Muvattupuzha
- Eparchy of Puthur
- MCC Extra Territorial Regions http://www.vishalmalankaravoice.com/
- Eparchy of Bathery
Statistics
According to the Pontifical yearbook Annuario PontificioAnnuario Pontificio
The Annuario Pontificio is the annual directory of the Holy See. It lists all the popes to date and all officials of the Holy See's departments...
for 2010, the Syro-Malankara Church has approximately 420,081 members.
| Dioceses | members | Bishops | parishes | diocesan priests | religious priests | men religious | women religious | seminarians | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archeparchy of Trivandrum | 252 000 | 2 | 147 | 189 | 42 | 118 | 617 | 77 | |||||||||
| Eparchy of Marthandom | 64,636 | 1 | 79 | 33 | 8 | 14 | 218 | 29 | |||||||||
| Eparchy of Mavelikara | 25,212 | 1 | 95 | 47 | 8 | 10 | 141 | 23 | |||||||||
| Archeparchy of Tiruvalla | 37,793 | 2 | 133 | 107 | 25 | 54 | 290 | 35 | |||||||||
| Eparchy of Battery | 27,800 | 1 | 121 | 72 | 14 | 14 | 259 | 3 | |||||||||
| Eparchy of Muvattupuzha | 12,640 | 1 | 66 | 40 | 2 | 23 | 92 | 18 | |||||||||
| Eparchy of Puttur | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||||||||
| Exarchy of United States | NA | 1 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 4 | TOTAL | 420,081 | 9 | 641 | 488 | 99 | 233 | 1617 | 211 |
Hierarchs
The Malankara Syrian Catholic Church has 15 Hierarchs:EWLINE
|
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in North India
There are 39 Syro-Malankara communities in North India, including churches at Banglore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad. Aboon Mar Jacob Barnabas is Apostolic Visitor for Syro-Malankara Catholics in North India.United States of America
In July 2010, Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
erected an apostolic exarchate for Syro-Malankara Catholics in the United States of America, and appointed Father Thomas Naickamparampil
Thomas Naickamparampil
Aboon Thomas Mar Eusebius is the first and current bishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United States since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 July 2010.-Early life and education:...
, then head secretary general of the major archiepiscopate of the Syro-Malankara Church, as first apostolic exarch of the new exarchate. The bishop-elect was ordained to the episcopacy on 21 September 2010 at St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral, Pattom receiving the name "Aboon Thomas Mor Eusebius" and the Enthronement Ceremony in the United States was held on October 3, 2010 at Kellenberg High School, Uniondale, New York.
Canada and Europe
In July 2010 Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
also appointed Aboon Thomas Mor Eusebius
Thomas Naickamparampil
Aboon Thomas Mar Eusebius is the first and current bishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United States since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 July 2010.-Early life and education:...
as Apostolic Visitor for Syro-Malankara Catholics in Canada and Europe, alongside his primary work as Apostolic Exarch of the above-mentioned newly created Syro-Malankara exarchate in the U.S. There are Syro-Malankara parishes and communities in Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Middle East
Thirteen Syro-Malankara communities are present in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Because the parishes have not yet been organized as a Syro-Malankara ecclesiastical jurisdiction, they are under the direct supervision of the Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Arabia.Religious orders
- Order of the Imitation of ChristOrder of the Imitation of ChristThe Order of the Imitation of Christ , also known as Bethany Ashram, is a monastic order in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.-External links:*...
, Bethany Ashram - Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin
- Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj, Kurisumala AshramKristiya Sanyasa Samaj, Kurisumala AshramKurisumala Ashram is a Cistercian Monastery in Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. "Kurisu" is the translation of the word Cross, into Malayalam the language of Kerala, the small State in the South West tip of India; "Mala" means mountain; "Ashram" means Monastery...
- Franciscan Missionary Brothers
- Malabar Missionary Brothers
- Disciples of Divine Saviour
- Dhyana Ashram
- Chyalpadi Ashram
- Santhi Ashram
- Sisters of the Imitation of Christ, Bethany MadhomBethany MadhomThe Congregation of the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ - or Bethany Madhom is a congregation in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Bethany Madhom was founded by the Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios in 1925 in the Malankara Orthodox Church...
- Daughters of MaryDaughters of MaryDaughters of Mary The Congregation of the Daughters of Mary is a missionary congregation in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. With the blessing of Archbishop Mar Ivanios, Monsignor Joseph Kuzhinjalil founded the missionary congregation of the Daughters of Mary in 1938 at Marthandom in Kanyakumari...
- Holy Spirit Sisters
- Congregation of the Sacred Heart
- Dina Sevana Sabha
- Sisters of the Charity of St. Vincent de Paul
- Snehagiri Missionary Sisters
- Little Sisters of JesusLittle Sisters of JesusThe Little Sisters of Jesus are a Roman Catholic community of religious sisters inspired by the life and writings of Charles de Foucauld, founded by Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus .-Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus 1898 - 1989:...
- Sisters of John the Baptist
- Salesian SistersSalesian SistersThe title Salesian Sisters may refer to one of these Roman Catholic orders for women:* Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, also known as Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, founded in 1872...
- Baselian sisters
- Franciscan Missionaries of MaryFranciscan Missionaries of MaryFranciscan Missionaries of Mary, or the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary is a Roman Catholic order founded by Sister Mary of the Passion, Helene de Chappotin, in 1877 at Ootacamund, India....
- Adoration monastery of Mount Thabor
- Gathsemene Samarpitha Satsangham
- Little Servants of Divine Providence
- Sisters of CharitySisters of CharityMany religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity as part of their name. The rule of Saint Vincent for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious orders around the world in the subsequent centuries....
- Fervent Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Seminaries
- St. Mary’s Malankara Major SeminarySt. Mary’s Malankara Major SeminarySt. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Major Seminary is a centre of priestly training of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.- History :It was the long cherished dream of the Malankara Catholic Church to have a Major seminary of its own for the formation of its clergy.The desire to set up a Major...
, Trivandrum - Bethany Vedavijnana Peetham, Pune
- St. Aloysius Seminary, TrivandrumSt. Aloysius Seminary, TrivandrumSt. Aloysius Malankara Syrian Catholic Seminary is the minor seminary of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. It is situated on the Bethany Hills, Nalanchira, Trivandrum. The seminary offers priestly training for Minor Seminarians of the Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum....
- Infant Mary's Minor Seminary, Thiruvalla
- St. Thomas Minor Seminary, Gurukulam, Bathery
- St. Ephraem's Minor Seminary, Marthandom
- Gurusannidhi Minor Seminary, Muvattupuzha
- Mar Ivanios Minor Seminary, Mavelikkara
- Mar Gregorios Malankara Syrian Catholic Seminary, New York
Colleges
The Malankara Catholic Educational Society manages various ecclesiastical, charitable, and educational institutions. His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos is thePresident and His Excellency Most Rev Dr Samuel Mar Irenios is the Vice Chairman of Malankara Catholic Educational Society.
- Mar Ivanios CollegeMar Ivanios CollegeMar Ivanios College is an educational institutuion situated in Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala, India. The college is located on a small scenic hilltop with a sprawling campus area of hundreds of acres in Bethany Hills, Nalanchira, Thiruvananthapuram....
, Trivandrum - St. John's College, AnchalSt. John's College, AnchalSt John's college is a one of the higher educational institutions of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The college is situated at Anchal, Kerala, India. It is one of the Malankara Syrian Catholic colleges established and administered by the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum in accordance with the...
- Mar Theophilos Taining College, TrivandrumMar Theophilos Taining College, TrivandrumMar Theophilus Training College is a Syro-Malankara Catholic Church teacher training college. It is administered by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum....
- Mar Gregorios College of Arts and Science, ChennaiMar Gregorios College of Arts and Science, ChennaiMar Gregorios College is a private college located in Mogappair West, near Chennai.Mgc was founded by the Malankara Syrian Catholic Management . The Trust was founded on August 1, 1930 at Trivandrum, Kerala...
- Mar Baselios College of Engineering and TechnologyMar Baselios College of Engineering and TechnologyMar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology , is located in Nalanchira, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. The college is located on a hillock in the Bethany Hills....
, Trivandrum - Mar Baselios Institute of Technology, AnchalMar Baselios Institute of Technology, AnchalMar Baselios Institute of Technology was established by the Syro-Malankara Catholic Educational Society of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum. His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis is its patron....
- St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research InstituteSt. Ephrem Ecumenical Research InstituteSt. Ephraem Ecumenical Research Institute is a centre for Syriac studies based in Kerala, India.- Ecumenical Vision :SEERI is sponsored and supported by the Archeparchy of Tiruvalla of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. However,its aims and objectives, are distinctively ecumenical. The Institute...
, Kottayam - Pushpagiri Medical College, ThiruvallaPushpagiri Medical College, ThiruvallaPushpagiri Medical College, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India is run by Thiruvalla Archieparchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. At present it is a 900-bed multi disciplinary super specialty hospital. The Hospital has a very humble origin started as an eight-bed clinic in 1959. The hospital was...
- Pushpagiri College of Pharamacy, Thiruvalla
- Pushpagiri College of Nursing, Thiruvalla
- Pushpagiri College of Dental Sciences, Thiruvalla
- Mar Athanasios College for Advanced Studies, TiruvallaMar Athanasios College for Advanced Studies, TiruvallaMar Athanasios College for Advanced Studies Tiruvalla is a research institute in Kerala, India established in 2001. The college offers specially designed courses in business management, information technology and biosciences.-History:...
- Mar Severios College of Teacher Education, Chengaroor, Thiruvalla
- St. Joseph's College of Information Technology and Management, Thiruvalla
- St. John's Parallel College, Thiruvalla
- Pazhassi Raja College, Pulpally, BatheryPazhassi Raja College, Pulpally, BatheryPazhassi Raja College, Pulpally, Wayanad is a first grade college affiliated to Calicut University. The college was started in 1982. In 1992 the Eparchy of Sultan Bathery of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church bought the college. His Grace Dr.GeeVarghese Mar Divannasios is the patron of the...
- Mar Baselios College of Education, Bathery
- Mar Ivanios College of Education, Kunthoor, Karnataka
- Bethany Jounior College, Noojibalthila, Bathery
- Malankara Catholic College, MariagiriMalankara Catholic College, MariagiriMalankara Syrian Catholic College, Mariagiri, Tamil Nadu, India is owned and managed by the Eparchy of Marthandam of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, with the approval of the government of Tamil Nadu, and is affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Thirunelveli...
, Marthandom - Kanyakumari Community College, Mariagiri, Marthandom
- Mar Chrysostom College of Education, Kirathur, Marthandom
- Mar Ephraem College of Engineering, Marthandom
- Bethany College, Nalanchira, Trivandrum
- Bethany Navajeevan College of Education, Vencode, Marthandom
- Girideepam Institute of Advanced Learning, Kottayam
- Nirmal Bathany Junior College, Kalewadi, Pune
- Bethany Navajeevan College of Physiotherapy, Nalanchira, Trivandrum
- Bethany Navajeevan College of Nursing, Borsi, Durg, Bhilai
- Jnanodaya Bethany PU Science College, Nellyadi
- St.Joseph's College of Nursing, Anchal
Malankara Catholic Youth Movement
Malankara Catholic Youth MovementMalankara Catholic Youth Movement
Malankara Catholic Youth Movement is the official organization of the youth in Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The Kerala Catholic Youth Movement was officially inaugurated on December 28, 1978 in the special senate held at Mannam, Kottayam...
(MCYM) is the official organization for the youth in Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The Catholic Youth Movement of Kerala dates back to the second half of the 1960s. Although there were some youth organisations in the parish level at different parts of Kerala, the spread of the organization of the youth movements in the diocese took place rather late. Two reasons seems to be of prime importance for the foundation of the youth organizations in the late 1960s.
Current President of M.C.Y.M is Mr. Aji Daniel.
MCYM Branches
Kerala MCYM
1) Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum
2) Archieparchy of Thiruvilla
3) Eparchy of Bathery
4) Eparchy of Marthandom
5) Eparchy of Muvattupuzha
6) Eparchy of Mavelikkara
7) Eparchy of Pathanamthitta
MCYM ETR in India
1) Apostolic Visitation of North India Malankara Syrian Catholic Churches (MCCETR – New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
)
MCYM of the Exarchate and Apostolic Visitation of Canada and Europe
1) Exarchate of United States Malankara Syrian Catholic Churches (Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
– New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
)
Malankara Catholic Association
Founded in 1989, the Malankara Catholic Association (MCA) is the association of lay faithful of the Church. Baselios Cleemis, Catholicos, is the patron; there are now diocesan sections in the Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvalla, Bathery, Moovattupuzha and Marthandom Dioceses and in North America.See also
- List of Major Archbishops of Trivandrum
- St. Mary's Higher Secondary School, Pattom, TrivandrumSt. Mary's Higher Secondary School, Pattom, TrivandrumSt. Mary's Malankara Syrian Catholic Higher Secondary School Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, is an educational institution of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. It was founded in 1940 by Archbishop Mar Ivanios, who has been called the "Newman of India." The first headmaster of the school was A...
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Mylapra, Pathanamthitta
Additional sources
- Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
- "Archdiocese of Trivandrum (Malankarese)", Catholic-Hierarchy.Org, retrieved January 11, 2006
- The Syro-Malankara Catholic Major Archiepiscopal Church Directory, Trivandrum, 2006.
- Ronald Roberson, CSP; The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey (6th Edition); Edizioni Orientalia Christiana, Pontifico Instituto Orientale; Rome, Italy; 1999; ISBN 88-7210-321-5
- An article about the status and authority of the Church in canon law