The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a sui iuris (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO). The major archbishop presides over the entire church. The incumbent Major Archbishop is Raphael Thattil, serving since January 2024. It is the largest Syriac Christian church and the largest Eastern Catholic church. Syro-Malabar is a prefix reflecting the church's use of the East Syriac liturgy and origins in Malabar. The name has been in usage in official Vatican documents since the nineteenth century.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanacherry (Syriac: ܐܦܪܟܝܐ ܪܒܬܐ ܕܫܢܓܢܐܣܐܪܐ, romanized: Afarkaya Rabbta d-Shanganasara; Malayalam: ചങ്ങനാശ്ശേരി അതിരൂപത, romanized: Changanassery Atirūpata) is a Catholic East-Syriac Rite archeparchy with an area of 24,595 km2 comprising the districts of Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, and also Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest Catholic dioceses in India in terms of area. Thomas Tharayil is the current Metropolitan Archbishop, serving from 2024.Suffragan eparchies of the Changanassery archeparchy includes Palai, Kanjirappally-Nilackal, and Thuckalay-Thiruvithancode.
The Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly is the major archeparchy and the see of the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. It has been the major archeparchy since 1992 when the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church was elevated to the status of a major archiepiscopal church with Ernakulam-Angamaly as the primatal see. The major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly is the main bishop of the jurisdiction, at the same time the head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. The eparchies of Kothamangalam and Idukki are the two suffragan eparchies of the major archeparchy.
Mar Jacob Thoomkuzhy is an East Syriac Catholic Archbishop Emeritus, First Bishop of Mananthavady diocese, Second bishop of Thamarassery diocese and the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur in India. He was born at Vilakumadam in the Eparchy of Palai on 13 December 1930. He was educated at Thiruvambady in Kozhikode.
The Eparchy of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic of Chicago, also known as the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago, is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its episcopal seat is the Mar Thoma Sleeha Cathedral in the episcopal see of Chicago.
The Carmelites of Mary Immaculate abbreviated CMI, formerly also known as the Servants of Mary Immaculate, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, and is the largest such congregation in the Syro-Malabar Church.
The Archeparchy of Kottayam is a Syro-Malabar Church metropolitan archeparchy of the Catholic Church in India. The archeparchy is exclusively for Knanaya faithful who claim to be the descendants of Syriac Judeo-Christians who migrated from South Mesopotamia to Kodungallur (Muziris) in South India in 4th century A.D.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Rajkot is an Eastern Catholic eparchy in India under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. It was created by Pope Paul VI's Bull "De recta fidelium" in 1977, separating it from the Diocese of Ahmedabad. Its cathedral is Sacred Heart Syro-Malabar Cathedral, Rajkot.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy (Diocese) of Sagar is an eparchy in central India, which is part of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, yet is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Latin Catholic Metropolitan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bhopal. It was created in 1968 as (missionary) and promoted diocese in 1977 by the papal bull Divina Verba of Pope Paul VI.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Chanda is an eparchy of the East Syriac Rite Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, yet suffragan of the Latin Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nagpur.
This is a timeline of the history of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India.
The Missionary Society of St Thomas, abbreviated M.S.T. is an Eastern Catholic missionary organization founded in 1968 in Kerala by the Syro Malabar Catholic Church, for missionary work in "less Christian areas" in and outside India. It was founded by Bishop Sebastian Vayalil as a society of apostolic life for men.
Bishop Sebastian Vayalil was the first bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palai, in Kerala, India.
Joseph Kallarangatt is an Indian bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church serving as the Bishop of the Eparchy of Palai since 2004 succeeding Joseph Pallikaparampil.
Joseph Srampickal is an Indian Syro-Malabar Catholic bishop. In 2016, he was appointed the first bishop of the Eparchy of Great Britain, which had been erected by Pope Francis the same year.
Jacob Muricken is an Indian Catholic monk, prelate and theologian, who is the former auxiliary bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palai (2012-2022). He was ordained as a priest by Joseph Pallikaparampil on 27 December 1993. He served as an assistant vicar, boarding house rector, professor, secretary of Corporate Educational Agency, vicar at Chakkampuzha and Neeloor parishes. He was declared auxiliary bishop of Palai on 24 August 2012 while serving as the diocesan pastoral coordinator. His episcopal ordination was on 1 October 2012 by Joseph Perumthottam at St. Thomas Cathedral, Palai.
Mar Simon Stock Palathara CMI was the second bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Jagdalpur, India. Bishop Simon Stock was born as the son of Mr. Philip and Mrs. Mary Philip on 11 October 1935, in Vadakkekara ,Changanacherry, Kerala. After his High School Education in St. Berchman's Changanacherry and St. Epherm, Mannanam he joined the CMI Congregation in 1954. He made his first religious profession on 16 May 1958. He had his Major Seminary formation at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore and was ordained priest on 1 December 1964. From 1972 till 1977 he was the Pro-Exarch of the Exarchate of Jagdalpur and later till 1982 as its Vicar General. He was the Provincial Superior of the Jagdalpur Vice-Province of the CMI Congregation for two terms, from 1981 to 84 and 1987 to 90. He was nominated bishop of Jagdalpur in 1993 and was ordained Bishop on 19 March 1993. He was retired from the active episcopal ministry as Bishop of the eparchy after completing 75 years of age in 2013. He then continued as the Bishop Emeritus of Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Jagdalpur. He was a priest for 57 years and a bishop for 29 years. He was called to eternal rest on 19 November, 2022 at 1.30 am at MPM Hospital, Jagdalpur.
Mar John Panamthottathil is an Indian-born bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in the Australia and Oceania. He is currently the eparch of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne.
