The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) is one of the biggest episcopal territories in Kerala, with a Catholic population of nearly 280,000 people, even after the bifurcation of the Diocese of Neyyattinkara some years ago. The 95 parishes, 31 quasi parishes and 34 mass centers of the Diocese are grouped together into 9 Foranes. At present there are 164 incardinated priests in the Archdiocese including those retired, studying and working for other Dioceses, and 161 religious priests.[1]
Topography
The archdiocese is headquartered in Kerala's capital city Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum. The archdiocese is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the West and Western Ghat on the East. There are wooded highlands on the Western Ghats in the eastern and northeastern borders, and a long shoreline with internationally renowned beaches, historic monuments, backwater stretches and a rich cultural heritage.[2]
The diocese is bounded on the north by the Diocese of Quilon, on the east by the Ghats, on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the south by the Diocese of Kottar.[citation needed]
History
Early history
With the arrival of the Portuguese but especially with the advent of the pioneer missionary Francis Xavier, Latin Catholicism spread far and wide in these parts; by the close of the sixteenth century there were well-established Christian communities along the Trivandrum coast. But with the suppression of the Society of Jesus, this missionary enterprises came to a close.[citation needed]
The second phase of the missionary enterprise in the Diocese begins with the dawn of the twentieth century. Bishop Benziger, who became coadjutor Bishop of Quilon in 1900 and Bishop in 1905, propagated Christianity in the Diocese with the help of missionary priests. In 1931, when he retired to the Carmel Hill Monastery, Trivandrum, there were Christian communities established in almost all places of the interior region. As early as 1919, Bishop Benziger recommended the establishment of the Diocese of Trivandrum, but it materialized only after his retirement.
Erection of the diocese and first bishops
On 1 July 1937, by the Bull "In Ora Malabarica" Pope Pius XI created the Diocese of Trivandrum with the four taluks of Neyyantinkara, Nedumangad, Trivandrum and Chirayinkeezh bifurcated from the diocese of Quilon. Bishop Vincent V Dereere, OCD., Bishop of Quilon was transferred to the newly erected Diocese of Trivandrum which was entrusted to the Carmelites of the Flanders Province (Belgium).
In 1952, when the Diocese of Alleppey was erected by the bifurcation of the formerly Padroado Diocese of Cochin, the stripe of coastal parishes which formed the Trivandrum Portuguese Mission was temporarily annexed to the Diocese of Trivandrum with Bishop Vincent V. Dereere as its administrator. On 20 May 1955, this territory was definitely integrated in the Diocese of Trivandrum.
On 24 October 1966, when Bishop Vincent V.Dereere OCD. resigned from the See of Trivandrum, Bishop Peter Bernard Pereira was the first Indian to be appointed Bishop of Trivandrum, and the Diocese passed into the hands of the indigenous clergy. The Liturgical and Catechetical renewal initiated by Bishop Bernard Pereira after the II Vatican Council marks the beginning of renewal in the Diocese. St.Xavier's College, Thumba, All Saint's College and various other pioneering contributions of Bp. Pereira made a strong footing for the growth of the Diocese of Trivandrum.
The Diocese celebrated its Golden Jubilee year in 1987, and a renewal movement was initiated by Bishop Jacob Acharuparambil. In 1512 Basic Christian Communities lay people come forward to share responsibilities. On 14 June 1996 the Diocese of Trivandrum lost territory to the newly erected Diocese of Neyyattinkara.[2]
Bishop
On 17 June 2004 Pope John Paul II elevated the Diocese of Trivandrum into an Archdiocese, and appointed Soosa Pakiam as its first Archbishop. On 2 February 2016, Pope Francis appointed Christudas Rajappan as the new auxiliary bishop of the diocese. Patroness of the Archdiocese is St. Theresa of Child Jesus.
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. It is one of the major archiepiscopal churches of the Catholic Church. It is headed by Major Archbishop Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum based in Kerala, India. With more than 1096 parishes, its one of India's biggest church evangelical establishments.
Neyyattinkara, is a significant municipal town and a prominent center for both industry and commerce, positioned at the southernmost tip of the Thiruvananthapuram metropolitan area in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala State. It also serves as the administrative headquarters of Neyyattinkara Taluk.Nestled along the banks of the Neyyar River, one of the district's principal rivers, the town derives its name from its location, with 'Neyyatinkara' in Malayalam translating to 'the shore of the river Neyyar.' Neyyattinkara ranks as the second most densely populated municipality in the district, following Varkala. Notably, the Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram is situated within Neyyattinkara Taluk."
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The Major 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.
The Diocese of Quilon is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church based in the southern Indian city of Kollam. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Trivandrum. The Diocese of Quilon covers an area of 1,950 km2 that contains a population of some 4.8 million. At least 4.8% of the people in the area are Catholic.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam is a metropolitan Archeparchy of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India. The Archeparchy is exclusively for Knanaya faithful who are the descendants of Syriac Judeo-Christians who migrated from South Mesopotamia to Kodungallur (Muziris) in South India in 4th century.
The Archdiocese of Verapoly (Verapolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church, composed of Latin Catholics of Malabar and headquartered at the city of Cochin, in the south Indian state of Kerala. The archdiocese has administrative control over the suffragan dioceses of Calicut, Cochin, Kannur, Kottapuram, Sultanpet and Vijayapuram. The headquarters is located in Kochi along the Malabar Coast in India. It was originally formed as the Vicariate Apostolic of Malabar in 1657 and became a metropolitan see in 1886. Verapoly is the anglicised name of Varapuzha.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kottar is a Latin Rite suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of, Kottar, Kanyakumari District, southern India yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vijayapuram is a diocese located in the city of Kottayam in the ecclesiastical province of Verapoly in India.
The St. Xavier's Church is a Roman Catholic Church run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Neyyattinkara. Diocese of Neyyattinkara was formed on 5 November 1996 and prior to the formation of Diocese of Neyyattinkara, St.Xavier's Church Peyad was under the control of Metropolitan Arch Diocese of Thiruvananthapuram. The church follows Latin Rite.
The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India or CCBI, is the national episcopal conference of the bishops of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in India, functioning in accordance with canon 447. There are 132 Latin Catholic dioceses in the country, and 190 active and retired bishops are the members of the CCBI. This is the largest bishops' conference in Asia and the fourth largest in the world. The CCBI is a member of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.
The century old Carmel Higher Secondary School is a private Catholic secondary school for boys, located at Carmel Nagar, Ramanputhoor, in Nagercoil, in the Kanyakumari District, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
St. Joseph's Metropolitan Cathedral, also known as Palayam Palli, is the Roman Catholic Latin Rite cathedral of the Archdiocese of Trivandrum. The first church was built here in 1873. The church was intended in the manner of a cross in 1912. The final stage of extension, including the Gothic style facade and the bell-tower was completed in 1927. The three bells were brought from Belgium and were named Joseph, Xavier, and Aloysius in honour of, respectively, St. Joseph, the patron of the church; St. Francis Xavier, the apostle of India; and Bishop Aloysius Maria Benziger, the pioneer missionary-bishop of Quilon. Upon the bifurcation of the Diocese of Quilon, the new Diocese of Trivandrum was formed on 1 July 1937, and St. Joseph's Church became the cathedral of the newly formed diocese. When the diocese was raised to a metropolitan archdiocese in 2004, the cathedral became a metropolitan cathedral. The cathedral has a statue of its patron St. Joseph with the Child Jesus in the middle of the facade and a statue of Jesus with hands raised atop the tower. The church which is white in colour was painted red from 1927 to 2010. It was renovated during the period 2008 to 2010.
This article gives a list of the territories of the dioceses of the Catholic Church in India.
Maria Callist Soosa Pakiam is the Archbishop Emeritus of the Latin Rite Archdiocese of Trivandrum.
Mar Thomas Tharayil( born 2 February 1972) is the auxiliary bishop of Syro-Malabar Archeparchy of Changanacherry. He was conferred as the auxiliary bishop by Mar Joseph Perumthottam on 23 April 2017.
Mons Dr. Thomas Jessayyan Netto is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Trivandrum. Archbishop Netto is the second Metropolitan Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram archdiocese.
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