Diocese of Cochin Dioecesis Coccinensis കൊച്ചി രൂപത | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | India |
Episcopal conference | Catholic Bishops' Conference of India Kerala Catholic Bishop's Council |
Ecclesiastical province | Verapoly |
Residence | Bishop's House Bp Joseph Kureethara Road, P.B. No. 11 Fort Kochi, Kochi - 682001 |
Headquarters | Fort Kochi, Kerala |
Coordinates | 9°57′53″N76°14′34″E / 9.964774°N 76.242738°E |
Statistics | |
Area | 236 km2 (91 sq mi) [1] |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2021) 625,500 [a] 176,680 [a] (28.2%) |
Parishes | 51 [a] |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 4 February 1557 |
Cathedral | Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Fort Cochin |
Patron saint | |
Secular priests | 163 Diocesan Priests[ citation needed ] |
Language |
|
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Joseph Kalathiparambil |
Apostolic Administrator | Bishop James Raphael Anaparambil |
Vicar General | Msgr Shaiju Pariathussery |
Episcopal Vicars | Very Rev Fr Antony Kattiparambil |
Judicial Vicar | Very Rev Fr. Antony Kattiparambil [2] |
Bishops emeritus | |
Website | |
dioceseofcochin | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cochin (Latin : Dioecesis Coccinensis) is a Roman Catholic Diocese in Kochi, Kerala, India. A constituent of the sui iuris Latin Church, the diocese was established in 1557 after the domination of the Portuguese-speaking missionaries. The diocese is a suffragan church to the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly, and serves the Latin Catholics of Malabar. [3] [4]
The diocese is situated with the Arabian Sea in the west, the Archdiocese of Verapoly in both north and east, and the Diocese of Alleppey in the south. The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica in Fort Cochin is the diocese's cathedral where the Diocesan Administrator resides. The diocesan administrator was Msgr. Shaiju Pariathussery after the retirement of Joseph Kariyil till Pope Francis appointed Bp James Anaparambil, Bishop of Diocese of Alleppey, as apostolic administrator sede plena to the diocese on 11 October 2024. [5]
The early Christian missionaries arrived in India from Portugal in 1550, pioneering the Portuguese mission in the country. Subsequently, the Christians of Kochi began practicing the Latin liturgical rite. St. Francis Xavier often visited the land of Kochi, where he offered holy mass at the St. Francis Church, in which lies the body of Vasco da Gama buried in 1524. [6] The Order of the Franciscans built a monastery in 1518 and two more, of the Jesuit Order, in 1550 and 1561. In 1553 the Dominicans sisters started a College and Monastery in Kochi, and before 1557, publication began and book printing began in Kochi. The Society of Jesus was then founded by Father Balthazar Gago, S.J. in 1550 and in 1560, the King of Portugal built for the Society of Jesus, the college of Kochi, and in 1562, a novitiate of the Society was established there. Following the rising of the land, Pope Leo X, in 1514 erected the Diocese of Funchal, and in 1534, the Diocese of Goa which was joined by the people in Kochi. The diocese of Cochin was elected by Pope Paul IV on 4 February 1557, in his decree "Pro Excellenti Praeeminentia" [6] for the two new suffragan dioceses (the other being Diocese of Malacca). [7] [1] After its erection as a diocese, it was the second and preceded southern and eastern India, Burma, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). It was later reorganized following the Concordat of 23 June 1886, between Leo XIII and King Luiz of Portugal.[ citation needed ]
Before the missionaries, people of Malabar practiced Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Three out of the eight Franciscan friars, who sailed from Lisbon to India died in the 1500 masacre in Kozhikode. The survivors then settled at Kochi and from there began the foundation of the Diocese of Cochin. They also received support from other missionaries working from the city which was a centre. Vasco da Gama, a messenger from Portugal who had arrived at Cochin accepted the writings of the early converted Christians for the King of Portugal. The Syrian Bishop of those Christians promised obedience to the pope through the Franciscan missionaries and two Nestorian priests, who later accompanied Gama to Lisbon en route for Rome. The pioneer priests of the diocese, Franciscans João d'Elvas and Pedro d'Amarante until 1507, preached the Gospel at Vypin, Pallippuram, and Kodungallur. Father Vincent de Lagos established the College of Kodungallur in 1540 to train the Nestorian Christians.[ citation needed ]
The Papal Bull of Pope Paul IV, which was used earlier in erecting the diocese was also utilised in raising the collegiate church of the Holy Cross, and the parish church of Cochin to a cathedral of the diocese with the first Bishop of Cochin, a Dominican Father Jorge Tremudo. In 1577, Brother João Gonsalves, S.J. was engraved at Cochin for the first time, thus, outlined the first Malealam book Outlines of Christian Doctrine, which was written in Portuguese by St. Francis Xavier to aid children. Cochin was taken on 6 January 1663, by the Dutch after a siege of six months. The city was reduced in size; the clergy were expelled; the monasteries and colleges, bishop's palace, etc, were razed to the ground. The church of St. Francis of Assisi, belonging to the Franciscan monastery was spared by the conquerors and converted for their religious use. After the English overthrew the Dutch, they kept the church which was turned into a merchandise to serve as a witness to the past four centuries, as well as an existing oldest church in India. [6]
The Diocese Of Cochin is blessed with fifty one independent parishes with resident priests under six ecclesiastical districts as follows
FIRST DISTRICT – FORT COCHIN FORANE | ||
IMAGE | NAME OF THE PARISH | YEAR ESTABLISHED |
Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica Fort Kochi | 1505 | |
Our Lady Of Life Church Mattancherry | 9th century | |
Our Lady Of Hope Church Vypeen | 1605 | |
SS Peter and Paul Church Amaravathy | 1857 | |
Holy Family Church Nazareth | 1901 | |
Stella Maris Church Willington Island | 1955 | |
St Joseph's Bethlehem Church Chullicakal | 1974 | |
St Mary's Church Kochery | 2016 | |
SECOND DISTRICT – KANNAMALY FORANE | ||
---|---|---|
St Antony's Forane Church Kannamaly | 1873 | |
St Louis Church Mundamvely | 9th century | |
St Sebastian's Church Chellanam | 1832 | |
St Joseph's Church Cheriyakadavu | 1968 | |
St Francis Assisi Church Kattiparambu | 1980 | |
St Thomas Apostle Church Santhome | 1990 | |
St John The Baptist Church Anjilithara | 2019 | |
THIRD DISTRICT – EDAKOCHI FORANE | ||
St Lawrence Church Edacochin | 9th century | |
St Sebastian's Church Thoppumpady | 1833 | |
Santa Cruz Church Perumpadappu | 1965 | |
St Joseph's Church Chirackal | 1965 | |
St Mary's Church North Edakochi | 1978 | |
St Lawrence Church Palluruthy | 1986 | |
St Thomas More Church Palluruthy | 1991 | |
St Joseph's Church Maduracompany | 2012 | |
Santa Maria Church Perumpadappu | 2018 | |
FOURTH DISTRICT – KUMBALANGHI FORANE | ||
St George Church Pazhangad | 1869 | |
St Peter's Church Kumbalanghi | 1875 | |
St Joseph's Church North Kumbalanghi | 1967 | |
Immaculate Conception Church Ezhupunna | 1977 | |
St Sebastian's Church Neendakara | 1977 | |
Sacred Heart Church Kumbalanghi | 1994 | |
St Martin De Porres Church Kallencherry | 1996 | |
Holy Maris Church Azhikakam | 2014 | |
San Jose Church Ettumkal | 2014 | |
FIFTH DISTRICT – AROOR FORANE | ||
St Augustine's Church Aroor | 1901 | |
St Francis Xavier Church Eramallore | 1843 | |
St Joseph's Church Kumbalam | 1977 | |
St Antony's Church Arookutty | 1978 | |
St Joseph's Church Vallethode | 1986 | |
Our Lady Of Fatima Church Kodamthuruth | ||
St Mary's Church Chandiroor | 2004 | |
St Sebastian's Church Karunyapuram | 2013 | |
Little Flower Church Perumbalam | 2013 | |
St Jude Church Eramallor | ||
Queen Of Peace Church Ezhupunna | 2024 | |
SIXTH DISTRICT – THANKEY FORANE | ||
St Mary's Forane Church Thankey | 1832 | |
Our Lady Of Assumption Church Poomkavu | 1860 | |
St George Church Arthumkal | 1866 | |
St Francis Xavier Church Vayalar | 1936 | |
St Sebastian's Church Areeparambu | 2016 | |
St George Church Arasupuram | 2017 | |
St Antony's Church Pathirapally |
In 9th century there were only three parishes in West Kochi: St. Lawrence Church Edakochi, Our Lady Of Life Church Mattancherry, and St. Louis Church Mundamveli. [8]
IMAGE | NAME OF THE CHURCH | VENERATION | LOCATION |
---|---|---|---|
HOLY CROSS PILGRIM CENTER (COONAN KURISU) MATTANCHERRY | HOLY CROSS | ||
OUR LADY OF VELANKANNI SHRINE,MARUVAKAD, CHELLANAM | OUR LADY OF HEALTH | ||
ST JOSEPH'S MIRACULOUS SHRINE KANNAMALY | ST JOSEPH | ||
ST SEBASTIAN'S CHURCH EDACOCHIN,TOMB OF SERVANT OF GOD MSGR.LAWRENCE PULIYANATH | MSGR.LAWRENCE PULIYANATH (Servant Of God) |
1558, 4 de Fevereiro, Roma – Bula Pro excellenti praeeminentia, pela qual Paulo IV instituiu a diocese de Cochim, desmembrando o seu território da então criada arquidiocese de Goa e concedendo ao rei de Portugal o direito de padroado e de apresentação do bispo da nova diocese.
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 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.
Fort Kochi, formerly known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin, is a Town of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Kochi, the first European fort on Indian soil, controlled by the Portuguese East Indies. This is part of a handful of water-bound islands and islets toward the south-west of the mainland Kochi, and collectively known as Old Kochi or West Kochi. Adjacent to this is the locality of Mattancherry. In 1967, these three municipalities along with a few adjoining areas, were amalgamated to form the Kochi Municipal Corporation.
The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, also known as Kotta Palli or Kottepalli, is located in Fort Kochi, Kochi. It is one of the thirty-four basilicas in India and one of nine in Kerala. This heritage edifice of Kerala is renowned for its Indo-European and Gothic architectural style. It serves as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Cochin.
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 Diocese of Venice in Florida is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory–or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southwest Florida in the United States. It was founded on June 16, 1984. Frank Dewane has been bishop since 2007. The Diocese of Venice in Florida is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Miami.
The Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope. There are over 20 million Catholics in India, representing around 1.55% of the total population, and the Catholic Church is the single largest Christian church in India. There are 10,701 parishes that make up 174 dioceses and eparchies, which are organised into 29 ecclesiastical provinces. Of these, 132 dioceses are of the Latin Church, 31 of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and 11 of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Despite the very small percentage-wise population that Indian Catholics make up in the country, India still has the second-largest Christian population in Asia, after the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
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.
Missionary work of the Catholic Church has often been undertaken outside the geographically defined parishes and dioceses by religious orders who have people and material resources to spare, and some of which specialized in missions. Eventually, parishes and dioceses would be organized worldwide, often after an intermediate phase as an apostolic prefecture or apostolic vicariate. Catholic mission has predominantly been carried out by the Latin Church in practice.
This is a timeline of the history of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India.
The Archdiocese of Verapoly 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 Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman encompasses the Goa state and the Damaon territory in the Konkan region, by the west coast of India. The ecclesiastical province of Goa and Damaon includes a suffragan diocese, the Sindhudurg Diocese that comprises the Malvani areas of. The Archbishop of Goa also holds the titles of Primate of the East and Patriarch of the East Indies, also hold the title of the Syrian Catholic Primate of the Archdiocese of Cranganore. The beginnings lie in the Padroado system of Portuguese Goa and Damaon, in the early 1900s the primatial see was transferred back to the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as the Padroado system of the Indo-Portuguese era was being dismantled.
St. Thomas Cathedral is the Syro Malabar Catholic cathedral of the eparchy of Irinjalakuda in India. It presently exists under the nomenclature and the Canonical Status as Cathedral in the Wake of the Origin of the New Eparchy, effected by the amalgamation of the two independent and important parishes of the locality, namely, St. George’s Forane Church and St. Mary’s church, which were amicably situated side by side for about a century.
Francis Kallarackal was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly in India. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 20 February 2010.
The Saint Thomas Christian denominations are Christian denominations from Kerala, India, which traditionally trace their ultimate origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. They are also known as "Nasranis" as well. The Syriac term "Nasrani" is still used by St. Thomas Christians in Kerala. It is part of the Eastern Christianity institution.
Bishop Dr. Alex Vadakumthala was ordained as Priest on 19 December 1984. He served as the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Verapoly. He was appointed as Bishop of Kannur on 1 February 2014. He has served as the Executive Secretary of the CBCI Commission for Health Care. He had also served as the Project Director, Constant Lievens National Academy of Healy Sciences, Ranchi . Bishop Alex's artistic achievements are highlighted in the Malayalam Christian Devotional Song Divya sneham ദിവ്യ സ്നേഹം, where he contributed its lyrics.
Stephen Alathara is the deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI). He started as the deputy secretary general of the conference on 10 June 2014. He was appointed to this post three times consecutively in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He is the first priest from Kerala to serve as the deputy secretary general of the national episcopal conference. He is the founding Director of Communio, Executive Secretary to the CCBI Commission for Boundary, Chief Functionary of the Episcopal Conference, the Director of CCBI Centre., Bangalore, the Director of Shanti Sadan, CCBI Secretariat Extension, Benaulim, Goa, Incharge of the PR Office in New Delhi and the Editor of the CCBI News. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India is the largest canonical national episcopal conference in Asia and the fourth largest in the world. There are 132 dioceses and 206 bishops under the conference.
St. Francis Xavier's Church, Sampaloor, popularly known as Sampaloor Palli, is a parish church coming under the Diocese of Kottapuram of the Archdiocese of Verapoly. It is situated along Palayamparambu Road, at Sampaloor, Mala in Thrissur district of the south Indian state of Kerala. The church is best known for hosting a number of Christian saints and missionaries including Francis Xavier, John de Britto, Arnos Pathiri and Constanzo Beschi.
The Latin Catholics of Malabar Coast, also known as Malabar Latin Catholics or Latin Christians of Kerala are a multi-ethnic religious group in Kerala adhering to the Roman Rite liturgical practices of the Latin Church, on the Malabar Coast, the southwestern coast of India. Ecclesiastically, they constitute the ecclesiastical provinces of Verapoly and Trivandrum. They are predominantly Malayali people and speak the Malayalam language, though a subgroup of Luso-Indians speaks the Cochin Portuguese Creole. They trace their origins to the evangelization of Malabar Coast by the Dominican, Franciscan, Jesuit and Carmelite missionaries, mainly French and Portuguese.