Diocese of Kannur Dioecesis Kannurensis കണ്ണൂർ രൂപത | |
---|---|
catholic | |
Location | |
Country | India |
Ecclesiastical province | Verapoly |
Coordinates | 11°51′33″N75°21′41″E / 11.8592°N 75.3614°E |
Statistics | |
Area | 4,988 km2 (1,926 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2011) 2,734,000 48,899 (1.8%) |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 5 November 1998 |
Cathedral | Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Kannur |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Most Rev. Dr. Alex Vadakumthala |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Joseph Kalathiparambil |
Auxiliary Bishops | Rt. Rev. Dr. Dennis Kuruppassery |
Vicar General | Mon. Devassy Earathara and Mon. Clarence Paliath |
Website | |
www |
Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Kannur in the Ecclesiastical Province of Verapoly in India by bifurcating the Diocese of Calicut on 9 December 1998. The diocese consists of the Latin Catholics of Malabar residing in the revenue districts of Kannur and Kasaragod.
The see was vacant from 2012 until 2014. On 1 February 2014, Pope Francis appointed Alex Joseph Vadakumthala as the new bishop of Kannur. He was consecrated on 23 March.
Diocese of Kannur comprises the territory of the civil district of Kannur to the north of Mahé River, excluding Palloor, Chalakkara, Pandakkal and Cherukallai which belong to the municipality of Mahe and the territory of the civil district of Kasaragod which falls to the south of Chandragiri River. The erection of this diocese was a historical event for Kannur which has 500 years of Christian tradition. The establishment of this diocese, on the auspicious occasion of the Platinum Jubilee of the Diocese of Calicut was welcomed with cheer, by the people who consider the diocese of Kannur as a gift of God to this region of India.
Although Christian communities existed in South and Central Kerala from the beginning of Christianity, North Kerala known as Malabar had to wait long for the advent of the European missionaries to start their evangelization until the 16th century. It was with the advent of the Portuguese sailor, Vasco de Gama who landed here on 20 May 1498, that the missionaries had access to this area. Fr. Pedro de Kovilaham, the first missionary who came to Malabar with Vasco de Gama died on 31 July 1498. As the Portuguese traders could not get along with the ruler of Calicut, "the Zamorin", they moved to Kannur and the "Kolathiri", king of Kannur welcomed them.
The four Franciscan missionaries with Hovavo Nova, their group leader were allowed to build a chapel in Kannur. (This is the place where the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Diocese of Kannur is situated). In 1505, the Portuguese Viceroy, Francis de Almeida, established the famous fort of St. Angelos and built the church of St. James there.
Pope John Paul II by the Apostolic Brief Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam, dated 5 November 1998, created the Diocese of Kannur from the Diocese of Calicut. On the same day Varghese Chakkalakal who was a professor at St.Joseph's Seminary, Mangalore, and a priest of the diocese of Calicut, was elected the Bishop of Kannur and the Bishop elect was consecrated on 7 February 1999 and he took charge of the diocese on 8 February 1999. The Bishop has taken as his motto "according to your will" "Daivathirumanassinu Vidheyathuvam". On Monday, 15 June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI transferred him to become Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calicut, India; he will be the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese during the sede vacante (vacant see) period until a successor is chosen by the Pope.
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.
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 in Illinois state.
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 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 population that Indian Catholics make up percentage wise, India still has the second-largest Christian population in Asia after the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Mananthavady is an Eastern Catholic eparchy in India, under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. It was established in 1973 by Pope Paul VI. It is a suffragan diocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Tellicherry, the bishop of the diocese is Jose Porunnedom.
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 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay is a particular church celebrating the Latin Rite of worship, centred in the Bombay (Mumbai) city of the northern Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The archdiocese has been a Metropolitan see since its elevation, by Pope Leo XIII on 1 September 1886.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching is a Metropolitan Latin archbishopric of the Roman Catholic Church in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is however remains dependent on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
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.
Kulathuvayal is a place near Perambra in Kozhikode district of Kerala state, India. Administratively, Kulathuvayal comes under the Chakkittapara panchayat, Perambra block panchayat and Koyilandy Taluk.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore is a Latin metropolitan see of the Catholic Church of Pondicherry and Cuddalore in India.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cochin is a Roman Catholic Diocese in Cochin, 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.
There are places of worship considered important in the Kannur district. Kannur District is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The town of Kannur is the district headquarters, and gives the district its name.
The Papal Seminary in Pune, India, is a Catholic educational institute whose primary function is training priests.
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.
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.
St. George Forane Church Kallody is situated in Mananthavady taluk of Wayanad district. It is one of the important churches and pilgrim centers in the region, in communion with the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
Bishop VargheseChakkalakal is the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calicut.