Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Irinjalakuda

Last updated

Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Irinjalkuda-Kodungallur
Cathedral ijk.jpg
Irinjalakuda diocese.png
Coat of arms
Location
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
Territory Thrissur district
Ecclesiastical province Kerala
Metropolitan Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur
Statistics
Population
- Catholics

260000
Parishes136
Churches152
Information
Denomination Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Rite East Syriac Rite
Established1978
Cathedral St Thomas Cathedral & Bishop House
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Major ArchbishopMar Raphael Thattil
BishopMar Pauly Kannookadan, Bishop of Irinjalakuda
Metropolitan Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath
Website
irinjalakudadiocese.com

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Irinjalakuda-Kodungallur is a suffragan eparchy (Eastern Catholic diocese) in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur in Kerala state's Thrissur District, southern India.It is part of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (which follows the Syro-Malabar Rite, the Indian variant of the Syro-Oriental Rite).

Contents

Its cathedral episcopal see is Saint Thomas Cathedral, in Irinjalakuda city. Bishop Pauly Kannookkadan is the head of the diocese now The former cathedral (of Arch diocese of Crangannore), now St. Mary’s Forane Church -Puthenchira, is also in this eparchy.

Statistics

As per 2015, it pastorally served 269,867 Catholics (20.4% of 1,326,000 total) on 1,180 km² in 134 parishes and 20 missions with 301 priests (209 diocesan, 92 religious), 2,085 lay religious (168 brothers, 1,917 sisters) and 53 seminarians.

History

The eparchy was created as Diocese of Irinjalakuda / Irinialakuden(sis) (Latin adjective) by Pope Paul VI in his bull Trichurensis Eparchiae of 22 June 1978, on territory split off from the then Eparchy (Diocese) of Trichur (now its Metropolitan). Now, diocese of Irinjalakuda is under this Thrissur Archdiocese.

Antecedents

St Thomas, one of the apostles of Christ, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, set about the mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world. A review of the life of St Thomas will prove how he fulfilled this great mission in India. According to the tradition, St Thomas came by sea and landed at Kodungalloor (Cranganore) the capital of the then Chera Empire in 52 AD. He baptised families in Kodungalloor and Palayur (Trichur). St Thomas preached the gospel wherever he went, and founded churches. According to Malabar tradition St Thomas founded seven churches, they are in Cranganore, Quilon, Chayal, Kokkamangalam, Niranam, Paravur and Palayur. From there he went to Coromandel and suffered martyrdom near the Little Mount in Tamil Nadu. His body was brought to the town of Mylapore and was buried in a holy shrine. According to "Ramban Songs", St Thomas converted 17,550 people. He ordained priests and consecrated bishops. The Apostle consecrated Kepa, a native, as Bishop of Kodungalloor and as the head of St Thomas Christians and Paul as the Bishop of Mylapore. It is worth mentioning that the Apostle gave his followers a way of worship suited to their clime, culture and customs. Since the 4th century, the Church in India started communication with the East Syriac Church and soon began to introduce liturgical books and share rites. Thus the Indian Church became a member of the Babylonian (also known as Assyrian & Syro-Chaldean) Patriarchate for practical purpose, not for doctrinal reasons.

The head of the Indian Church was called The Metropolitan and Gate of All India, and had jurisdiction over all of the country. When the Chaldean prelates came to India as the spiritual heads of the independent metropolitan provinces under the East Syriac Patriarch, the administration of the Indian Church was done by a native priest with the title Archdeacon of all India or Jathikkukarthavian. The residence of the Metropolitan was first at Kodungallur, then Angamaly etc. Because of the close association of the St Thomas Christians with the East Syriac Church, the Indian Church of St Thomas is classified in history under the Chaldean matrix of rites, as we read in CCEO C.28:2 As Pope Pius XII said "during the centuries that India was cut off from the west and despite many trying vicissitudes, the Christian communities formed by the Apostle conserved intact the legacy he left them, and as soon as the sea passage at the close of the 15th century offered a link with their fellow Christians of the west, the union with them was spontaneous" ( AAS , XLV (1953) pp. 96 97). Thus the Syro-Malabar Church, as Pope John Paul II said, "Never severed from the communion with the Church of Rome, in a continuity that the enormous geographic distance has never been able to break". ("Insegnamenti Giovanni Paulo II". III/2. Rome, 1980, p. 513). In the 15th and 16th centuries the Metropolitans of the St Thomas Christians, who were then of East Syriac Rite, took Angamaly as their residential see. (cf. Bulls of Pope Julius III dated 10 March 1553 and 4 May 1553 in Giamil, "Genuinae Relationes....." Rome 1902, PP. 17–18-24).

Episcopal Ordinaries

(all Syro-Malabar Rite native Indians)

Suffragan Eparchs (Bishops) of Irinjalakuda

Saints and causes for canonisation

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Church</span> Eastern Catholic church

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church based in Kerala, India. It is sui iuris (autonomous) particular Church in full communion with the Pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, including the Latin Church and the 22 other Eastern Catholic Churches, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO). The Church is headed by the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar, Raphael Thattil. The Syro-Malabar Synod of Bishops canonically convoked and presided over by the Major Archbishop constitutes the supreme authority of the Church. The Major Archiepiscopal Curia of the Church is based in Kakkanad, Kochi. Syro-Malabar is a prefix reflecting the church's use of the East Syriac Rite liturgy and origins in Malabar. The name has been in usage in official Vatican documents since the nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanacherry</span> Eastern Catholic archeparchy in Kerala & Tamil Nadu, India

The Archeparchy of Changanacherry is a Syro-Malabar Catholic 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. Joseph Perumthottam is the current Metropolitan Archbishop, serving since 2007. Thomas Tharayil has been the auxiliary bishop since 2017. Suffragan eparchies of the Changanassery archeparchy includes Palai, Kanjirappally-Nilackal, and Thuckalay-Thiruvithancode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly</span> Eastern Catholic archeparchy in Kerala, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaldean Syrian Church</span> Eastern Christian Church based in Thrissur, India

The Chaldean Syrian Church of India is an Eastern Christian denomination, based in Thrissur, in India. It is organized as a metropolitan province of the Assyrian Church of the East, and represents traditional Christian communities of the East Syriac Rite along the Malabar Coast of India. It is headed by Mar Awgin Kuriakose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur</span> Eastern Catholic archeparchy in Kerala, India

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Trichur, in Thrissur District of Central Kerala, India, with nearly half a million Syro-Malabar Catholics now, used to be the largest Catholic diocese in India when it included the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda until 1978 and Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palghat until 1973. Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda, also located in Thrissur District, has over a quarter million Syro-Malabar Catholics now. Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat in Central Kerala extends to some regions in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. In 2010, the parts of Tamil Nadu under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat were separated to form another Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Ramanathapuram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam</span> Eastern Catholic eparchy in Kerala, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Sagar</span> Eastern Catholic ecclesiastical province in Madhya Pradesh, India

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 rite Metropolitan of the Roman 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Syro-Malabar Church</span>

This is a timeline of the history of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in Kerala, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Church, Palayur</span> Palayur church

Palayur Mar Thoma Major Archiepiscopal Church, is located at Palayur, in Thrissur district in Kerala on the west coast of India. According to Saint Thomas Christian tradition, the Syrian church was established in 52 AD by St Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. Saint Thomas performed the first baptism in India here, therefore this church is called an Apostolic Church credited to the apostolate of St. Thomas, who preached and also introduced Christianity to the people here. It is part of the Ēḻarappaḷḷikaḷ that he established in India, the others being at Cranganore, Kokkamangalam, Kottakkavu, Kollam, Niranam, and Chayal (Nilackal). The original small church structure has been retained at the original site. But substantial improvements around it were carried out during the 17th century by Giacomo Fenicio as necessary, without sacrificing the main sanctity of the place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palliveettil Chandy</span> 17th century Saint Thomas Christian bishop

Palliveettil Chandy also known as Parambil Chandy was a bishop of the Catholic Saint Thomas Christians. He is also the first known native Indian bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Thomas Cathedral, Irinjalakuda</span> Church in Kerala, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Thomas Christian denominations</span>

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. Joseph Church, Aloor is a parish of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Aloor. It was the first parish church in Aloor Muri of the Mukundapuram and Kodassery taluks. Aloor parish is one of the 83 parishes between the Bharathappuzha and Periyar rivers, during the erection of syro-Malabar hierarchy and Trichur Vicariate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archdiocese of Cranganore</span> Eastern Catholic diocese in India (1599 -1838)

The Archdiocese of Cranganore or Cranganor and Angamaly was a latinised Syriac Padroado Archdiocese in Kodungallur, Kerala, India. This diocese is a product of so-called Synod of Diamper held in East Syriac Archdiocese of Angamaly and All India. Its headquarters was first at St. Thomas church, Cranganore Fort until 1662 and then at Puthenchira church for more than a century. Mar Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar, Administrator of the diocese moved its headquarters to Vadayar due to invasion of Tipu Sultan. Mar Poulose Pandari, a Chaldean Bishop belongs to Puthenchira parish of this diocese.

Angamāly Padiyōla is a historic declaration of the Syrian Catholic/ Syro Malabar (Paḻayakūṟ) Saint Thomas Christians proclaimed in 1787 at the Great Church of Saint George in Angamāly. This document made a strong appeal to the pope for the consecration of a native bishop for the community and demanded autonomy for their Church which was forcibly brought under the Latin Church's jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian Catholics of Malabar</span> Church fork from the Syro-Malabar Church

The Paḻayakūṟ, also known as Romo-Syrians or Syrian Catholics of Malabar, are the East Syriac denominations of the Saint Thomas Christian Church, which claim ultimate apostolic origin from the Indian mission of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century AD.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Saints & Blessed – CCBI" . Retrieved 17 October 2019.