India-4

This blog covers the ecclesiastic provinces of the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankar Rites in India.  See my previous blogs on India.

• 6-1-2020—India 1
• 6-6-2020—India 2
• 6-28-2021—India 3

The reader should know that most Indian archdioceses have websites in English that may be of interest.

Tradition holds that St. Thomas the Apostle brought the Catholic Faith to India in the First Century (St. Bartholomew the Apostle may also have come to India).  Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite and that is true for India’s 20 million Catholics as well.  Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage.  However, some Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches—including the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankar churches.  Syro-Malabar Catholics are the descendants of the St. Thomas Christians.  European missionaries converted them from a 5th Century heresy related to the human and divine natures of Jesus.  There are 4 million Syro-Malabar Catholics in India today.  Syro-Malankar Catholics broke away from the Malankara Orthodox Church in 1930 and today number 400,000 in India.

Syro-Malabar Rite

There are five Syro-Malabar Rite provinces in India:  Ernakulam-Angamaly, Changanacherry, Kottayam, Tellicherry, and Trichur.  In addition there are seven other dioceses that are directly subject to the Major Archbishop.

• The Diocese of Faridabad is in the State of Haryana in India and was established in 2012. 
• The Diocese of Hosur is in the State of Tamil Nadu in India and was established in 2017. 
• The Diocese of Shamshabad is in the State of Telangana in India and was established in 2017.
• The Diocese of Great Britain is headquartered in Preston, Lancashire, England, and serves Syro-Malabar Catholics in England, Scotland, and Wales.  It was established in 2016.
• The Diocese of Mississauga is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, and serves Syro-Malabar Catholics in Canada.  It was established as an apostolic exarchate in 2015 and became a diocese in 2018.
• The Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle of Chicago is headquartered in Bellwood, Illinois, and serves Syro-Malabar Catholics in the United States.  It was established as a diocese in 2001.
• The Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle of Melbourne is headquartered in Epping, Victoria, and serves Syro-Malabar Catholics in Australia.  It was established in 2013.

The following dioceses in India are suffragan dioceses of Roman-rite archbishops and are mentioned in two of my first three blogs on India.  The Diocese of Adilabad was covered in India 1 (dated June 1, 2020) and the others were covered in India 3 (dated 6-28-2021): Bijnor, Chanda, Gorakhpur, Jagdalpur, Kalyan, Rajkot, Sagar, Satna, and Ujjain.   

Province of the Syro-Malabar Major Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly

The province consists of Syro-Malabar Catholics in parts of the civil State of Kerala.  The Archdiocese of Angamaly was established in 1555, but was suppressed in 1599.  It was restored as the Apostolic Vicariate of Ernakulam in 1896 and became an archdiocese in 1923.  It became the Major Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly in 1992.  It is the see of the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Rite.

St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Ernakulam was built in the early part of the last century, although the parish dates to 1112.  The main altar depicts the birth, the crucifixion, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The two 68-foot tall towers in the front are topped with statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the 88-foot bell tower has a statue of St. Thomas at the top.  Pope Paul VI designated the cathedral a minor basilica in 1974.

The first picture is from Pinterest, the second from TripAdvisor, and the rest from Wikipedia.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Hormis in Angamaly was built in the late 1500s by Archbishop Mar Abraham.  It was built using Syrian and Kerala architectural styles.

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Kothamangalam was created in 1956.
• The Diocese of Idukki was created in 2002.

Syro-Malabar Province of Changanacherry

The province consists of Syro-Malabar Catholics in parts of the civil States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Changanacherry began as an apostolic vicariate in 1896, became a diocese in 1923, and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1956. 

St. Mary’s Cathedral in Changanacherry was established as a parish in 1177.  The current church was built in 1887.  The cathedral is ornamented with ancient Hindu temple carvings. 

From Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Palai was created in 1950.
• The Diocese of Kanjirapally was created in 1977.
• The Diocese of Thuckalay was created in 1996.

Syro-Malabar Province of Tellicherry

The province consists of Syro-Malabar Catholics in the civil State of Karnataka and part of the civil State of Kerala.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tellicherry began as a diocese in 1953 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1995.St. Joseph’s Cathedral is in Palissery.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Mananthavady was created in 1973.
• The Diocese of Thamarasserry was created in 1986.
• The Diocese of Belthangady was created in 1999.
• The Diocese of Bhadravathi was created in 2007.
• The Diocese of Mandya was created in 2010.

Syro-Malabar Province of Trichur

The province consists of Syro-Malabar Catholics in parts of the civil States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Trichur began as an apostolic vicariate in 1887, became a diocese in 1923, and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1995.  

Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in Thrissur City is a Gothic church that was completed in 1957.  The Indo-European façade has two pinkish-white spires.  An underground shrine is considered a masterpiece of architectural design.  See lourdescathedralthrissur.com.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Palghat was created in 1974.
• The Diocese of Irinjalakuda was created in 1978.
• The Diocese of Ramanathapuram was created in 2010.

Syro-Malabar Province of Kottayam

The province consists of Syro-Malabar Catholics in part of the civil State of Kerala.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Kottayam was established in 1887, but was suppressed in 1896.  It was restored in 1911, became a diocese in 1923, and a metropolitan archdiocese in 2005. 

Christ the King Cathedral in Kottayam was built in the 1940s.  See smcim.org/church/cathedral_kottayam

Both are from the archdiocesan website.

The Province has no suffragan dioceses.

Syro-Malankar Rite

There are two Syro-Malankar Rite provinces in India:  Trivandrum and Tiruvalla.  In addition there are three other dioceses that are directly subject to the Major Archbishop.

• The Diocese of St. Ephrem of Khadki is in the State of Maharashtra in India.  It was established as an apostolic exarchate in 2015 and became a diocese in 2019. 
• The Diocese of St. John Chrysostom of Gurgaon is in the State of Haryana in India and was established in 2015. 
• The Diocese of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, is headquartered in Elmont, New York, and serves Syro-Malankar Catholics in the United States and Canada.  It was established as an apostolic exarchate in 2010 and became a diocese in 2016.

Province of the Syro-Malankar Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum

The province consists of Syro-Malankar Catholics in the civil State of Tamil Nadu and part of Kerala.  The Archdiocese of Thivandrum was created in 1932 and became the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum in 2005.  This is the see of the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankar Rite.

The baroque St. Mary’s Cathedral in Trivandrum was built between 1950 and 1965.  The Cathedral was renovated in 2008.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Marthandam was created in 1996.
• The Diocese of Mavelikara was created in 2007.
• The Diocese of Pathanamthitta was created in 2010.
• The Diocese of Parassala was created in 2017.

Syro-Malankar Province of Tiruvalla

The province consists of Syro-Malankar Catholics in the civil State of Karnataka and part of Kerala.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tiruvalla began as a diocese in 1932 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 2006. 

St. John’s Cathedral in Tiruvalla was designed by Laurie Baker.  Consecrated in 2004, the Cathedral’s design incorporates local traditional architecture and Eastern Christian architecture.  The interior is traditional and can hold 2,000.  The interior has a depiction of biblical themes in stained glass. Three key premises that are shown through these biblical themes are: God in search of man, man in search of God, and man in search of the other. The stained glass images depict the story of the Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, The Parable of the 10 Virgins, Zacchaeus, Parables of the Lost Sheep and Coins, the Rich Man and Lazarus, and the Last Judgment; important incidents in the life of Jesus from birth until the resurrection.

 

From Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Bathery was created in 1978.
• The Diocese of Muvattupuzha was created in 2002.
• The Diocese of Puthur was created in 2010.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also missionary jurisdictions below the level of a diocese, including apostolic vicariates.

Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite.  Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage.  Many Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches.  Eastern rite churches trace their heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  Eastern rite churches sometimes use different terminologies.  For example, a diocese might be called an eparchy and is led by an eparch.  A vicariate apostolic is called an exarchy (or apostolic exarchate) and is led by an exarch. 

A basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  Some cathedrals are also basilicas.  Each basilica has a ceremonial umbrella in the papal colors of white and yellow and a ceremonial bell.  Both of these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.