The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (Classical Syriac: ܥܹܕܬܵܐ ܕܡܲܠܲܒܵܪ ܣܘܼܪܝܵܝܵܐ (Edtha d'Malabar Suryaya or Church of Malabar Syrians)) is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in India in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with around 4 million believers and traces its origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.[1][2][3][4][5] It is also the second largest Eastern Catholic Church in communion with the Bishop of Rome.[6]
The church is headed by the Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, Mar George Alencherry. The members of the Church are known as Mar Thoma Nasranis or Syrian Catholics.
According to the East Syriac tradition, the following are the seven times of prayer:
The church is headed by the Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, Mar George Alencherry. The members of the Church are known as Mar Thoma Nasranis or Syrian Catholics.
The St. Thomas Christians (Nazranis)
The Syro-Malabar Church is an Apostolic Church
which traces its origin to the St. Thomas, the Apostle, who landed at
Cranganore (Muziris) in 52 AD and founded seven Christian communities in
Kerala, at Palayur, Cranganore, Kokkamangalam, Kottakavu (Parur),
Quilon, Niranam, and Chayal. St. Thomas was martyred in A.D. 72 at
Mylapore, near Chennai/Madras. The early Christian community in India
was known as St. Thomas Christians. They were also called Nazranis,
meaning those who follow the path of Jesus of Nazareth.
The East Syrian (Chaldean) Connection
From early centuries, the Church of St. Thomas
Christians came into contact with the East Syrian Church, which also
traces its origin to Apostle Thomas. From the 4th century until the end
of the 16th century Thomas Christians were governed by Bishops who were
appointed and sent by the Patriarch of the East Syrian Church. The
Thomas Christians developed a unique system of ecclesiastical
administration with the Bishops from Persia in charge of liturgical and
spiritual matters and the Local Archdeacon of All India (A priest) heading the Christian community and
handling the administration of the Church through Palliyogam (early form
of Synod).Thus the Thomas Christians shared the liturgical,
theological, spiritual and other ecclesiastical traditions with the East
Syrian Church; in socio-cultural organization and practices, however,
they were distinctively Indian.
Arrival of Portuguese in Malabar
The Portuguese Admiral Vasco da Gama arrived in Calicut on 20 May 1498.[15] When Gama and the Portuguese missionaries arrived they found no Christians in the country except in Malabar Coast (modern day Kerala). The Christians they found were St. Thomas Christians. The Christians were friendly to Portuguese missionaries at first; there were exchange of gifts between them, and these groups were delighted at their common faith.
Later, due to certain differences, mainly in the liturgy, the relations between the missionaries and local St. Thomas Christians became increasingly strained. Under the Padroado (patronage) agreement with the Holy See the Portuguese missionaries started to interfere in day-to-day operations of the church and things took a turn for the worse. They accused the Indian Christians of heresy and schism (also see: Schism in Christianity); and attempted to introduce the Latin customs and Latin manner of ecclesiastical administration, severing the East Syrian connection.
The Portuguese established a Roman Catholic (Latin Church) diocese in Goa (1534) and another in Cochin (1558) with the hope of bringing the St. Thomas Christians under Latin Catholic jurisdiction. At a Goan Synod held in 1585, it was decided to introduce the Latin liturgy and practices among the Thomas Christians. During the Synod of Diamper of 1599, the Portuguese Archbishop, Don Alexis Menezes, succeeded in appointing a Latin bishop to govern the St. Thomas Christians. The Portuguese padroado (patronage) was extended over them.
The strife between the Portuguese missionaries and the indigenous Christians and their Mesopotamian prelates was of an ecclesiological and jurisdictional character.
Attempts to resist the Latinization process were branded as heretical. Under their Archdeacon, the Thomas Christians resisted, and, consequently, the once united Church in full communion with the East Syrian Patriarch ended up in various denominations.
Divisions among Saint Thomas Christians
Relationship of the Nasrani groups
A protest took place in 1653 with the Coonan Cross Oath. Under the leadership of Archdeacon Thomas, the Thomas Christians publicly took an oath that they would not obey the Jesuit bishops.
Rome sent Carmelites in two groups from the Propagation of the Faith to Malabar headed by Fr. Sebastiani and Fr. Hyacinth. Fr. Sebastiani arrived first in 1655. He began to deal directly with the Archdeacon, Mar Thoma I. Fr. Sebastiani gained the support of many, especially with the support of Parambil Mar Chandy, Alexandar Kadavil and the Vicar of Muttam. These were the three councilors of Mar Thoma I, who were reconciled with Gracia (SJ)[who?] before the arrival of Sebastaini, according to Jesuit reports.
Between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the Carmelites reclaimed eighty-four churches, leaving Archdeacon Mar Thomas I with thirty-two churches. The eighty-four churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syro Malabar Church has descended. The other thirty-two churches and their congregations represented the nucleus from which the Syriac Orthodox (Jacobites & Orthodox), Thozhiyur, Mar Thoma (Reformed Syrians), Syro Malankara Catholics have originated.
In 1665 Mar Gregorios, a Bishop sent by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, arrived in India. The dissident group under the leadership of the Archdeacon welcomed him. Though most of the St. Thomas Christians gradually relented in their strong opposition to the Western control, the arrival of the Bishop Mar Gregory of the Syriac Orthodox Church in 1665 marked the beginning of a formal schism among the St. Thomas Christians. Those who accepted the West Syrian theological and liturgical tradition of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch of Mar Gregory became known as the "Malankara Orthodox Christians", The Syrian Catholics remained in communion with Rome and later came to be known as the Syro Malabar Church.
The Portuguese Admiral Vasco da Gama arrived in Calicut on 20 May 1498.[15] When Gama and the Portuguese missionaries arrived they found no Christians in the country except in Malabar Coast (modern day Kerala). The Christians they found were St. Thomas Christians. The Christians were friendly to Portuguese missionaries at first; there were exchange of gifts between them, and these groups were delighted at their common faith.
Later, due to certain differences, mainly in the liturgy, the relations between the missionaries and local St. Thomas Christians became increasingly strained. Under the Padroado (patronage) agreement with the Holy See the Portuguese missionaries started to interfere in day-to-day operations of the church and things took a turn for the worse. They accused the Indian Christians of heresy and schism (also see: Schism in Christianity); and attempted to introduce the Latin customs and Latin manner of ecclesiastical administration, severing the East Syrian connection.
The Portuguese established a Roman Catholic (Latin Church) diocese in Goa (1534) and another in Cochin (1558) with the hope of bringing the St. Thomas Christians under Latin Catholic jurisdiction. At a Goan Synod held in 1585, it was decided to introduce the Latin liturgy and practices among the Thomas Christians. During the Synod of Diamper of 1599, the Portuguese Archbishop, Don Alexis Menezes, succeeded in appointing a Latin bishop to govern the St. Thomas Christians. The Portuguese padroado (patronage) was extended over them.
The strife between the Portuguese missionaries and the indigenous Christians and their Mesopotamian prelates was of an ecclesiological and jurisdictional character.
Attempts to resist the Latinization process were branded as heretical. Under their Archdeacon, the Thomas Christians resisted, and, consequently, the once united Church in full communion with the East Syrian Patriarch ended up in various denominations.
Divisions among Saint Thomas Christians
Relationship of the Nasrani groups
A protest took place in 1653 with the Coonan Cross Oath. Under the leadership of Archdeacon Thomas, the Thomas Christians publicly took an oath that they would not obey the Jesuit bishops.
Rome sent Carmelites in two groups from the Propagation of the Faith to Malabar headed by Fr. Sebastiani and Fr. Hyacinth. Fr. Sebastiani arrived first in 1655. He began to deal directly with the Archdeacon, Mar Thoma I. Fr. Sebastiani gained the support of many, especially with the support of Parambil Mar Chandy, Alexandar Kadavil and the Vicar of Muttam. These were the three councilors of Mar Thoma I, who were reconciled with Gracia (SJ)[who?] before the arrival of Sebastaini, according to Jesuit reports.
Between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the Carmelites reclaimed eighty-four churches, leaving Archdeacon Mar Thomas I with thirty-two churches. The eighty-four churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syro Malabar Church has descended. The other thirty-two churches and their congregations represented the nucleus from which the Syriac Orthodox (Jacobites & Orthodox), Thozhiyur, Mar Thoma (Reformed Syrians), Syro Malankara Catholics have originated.
In 1665 Mar Gregorios, a Bishop sent by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, arrived in India. The dissident group under the leadership of the Archdeacon welcomed him. Though most of the St. Thomas Christians gradually relented in their strong opposition to the Western control, the arrival of the Bishop Mar Gregory of the Syriac Orthodox Church in 1665 marked the beginning of a formal schism among the St. Thomas Christians. Those who accepted the West Syrian theological and liturgical tradition of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch of Mar Gregory became known as the "Malankara Orthodox Christians", The Syrian Catholics remained in communion with Rome and later came to be known as the Syro Malabar Church.
Restoration of the Syro-Malabar hierarchy
After the split in the church community, some priests and laymen attempted to persuade the hierarchy to improve the identity of the local church and for the appointment of bishops from local priests. To represent their position, Kerala's Syrian Catholics Joseph Kariattil and Paremmakkal Thomma Kathanar went to Rome in 1778. While they were in Europe, Kariatty Joseph Kathanar was installed in Portugal as the Archbishop of Kodungalloor Archdiocese.[citation needed] While journeying home, they stayed in Goa where Kariattil died before he could formally take charge. Before he died, Kariattil appointed Kathanar as the Administrator of Kodungalloor Archdiocese after him. The new administrator ran the affairs of the church establishing his headquarters at Angamaly. In 1792, the headquarters of the Archdiocese was shifted to Vadayar dodging the invasion of Tippu Sultan. In the last four years of his life, Thomma Kathanar managed church administration from his own parish, Ramapuram.[citation needed]
After being under Chaldean bishops earlier and under Latin Church Roman Catholic bishops from 1599, St. Thomas Christians obtained their own dioceses from 1887. They came to be known as the Syro Malabar Catholics from that point on, to differentiate them from the Latin Church Catholics in Kerala. The Syro Malabar Hierarchy was restored on 21 December 1923 with Mar Augustine Kandathil as the first Metropolitan and Head of the Church.
After the split in the church community, some priests and laymen attempted to persuade the hierarchy to improve the identity of the local church and for the appointment of bishops from local priests. To represent their position, Kerala's Syrian Catholics Joseph Kariattil and Paremmakkal Thomma Kathanar went to Rome in 1778. While they were in Europe, Kariatty Joseph Kathanar was installed in Portugal as the Archbishop of Kodungalloor Archdiocese.[citation needed] While journeying home, they stayed in Goa where Kariattil died before he could formally take charge. Before he died, Kariattil appointed Kathanar as the Administrator of Kodungalloor Archdiocese after him. The new administrator ran the affairs of the church establishing his headquarters at Angamaly. In 1792, the headquarters of the Archdiocese was shifted to Vadayar dodging the invasion of Tippu Sultan. In the last four years of his life, Thomma Kathanar managed church administration from his own parish, Ramapuram.[citation needed]
After being under Chaldean bishops earlier and under Latin Church Roman Catholic bishops from 1599, St. Thomas Christians obtained their own dioceses from 1887. They came to be known as the Syro Malabar Catholics from that point on, to differentiate them from the Latin Church Catholics in Kerala. The Syro Malabar Hierarchy was restored on 21 December 1923 with Mar Augustine Kandathil as the first Metropolitan and Head of the Church.
Syro-Malabar identity
While modern Syro-Malabar identity is rooted in the Mar Thoma Margam or the sacred tradition of the Ancient Church of St. Thomas Christians - Syro-Malabar Historian and theologian Fr. Placid Podipara describes it as "Catholic by faith, Indian by culture & East Syrian/Syriac/Oriental in liturgy." Today, the Syro-Malabar Church finds herself as the second-largest Eastern Catholic Church in the world with 4.5 million worldwide.Liturgy
As per the East Syriac tradition, liturgical day of the Syro-Malabar Church starts at sunset (6 p. m.). Also the worshiper has to face the east while worshiping.According to the East Syriac tradition, the following are the seven times of prayer:
- Ramsha or the Evening Liturgy (6 p. m.)
- Lelya or the Night Liturgy (9 p. m.)
- Qala d-Shahra or the Vigil Liturgy (3 a. m.)
- Sapra or the Morning Liturgy (6 a. m.)
- Quta'a or the Third Hour Liturgy (9 a. m.)
- Endana or the Noon Liturgy (12 p. m.)
- D-Bathsha Shayin or the Ninth Hour Liturgy (3 p. m.)
No comments:
Post a Comment