Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanacherry

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Archeparchy of Changanacherry

Changanacherrensis
Thomas Joseph Tharayil
Website
www.archdiocesechanganacherry.org
Headquarters of the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Changanacherry

The Archeparchy of Changanacherry is a

Thomas Tharayil has been the auxiliary bishop since 2017. Suffragan eparchies of the Changanassery archeparchy includes Palai, Kanjirappally-Nilackal, and Thuckalay-Thiruvithancode
(Tamil Nadu).

The Changanacherry (originally named Kottayam) jurisdiction was one of the first two Syro-Malabar vicariates, along with

Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur, when Pope Leo XIII in 1887 re-organized Syro-Malabar Catholics as a separate church from the Latin Church's jurisdiction ever since the Synod of Diamper
in 1599.

History

The Apostolic Church of

St. Thomas Christians traditionally traces its origin to St. Thomas, the Apostle, who is held to have arrived on the Kerala Coast in A.D. 52. In the course of history this Church entered into good relationship with the East Syriac Church. The presbiteral office of the Archdeacon of all India did the temporal administration.[citation needed
]

The Portuguese missionaries who arrived in the 15th century could not decipher the liturgical traditions and the mode of governance of this Church. They Latinized the ancient liturgical texts and forced existing East Syriac Christians or Nasranis to convert to the Roman Catholic Church under the Padroado Archbishop of Goa. When the domination of the Portuguese missionaries became unbearable, a section of this community broke away from western supremacy in 1653 and accepted allegiance to Antiochian West Syriac Rite and Miaphysite belief. But a good number returned to the East Syriac Catholic fold through unification efforts. Those who did not return constitute the present Malankara Churches. The others maintained and regained loyalty to the Apostolic See of Rome. This relationship started only in 1553 as a half Catholic-half Nestorian position due to a split in the Babylonian Church of the East and strengthened in 1599 through the Udayamperur sunnahadose (Synod of Diamper).[citation needed]

The first two Vicariates of the Syro-Malabar Church are Trichur and Kottayam. The Archdiocese of Changanacherry is part of the Kottayam Vicariate and the second

Vicars Apostolic.[citation needed
]

The same Pope reorganised the existing Vicariates by the Bull ‘Quae Rei Sacrae’ dated 28 July 1896 establishing a new Vicariate, Ernakulam, with territories carved out from the two existing Vicariates (1)

Mar John Menacherry (from Ernakulam Vicariate) for Thrissur.[citation needed
]

A new Vicariate of Kottayam was constituted in 1911 exclusively for the Southists and

Archdiocese of Ernakulam thereby constituting the first Modern Syro-Malabar Province.[citation needed
]

On 25 July 1950 the Diocese of Changanacherry was bifurcated by the Bull ‘Quo Ecclesiarum’ of

archdiocese on 26 July 1956 by Pope Pius XII constituting the second province in the Syro-Malabar Church and Kottayam and Pala became its suffragans. The Apostolic Constitution ‘Regnum Caelorum’ of 26 November 1959 of Pope John XXIII gave effect to this decision of Pope Pius XII
.

In 1975 the missionary work of three (now five) civil districts of the

Mar George Alencherry
as its first Bishop took place on 2 February 1997.

The Archeparchy of Changanacherry now comprises the civil districts of

Mar Joseph Powathil assumed the office of the Archbishop of Changanacherry on 17 January 1986 and resigned in 2007. Mar Joseph Perumthottam was appointed on 20 January 2007 as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Changanacherry and was installed on 19 March 2007.[1]

Eparchs and archeparchs

Year Head Position
1887–1896 Charles Lavigne Vicar Apostolic of Kottayam
1896–1911 Mar Matthew Makil Vicar Apostolic of Changanassery
1911–1925 Mar Thomas Kurialacherry Bishop
1927–1949 Mar James Kalacherry Bishop
1950–1969 Mar Mathew Kavukattu Archbishop
1970–1985 Mar Antony Padiyara Archbishop
1985–2006 Mar Joseph Powathil Archbishop
2007-to date Mar Joseph Perumthottam Archbishop

Suffragan eparchies

Institutions and personnel

The total number of parishes is nearly 300. In addition,. The population of Syro-Malabar Catholics in

Changanacherry
Archdiocese.

Parishes and population

Foranes under Archdiocese of Changanacherry include,

Changanacherry,Thrickodithanam, Thuruthy, Muhamma, Chengannur
.

Institutions Number
Foranes 18
Parishes 181
Filial churches 35
Shrines/Chapels 18
Colleges/Institutes 29
Higher Secondary Schools 29
Hostels 16
Priests 420
Seminarians 160

Important events

First vicar general

Saints and causes for canonisation

References

  1. ^ Changanacherry, Archdiocese. "History". Archdiocese. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  2. ^ Changanacherry, Archdiocese. "Archdiocese". Chronicles. Archdiocese. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara". Syromalabarchurch.in. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Saints & Blessed – CCBI". Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  5. ^ "1972". newsaints.faithweb.com. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  6. ^ "2001". newsaints.faithweb.com. Retrieved 17 October 2019.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Changanacherry.

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