CATHOLICATE CENTINARY CELEBRATION AT CROWNE PLAZA SUFFERN, NEWYORK

CATHOLICATE CENTENARY

MALANKARA ORTHODOX SYRIAN CHURCH

NORTHEAST AMERICAN DIOCESE

CELEBRATION

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012, 5:00pm

Mar Thoma, Malankara Metropolitan, Catholicos, and Baselios Mar Thoma were the titles given to the Head. From 17th Century the Indian Church was in touch with the West Syrian Orthodox Church, accepting the liturgical tradition of that Church. In the year 1912, the Antiochian Patriarch His Holiness Mar Ignatius Abded Messiah was invited to India to establish an independent  Catholicate for India bestowing the title ‘Catholicos of the East’. Even though the title Malankara Metropolitan was still existing, with the adoption of the Constitution in 1934 both titles merged to form the present title “Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan” and the Church’s name officially became “Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church”.

The Indian Catholicate initially had to face problems with those who supported the supremacy of the Antiochian Patriarch. In 1958 all divisiveness ended and unity was acquired paving the way to a flourishing Church. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church now has thirty dioceses, each with its own diocesan Metropolitan, more than 1700 full-fledged parishes, more than 1750 priests, a host of deacons, seminarians and lay leaders. Several Organizations such as the Marth Marian Vanitha Samajam (Women’s Forum), Youth League, MGOCSM (Students’ Forum), Sunday School Association, and other spiritual initiatives keep the Church active in catering to the needs of its members. The Church is seriously engaged in various charity projects, educational and healthcare institutions. The Church is now a global Church with parishes established in all continents. The Church has under its patronage two well equipped Seminaries to educate and train the clergy for pastoral and parish care, one in the south and another in the north of India, both offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees.In the USA and Canada combined, the Church has two dioceses, the Northeast American and the Southwest American, with their bishops, more than one hundred parishes and equal or larger number of well trained clergy. A group of young clergy from the second generation is being trained with a view to enriching our service to the youngsters who are born and brought up in USA and Canada.The Church is in full communion with the Oriental Orthodox Churches, actively seeking to maintain a warm relationship with the rest of the Christendom through the World Council of Churches and other ecumenical bodies. The Church is a member of the National Council of Churches in the United States of America.

The centenary celebration is intended to thank God for His mighty guidance to the Church both in serving God and His people. This celebration brings to the spotlight the many memorable achievements we can be proud of, especially during the one hundred years of its Catholicate history. As for the younger generation, the cultural and spiritual values that the Indian Church upholds will give new spiritual opportunities in a changing milieu, challenging them to be responsible citizens of the country and the Kingdom of God. It is our prayer that the members of our Church will indeed use this opportunity to rededicate themselves to the mission that our Lord Jesus Christ entrusted to us to bear witness to His eternal love for humanity.

Prof. John Kurakar