Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanassery


The Marthoma Nazrani Archeparchy of Changanassery 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. Mar Joseph Perumthottam is the current Metropolitan Archbishop, serving since 2007. Mar Thomas Tharayil has been the auxiliary bishop since 2017. And Mar Joseph Powathil is the bishop emeritus, having served from 1985 to 2007. Suffragan eparchies of the Changanassery archeparchy includes Palai, Kanjirappally, and Thuckalay.
The Changanassery Archeparchy is one of the first two Syro-Malabar Vicariates, along with Trichur, 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. It is also the second Metropolitan Archeparchy of the Syro-Malabar hierarchy which can be considered as a prelude to the restoration of the identity of the Church in 1992 as a sui juris church. It covers 13 forane churches and more than 300 churches. It also manages a lot of hospitals, colleges, schools - both general and those for the physically/mentally challenged,orphanages, de-addiction centers and old-age homes.

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. 50. The Metropolitan of "The See of St. Thomas" was "Metropolitan and Gate of all India". In the course of history this Church entered into good relationship with the East Syriac Church. The lay office of the Archdeacon of all India did the full administration.
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 Pope. 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 belief. But a good number returned to the Roman Catholic 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.
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 Metropolitan Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, after the establishment of the Syro-Malabar hierarchy which was the prelude to the restoration of the identity of the Church in 1992 as a Sui Iuris Church. Pope Leo XIII of happy memory by his Bull ‘Quod Iam Pridem’ dated 20 May 1887 established two Vicariates Apostolic - Kottayam and Thrissur; exclusively for the Syro-Malabarians. Dr. Charles Lavigne for Kottayam and Dr. Adolph Medlycott for Trichur respectively were appointed the Vicars Apostolic.
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 Edappally and 3) Arakuzha divisions from Kottayam Vicariate). Indigenous bishops were appointed Vicars Apostolic in the new Sees. They included Mar Mathew Makil for Changanacherry, Mar Louis Pazheparambil for Ernakulam and Mar John Menacherry for Thrissur.
A new Vicariate of Kottayam was constituted in 1911 exclusively for the Suddists and Mar Mathew Makil was transferred to Kottayam as the Vicar Apostolic of Suddists and Mar Thomas Kurialacherry was appointed the Vicar Apostolic of Changanacherry. With the establishment of the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy on 21 December 1923 by the Bull ‘Romani Pontifices’ of Pope Pius XI, the Diocese of Thrissur, Changanacherry and Kottayam became suffragans of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam thereby constituting the first Modern Syro-Malabar Province.
On 25 July 1950 the Diocese of Changanacherry was bifurcated by the Bull ‘Quo Ecclesiarum’ of Pope Pius XII and the new Diocese of Palai was created.The Holy See being impressed by the wonderful progress achieved by the Syro-Malabarians, extended the hitherto held boundaries of Changanacherry to the areas south of river Pamba, up to Kanyakumari, by the Bull ‘Multorum Fidelium’ of Pope Pius XII, dated 29 April 1955. Changanacherry was raised to the status of an 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 civil districts of the Archdiocese of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh was taken up completely by the Archdiocese of Changanacherry. The Archdiocese was again divided on 26 February 1977 by the Bull ‘Nos Beati Petri’ of Pope Paul VI and the new Diocese of Kanjirappilly was set up comprising parts of the Civil districts of Kottayam and Idukki. The Archdiocese was divided a fourth time when its Kanyakumari Mission was elevated to the status of a new diocese by the Bull Apud Indorum Gentes of John Paul II, dated 18 December 1996. The formal inauguration of the new diocese of Thuckalay and the Episcopal Ordination of Mar George Alencherry as its first Bishop took place on 2 February 1997.
The Archdiocese of Changanacherry now comprises the civil districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam in Kerala and Palai, Kanjirapally and Thuckalay as its suffragans. Archbishop 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.

Eparchs and Archeparchs

YearHeadPosition
1887–1896Charles LavigneVicar Apostolic of Kottayam
1896–1911Mar Matthew MakilVicar Apostolic of Kottayam
1911–1925Mar Thomas KurialacherryBishop
1927–1949Mar James KalacherryBishop
1950–1969Mar Mathew KavukattuArchbishop
1970–1985Mar Antony PadiyaraArchbishop
1985–2006Mar Joseph PowathilArchbishop
2007-to dateMar Joseph PerumthottamArchbishop

Suffragan dioceses

Foranes under Archdiocese of Changanacherry include,
Alappuzha, Kollam, Manimala, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kurumpanadom, Edathua, Amboori, Nedumkunnam, Athirampuzha, Kudamaloor, Pulincunnu, Champakulam, Changanacherry and Thrickodithanam
InstitutionsNumber
Foranes15
Parishes181
Filial churches35
Shrines/Chapels18
Colleges/Institutes29
Higher Secondary Schools29
Hostels16
Priests420
Seminarians160

Important events