Archeparchy of Changanacherry


The Archeparchy of Changanacherry
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The Changanacherry 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.
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.
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 Southists and Mar Mathew Makil was transferred to Kottayam as the Vicar Apostolic of Southists 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 Archeparchy of Changanacherry. The Archdiocese was again divided on 26 February 1977 by the Bull ‘Nos Beati Petri’ of Pope Paul VI and the new Eparchy of Kanjirappilly was set up comprising parts of the Civil districts of Kottayam and Idukki. The Archeparchy 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 eparchy of Thuckalay and the Episcopal consecration of Mar George Alencherry as its first Bishop took place on 2 February 1997.
The Archeparchy 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.

Ordinaries

Bishops and Archbishops
Sl.noOrdinaryDesignationYear of appointmentLast year of service
1Charles LavigneVicar Apostolic of Changanacherry18871896
2Matthew MakilVicar Apostolic of Changanassery18961911
3Thomas KurialacherryBishop19111925
4James KalacherryBishop19271949
5Mathew KavukattuArchbishop19501969
6Antony PadiyaraArchbishop19701985
7Joseph PowathilArchbishop19852007
8Joseph PerumthottamArchbishop20072024
9Thomas TharayilArchbishop2024present

Auxiliary Bishops
Sl.noOrdinaryDesignationYear of appointmentLast year of service
1Joseph PowathilAuxiliary bishop19721977
2Joseph PerumthottamAuxiliary bishop20022007
3Thomas TharayilAuxiliary bishop20172024

Prelates Hailing From The Archdiocese
Sl.noOrdinaryDesignationYear of appointmentLast year of service
1Aloysius PazheparambilFirst Vicar Apostolic of Ernakulam18961919
2Antony Cardinal PadiyaraThe First Major Archbishop19851996
3Msgr. Jacob Vadakkeveettil CMAdministrator of Balasore19681990
4George Anathil SVDBishop of Indore19732009
5Joseph PathalilBishop of Udaipur19852012
6Hyppolitus Kunnumkal OFMBishop Emeritus of Jammu - Srinagar19861998
7 Simon Stock Palathra CMIBishop of Jagdalpur19932013
8George AlencherryBishop of Tuckalay19972011
9Mathew CheriankunnelBishop Emeritus of Kurnool19871995
10George KocherryApostolic Nuntio20002022
11George Cardinal AlencherryMajor Archbishop of Syro Malabar Church20112023
12Alex Thomas Kaliyaniyil SVDArchbishop of Bulawayo 2009present
13James Athikalam MSTBishop of Sagar2020present
14Thomas PadiyathAuxiliary Bishop of Shamshabad2022present
15George Jacob KoovakadTitular Archbishop of Nisibis dei Caldei2024present

Suffragan eparchies

The total number of parishes is nearly 300. In addition,. The population of Syro-Malabar Catholics in Changanacherry Archdiocese is nearly about 4 Lakh+. There are 18 foranes under Changanacherry Archdiocese.

Parishes and population

There are 18 Foranes under Archeparchy of Changanasserry:
1) Alappuzha Forane

2) Amboori Forane

3) Athirampuzha Forane

4) Champakkulam Forane

5) Changanacherry Forane

6) Chengannur Forane

7) Edathua Forane

8) Kollam-Ayur Forane

9) Kottayam Forane

10) Kudamaloor Forane

11) Kurumpanadom Forane

12) Manimala Forane

13) Muhamma Forane

14) Nedumkunnam Forane

15) Pulincunnu Forane

16) Thiruvananthapuram Forane

17) Thrickodithanam Forane

18) Thuruthy Forane
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InstitutionsNumber
Foranes18
Parishes300
Filial churches35
Shrines/Chapels18
Colleges/Institutes29
Higher Secondary Schools29
Hostels16