Three cardinals among five Indians at Vatican Synod

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Three cardinals among five Indians at Vatican Synod

Five priests from India, including three Cardinals, are participating in the two-week long extraordinary Synod in Vatican on family life that began on Sunday. While the majority of around 200 delegates participating in the Synod are bishops or priests, the historical meet to deliberate issues like use of contraceptives, divorce and family life, is attended by some 12 married couples, a rarity for the Catholic Church.

Mumbai Archbishop Rev Dr Oswald Cardinal Gracias of the Latin Catholic Church, Major Archbishop of Syro Malabar Catholic Church Mar George Cardinal Alencherry and Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis Catholicos are attending the Synod as heads of three Catholic rites in India.

Apart from them, Fr Arulraj Gali, national director of Holy Cross Family Ministry in India and Fr Cajetan Menezes, director, Family Apostolate, Mumbai Archdiocese are also participating in the Synod from India which dwells on €˜Pastoral Challenges for the Family in the Context of Evangelization.

Church sources said that only heads of churches and Bishops conferences have been invited for the Synod as regular participants. The priests are attending the Synod to assist in various capacities. The deliberations and findings of the Synod will be put before a General Assembly to be convened by the Vatican in October 2015. The ongoing Synod will conclude on October 19.

The 16th Ordinary Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

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The 16th Ordinary Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

The 16th Ordinary Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church will take place at Dharmapitam, Catholic Bishop’s House, Sulthan Bathery from 21 to 22 September 2014. All the bishops of the Syro- Malankara Catholic Church are attending the Synod.

84th Reunion Anniversary, Ecclesial Gathering

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84th Reunion Anniversary, Ecclesial Gathering

The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church celebrates the 84th Reunion anniversary and the Ecclesial Gathering in the Eparchy of Bathery, with various programmes, from 18 to 20 September 2014.

The plans for the three day gathering are as follows:

His Grace Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, the Apostolic Nuncio to India, is the chief guest of the celebrations. The celebrations will begin in the afternoon (1.30 p.m.) of Thursday,18 September with the Deepasikhaprayanam and the Vilambara Rally. At 3 p.m., the Sahityasammelanam (gathering of the writers), the Mathrusangamam (the meeting of the mothers) and the inauguration of the exhibition will take place. At 5.30 p.m., His Beatitude Mar George Cardinal Alanchery, the head of the Syro-Malabar Church, will inaugurate Reunion celebrations.

On Friday, 19th morning at 9.00 a.m. special study seminars on “Renewal of the Family”, a theme announced by His Holiness Pope Francis, are organized by the associations MCCL, MCYM and MCA. On the same day afternoon, at 3.00 p.m. an Interreligious Meeting and in the evening at 5.30 p.m. SuviseshaSandhya is organised by the SuviseshaSangam of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

The solemn Holy Qurbono will begin at 8:00 a.m., on Saturday, 20 September. This is followed by the public meeting. His Grace Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, the Apostolic Nuncio to India, and other religious, social and political leaders participate in the Public Meeting. The celebrations conclude with the Preshita Rally.

His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis in Kuwait

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His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis in Kuwait

Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, Major Archbishop-Catholicos, Head and Father of the Syro Malankara Catholic Church, visited the Syro Malankara Catholic Faithful in Kuwait from 3rd to 8th September 2014. His pastoral visit was on the occasion of the Ettu Nombu in preparation for the Nativity of Mary, Mother of God. His Beatitude was present for various functions including the Pothuyogam of the Malankara Catholic Faithful on Wednesday 3rd September, 84th Reunion Anniversary, 20th Anniversary of KMRM and Onam Celebrations (Sneha Nilavu -2014) on 5th September organized by the Kuwait Malankara Rite Movement (KMRM), the organization which provides the hierarchically approved forum for the faithful in Kuwait. On Friday 5th September His Beatitude celebrated Holy Qurbono in the Holy Family Cathedral in the Latin Rite (English) and on Saturday 6th September in the St. Daniel Comboni Parish, Abbasiya (Malankara) for the Catholic Faithful in Kuwait. He celebrated Holy Qurbono on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, Mother of God on Sunday evening, 7th September 2014 in the Holy Family Cathedral. His Beatitude also administered Baptism to children and gave First Communion to children. 106 Couples who celebrated their 20th and over Wedding Anniversary were also felicitated on the occasion and given a Blessing (Certificate) signed by His Beatitude.

His Beatitude received officials of various Catholic and Cultural Associations. He made courtesy visits to His Grace Petar Rajic, Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait and Dr. Abdul Rahaman A. Al-Awadi Executive Secretary, Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Former Minister of the Ministry of Health. His Beatitude attended a Press Conference in which prominent media representatives of Kuwait and India were present.

His Beatitude Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos met Prime Minister Narendra Modi

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His Beatitude Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos met Prime Minister Narendra Modi

His Beatitude Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 18 August 2014 at Prime Minister’s house in New Delhi.

It was the first meeting of both Narendra Modi and His Beatitude after taking their responsibility as the Prime Minister of India and the President of CBCI respectively.

Team of Eucharistic Ministers formed

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Team of Eucharistic Ministers formed

In the history of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, a team of Eucharistic Ministers was formed.

A program conducted at Catholicate Centre on 16 July 2014, His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos, in consultation with Holy Episcopal Synod, entrusted the responsibility to the new members by giving holy vestment and appointment order.

They have the responsibility to help the priests in distributing Holy Communion in big parishes and institutions. Out of 37 members of the team 23 are from Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum, 12 are from Eparchy of Marthandom and 2 are from Archieparchy of Tiruvalla.

His Grace Thomas Mar Koorilos, Chairman of the SC for Liturgy, felicitated the new members.

Rev. Dr Antony Kakknatt and Rev. Dr Isaac Parappally lead the classes for the team members.

Regional Family Conference – The Northeast Region, USA

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Regional Family Conference – The Northeast Region, USA

The second Regional Family Conference – the North East Region – of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate was held on August 9 and 10 at the St. Vincent d’ Paul Malankara Catholic Cathedral Parish, Elmont, New York.

The main theme of the Conference was €’˜Family’€™.

The Conference began with the celebration of the Holy Mass at 9.00 am on the 9th. His Excellency the Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Eusebius presided over the celebration. After the Holy Mass, the Conference was officially inaugurated by His Excellency. Besides His Excellency, Msgr. Peter Kochery and Dr. Manoj Mathew spoke on the occasion. There were three streams of classes. For the adult, the main resource person was Rev. Dr. Abraham Orapankal who took class on the importance of communication within the family. For the youth, classes were taken by His Excellency Mar Eusebius and Dr. Manoj Mathew. There was a sharing session consisting of faith witness by three young believers. The children’s activities were organized by Brother Jerry Mathew. On the first day, besides the classes, there were a fun session, liturgical music session, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and a cultural program by all the parishes within the Northeast Region.

On Sunday the 10th August, the program began with the solemn celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by His Excellency. There was a very lively question-answer session in the afternoon with the theme of ‘our youth and the Church’€™. The Conference concluded at 4.00 pm. with an evaluation session and liturgical blessing by His Excellency.

More than 400 people participated in the Conference. For all, it was a very enriching experience of praying and learning together and celebrating their ecclesial belongingness.

Rt. Rev. Msgr. Peter Kochery functioned as the Chief Coordinator of the Conference. Rev. Sunny Mathew was the General Convener and Mr. Thundiyath Babukutty, the General Secretary.

The next and last Regional Family Conference for the year is to be held in Dallas in November.

Regional Family Conference – The Midwest Region, USA

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Regional Family Conference – The Midwest Region, USA

The first of the three Regional Family Conferences planned for this year in the Exarchate was held at the Seneca College in Toronto on 26 & 27 July, 2014.

The Midwest region comprises of our parishes/missions in Chicago, Detroit, Toronto and Edmonton. The participation was 200 plus.

The Conference started with the celebration of the Holy Mass presided by His Excellency Dr. Thomas Mar Eusebius at 9.00 am on July 26. During the inaugural meeting, after the Holy Mass, Rev. Fr. Saji Mukkoot, the General Convener of the Conference welcomed all participants. His Excellency officially inaugurated the Conference. Rt. Rev. Msgr. Thomas Kalarathil, Priests’ Personnel of the Archdiocese of Toronto was a special invitee during the meeting. Rt. Rev. Msgr. Antony Chethipuzha, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Tiruvalla and one of the founding fathers of the Toronto mission was also present on the occasion. Classes were taken separately for the Adults, the youth and the children by His Excellency Mar Eusebius, Rev. Fr. Mario, Mr. Toby Simon, Mr. Suresh Dominic, etc. On Saturday evening, there was a cultural program conducted by the different parishes of the region. On Sunday, the Conference was concluded with the Public Meeting after the solemn celebration of the Holy Mass. Rev. Fr. John Kuriakose, Vicar of the St. Mary’s Malankara Catholic Mission in Toronto along with the committee members and the parishioners of the mission made all the on the spot arrangements for the Conference, which turned out to be a very meaningful ecclesial experience for all the participants. Besides His Excellency Mar Eusebius, Rev. Fr. Saji Mukkoot and Rev. John Kuriakose, Rev. Fr. Thomas Puthuparambil, Rev. Fr. Abraham Lukose, Bro. Jobin, Rev. Sisters Mariam, Ivan, Litty and Nithya also participated in the Conference all through.

The next two Conferences are to be held in New York and Dallas in the months of August and November respectively.

Malankara Catholic Youth Leadership Retreat, Exarchate of USA

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Malankara Catholic Youth Leadership Retreat, Exarchate of USA

The leaders of the Malankara Catholic Youth Movement in the Exarchate came together for a retreat of three days at the Don Bosco Youth Retreat Center in Los Angeles. The retreat was held from July 22 to 25, 2014.

Besides the youth leaders, His Excellency Mar Eusebius, Rev. Fr. Sunny Mathew, Rev. Fr. Abraham Lukose, Rev. Fr. Michael Edathil and Bro. Jerry Mathew also participated in the retreat. The speakers included Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Eusebius, Fr. Sunny Mathew, Rev. Fr. Michael Edathil, Dr. Roy Abraham Varghese, Mr. Binu Abraham, Mr. Douglas Leal and Ms. Katie Zeigler (from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Archdiocese). Rev. Fr. Sunny Mathew, the Director of the Youth Apostolate in the Exarchate took the initiative to arrange the retreat. Re. Fr. Kuriakose Mambrakatt, Vicar of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Mission in Los Angeles and the members of the mission extended whole-hearted cooperation to the retreat.

Malankara Gulf Meet – POLIMA 2014

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Malankara Gulf Meet – POLIMA 2014

The First Malankara Gulf Meet – POLIMA 2014 (Pastorally Oriented Lively Interaction of Malankarites, Arabia) was convened on the 15th & 16th of July 2014, in Trivandrum. The first ever meet of 500 delegates from Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Muscat, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took place in St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary, Nalanchira and Catholicate Centre, Pattom, Trivandrum.

The Meet was officially inaugurated by Mr. Oommen Chandy, Honourable Chief Minister of Kerala, in the presence of His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and other distinguished dignitaries including Metropolitans of various Malankara Eparchies, Bishops of the Middle East, Vicar Generals, Priests and Religious.

Mr. Oommen Chandy praised the Malankara Catholic Church for its contribution to the Society and the role of the pravasis in the nation building and development of Kerala. His Grace Archbishop Cyril Vasil, Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, appreciated the efforts of the Malankara Faithful towards preserving and fostering their tradition in the various countries to which they migrate and work. His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Sothern Arabia and His Excellency Bishop Camillo Ballin, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, emphasized the duty of the faithful to witness the Gospel and fostering unity of the Church in difficult situations. His Beatitude Baselios Cardinal Cleemis in his presidential address appreciated the endeavor of the faithful along with their priests for being loyal to their tradition and liturgy and their efforts to inculcate this in their children. His Grace Archbishop Thomas Mar Koorilos, Rev. Dr. Shaji Manikulam (Rector, St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary) Rev. Fr. Mathew Punakulam (former Parish Priest, St. Mary’€™s Church, Qatar) and Mr. Chacko Panicker (Returnee from UAE) made felicitation addresses.

His Excellency Joseph Mar Thomas, Bishop of Bathery, addressed the delegates of the Meet on the need of building up communities wherever there are Malankara Faithful and the need of rooting our faithful in Catholic Faith and Malankara Tradition. There were presentations on the various communities in the Gulf Region and cultural programs too.

The following day, the 16th July, began with the Holy Qurbono in the St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom in which His Beatitude Baselios Cardinal Cleemis was the main celebrant and bishops of the Malankara Church and priests from the Gulf Region were co-celebrants.

Various sessions of the day took place in the Catholicate Centre, Pattom. The session on the ‘Scope of NRI Investment’ lead by Mr P. H. Kurian IAS, Principal Secretary, Industry, Govt. of Kerala, was informative and beneficial for the participants of the Meet. His Beatitude Baselios Cardinal Cleemis spent two hours with the delegates and answered all the questions presented to him previously on issues regarding pastoral needs and practical matters in the Gulf Countires. Two sessions for children were arranged in the Samunnaya Centre, Pattom on Values and Career Options. These sessions were lead by Mr. Varghese Paul and Team€™, Chalakudy.

Mr. Biren Philip, Secretary of the Organizing Committee of the Malankara Gulf Meet, proposed the Vote of Thanks at the end of the sessions.

The Meet ended with a procession from the Catholicate Centre to the Tomb of Servant of God, Archbishop Mar Ivanios and Dhoopaprarthana lead by His Beatitude.

Various committees worked under the guidance of Rev. Dr. John Padipurackal, Coordinator, Malankara Catholic Church in the Gulf Region (Kuwait), Rev. Fr. Mathew Kandathil (UAE), Rev. Fr. Cherian Manapurath (Qatar), Rev. Fr. Antony Plamparampil (Muscat) and Rev. Dr. John Makkapallil for the success of the Malankara Gulf Meet.

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