Knanaya Catholics

Knanaya Catholics are a separate group of Catholics within the Syro-Malabar Church, and belong to the Arch-diocese of Kottayam in Kerala.

Being within the Syro-Malabar Church, the Knanaya Catholic community is also in full communion with the Church of Rome and follows the Oriental tradition. The community still retains several rich Jewish customs.

Origin of Knanaya Catholics

St Thomas the Apostle who landed at Kodungallur on the Malabar Coast in AD 52 established many Christian communities marking the beginning of Christianity in India.

In AD 345, there was a Persian migration under the leadership of a Persian merchant by name Thomas of Cana (Knai Thomman or Thomas Kinai) at the behest of the Assyrian Church of the East. Thomas of Cana settled in the southern part of Kodungallur (today's Kottayam) with 72 Jewish Christian families, a bishop, and a few priests and deacons. Descendents of Thomas of Cana are today known as Knanaya Catholics, and they form the Syro-Malabar diocese of Kottayam.

The arrival of Thomas of Cana established East Syrian (Chaldean) connection, and the Church of St Thomas began to be ruled by Chaldean bishops.

With the arrival of Europeans to India in the 15th century, St Thomas Christians were brought under Latin bishops from AD 1600. Thereafter, following divisions among St Thomas Christians brought forth by the Coonan Cross Oath, those who renounced the Latin rule embraced the Jacobite faith. The Knanaya community that assumed the Jacobite faith forms the Knanaya Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.

Knanaya Catholics who settled in today's Kottayam area had their own parishes and churches, and unlike other St Thomas Christians, had their own priests. This system went on even when other St Thomas Christians continued to be under European bishops and under the Latin rule.

In the year 1887, Catholics in Kerala underwent a ritual separation that placed them in to Oriental Catholics and Latin Catholics. Pope Leo XIII established two Vicariates Apostolic namely Kottayam and Trichur exclusively for St Thomas Christians, who shortly came to be known as Syro-Malabarese or Syro-Malabar Catholics. Thus began the era of the Syro-Malabar Church.

Although one of the Vicariates Apostolic was named Kottayam, it comprised the areas of today's Changanasserry Arch-diocese and also today's Kottayam diocese. Knanaya Catholics living in today's Kottayam came under the Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam.

In 1896, the Vicariate Apostolic of Ernakulam was created. Mar Mathew Makil, former Vicar General for the Knanaya Community, was appointed as Vicar Apostolic for the Vicariate of Changanassery.

In 1911, Pope Pius X erected a separate Vicariate Apostolic (diocese) of Kottayam (by renaming already existing Kottayam to Changanasserry) exclusively for the Knanaya community within the Syro-Malabar Church, and transferred Mar Mathew Makil, the then Vicar Apostolic (bishop) of Changanasserry (until then Kottayam, just renamed to Changanasserry, present Changanasserry) to this newly established Kottayam diocese.

The diocese of Kottayam, a separate diocese within the Syro-Malabar Church for the Knanaya Catholic community, had been born.

On December 21, 1923 Pope Pius XI raised the Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam to the status of an eparchy (full diocesan status).

The Knanaya Jacobite Syrian Church has its eparchy at Chingavanam near Kottayam.

Bishop Mar Mathew Makil was succeeded by Mar Alexander Choolaparambil (1914-51), and Mar Thomas Tharayil (1951-74).

Mar Kuriakose Kunnasserry was ordained as the Co-Adjutor Bishop of Kottayam diocese in 1968. On the retirement of Mar Thomas Tharayil in 1974, Mar Kuriakose Kunnasserry took over as bishop of Kottayam diocese.

In January 1999, Mar Mathew Moolakkatt was appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Kottayam.

For long, the Knanaya Community had been expressing their need for an Archdiocese of their own. On May 9, 2005, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church elevated the Diocese of Kottayam to the status of an Archdiocese. Bishop Mar Kuriakose Kunnasserry was appointed as the Archbishop.

The canonical elevation to Archdiocese and the installation of the Archbishop were held at Christ the King Cathedral in Kottayam on June 3, 2005.

Mar Mathew Moolakkatt is the new Archbishop or Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Kottayam. In an auspicious ceremony held at Christ The King Cathedral, Kottayam on January 14, 2006, Mar Mathew Moolakkatt succeeded Mar Kuriakose Kunnasserry who retired as Archbishop after serving as bishop and archbishop for 38 years.

The Knanaya Community in Kerala has a population of about 2,00,000 of which about 1,25,0000 are Knanaya Catholics.

The Knanaya Community practices endogamy, restricting intermarriage with other communities including other Syro-Malabar dioceses, but freely permitting marriage within the Knanaya community of both Knanaya Catholics and Knanaya Jacobites.

To know more about Knanaya Catholics, please visit:
Arch-Diocese of Kottayam - Knanaya Catholic

Knanaya Catholics, Kottayam diocese, Christ The King Cathedral

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