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Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Brief Introduction: Christianity in Kerala was established in the year 52 AD by the Holy Apostle of Christ, St. Thomas. The then instituted Malankara Apostolic Church continues today as the true Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. It is East Syrian in Origin due to it's association with the Persian Church from the third to the Fifteenth Century. Later after a brief period of Portuguese Latin occupation, it was revived by the West Syrian Syriac Orthodox Church. However the Church has always maintained it's autocephaly.

Due to its continuous associations throughout History, although meant to establish help maintain sacraments and Liturgies in an heathen Surrounding, often the Benefactor tried to impose it's authority which was rightly challenged by the Church. But this has splintered the Holy Church. Today it is the second Largest Christian Denomination in Kerala having suffered the loss of half the populace as the Syro-Malabar Catholics (Portuguese Latin Catholic Conquerors), later to the Protestant Anglican Reformists as the Marthoma Church. Much recently it was split vertically between legally warring factions over the role of the Syriac Orthodox Prelate in the managing of affairs in Malankara. This schism continues to this day and the group which augurs to maintain the independency of the Church under the aegis of the Catholicos of the East is currently the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. The Catholicos was an ecclesiastical title given to the followers of St. Thomas by the Jerusalem Synod in 281 AD. The Catholicate was established in Kerala in 1912 conforming the Apostolic succession of the Church from the Holy Throne of St. Thomas.

For a Detailed History of the 'Malankara Sabha' or Church read The History of Christianity in Kerala'.

Organization: The Church is governed by the constitution established in the year 1934.Click here for more details. The Head of the Synod and the Supreme Head of the Church is the Malankara Metropolitan and the Catholicos of the East. The Laity is organized into administrative Dioceses. Each Diocese is headed by a Bishop, also known as the Metropolitan of that Diocese and accountable to the Catholicos. Each Diocese comprises of a number of Parishes. A Parish constitutes of a small Geographical Area, the Laity within it and the church building. Each Parish is headed by the Parish Vicar, a Priest or a Pastor, directly accountable to the Diocesan Bishop. The Eucharist is called the 'Qurbana' and is offered by the Parochial Prelate aided by Arch-Deacons, Deacons and Altar Boys.

Click Here for the List of Dioceses of the Church and the Associated Metropolitans.

The various activities in a Parish are instituted by Organizations, Fraternities or Sororities within the Church:
The Committee or Working Body
The M G O C S M
The Youth League
The Martha Mariyam Samajam
The Sunday School
 

The Church runs various Mission Hospitals, Medical Clinics, Schools, Colleges etc; the details of which have been given under the Diocese which encompasses them. The Details about the Theological seminaries are also given under their respective Dioceses.

 
Read About Our Catholicos, H. H Baselios MarThoma Matthews II
 
The Holy Qurbana (Institution of the Eucharist), Liturgy and the Sacraments

 

 

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