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:
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