St. Thomas the Apostle

St. Thomas the Apostle, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, came to South India in the year AD 52. He reached Kodungalloor (Cranganore) in Malabar (the name by which the southern part of India was known and which was larger than the present Kerala, and hence different from the present Malabar).

Malabar was famous for its commercial relations with different countries especially with the “ Middle East”, even before the Christian era. In its coastal areas there was the presence of Jews who spoke Aramaic which was the language of Jesus, and which was also used as the commercial language throughout the East, before the rise of Islam.

St. Thomas the Apostle preached and established Christian communities at seven places in Malabar. They are Kodungalloor (Cranganore), Palayoor (Chavakkadu), Kokkamangalam, Paravoor (Kottakkavu), Niranam, Kollam (Quilon), and Nilackal (Chayal). Also he preached at Mylapore in Tamilnadu, and was martyred there. His tomb is at Mylapore, but his mortal remains were later taken to Edessa in Syria, and from there to Orthona in Italy where it remains now.

According to the recent studies, St. Thomas had reached Baruch in Gujarat about AD 44 and passing through Ujjain and Madhura he reached Taxila in the Northwest India, and preached in the area till about AD 49. Due to the unfavourable political situations he left the country, and then on a second journey came to South India. These findings go well with the contents of the earliest written document on St. Thomas, “The Acts of Judas Thomas”, an apocryphal work written in the 2 nd or 3 rd century. According to it, St. Thomas was brought to India by an Indian king called Gundaphor in order to build a palace. Thomas converted the king and many others there. The coins, which were found out in the name of Gundaphor from the Northwest India in the 19 th century, reveal that the contents of the book had a historical nucleus.

Life of the early Christians

From the very early times the people converted by St. Thomas were known as the Thomas Christians. They christianized the local customs and manners which were of high cast Hindus, and adapted the East Syrian liturgy to their life and surroundings.

No clear information is available about the hierarchy of this community in the early period. It seems that it felt the shortage of pastors. The arrival of Thomas Cana, together with a bishop and a group of Christians, is understood to have strengthened the Christian community in Malabar. The “Southists” among the Thomas Christians of today are the descendents of Thomas Cana.

Until the end of the 16 th century, Thomas Christians were getting bishops from Persia proper ( Iran), and from Seleucia Ctesiphon ( Iraq). Due to some special reasons the Church of Seleucia Ctesiphon was considered to be in Nestorian heresy. But its faith was basically right, and had acknowledged the Primacy of the Pope. Though bishops were coming from this Church to Malabar, the Thomas Christians were not affected by the heresy, and they always considered the Pope as the supreme head of the Church. Since they were under the jurisdiction of the East Syrian Patriarch, and due to the geographical and political situations, they had no direct contact with Rome.

As the bishops were foreigners, their leadership for the people was limited to the spiritual areas. A Thomas Christian priest known as the Archdeacon did the actual administration of the community. He was the head of the community in all respects, and had the title as “The Archdeacon of All India” while the main bishop of the Thomas Christians was known as “The Metropolitan and the Gate of All India”. The Thomas Christians had their own unique system of Church administration. In the socio-political life they were equal to the high caste Hindus. They enjoyed several privileges granted to them by the Hindu rulers.

The Portuguese Missionaries of Padroado and the Latin Church

The arrival of the Portuguese in 1498 at Calicut in Kerala changed the course of the growth in the life of the Thomas Christians. The Portuguese were looked upon by the Thomas Christians as brothers in the same faith, and had mutual contacts and co-operation in the beginning.

The Synod of Diamper

Dom Menezes, the archbishop of Goa came to Malabar with the intention of bringing the Thomas Christians under the Latin rule. To achieve this end, he decided to convoke a synod. He prepared the ground for it by visiting churches, ordaining priests in big numbers, influencing local kings etc. He succeeded in bringing the Archdeacon under his control by threatening him with excommunication and deposition.

The Coonan Cross Oath

As the Padroado jurisdiction of the Latin Church was forced upon the Thomas Christians, blocking the entry of bishops of their own rite, the people gathered in the church at Mattancherry and swore that they would never be under the Jesuits. This incident which took place on 3 rd January 1653, is known as “the Coonan Cross Oath”, because according to tradition the people tied a long rope from the cross known as the “coonan cross” outside the church, and holding on to the rope they took the oath.

Then on the basis of a false letter twelve priests laid their hands on the Archdeacon Thomas and made him bishop, and he began to be known as Mar Thomas I. When the people came to know that Mar Thomas I was not duly ordained bishop, most of them abandoned him.

Carmelites and the Propaganda

Even while the Padroado jurisdiction was being enforced on the Thomas Christians, Rome began sending Carmelite missionaries and bishops who were put later under its Propaganda jurisdiction to solve the problems in the Indian Church. But as the Carmelites could not gain the confidence of the Thomas Christians, they also failed in their mission.

Kariattil and Paremmakkal

Due to their hidden interests in Malabar, the Carmelites ignored the attempts of reunion from the part of the schismatic bishops. In order to achieve the reunion, two Thomas Christian priests Joseph Kariattil and Thomas Paremmakkal travelled to Rome in 1778 to plead with the Pope. Although their Roman mission was not successful, the Portuguese Queen made Kariattil an Archbishop under Padroado in 1782. But before reaching Malabar, he died in Goa in 1786 to the great disappointment of the Thomas Christians. Then Paremmakkal was the administrator of the Church of Malabar

The Syro-Malabar Hierarchy

The Thomas Christians continued their attempts for indigenous bishops of their own rite. Finally two vicariates – Kottayam and Trichr – were given for them in 1887 with two Latin bishops. In 1896 the vicariates were redistributed into three – Changanacherry, Ernakulam and Trichur with indigenous prelates. Since then this Church has been running fast on the path of its growth. In 1923 the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy was established.

Major Archi-Episcopal Church

In 1992 the Syro-Malabar Church was raised as a Major Archi-Episcopal Church. This Church, which is full of vitality, has already 26 dioceses, and has crossed the frontiers of the country, and is in the pursuit of attaining its full growth to the status of a Patriarchal Church.

A brief look at the present picture of this Church gives an idea about its vitality. This Church, which was confined after the synod of Diamper to a very limited area in South India till the middle of the 20 th century, has become worldwide now. It began its growth beyond the borders of Kerala from 1962 with the erection of the different Syro-Malabar Exarchates which eventually became dioceses, for mission work in different parts of India. At present the Syro-Malabar Church has eleven mission dioceses outside Kerala within the country. For the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Mumbai ( Bombay) the diocese of Kalyan was erected in 1988. There are several cities and towns in India with the presence of the faithful of this Church numbering in several thousands or hundreds at each place, without enjoying the pastoral care and other ecclesial rights for which they are entitled, according to the decrees of Vatican II (OE 2,3,4). It is a just need of these faithful to have diocese or parishes at different places. Even though the Syro-Malabar Church is ready with personnel to provide the necessary pastoral care to her children, she has not succeeded so far in her efforts because of the non-co-operation of the Latin hierarchy. In this regard it is a matter of joy for this Church that for her faithful, a diocese is erected in Chicago in 2001, for the whole of U.S.A. and Canada, making her worldwide presence officially acknowledged by Rome.

It is to be specially mentioned that this Church is very rich in vocations, and that its vocations are the backbone of the Latin Church in India. About 70% of the women religious and 60% of the men religious in India belong to this Church. At a time the diocese of Palai in Kerala was the first in the world in the number of vocations. At present there are five religious congregations of priests, besides a missionary society, which is a common endeavour of the Syro-Malabar Church for the evangelization in less Christian areas of India and abroad. Also there is an ashram for monastic life, besides two congregations of brotherhood. For the women religious there are eighteen congregations. In this Church there are altogether thirteen major seminaries out of which six are combined with Philosophy and Theology, four are Philosophates, and three are Theologates.

It is to the glory of this Church that three of her heavenly children – Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Sr. Alphonsa, and Sr. Mariam Thresia – have been beatified.

The Syro-Malankara Church

As a result of the division that occurred in the Thomas Christian community in 1653, a Jacobite bishop Gregory made use of the occasion to lead a considerable number of people into Jacobitism in 1665. From this schismatic group, other non-catholic churches also were born in course of time. In 1930 a group of Jacobites under Mar Dionysius reunited to the Catholic Church, and they are known as the Syro-Malankara Church. They follow the Antiochian liturgy. Now this Church is growing fast and is having five dioceses, a major seminary, two congregations for men and also two for women.

Growth of the Latin Church in India

The Latin Church, which made her presence in India felt with the arrival of the foreign missionaries in the 16 th century, achieved great success in spreading its wings in India. Now she is having 118 dioceses, and religious congregations and institutes 77 for priests, 25 for brothers and 274 for women. It is a matter of pride and glory that St. Francis Xavier, one of its missionaries who worked in India, is an inspiration for the missionaries in the whole world. Now a jewel has been added to the crown of this Church by Mother Theresa of Calcutta who has been recently beatified.

Conclusion

India was fortunate to hear the message of Jesus Christ from one of his apostles, St. Thomas the patron of India. South India can claim a continuous Christian presence from the time of St. Thomas. Other areas of India, are responding to the Gospel slowly and steadily.

by: Fr. Joseph Kappiliparambil