Week of March 24, 2004

Samuel Morehead

Beyond Western, Roman-rite Catholicism, many Americans, including Catholic Americans, are unfamiliar with the Eastern-rite Churches, particularly those with roots in the Far East.

Pope John Paul II has described the Eastern-rite Catholic Churches as the "left lung" of the larger, universal Church. According to the pontiff, both the Eastern- and Western-rite "lungs" are necessary for the overall health of the "one holy Catholic and apostolic Church."

Msgr. Thomas Fryar, vicar for clergy for the Archdiocese of Denver, explained, "Though the Church is universal in nature, the individual rites retain unique aspects."

In Colorado, this diversity within the Church is represented by the presence of Byzantine, Ukrainian, Maronite and Russian Catholics. Nationally, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is another of these Eastern-rite Churches with a significant presence in the United States.

In 2001, Pope John Paul II named Jacob Angadiath the first bishop of the Chicago-based St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese. The bishop was also named permanent apostolic visitator to Canada for his rite.

In December, this new eparch (bishop) of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church wrote to his brother Roman-rite bishops to inform them of the Syro-Malabar tradition and of his new eparchy (diocese) in the United States.

According to Bishop Angadiath, St. Thomas the Apostle originally founded the Syro-Malabar Church in the southern part of India, in the present-day state of Kerala. In keeping with tradition, the Church was established some 20 years after Christ commissioned his apostles to go and "make disciples of all nations."

Liturgically, the bishop indicated that the Syro-Malabar Church is related to the Chaldean-Persian Church of the Middle East. The Syro-Malabar Church also includes the Knanaya Catholics from India.

Current estimates indicate approximately 70,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics reside in the United States. According to Bishop Angadiath, these Syro-Malabar faithful migrated to the United States largely during the 1970s and 1980s in search of employment opportunities.

Currently, there are only eight American Syro-Malabar missions and one Canadian mission. Prior to the appointment of Bishop Angadiath in 2001, Syro-Malabar Catholics fell under the jurisdiction of Roman-rite dioceses.

Now, with the creation of this eparchy, all U.S. Syro-Malabar Catholics are members of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago.

According to Msgr. Fryar, there is no way of knowing exactly how many people this might affect within the Archdiocese of Denver. However, Msgr. Fryar indicated that Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., is interested in informing appropriate parties about the creation of the Syro-Malabar diocese.

Bishop Angadiath has asked his brother bishops to inform members of the rite to adhere to the canon law of the Church by respecting the norms of the Syro-Malabar Church. Particularly, the bishop has written that the Syro-Malabar faithful and Roman-rite priests "need to know that marriages can be blessed only with the proper delegation" from his office.

Additionally, those men of the Syro-Malabar Church who are discerning a priestly vocation would need to contact Bishop Angadiath's office to pursue formation.

Within the Archdiocese of Denver, Msgr. Fryar indicated that all archdiocesan priests have been notified of the presence of the Syro-Malabar eparchy. Priests have been asked to contact parishioners whom they believe belong to this rite. Msgr. Fryar indicated the archdiocese will assist parishioners who are of the Syro-Malabar rite who wish to contact their new eparchy.