Catholicism is a rising religion in India, divided into three rites; Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, and the Latin rite. With a membership of 500,000, Syro-Malankara contains the smallest number of Catholics, but seems to still be on the rise (John Allen). The Syro-Malankara Church is based in the Kerala, the southwest region of India. The church has a long history that stems back to the first century and is worshiped through the Divine Liturgy of the Holy Qurbana.
The story of the Syro-Malankara Church begins with Apostle St. Thomas in 52A.D. St. Thomas traveled to Kerala with Jesus’ message of building a church. At that point, Kerala was known as the Cradle of Christianity. In later centuries the church becomes influenced by migration and imperialism.
In the 4th century and later in the 9th century the church was influenced by the migration of Persian Christians into India. The first migration of the 4th century, not only strengthen the church but it created a separation within the Catholic Church. It marked the difference between the Syrians and the Malabar Church. The second migration of the 9th century helped rebuild the town of Quilon. In
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the 16th century, however, European presence threatened the church. Due to imperialism, St. Thomas Christians were forced to follow the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. After fifty-four years of being under Latin rule, the St. Thomas Christians revolted in 1653. On January 3, 1653 members of the St. Thomas Christian community gathered at an event known as The Coonan Cross Oath. This was an oath declaring separation from the Latin rite and a start of the Syro-Malankara Church. Some of the St. Thomas Christians remained under the Latin rule while those willing to start the Syro-Malankara Church became a part of the Jacobite faith. In the 19th century, the Malankara Church once again felt the pressure of British control. During this time the church was further divided into the three smaller churches. Some of the members organized into the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, others were known as Syrian Christians under the Anglican Church and the majority stood as the Malankara Church under the control of the Patriarch of Antioch. For years the Patriarch of Antioch maintained control over the Malankara Church. Notuntil 1875 when tensions grew due to Patriarch Athanasius want for reform. Patriarch Athanasius was overthrown and in 1912, Patriarch Abded M’siha established Catholicate within the church. Due to the demise of Catholicos Baselios Paulos I in the 1913, the church focused on spiritual renewal. In the year 1926, Mar Ivanios began negotiating with the Roman Catholic Church, in hopes of reuniting the Malankara Church. In 1930 the Malankara Church entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. His Holiness Pope Pius XI established the Syro-Malankara Hierarchy through the creation of the Apostolic Constitution, Christo Pastorum Principi (Diocese of Bathery India). Mar Ivanios was appointed the first Metropolitan Archbishop, and the church, separate from the Roman Catholic Church, was and is known as the Syro-Malankara Church part of the Syro-Malankara Rite. After twenty-two years of service, Mar Ivanios died and was succeeded by Rev. Benedict Mar Gregorios. Under Rev. Benedict Mar Gregorios the church prospered. In 1966, with this escalated status of the Bethany Ashram Pune, mission of the Malankara Catholic Church began. Under the leadership of Rev. Fr. John Berchmans in 1997, communities were organized under the Malankara Catholic Church Extra Territorial Regions in India. In February of 2005, the church’s status of a Metropolitan Church was revised as a Major Archieposcopal Church. The Divine Liturgy known as the Holy Qurbana is an important sacrament of the Malankara Catholic Church. Also known as the Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion, it was first instituted by Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. The first bishop to celebrate it after Jesus was St. James of Jerusalem. The Holy Qurbana involves its members, the deceased, the priest, bishops, the heavenly Lord and architecture of the church. It is the worshiping of the Lord, celebrating his life, giving thanks for his sacrifice and offering a greater commitment to the Lord. The Holy Qurbana is divided into three parts; private preparation, public celebration and private post communion. The Holy Qurbana begins with private preparation. The word Qurbana means offering. As God had offered his son Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ offered his body, followers of the Malankara Catholic Church offer their devotion. The priest, representing the bridge between the congregation and God, prepares the liturgy as well as his cassock. There are six liturgies the priest also known as the achen, can chose from. After chosen the liturgy, the priest/achen must wear a cassock, a white linen robe with a black girdle around the waist. The bishops wear similar attire and both are known as the Celebrants. The priest along with the bishops, must set the Table of Life also known as the Thronos. Upon the Thronos, the achen places a virikootu, a kabalana, the empty paten and chalice, along with bread and wine. The achen says a prayer, washes his hand in preparations and attaches the rest of his attire. Once the table is completely set and the priest has all his attire on, the next step of the Holy Qurbana can commence. From private preparation, begins public celebration, with the ringing of the big bell. The big bell symbolizes the beginning of worship in the church. This part of public celebration is divided into the sections. The first section of public celebration is known as The Service of Word. It begins with the unveiling of Madbaha. As I mentioned earlier, the Holy Qurbana involves the architecture of the Malankara Church. The church is constructed in an East-West orientation. Far East is the Madbaha separate from the Haikala, the main congregational hall, by a curtain. The unveiling of the Madbaha signifies the opening of Heaven. At this moment the church acknowledges St. Mary, the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ. During this unveiling of the Madbaha, the priest along with servers circle the altar, reciting the Trisagion. Proceeding the Trisagion, the priest reads a portion of the Acts of the Apostles, reminding followers of Jesus’ mission. The priest then reads from St. Paul’s epistle, reminding the congregation the mission of the gentiles. After the reading of St. Paul’s epistle, the priest reads from the gospels. The blessing of censer and the reciting of the Nicene Creed mark the end of the Service of the Word. The blessing of the censer is a representation of the Holy Trinity, while the Nicene Creed is a declaration of faith. The second section of the liturgy is known as the Anaphora Offering.
The Anaphora begins with the kiss of peace signifying love, harmony, and reconciliation. It proceeds with the lifting and waving of the Sosaffa, signifying God’s presence and glory. The waving of the Sosaffa is the use of a Kabalana, along with a Sosappa to cover the chalice and paten. Next, the priest blesses the bread and wine of Jesus calling upon the Holy Spirit to bless the gifts. Lastly the priest recites six diptychs, also known as Thubdhen, for the living and the departed. The first three diptychs are recited for the living spiritual fathers, the living brethren and the living rulers. The last diptychs are for the departed saints, fathers, and members. This marks the end of the anaphora offering and the start of the third section of the Holy
Qurbana. The third section of the liturgy is called the Elevation of the Mysteries and the Communion of the Saints. This section symbolizes the ascension of Jesus and the Second Coming. Then the priest prays to the Saints, the departed of the clergy and the faithful. The priest ends this section by giving thanks to the Lord. This marks the end of liturgy and the congregation departs from the Church. The Holy Qurbana is not over however. The last part of the Holy Qurbana involves private post communion. At this time the priest concludes by kissing the altar three times and repeating ‘Farewell, O Holy and divine altar of the Lord. Henceforth, I know not whether I shall return to Thee or not.” These words are a reminder that death can happen at anytime and if it shall happen we are prepared to meet the Lord. This conclusion is done privately behind a curtain, only involving the priest. As a personal reflection on the history of the Malankara Catholic Church, I feel a sense of empowerment. The church first began under direct leadership of St. Thomas, an apostle of Jesus. It was able to continue and keep the original traditions for many years, even after the pressure it felt from European imperialism. During colonization, European powers forced themselves upon many inferior countries, forcing their ideology onto them. As I stated before, for a brief moment, the people of the Malankara Church were forced to follow the Latin rite of the European and for years they did, with no revolt. However, unlike some inferior countries of the 16th century, the Malankara people fought back. They empowered themselves by fighting back and creating there own church. In the history of the Malankara Church, it is evident that the definition of mission was colonization and imperialism. The Portuguese wanted to change the indigenous peoples’ traditions because they felt it was not the right way. The Portuguese ignored the indigenous peoples’ feelings. However, the Malankara instead broke away from the Portuguese and continued their traditions. The only downside to the history of the Malankara Church is the discrepancies. While most of my information appears to be accurate amongst various sites, there are different accounts of the history. It was especially difficult to obtain any books on the matter. The Holy Qurbana is done to become at peace with the Lord and give thanks. It is carefully designed to revolve around the Lord and his life. I was astounded by the church’s symbolism in the architecture, the prayers, and the activities of the church. As stated before the Holy Qurbana is an important sacrament within the Malankara Church filled with Catholic symbolism. I believe that not only is the liturgy sacramental but the presence of everyone is sacramental because they are all considered witnesses. In relations to a United States Catholic Church, anyone can find a sacramental moment in anything, but to share it with others makes it highly sacramental. Everything with the church has a special name and meaning revolving around the Lord Jesus Christ. The priest cannot even begin the liturgy without performing special blessings and prayers. The time spent in wearing the right clothing, choosing the correct liturgy and setting the table, creates a more meaningful experience. Finding information for the church was extremely difficult. While some sources dated the Holy Qurbana to being on Easter Sunday, others dated it to be every second Sunday of each month. By this philosophy, I conclude Holy Qurbana’s celebration is dependent on the church.
· Thanks – this is when we say thank you to God and Jesus in prayer
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