A Glimpse into the past

The Apostolic Church of St. Thomas Christians has its origin from St. Thomas, the apostle, who arrived on the Kerala Coast in A.D. 52. The Metropolitan of “The See of St. Thomas” was “Metropolitan and Gate of all India”. In the course of history this Church entered into hierarchical relationship with the East Syrian Church and became an autonomous Metropolitan See under the East Syrian Patriarch who was in communion with the Apostolic See of Rome. The “Archdeacon of all India” did the administration.

The Portuguese missionaries who arrived in the 15th century could not decipher the liturgical traditions and the mode of governance of this Church. They latinized our ancient liturgical texts. When the domination of the Portuguese missionaries became unbearable, a section of this community broke away from the western supremacy in 1653. But a good number returned to the fold through unification efforts. Those who did not return constitute the present Malankara Orthodox Churches. We are the descendants of those who maintained and regained loyalty to the Apostolic See of Rome.

The Archdiocese of Changanacherry is one of the first two Vicariates and the second Metropolitan Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, after the establishment of the Syro-Malabar hierarchy which was the prelude to the restoration of the identity of the Church in 1992 as Sui luris Church.

Pope Leo XIII of happy memory by his Bull ‘Quod Jam Pridem’ dated May 20, 1887 established  two Vicariates Apostolic - Kottayam and Thrissur - exclusively for the Syro-Malabarians and Dr. Charles Lavigne and Dr. Adolph Medlycott respectively were appointed the Vicars Apostolic.

The same Pope reorganised the existing Vicariates by the Bull ‘Quae Rei Sacrae’ dated July 28, 1896 establishing a new Vicariate, Ernakulam, with territories carved out from the two existing Vicariates (Pallippuram, Edappally and Arakuzha divisions from Kottayam Vicariate).

The Vicariate of Kottayam was renamed Changanacherry, since this town had been the centre of Catholic activity, (eg: the Convocation of the Changanacherry Synod in 1888) and hence its headquarters had been shifted to Changanacherry in 1891. Indigenous bishops were appointed Vicars Apostolic to the new Sees. They were Mar Mathew Makil for Chan-ganacherry, Mar Louis Pazheparambil (from Changanacherry Vicariate) for Ernakulam and Mar John Menacherry for Thrissur.

A new Vicariate of Kottayam was constituted in1911 exclusively for the Suddists and Mar Mathew Makkil was transferred to Kottayam as the Vicar Apostolic of Suddists and Mar Thomas Kurialacherry was appointed the Vicar Apostolic of Changanacherry. With the establishment of the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy on December 21, 1923 by the Bull ‘Romani Pontifices’ of Pope Pius XI, the Diocese of Thrissur, Changanacherry and Kottayam became suffragans of  the Archdiocese of Ernakulam thereby constituting the first Syro-Malabar Province.

On July 25, 1950 the Diocese of Changanacherry was bifurcated by the Bull ‘Quo Ecclesiarum’ of Pope Pius XII and the new Diocese of Palai was created.

The Holy See being impressed by the wonderful progress achieved by the Syro-Malabarians, extended the hitherto held boundaries of Changanacherry to the areas south of river Pamba, up to (including) Kanyakumari, by the Bull ‘Multorum Fidelium’ of Pope Pius XII, dated April 29, 1955.

Changanacherry was raised to the status of an Archdiocese on July 26, 1956 by Pope Pius XII constituting the second province in the Syro-Malabar Church and Kottayam and Pala became its suffragans. The Apostolic Constitution ‘Regnum Caelorum’ of November 26, 1959 of Pope John XXIII gave effect to this decision of Pope Pius XII.

In 1975 the missionary work of three (now five) civil districts of the Archdiocese of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh was taken up completely by the Archdiocese of Changanacherry.

The Archdiocese was again divided on 26th February 1977 by the Bull ‘Nos Beati Petri’ of Pope Paul VI and the new Diocese of Kanjirappilly was set up comprising parts of the Civil districts of Kottayam and Idukki.

The Archdiocese was divided a fourth time when its Kanyakumari Mission was elevated to the status of a new diocese by the Bull Apud Indorum Gentes of John Paul II, dated December 18, 1996. The formal inauguration of the new diocese of Thuckalay and the Episcopal Ordination of Mar George Alencherry as its first Bishop took place on February 2, 1997.

The Archdiocese of Changanacherry now comprises the civil districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam in Kerala and Palai, Kanjirapally and Thucklay as its suffragans. Archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil assumed the office of the Archbishop of Changanacherry on 17th January 1986 and resigned in 2007. Mar Joseph Perumthottam was appointed on 20th January 2007 as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Changanacherry and was installed on 19th March 2007.