Website: www.etawahmission.org
Email: etawahmission1975@gmail.com
Heavenly Patron : St. Thomas
Established : 1975 May 1
Priests : 21
Seminarians : 16
Area : 11360 sq.km
Sisters : 38
Total Population : 58.82 Lakh
Convents : 14
Catholic Population : 1000
Minor Seminary : 1
Churches & Chapels : 15
Senior Secondary Schools : 9
Other Schools : 3
Etawah Mission, formerly known as the Agra Mission, is the north Indian missionary outreach of the Archeparchy of Changanacherry. Founded in 1975 Etawah Mission was a response to a long cherished desire of the Catholic Church in India expressed in the CBCI meeting of Kolkata that dioceses and religious congregations from South which
are rich in vocations may be requested to take up mission territories in North where the missions were facing a shortage of personnel. There was also the constant demand of the Syro Malabar Church for their right to engage in mission work in North outside its territorium proprium.
As an answer to these twin desires that Most Rev. Dr. Dominic Athaide, then Archbishop of Agra offered the Archeparchy of Changanacherry, territories for mission work. Mar Antony Padiyara, then Archbishop of Changanacherry himself a missionary gladly accepted the invitation and sent his priests and religious to the area entrusted to the Archeparchy. Etawah Mission is a unique missionary venture in the history of the Missions in India. Perhaps this is the only case of missionary co operation between two Archdioceses following two different liturgical traditions - Agra, the Latin tradition and
Changanacherry, the East Syrian tradition.
The areas entrusted to our care were very backward and criminal in nature. The pioneer missionaries, in consultation with those having experience in the area, felt that education will be a very effective means of evangelization. Consequently the educational apostolate
of the mission was developed. She runs formal and non formal educational institutions in the districts entrusted to her care - Etawah, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Auraiya and Firozabad. The social work organization Samaj Kalyan Samiti, of the mission Etawah through various programmes, is actively involved in the social outreach programmes for the benefit of the women, children, economically and socially weak villagers, etc., in these districts.
The Mission is in the forefront of ecumenism as we have a very cordial relation with the CNI Christian brethren already present in this area. We both share two churches, the Christ Church Etawah and All Souls Memorial Church, Fatehgarh for worship witnessing to the ecumenical outreach of the mission. Our Etawah and Fatehgarh schools use the land taken on lease from the CNI diocese of Agra. Sadbhavana inter religious meetings are conducted many times a year to share our mutual faiths.
The year 2017 witnessed a big development in the ecclesiastical milieu of the Church in India. On 9 Oct 2017 Holy Father Pope Francis through “The Letter to the Bishops of India” accorded all India Jurisdiction for the Syro Malabar Church fulfilling a long cherished
desire and demand of the community. According to the apostolic letter all Syro Malabar faithful living outside the territories of the present dioceses will now come under the newly formed eparchy of Shamsabad in Telangana. Consequently the Syro Malabar faithful of
Etawah mission also became part of the newly formed diocese.
As a result and in continuation of this new development “we have come to an agreement that Etawah Mission will be granted administrative, Pastoral and missionary autonomy she has hitherto enjoyed under the Archdiocese of Agra and that a written agreement will be made between the eparchy of Shamsabad and the archeparchy of Changanacherry in this regard in the form of a contract”. (Agreement with Shamsabad, p.1). This contract was solemnly signed on 24 February 2018 at Changanacherry and Very Rev. Dr. James Palackal was appointed Vicar General of Etawah Mission for Shamsabad eparchy. This had a very positive outcome as the agreement stipulates in its clause 5 that “the above mentioned territories of Etawah Mission may be raised to the dignity of an eparchy/exarchy in due course of time”.
The second session of the 30th Syro-Malabar Synod, conducted between August 16–25, 2022, made a provision for an Auxiliary Bishop for the Eparchy of Shamshabad with special charge of Etawah-Jaipur missions, run by the Archeparchy of Changanacherry. Mar Thomas Padiyath from the Archeparchy of Changanacherry was consecrated on 8 October 2022 as Auxiliary Bishop of Shamshabad with special responsibility of the Etawah-Jaipur missions.
Mission Superior
Rev. Fr. Thomas Ezhikad 9411865219, 9368708519
Email: smectrajasthan@gmail.com
Heavenly Patron : St. Mary
Established : 2015 June 2
Priests : 06
Area : 12 Districts of Rajasthan
The Church of Christ by her very nature is missionary (AG 2). The Archeparchy of Changanacherry has been very faithful to this divine call and the most recent chapter in her missionary journey is the opening of the St. Mary's Syro Malabar Mission in the state of Rajasthan in the wake of the All India Jurisdiction given to the Syro Malabar Church by His Holiness Pope Francis. St. Mary's Syro Malabar Mission in Rajasthan is the result of the missionary and pastoral collaboration between the newly erected eparchy of
Shamshabad, created for missionary work in the rest of India and for the care of migrant Syro Malabarians, with the archeparchy of Changanacherry. It is to be specifically placed on record that the new St. Mary's mission, comprising the 12 civil districts of Rajasthan
– Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Dhaulpur, Karuli, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Bundi, Kota, Baran and Jhalawar – is the fruit of the missionary zeal and genuine ecclesial vision of Mar Joseph Perumthottam, Archbishop of Changanacherry Archeparchy. When the offer for starting a Syro Malabar mission in the state of Rajasthan was placed by the eparchy of Shamshabad, and even before that, it was whole heartedly accepted by Archbishop Joseph Perumthottam. St. Mary's mission in Rajasthan is the second missionary venture of the archeparchy of Changanacherry in North India. The official signing of the contract between the archeparchy of Changanacherry and the eparchy of Shamshabad took place on April 24, 2019, after long and due considerations in respective competent bodies, at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanadu. Mar Joseph Perumthottam of Changanacherry and Mar Raphael Thattil of Shamshabad duly signed the contract for their respective Eparchies. Very Rev. Dr. James Palackal of the Archeparchy of Changanacherry was appointed Vicar General of the Etawah and Jaipur missions by His Excellency Mar Raphel Thattil
and the Mission Superior of Jaipur mission by His Grace Mar Joseph Perumthottam. Provision of All India Jurisdiction to the Syro Malabar Church, the establishment of the eparchy of Shamshabad, meritorious leadership and ardent love of His Grace Mar Joseph Perumthottam for the Syro Malabar migrants and the zealous contributions and
effective interventions of Mar Raphel Thattil paved the way for the beginning of the St. Mary's mission, also known as Jaipur mission, in Rajasthan. Nonetheless, even before the establishment of the eparchy of Shamshabad in 2018, at the repeated requests of the migrant Syro Malabar faithful in Jaipur, Mar Joseph Perumthottam decided to send
a priest to look after the spiritual and pastoral needs of the migrant Syro Malabar faithful in Jaipur. Accordingly, Rev. Fr. Sebastian Souriamakil came to Jaipur on June 2, 2015. Fr. Sebastian was able to form a Syro Malabar community in the city of Jaipur with the name Syro Malabar Holy Family Mission. Fr. Sebastian Souriamakil served the mission for one year and seven months and left for Saudi Arabia for pastoral work. Then, Rev. Fr. Melvin Pallikizhakethil from the Etawah mission served this mission from February 1, 2017 to November 13, 2017. Rev. Fr. Paul Peediyekkal was appointed priest in charge of the Jaipur mission on November 13, 2017. After that, Fr. Varghese Punnakalayil, Fr. Joseph Pulickaparampil, Fr. Philip Moozhikunnel and Fr. George Mannumadom were also appointed
in the mission. On 20 February 2022 Holy Family Syro Malabar Church was consecreted
The second session of the 30th Syro-Malabar Synod, conducted between August 16–25, 2022, made a provision for an Auxiliary Bishop for the Eparchy of Shamshabad with special charge of Etawah-Jaipur missions, run by the Archeparchy of Changanacherry. Mar Thomas Padiyath from the Archeparchy of Changanacherry was consecrated on 8 October 2022 as Auxiliary Bishop of Shamshabad with special responsibility of the Etawah-Jaipur missions.
The territorial jurisdiction of the eparchy of Changanacherry got extended from the Pampa River in the State of Kerala to the South upto Kanyakumari in the State of Tamil Nadu on April 29, 1955 by Pope Pius XII with the papal Bull, Multorum Fidelium. With this extension from 1960 onwards many young priests, religious and laity of the Archeparchy volunteered to devote themselves in the evangelization works in Kanyakumari Mission sharing the Gospel among the local people and forming them in the liturgy and spirituality
of the Syro Malabar Church. This Mission made tremendous growth due to the apostolic zeal and enthusiasm of its pioneer missionaries. As a result, on November 11, 1996 Archeparchy of Changanacherry was bifurcated establishing Eparchy of Thuckalay, by the papal Bull Apud Indorum, which encompasses the whole of Kanyakumari Mission. Again, on October 10, 2017 Pope Francis extended the territory of the Eparchy of Thuckalay comprising 9 civil districts namely, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar, Theni, Thenkasi, Madurai, Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram (above 30000 sq/kms). After having many Inter Eparchial meetings on mission itself, as per invitation from the Bishop of Thuckalay, the Archeparchy of Changanacherry decided to undertake Virudhunagar Mission and sent Rev. Fr. Peter Kizhakkeyil, a missionary priest of this Archeparchy, to
the new mission land. This new mission was inaugurated on May 30, 2019, on the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ. O. Kovilpatti and Inam Rettiapatti are the new mission stations. Rev. Fr. Joseph Keeranchira was appointed in 2022. On 03 April 2022 St. Joseph
Syro Malabar Catholic Church was consecrated.
Mission Stations
1. O. Kovilpatti, St. Joseph's Mission, Melachinnayapuram
2. Inam Rettiapatti
The foreign mission of the Archeparchy of Changanacherry consists of ministry among the Syro_malabar migrants who are living outside India. Generally priests from the Acreparchy work for the Latin dioceses and also undertake the special pastoral care for the Syro-Malabar migrants.
Services of our Rev. Priests in Foreign Countries
Australia 01
Austria 01
Canada 01
Germany 20
Italy 17
Malta 01
Ireland 02
Romania 01
South Africa 01
Spain 01
Switzerland 01
UK 05
USA 11
The Eparchy of Jagdalpur comprises the present Bastar revenue division. i.e. the southernmost 7 districts of Chhattisgarh such as Kanker, Narayanpur, Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Sukma and Bijapur. The total area is 39176 SqKms and population is about 29 Lakhs, constituted of Adivasis who form the major bulk of the population (69%). It was in 1966 that Bastar region was separated from the Eparchy of Visakapattanam and added to the Apostolic Prefecture of Raipur. The Acheparchy of Changanacherry is one of the major supporters of the Eparchy of Jagadalpur.
Diocese of Jagdalpur
Lal - Bagh, Jagdalpur P.O.
Bastar Dist., Chhattisgarh 494 001
07782 228293, (P) 07782 228307 (Secretary) 78799 52543