Syro-Malabar Community
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Safeguarding Team of Salford Diocese
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. It has over 5 million believers with 35 eparchies (dioceses) worldwide. It is an Apostolic Church which traces its origin to St Thomas who landed on the Malabar Coast of Southern India in 52AD and founded seven Christian communities in Kerala. The early Christian community in India was known as St Thomas Christians and up until the end of the 16th century were governed by bishops who were appointed by the East Syrian Church. Over time, separate independent churches were formed. The group that remained faithful to Rome came to be known as the Syro-Malabar Church, a name which means Syrian Christians of the Malabar Coast.
Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Great Britain
In 2016, Pope Francis established the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Great Britain, with its see in Preston at St Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral (formerly St Ignatius Church in the diocese of Lancaster). Currently there are over 70 priests working for the community in England, Scotland and Wales, assisting the Eparchial Bishop, His Excellency Mar Joseph Srampickal. Within the Eparchy of Great Britain, there are 5 parishes, 73 missions and 24 proposed missions, to serve nearly 80,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics.
Parish of St Marie and St Joseph
The Syro-Malabar community form an active presence within the parish. Members were instrumental in setting up the first Friday prayer group at St Marie’s and also monthly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St Joseph’s. Fr Stanto Thomas celebrates Holy Mass for the community in the Malayalam language in the Syro-Malabar rite on the first Saturday of the month at 6pm at St Joseph’s.
Contact
For details of the monthly Mass and to join the community WhatsApp group, please contact Sabu Joseph on 07837 405037.
Priest: Fr Stanto Thomas
email: stanto@csmegb.net