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St. Thomas Syro•Ma{Abar Cathouc Diocese Ef Chicago

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St. Thomas Syro•Ma{Abar Cathouc Diocese Ef Chicago St. Thomas Syro•Ma{abar Cathouc Diocese ef Chicago 5000 St. CliarCes Rod Betl'wood, Imnois 60104, USA ar Jacob Angadtatli Tef: 708.544.7250, 708.544.7099 " Bis~ Fax: 708.544.5890, 708.544:0339 • Pmnanent Ayostofic Vasitator to Canada E-nudf: Jattjad'[email protected] The Report ofthe First Presbyterium OfSt. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese Of Chicago The first Presbyterium of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago was conducted on October 2 through 4, 2001 at Mar Thoma Sleeha Cathedral Church, 5000 St. Charles Road, Bellwood, IL 60104. Altogether, seventeen Syro-Malabar priests serving the spiritual needs of the different Syro­ Malabar Communities through out the United States and Canada, enthusiastically and earnestly (actively) participated in the sessions. The Presbyterium started (Session I) at 7:30 PM on October 2, 2001 with Rosary lead by His Excel. Mar. Jacob Angadiath. He also invoked God's grace and blessing for ensuing Presbyterium. He also remembered those who died in the September 11 tragedy and those who are suffering in connection with the attacks. After supper the members assembled in Chavara Hall for the first session. The meeting started with a reading from 1 Pet. 5, 1-4. The bishop, His Excel. Mar Jacob Angadiath gave a warm and paternal welcome to all the attendees. He, in his introductory speech, acknowledged the keen interest on the part of the priests, in shaping the future of our new diocese. He thanked the attendees for their enthusiasms which made it possible for them to attend the Presbyterium at a very short notice. In the discussions ensued, he stressed the vital and essential role of the priests in the diocese and the community. It is the priest who brings life to the liturgical community. He especially mentioned the importance of traditions of the Syro-Malabar Rite in the practice of our faith brought to us by our patron saint St. Thomas. He acknowledged the difficulties we face in establishing the diocesan organization. He elucidated the importance and significance of the new Syro-Malabar Diocese in USA & Canada. He concluded his remarks by asking the prayerful participation of the priests in the diocesan functions. 1 The self-introduction of the participants, with a brief history, status report, and future aspirations of the community each one is serving, followed. (A report from each of the parishes, missions and associations would be forth coming.) The session ended at 10:30 PM. The second session started on October 3, 2001 at 9: 30 AM after the Holy Qurbana in the chapel. The theme of the session was ''The Diocesan Set-up". A discussion regarding the possibility of forming parishes and missions in various cities followed. Mar Angadiath defined the terms parish, mission and association as applicable to our community: Parish: This is a congregation of the Syro-Malabar faithful centered on a local Church. It has its own church, vicar and regular Sunday mass. A parish has its own supporting administrative system. Mission: This is a community of the Syro-Malabar faithful gathered in an organized fashion to fulfill its spiritual needs. This does not have an independent church or vicar. The community is lead by a Syro-Malabar priest with a supporting administrative structure. Association: This is an organization formed by the interested Syro-Malabar faithful to meet their spiritual and socio-economic and cuhural needs. There may be a spiritual director ( a priest) who assist and guide the community. The bishop reported that, at present, our diocese has two parishes (in Chicago and Dallas, sixteen missions - including the eight Knanaya missions-, twenty three associations/centers). The meeting proposed the following: 1. Keep the juridical status as it is for the time being. 2. Try to conduct Holy Qurbana on every Sunday. 3. Try to organize Catechism classes for children every Sunday. (By beginning the Catechism classes we can attract the parents and other family members to the church. This will also lead to the establishment of new parishes). 4. Try to get church buildings in various communities. It is possible to take over churches that are being closed by the various Latin dioceses. 5. Give proper appointments and assignments to all the priests in charge of the various parishes, missions and associations/centers. 6. The priest who is appointed by the bishop should coordinate all the pastoral activities of the particular geographical region. This means, any other priest who intends to work in the area should inform and get consent from the priest in charge regarding such spiritual activities. 7. Try to consolidate all the missions and Associations/centers under one coordinator. The assembly also expressed great concerns about the counter-propaganda against the Syro­ Malabar Diocese. Some concerns brought out in the discussion were extra financial burden, 2 school admissions, double membership fees, implications for children who are born and brought up here and doubts about the need for the Syro-Malabar rite in USA itself. The assembly also suggested the following measures to counteract this propaganda: 1. Publish a pastoral letter emphasizing the importance of our Rite and tradition. 2. Through Catechism, give the values and traditions of our church to our future generation. 3. Have a pastoral approach towards the people and try to listen to the problems of the people. 4. Give more awareness of our rite through different means like classes, seminars, pastoral teachings and official publications etc. 5. Pastoral letters as often as possible. 6. Give detailed news about our diocese, its activities and our appointments to other diocesan publications and bulletins. 7. Have personal and sustained contacts with the bishops of other dioceses. 8. Keep always our own registers and records of our sacraments and activities. 9. Ask other priests to officiate sacraments with the knowledge of the priest in charge of the region when the community invites them. 10. Encourage the Syro-Malabar people to officiate sacraments in our own rite. 11. Ask our people to support our diocese as much as possible. 12. Form a web site of our own diocese so that people can keep close contact with the diocese. This media can also be used to enhance the knowledge about our rite, diocese and tradition. The session ended at 10:30 AM. The third session was called to order at 11:30 AM on October 3, 2001. The theme was Liturgical Participation. Liturgy is the center of our Christian life. The Syro-Malabar rite has its own great traditions and theology, which makes it unique. The Bishop instructed the participants they have to make every effort to impart our tradition and culture to our future generation and it can be achieved through our Liturgy. Our children should have awareness about our rite and great traditions. The assembly gave a great deal of consideration to ways to enhance active participation of the people in the Liturgy. To achieve this the following suggestions were made: 1. Make an English Taksa with Malayalam so that both children and elders can actively participate in the liturgy. 2. Give good music to our liturgy 3. Use only one and the same Taksa in our entire diocesan liturgy. 4. In our Liturgy, the Synodal decision should be followed. 5. We can use the options, but the options chosen should be similar in our whole diocese. 3 Another point of discussion was about the celebration of the Holy Qurbana. Mar. Angadiath said, "When I celebrate the Holy Qurbana I am also participating and joining the liturgy and communion of the whole Church: 1. It is not a time for private devotion 2. Use only selected songs in the holy Qurbana. 3. When the liturgical community grows in their liturgical life the church also grows with it. 4. When we get our own church, build or remodel the church in our own liturgical tradition. 5. Make the liturgy most beautiful and attractive. 6. Give notations to our liturgical music so that children can also follow it easily. Some General observations brought up in the discussions were: 1. Formulate diocesan directories. 2. Codify "Yoga Nadappukal" 3. Divide the whole diocese in to different regions. 4. Allocate territories to the different parishes, missions and associations/centers. 5. Publish diocesan bulletin. The Session ended at 12:30 noon. The fourth Session was called to order at 1:30 PM on October 3, 2001. The theme, Catechism, is one of the primary goals of the diocese. It is through Catechism that we can impart our theology and tradition to the coming generations. It is essential for the existence of Diocese to establish as a distinct entity in this nation of diversities. Catechism is a media through which we can teach our children the relevance of the Rite and diocese, along with our values. It is important to develop the skills of our children who are born and brought up in this society in the teaching of Catechism. This improves the feeling of connectedness in the younger generation. This session ended at 2:30 p.m. The fifth Session began at 3 :00 p.m. A major topic of discussion was the "Fund Raising Efforts". It was unanimously felt that there is a grave necessity to raise sufficient funds for the new diocese. It was generally agreed that most of the members of the Syro-Malabar church in North America are at or above the national average economically. When they feel the necessity for the funds, they will rise up to the occasion. Therefore, it is necessary to impress on our membership the necessity for supporting the diocese both economically and through prayers. The skepticism experienced in some quarters should be addressed effectively and the fear that the new Diocese would be an added burden to the people should be addressed adequately.
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