EPARCHY OF RAMANATHAPURAM (Syro-Malabar Church) DIRECTORY - 2015 Published by THE EPARCHIAL CURIA CATHOLIC BISHOP’S HOUSE C/o HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL TRICHY ROAD, RAMANATHAPURAM COIMBATORE - 641 045, TN Phone: 0422-4221795 E-mail : [email protected] : dioceseoframanathapuram Website: www.dioceseoframanathapuram.com : www.dioceseoframanathapuram.org ONTENTS E OF C TABL GENERAL INFORMATION 05 1. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 05 2. THE ROMAN PONTIFF 07 3. WORLD POPULATION 10 4. THE STATE OF VATICAN 11 a. The Secretariat of State 11 b. Congregations 12 c. Tribunals 15 d. Pontifical Councils 16 e. Offices 17 f. Other Organs of the Roman Curia 17 g. Pontifical Commissions and Committees 17 h. Official Publications 17 5. CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ASIA 18 6. CATHOLIC CHURCH IN INDIA 18 a. The Apostolic Nunciature 18 b. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) 19 c. Three Episcopal Bodies 20 d. Common Centres of CBCI 20 e. Various Commissions, Councils and Committees of the CBCI 22 f. Ecclesiastical Provinces of India 23 7. CATHOLIC CHURCH IN TAMILNADU 25 8. CATHOLIC CHURCH IN KERALA 30 A. Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) 30 B. Common Concerns of KCBC 31 C. Office Bearers of the Various Commissions of KCBC 31 D. Latin Church 33 E. Syro-Malankara Church 36 F. The Syro-Malabar Church 39 1. Historical Overview 39 2. Major Archiepiscopal Curia 46 ONTENTS E OF C TABL GENERAL INFORMATION 05 1. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 05 2. THE ROMAN PONTIFF 07 3. WORLD POPULATION 10 4. THE STATE OF VATICAN 11 a. The Secretariat of State 11 b. Congregations 12 c. Tribunals 15 d. Pontifical Councils 16 e. Offices 17 f. Other Organs of the Roman Curia 17 g. Pontifical Commissions and Committees 17 h. Official Publications 17 5. CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ASIA 18 6. CATHOLIC CHURCH IN INDIA 18 a. The Apostolic Nunciature 18 b. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) 19 c. Three Episcopal Bodies 20 d. Common Centres of CBCI 20 e. Various Commissions, Councils and Committees of the CBCI 22 f. Ecclesiastical Provinces of India 23 7. CATHOLIC CHURCH IN TAMILNADU 25 8. CATHOLIC CHURCH IN KERALA 30 A. Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) 30 B. Common Concerns of KCBC 31 C. Office Bearers of the Various Commissions of KCBC 31 D. Latin Church 33 E. Syro-Malankara Church 36 F. The Syro-Malabar Church 39 1. Historical Overview 39 2. Major Archiepiscopal Curia 46 3. Syro-Malabar Statistics 51 4. Common Institutions 52 I. GENERAL INFORMATION 5. Syro - Malabar Metropolitan Provinces & other Eparchies 53 1. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH G. METROPOLITAN PROVINCE OF TRICHUR 65 The Church had its beginning in Palestine with the historical Pentecost 1. Historical Sketch 65 in Jerusalem, which happened subsequent to the resurrection and 2. The Prelates & Vicars General of the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church, thus started, spread to Undivided Eparchy of Palghat 68 other regions of the world. As it spread, certain cities, like Jerusalem, A. Prelates 68 Antioch, Alexandria and Constantinople in the East and Rome in the 2. Vicars General 70 West of the Roman Empire, and India & Mesopotamia outside the Roman Empire, became centres of Christian life and missionary H. THE EPARCHY OF RAMANATHAPURAM 71 endeavours. Each centre developed its own practices of worship. a. Brief Historical Sketch 71 These various groups of the faithful were held together by a hierarchy b. The Erection of the Eparchy of Palghat 71 of their own. Thus separate Rites and individual Churches came into c. The Erection of the New Eparchy of Ramanathapuram 72 existence. But they were organically united in the Holy Spirit through d. The New Eparchy 74 the same faith and sacraments but grew with different liturgy, e. Bishop Paul Alappatt 75 discipline, spirituality and theology. Hence the Catholic Church is a 3. Various Organs of the Eparchial Administration 77 communion of different individual Churches. a. Curia 77 b. College of Consultors 77 The West & the East: The ecclesiastical distinction between the c. Finance Council 77 West and the East came into existence at the end of the third century. It d. Presbyteral Council 77 was Emperor Diocletian who for the convenience of administration e. Pastoral Council 79 made this division of the Roman Empire. Eastern empire was also f. Liturgical Commission 94 known as the Byzantine empire because its capital was Byzantium g. Construction Committee 95 (Constantinople) (the present Istanbul of Turkey). Based on this division, the Church also came to be known as Western and Eastern. h Other Committees 96 The Church which developed in and around Rome was called the G. Parishes & Stations 99 Western Church or the Latin Church and the other Churches which H. 1. Priests of the Eparchy 103 developed in other five centres either in the Eastern Roman Empire or 2. Priests working in the Eparchy 105 even more east to it were called Eastern Churches. These Churches I. Religious Institutes 107 were Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople (all in the Eastern Roman 1. Institutes for Men 107 empire), Armenia and Persia (further east to the Eastern Roman 2. Institutes for Women 110 Empire). J. Seminarians of the Eparchy 117 K. Institutions 118 As a result of evangelization drive and missionary enterprises under a. Ecclesiastical 118 the leadership of Propaganda Fide and Padrovado, which started th b. Educational 119 mainly by 15 century, and globalization and migration to various L. Associations & Movements 132 parts of the globe in search of means for livelihood and education, this M. Snippets from the History of the Eparchy 135 kind of distinction like Western and Eastern Churches which had been N. hn⁄m]\w 138 existing for a long time in the history of the Church, has become now O. Telephone Numbers 142 irrelevant. With the vision of the Church of Christ as the communion Eparchy of Ramanathapuram 05 Q. Important Numbers of the Public Utility 149 3. Syro-Malabar Statistics 51 4. Common Institutions 52 I. GENERAL INFORMATION 5. Syro - Malabar Metropolitan Provinces & other Eparchies 53 1. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH G. METROPOLITAN PROVINCE OF TRICHUR 65 The Church had its beginning in Palestine with the historical Pentecost 1. Historical Sketch 65 in Jerusalem, which happened subsequent to the resurrection and 2. The Prelates & Vicars General of the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church, thus started, spread to Undivided Eparchy of Palghat 68 other regions of the world. As it spread, certain cities, like Jerusalem, A. Prelates 68 Antioch, Alexandria and Constantinople in the East and Rome in the 2. Vicars General 70 West of the Roman Empire, and India & Mesopotamia outside the Roman Empire, became centres of Christian life and missionary H. THE EPARCHY OF RAMANATHAPURAM 71 endeavours. Each centre developed its own practices of worship. a. Brief Historical Sketch 71 These various groups of the faithful were held together by a hierarchy b. The Erection of the Eparchy of Palghat 71 of their own. Thus separate Rites and individual Churches came into c. The Erection of the New Eparchy of Ramanathapuram 72 existence. But they were organically united in the Holy Spirit through d. The New Eparchy 74 the same faith and sacraments but grew with different liturgy, e. Bishop Paul Alappatt 75 discipline, spirituality and theology. Hence the Catholic Church is a 3. Various Organs of the Eparchial Administration 77 communion of different individual Churches. a. Curia 77 b. College of Consultors 77 The West & the East: The ecclesiastical distinction between the c. Finance Council 77 West and the East came into existence at the end of the third century. It d. Presbyteral Council 77 was Emperor Diocletian who for the convenience of administration e. Pastoral Council 79 made this division of the Roman Empire. Eastern empire was also f. Liturgical Commission 94 known as the Byzantine empire because its capital was Byzantium g. Construction Committee 95 (Constantinople) (the present Istanbul of Turkey). Based on this division, the Church also came to be known as Western and Eastern. h Other Committees 96 The Church which developed in and around Rome was called the G. Parishes & Stations 99 Western Church or the Latin Church and the other Churches which H. 1. Priests of the Eparchy 103 developed in other five centres either in the Eastern Roman Empire or 2. Priests working in the Eparchy 105 even more east to it were called Eastern Churches. These Churches I. Religious Institutes 107 were Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople (all in the Eastern Roman 1. Institutes for Men 107 empire), Armenia and Persia (further east to the Eastern Roman 2. Institutes for Women 110 Empire). J. Seminarians of the Eparchy 117 K. Institutions 118 As a result of evangelization drive and missionary enterprises under a. Ecclesiastical 118 the leadership of Propaganda Fide and Padrovado, which started th b. Educational 119 mainly by 15 century, and globalization and migration to various L. Associations & Movements 132 parts of the globe in search of means for livelihood and education, this M. Snippets from the History of the Eparchy 135 kind of distinction like Western and Eastern Churches which had been N. hn⁄m]\w 138 existing for a long time in the history of the Church, has become now O. Telephone Numbers 142 irrelevant. With the vision of the Church of Christ as the communion Eparchy of Ramanathapuram 05 Q. Important Numbers of the Public Utility 149 of different individual Churches sui iuris which emerged from the second Vatican Council, there is no “so called fixed boundary” for any THE ROMAN PONTIFF Church sui iuris in the world. Wherever there is sizeable number of the faithful belonging to a particular sui iuris church in the Catholic Communion, whether it be in the West or in the East, it is entitled to have its own pastoral leadership, Liturgy, discipline, administration etc.