Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Changanassery

Infobox Diocese| jurisdiction=Archdiocese
name= Changanassery
latin=Archidioecesis Changanacherrensis
country= India
rite=Syro-Malabar Rite
cathedral = St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral
cocathedral =
area= 24,595
population= 9,300,000
population_as_of= 2004
catholics= 382,000
catholics_percent= 4.1
bishop= Joseph Perumthotttam
coadjutor =
auxiliary_bishops =

Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Changanassery is a Roman Catholic Archdiocese in India, under the Syro-Malabar Church. Currently, it is the largest Catholic Diocese in India. It is one of the first two Vicariates and the second Metropolitan Archdiocese of the Syro - Malabar Hierarchy which can be considered as a prelude to the restoration of the identity of the Church in 1992 as a "Sui Juris" Church.

It covers 13 Forane churches and more than 300 other churches in the Keralite districts of Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. It also manages a lot of Hospitals, Colleges, Schools - both general and those for the physically/mentally challenged, Orphanages, De-addiction centers and Old-age homes.

Mar Joseph Perumthottam is the current Archbishop;

Brief History

Since centuries, the district of Kottayam, hosted a large Nazrani population. Since then, the Taluk of Changanassery was predominently Catholic and other factions of Christians were notably less.

Pope Leo XIII, by his Bull Quod Jam Pridem dated "20 May 1887" established the two Apostolic vicariates - Kottayam and Trichur exclusively for the Syro Malabarians. Then the same Pope, by the Bull Quae Rei Sacrae dated "28 July 1896" established a new Vicariate - Ernakulam, with territories carved out from the two existing Vicariates. The territories moved from Kottayam Viacriate were Pallippuram, Edappally and Arakuzha.

Eventually, the Vicariate of Kottayam was renamed Changanassery, since this town had been the centre of Catholic activity {eg. the Changanassery Synod in 1888} and hence its headquarters was shifted to Changanassery in 1890. Later, a new Vicariate - Kottayam - was constituted in 1911 to mainly constitute churches from the taluk of Kottayam.

Further growth of the Diocese of Changanassery resulted in getting raised to the status of an Archdiocese by Pope Pius XII on "26 July 1956".

uffragan dioceses

*Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palai
*Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Kanjirappally
*Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Thuckalay

Bishops and Archbishops

*1887-1896 Bishop Charles Lavigne
*1896-1911 Bishop Mar Mathew Makil
*1911-1925 Bishop Mar Thomas Kurialassery
*1927-1949 Bishop Mar James Kalassery
*1950-1969 Archbishop Mar Mathew Kavukattu
*1970-1985 Archbishop Mar Antony Padiyara
*1985-2007 Archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil
*2007-present Archbishop Mar Joseph Perumthottam

First Vicar General

*1889-1892 Msgr Nidhiry Mani Kathanar

External links

* [http://www.archdiocesechanganacherry.org Website of the Archdiocese]
* [http://www.syromalabar.com/dioceses/changanassery/ Archdiocese of Changanassery: Information & Photographs]
* [http://www.gcatholic.com/dioceses/diocese/chan0.htm Giga-Catholic Information]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dccsm.html Catholic-hierachy.org]
* [http://www.theindiancatholic.com/ Catholic Bishop Conference of India (CBCI)]