First Syro-Malabar parishes established in Europe

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has opened its first personal parishes in England when Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry opened two parishes in the dioceses of Lancaster last week.

The Church in Preston is dedicated to St. Alphonsa and the other parish meant for Syro-Malabar Catholic in the rest of the dioceses is dedicated to Saints Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Euphrasia). These personal parishes are the first for the Syro-Malabar Church in Europe.

A speical blessing was given on the historic church and presbytery at St Ignatius, Preston which now serves as the worship, social and catechetical centre for the Syro-Malabar Catholics across the city and area.

The Major Archbishop also inaugurated the foundation in Preston of the Sisters of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) who have only recently arrived from Kerala.

This marks the first foundation of a community of Syro-Malabar Religious Sisters in Great Britain.

Some 1,000 20 clergy from the Syro-Malabar Church and some 20 priests from Lancaster diocese attended the colorful service, which was accompanied by music and drumming.

"The rest of the diocese has a smaller but well-established Syro-Malabar presence - connected canonically to the Blackpool St Kentigern's Deanery - and ongoing provision is being made for their needs," Bishop Michael Campbell explained in his blog.

"Meanwhile, we are becoming increasingly aware at the present time of the reality of migration and the plight of so many men, women and children seeking a better and more peaceful future. A frequent refrain in the Scriptures is that of 'the stranger in your midst', with the injunction to welcome and respect those who differ from us in any way.

"There is no doubt that the presence of the Syro-Malabar communities in the Diocese of Lancaster has brought many blessings to us, and we cannot but be impressed by the fervour of their religious practice and devotion to their faith.

"The concern of the Syro-Malabar Church authorities is to ensure that the faith and practice of their overseas communities be safeguarded and strengthened. In some parts of the world, eg the USA and Australia, the Syro-Malabar actually have their own dioceses and bishops.

"The Syro-Malabar chaplaincy in the Diocese of Lancaster was founded in 2004 by Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue and has, until this point, relied completely on various Roman Catholic parishes in Preston and further afield, to host their liturgies, social gatherings, meetings and prayer services.

"We warmly welcomed the Major Archbishop among us in the conviction that our own Church of Lancaster is strengthened and enriched by the presence of his faithful people among us," he said.

Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, says, "We are not here to win anything, we are here to arrive at the truth of the Lord that He has set out for His Church." 

This afternoon at the Vatican press office, with its director, Father Federico Lombardi, French Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, Monsignor Salvador Pineiro Garcia-Calderon, the American archbishop expressed this when commenting on the Holy Father's advice for prelates to not 'pick sides' and become divided in the Synod hall. The Synod Fathers were giving their thoughts on the third day of the Synod of Bishops, Oct. 4-25, being held on the topic "The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the contemporary world."

The Synod Fathers, each for a different language group, observed that today first full day of the Circle of Minors. They expressed it was a great opportunity for different language groups with diverse ethnic and cultural compositions to start to examine family issues. Within these discussions, the topic of reforming language, in a way which does not in any way compromise, was brought up. 

When ZENIT asked Archbishop Chaput if changing language to seem more welcoming to some could potentially be used by politicians to mean things in ways the Church does not intend, the prelate said, 'Yes,' and that this has come up in their discussions and is being considered. He also added the concern that sometimes translations cause additional misunderstandings.

"We have to be careful with our language so people don't get hurt, but also we must be faithful to Church doctrine," he said.

"We need dialogue between the universal and local Church," the archbishop said, noting, "It's not appropriate for single episcopal conferences to make decisions on doctrine." 

To point out the magnitude of the task ahead of the Synod's bishops, he said, "Who is our audience? Our audience is huge, and we must address that diversity."  

From this, he mentioned how some in the English-speaking group expressed concerns this morning that Instrumentum Laboris does not reflect the Universal Church, but reflects more the Northern Hemisphere and Europe's concerns perhaps more than other continents and regions.

The American prelate spoke about the passage from the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia to where we are today, in the Synod discussing the family. He said it was his delight to host the Holy Father, and affirmed that the event had a great impact on him.

When reflecting on the World Meeting of Families, he said its purpose of celebrating family life was really visible as people came away "strengthened and encouraged about the future." He also praised that "there was a hunger for the reaffirmation of the Church’s teaching on marriage." 

When asked regarding the renewed language toward homosexuals, the archbishop noted that although mentioned, it was not the dominant point of the conversation. "I am sure the topic of same sex attraction will be in future conversations and I hope we find language that welcomes and doesn't hurt," he said.

By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput

Rome, October 07, 2015 (ZENIT.org)

"[The] synod is neither a convention, nor a parlor, nor a parliament or senate, where people make deals and reach compromises. The synod is rather an ecclesial expression, i.e., the Church that journeys together to read reality with the eyes of faith and with the heart of God; it is the Church that interrogates herself with regard to her fidelity to the deposit of faith, which does not represent for the Church a museum to view, nor even something merely to safeguard, but is a living source from which the Church shall drink, to satisfy the thirst of, and illuminate, the deposit of life."

Pope Francis

Remarks to the First Session of the Synod of Bishops on the Family

On Sunday evening, September 27, the Holy Father left Philadelphia for Rome after a hugely successful visit to Cuba and the United States. Four days later - barely time to breathe - I headed to Rome as a delegate to the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family.

It's taken until now for the scope of the World Meeting of Families to begin to sink in. But the truth is this: The Church, the city and the people of Philadelphia achieved something astonishing. In Rome I've been stopped again and again by bishops, journalists and everyday people from around the world. They describe their days in Philadelphia as something close to a miracle; a highpoint of their faith and their lives.

The credit goes to many people: generous donors, a tireless staff, wonderful volunteers and great cooperation from civic authorities. But above all, the credit goes to the priests, deacons, religious and people of our local Church. Success in Philadelphia had two ingredients: the grace of God and thousands of extraordinary families at the parish level who helped World Meeting of Families be the sign of hope God intended. Looking out on a parkway jammed with nearly 900,000 persons at the closing Mass, Pope Francis saw the face of the Christian family in our country; the very best of Philadelphia and the very best of the United States. The day clearly moved him, as it did all of us. And it set the stage perfectly for the Synod on the Family that began its first session yesterday, October 5.

A synod - from the Greek word synodos, for meeting or assembly -- is a global gathering of bishops called together by the Holy Father to give him counsel on a topic he chooses. Its role is purely advisory. The Pope can accept its counsel or choose a different path. But Francis has a keen sense of collegiality. He encourages a high degree of candor in discussing sensitive issues. And few subjects are more sensitive or more urgent than renewing the health of today's families, the focus of the current synod. If the first day's interventions were a sign, delegates at this synod will have no trouble being frank. Proceedings are closed to the public, but bishops are free to speak with the media, and many will. So as themes develop over the next three weeks, plenty of information will be available.

In his opening remarks on the first day of the synod, Francis urged his brother bishops to be guided by three principles in the days of discussion ahead:apostolic courage; evangelicalhumility and trustful prayer.

That's good advice for anyone seeking to live a genuinely Christian life. But it's vital for bishops in their work at the Synod on the Family.

I've come to Rome with the World Meeting of Families alive in my memory and my heart. I saw the hope and joy in those nearly 900,000 faces on Philadelphia's parkway, just as Francis did. That's what God intends for us all. Please pray for me during this synod, that God gives me the ability to share that hope and joy - so vividly alive in so many Christian families at the memorable closing Mass - with my brother bishops.

It is not easy to be a prophet, says Cardinal Alencherry to the Synod

Vatican City, 6 October 2015 (VIS) – This morning at 9 a.m., with the recitation of the Terce prayer, the third Congregation of the General Ordinary Assembly on the Family opened in the Synod Hall.

His Beatitude Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, India, and president of the Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church, pronounced a homily in which he underlined, in the light of the Bible readings, the prophetic mission of the Church in our times.

“The reading from Jeremiah gives us a message very much applicable to the goal of our Synodal deliberations on family”, he began. “Prophet Jeremiah uttered a few oracles to the royal family of Judah cautioning the King against the ruin that may fall upon the Kingdom, if the King does not render Justice and righteousness and save the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor. Josiah and Jehoiakim were the kings of Judah, at that time. We know that both of them were weak kings, and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, destroyed the Kingdom of Judah and the temple. Owing to the failures of the kings the people were driven to exile and all the sufferings that arose from it. Josiah and Nebuchadnezzar, the kings of Judah, could not render justice and righteousness and save the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor. Justice means the acceptance of the reign of God and righteousness is the grace of God resulting from the acceptance of God’s reign. The kings of Judah failed in their responsibility to give justice and righteousness to the people, and accordingly the people had to suffer the consequences”.

“The words of the prophet are applicable to rulers and leaders of all the times and also to the people governed by them. In many countries of the world people are denied justice and righteousness as a result of the promotion of individualism, hedonism and oppression by secularist values and lines of action. The question arises as to whether the leaders of the Church have come forward with a prophetic role like that of Jeremiah to support the people with the Word of God and by personal witness”.

“Jeremiah had to suffer the cost of his prophetic role”, the Cardinal observed. “His life was a symbol of the message he gave. Suffering and ruin he had to take upon himself. He was asked to accept three signs in his life: not to marry, not to attend funerals and not to attend parties”.

“'Do not take a wife': Jeremiah is not to experience the deep love of a bride, for the bride, Israel, has rejected Yahweh’s love. He must experience loneliness, as Yahweh experiences loneliness. In Christian times, celibacy becomes a sign”.

“'Do not go into a house where there is mourning': Jeremiah is not to mourn or show compassion to the dead, because Yahweh has lost all feelings for his people. They will die unlamented”.

“'Do not go into a house where there is a celebration': Jeremiah is not to join any celebration, because there is nothing to celebrate. Jeremiah is called to lead a terrible life, and no wonder he goes into deep depression and bitter lament. It is not easy to be a prophet”.

“The pastors of the Church in the present times are called to take upon their lives a prophetic role of suffering and kenosis, similar to that of the prophet Jeremiah”, concluded His Beatitude, citing Pope Francis' words in his apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”:

“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: 'Give them something to eat'”.