The Syro Malankara Catholic Church

The mission of the Apostles and their successors planted the Church of Christ at various
places. In divine providence (LG 23), the Indian Church was blessed to have an apostolic
foundation in 52 AD through the evangelisation mission of St. Thomas, one of the twelve
Apostles of Jesus Christ. This Apostolic Church was in Catholic Communion from the
early centuries. It came in contact with the Syro-Chaldean Church of the Middle East and
consequently adopted the East Syrian Liturgy.
In the 16 century, this Apostolic Church came into direct relationship with the Western
Church through the Portuguese missionaries. The Portuguese extended the Padroado
agreement in their evangelization programme over India and wanted to bring the Indian
Church of the St. Thomas Christians under this jurisdiction. The Church in India which
was rooted in the socio-cultural environment and which enjoyed autonomy in internal
administration in communion with the Universal Church resisted the unwanted
intervention of the Portuguese who brought with them the Western ecclesiastical
traditions. The Portuguese missionaries, ignorant of the Oriental traditions of the Indian
Church, had the conviction that anything different from the Western Church was schism
and heresy. Hence they wanted to latinize the Syrian Christians of India.
In 1599 Bishop Franciz Roz (1599-1624) convoked a Synod at Diamper and imposed
latinization on the Apostolic Church of India. This was a blow to the identity of the
Indian Church. However, the relation continued till the beginning of the second half of
the seventeenth century. The Church of St.Thomas Christians could not withstand any
more the denial of her autonomy. The initial resistance slowly gave way to
discontentment, which ended up with the revolt in 1653 known as the Koonan Cross
Oath. Thus, the one Church of the St.Thomas Christians was split into two. A large
majority of the broken-away-group hesitated to sever ties with Rome and they remained
in communion with Rome, but, under the Latin Hierarchy. This group came to be called
the Pazhayakûttukar, while the other was known as Puthenkûttukar. The latter group
made several attempts to come in communion with Rome safeguarding their autonomy
and ritual patrimony. Failing to re-establish communion with Rome, they happened to
come in communion with the Jacobite Syrian Church of Antioch. These developments
were not acts against the Apostolic See of Rome but against the Portuguese missionaries
and their policy of latinization. Even after the communion with the Jacobite See of
Antioch, the Malankara Prelates Mar Thomas I (+1670), Mar Thomas II (+1686), Mar
Thomas III (+1688), Mar Thomas IV (+1728), Mar Thomas V (+1765), Mar Thomas VI
(+1808) and Mar Thomas VII (+1815) one after the other had attempted reunion with the
Holy See, but all ended up in failure.
The Puthenkûr community came under the influence of the British missionaries in the
19th century. From 1815 till 1836, the year of the Synod of Mavelikara, the British
missionaries propagated Protestant ideology among the Puthenkûttukar. This paved the
way to the formation of the Mar Thoma Church under the leadership of Palakunnath
Abraham Malpan and Mar Athanasios, who was consecrated Bishop by the Patriarch of
Antioch. In order to outdo the reformists Mar Divannasios approached the Patriarch of
Antioch. Patriarch Peter III arrived in Malankara and in the Synod of Mulanthuruthy
(1876) the Malankara Church had to accept the authority of the Patriarch of Antioch over
her. Since then, the Malankara Church had contented that the Patriarch’s authority was
only in spiritual matters.
It was in this contentious context that Patriarch Mar Abdulla who came to Malankara,
excommunicated Vattasseril Mar Divannasios in the year 1911. In this turbulent situation
Fr. P.T. Geevarghese (later Archbishop Mar Ivanios) played a vital role in reinstating the
postion of the excommunicated Metropolitan and in regaining the self-governance of the
Malankara Church. To ward off the undue interference of Patriarch Abdulla in the
administration of the temporalities of the Church, Fr. P.T. Varghese with the blessing of
Vattasseril Mar Divannasios contacted Abded M’siha, the Patriarch of Antioch from
whom Mar Abdulla usurped the Patriarchal See of Antioch, and invited him to visit
Malankara and to establish a Catholicate here. Accordingly, Abded M’siha came to
Malankara in 1912 and established the Malankara Catholicate. Thus the Malankara
Orthodox Church in India became an autonomous Church under its head the Catholicos.
Moran Mor Baselios Paulos I (1912-1913), the first Catholicos, was called to eternal rest
after a short period of five months on 13 May 1913.
After the demise of Moran Mor Baselios Paulos I, the See remained vacant until 1925.
That was a period of litigations in the Malankara Church; and also a period of spiritual
renewal. The litigation for Vattippanam (a fixed deposit of money in the name of the
Church) and its after-effects in the community was at its zenith. Fr. P.T. Geevarghese who
loved his Church was moved by the Spirit of God. He realised that only a spiritual
awakening of the Church would give a lasting solution to the problems of the Church. He
himself took to sanyâsa and founded the Order of the Imitation of Christ also called
Bethany Ashram in the year 1919. The first Ashram was erected at Mundanmala of Ranni
Perunad. In 1925 he founded the community of the Sanyasins, the Sisters of the Imitation
of Christ also called Bethany Madhom. From these two religious communities winds of
spiritual fervour and renaissance blew across Malankara. By a decision of the Episcopal
Synod, on 30 April 1925 Moran Mor Baselios Geevarghese I was installed as Catholicos.
On the following day, the Catholicos consecrated Fr. P. T. Geevarghese under the name
Mar Ivanios as the Bishop of Bethany.
On 1 November 1926, the Episcopal Synod held at Parumala near Tiruvalla, Kerala,
decided to open negotiations again with Rome for communion with the Catholic Church
in order to establish peace in Malankara. The Synod authorised Mar Ivanios, the then
Bishop of Bethany, to make necessary correspondence with Rome regarding communion.
He earnestly followed up the mandate of the Synod.
The Second Catholicos expired on 17 December 1928. Moran Mor Baselios
Geevarghese I succeeded the late Catholicos. On the day following his installation, he
consecrated Mar Theophilos of Bethany and Mar Gregorios of Pampady as Bishops. In
the meantime, the civil court’s decision on the litigation for Vattipanam was declared in
favour of the Malankara Orthodox Church. This was a civil legal backing up for the
Church and the Bishops of the Malankara Orthodox Church stepped out from the
endeavours of communion with Rome.
After prolonged negotiations, the plenary session of the Sacred Congregation for the
Oriental Churches, which met on 4 July 1930, took the final decision on the issue of the
communion of the Malankara Church. But only Mar Ivanios the Metropolitan of Bethany
and his suffragan Mar Theophilos stood by the early decision of the Synod. Mar Ivanios
and Mar Theophilos along with Rev. Fr. John Kuzhimepurath OIC, Deacon Alexander
OIC and Mr. Chacko Kilileth made their profession of faith before Bishop Benziger OCD
of the Diocese of Quilon and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church on
20 September 1930.
As the Reunion Movement gained momentum, Pope Pius XI through the Apostolic
Constitution Christo Pastorum Principi of 11 June 1932, established the Syro-Malankara
Hierarchy for the reunited community and erected the Archieparchy of Trivandrum with
the Eparchy of Tiruvalla as its suffragan. Thus, the Malankara Church re-entered into the
hierarchical communion with the Catholic Church. The Metropolitan Eparchy of
Trivandrum was inaugurated on 11 May 1933 and His Grace Mar Ivanios was enthroned
as its first Metropolitan- Archbishop. The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was inaugurated on 6
November 1933 and Most Rev. Jacob Mar Theophilos was enthroned as its first Bishop.
The reunion of Archbishop Mar Ivanios with the Catholic Church was a historical event
in the whole Church, which inspired many of the Malankarites including the Bishops of
the Orthodox Church. On 29 November 1937, Most Rev. Joseph Mar Severios of the
Orthodox Church reunited with the Catholic Church. Later, Most Rev. Thomas Mar
Dioscoros, the Metropolitan of the Knanaya Jacobite Church, reunited with the Catholic
Church on 12 November 1939.
In God’s providence, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church engaged in her double mission
of communion of the Malankara Orthodox Church and evangelisation. The Church
began to increase in number. With the blessing of Archbishop Mar Ivanios, Monsignor
Joseph Kuzhinjalil founded the missionary congregation of the Daughters of Mary in
1938 at Marthandom in Kanyakumari District. Thus the mission of the Malankara
Catholic Church spread to the southern regions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu also.
On 21 February 1943 Bishop Mar Dioscoros slept in the Lord. Mar Ivanios worked
relentlessly for the building up of the Malankara Catholic Church. Through his travels
abroad to Rome, other European countries, America and Australia, he spread the message
of ecclesial communion and the awareness of the mission of the Malankara Catholic
Church in the Universal Church. After a period of 22 years of strenuous hectic task of
organizing and administering the Malankara Catholic Church he fell ill for more than a
year. Nevertheless, he consecrated Benedict Mar Gregorios as his Auxiliary on 29
January 1953. Archbishop Mar Ivanios slept in the hands of the Lord on 15 July 1953.
The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was also making strides in its growth and development under
the leadership of Jacob Mar Theophilos and Joseph Mar Severios. Mar Severios was the
Administrator of the Eparchy until1950 due to the ill-health of Mar Theophilos. In 1950
he was appointed as the Bishop of Tiruvalla. He was also invested with the title
‘Archbishop’. He was called to eternal rest on 18 January 1955.
On 27 January 1955 Most Rev. Benedict Mar Gregorios was enthroned as the
Metropolitan-Archbishop of Trivandrum and the Head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic
Church. Under his able pastoral guidance and social commitment, the Church began to
flourish in its multidimensional growth and development.
The Holy See appointed Zacharias Mar Athanasios as successor of Mar Severios, whose
consecration took place on 22 April 1954. His Excellency Most Rev. Jacob Mar
Theophilos was called to eternal rest on 27 June 1956.
Attracted by the Liturgy of the Malankara Church, Fr. Francis Acharya, a Cistercian
Monk came to the Eparchy of Tiruvalla. In the year 1957 he founded in the Malankara
Catholic Church, the Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj (KSS), commonly called Kurisumala
Ashram in the high ranges of Vagamon.
The Malankara Catholic Church has been steadily growing and spreading throughout all
the States in South India. On 14 February 1958 the territorial boundaries of the Eparchy
of Tiruvalla was extended to the north including the Malabar region of Kerala, the civil
districts of Coimbatore and Nilgiris and Karoor Taluk in Tiruchirappally District of Tamil
Nadu and districts of Mysore, Mandya, Coorg, Hasan, Chickamangalore, Shimoga and
South Kanara of Karnataka State. On 28 September 1977 Mar Athanasios entered into
eternal rest.
His Excellency Most Rev. Paulos Mar Philoxenos, the Metropolitan of the Malabar
Independent Church, was received into the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 28
August 1977.
The appointment of Isaac Mar Yoohanon as Bishop of Tiruvalla and erection of the
Eparchy of Bathery with the appointment of Cyril Mar Baselios as its first Bishop
through the decree of the Holy See took place on 28 October 1978. Both the prelates
were consecrated on 28 December 1978. The Eparchy of Bathery was officially
inaugurated on 2 February 1978. On 15 May 1979 the Eparchial contemplative
monastery, Dhyana Ashram, was founded in the Eparchy of Bathery by Fr. Silvester
Kozhimannil.
The Golden Jubilee of the Reunion Movement of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
was celebrated in Kottayam on 26, 27 & 28 December 1980. His Excellency Lawrence
Mar Ephrem was consecrated Bishop on 27 December 1980. His Eminence Wladyslaw
Cardinal Rubin, the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches was the
Papal Delegate for the Jubilee. Other eminent participants included His Beatitude
Maximos V Hakim, the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of Alexandria and
Jerusalem, His Excellency Most Rev. Luciano Storero, the then Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to
India and Mother Teresa of Culcutta.
A significant development of this period is the organisation of the Malankara Catholic
Faithful in India, outside the canonical territorial boundaries of the Church. From being
organized as Malankara Catholic Associations, the communities of our faithful living in
the Metropolitan cities of India came to be erected as personal parish communities. With
the appointment of Rev. Dr. John Berchmans OIC as the Co-Ordinator of the Malankara
Catholic Communities in the Extra-territorial regions in India by the Council of Hierarchs
of the Malankara Catholic Church, the ecclesial life of these parish communities was
coordinated.
It was the long cherished dream of the Malankara Catholic Church to have a Major
seminary of its own for the formation of its clergy. St. Mary’s Malankara Major
Seminary was inaugurated at Pattom on 29 June 1983 and the new building at
Nalanchira, Trivandrum was blessed on 25 May 1989.
 The Malankara Catholic Church was fortunate to welcome His Holiness Pope John Paul
II on 8 February 1986 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum. The Holy Father, in
his speech at Shankhumukam, praised the founder of the Reunion Movement and
expressed his high appreciation of the work and witness of the Syro-Malankara Church.
On 28 April 1987 His Excellency Mar Yoohanon, the Bishop of Tiruvalla slept in the
Lord.
Following the visit His Holiness Pope John Paul II, His Eminence Cardinal Lourdusamy,
the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, visited the Malankara
Catholic Church on 18 and 19 August 1987.
His Excellency Geevarghese Mar Timotheos succeeded Mar Yoohanon as the Bishop of
Tiruvalla. He was consecrated Bishop on 6 August 1988.
His Grace, Metropolitan-Archbishop Mar Gregorios was called to eternal rest on 10
October 1994 after an eventful service of 41 years. Most Rev. Cyril Mar Baselios, the
Bishop of Bathery having been appointed by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, was
enthroned as Metropolitan-Archbishop of Trivandrum and as the head of the Malankara
Church on 14 December 1995. His Excellency Geevarghese Mar Divannasios was
consecrated Bishop of Bathery in the place of Cyril Mar Baselios on 5 February 1996.
His Eminence Achille Cardinal Silvestrini, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental
Churches, visited the Malankara Catholic Church on 11, 12, 13 February 1996.
On the request of His Grace Most Rev. Cyril Mar Baselios, by an Apostolic Bull dated 16
December 1996, His Holiness Pope John Paul II erected the Eparchy of Marthandom
bifurcating the Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum. Most Rev. Lawrence Mar Ephrem
was appointed as its first Bishop. God called him to himself after a few months of his
enthronement as Bishop of Marthandom, on 8 April 1997.
In the mean time the Eparchy of Tiruvalla was blessed with an Auxiliary Bishop in the
person of Most Rev. Thomas Mar Koorilos who was consecrated Bishop on 17 July
1997. On 29 June 1998 Most Rev. Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom was consecrated as the
Bishop of Mathandom and Joshua Mar Ignathios as the Auxiliary Bishop for the
Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum. His Excellency Paulos Mar Philoxenos passed
away on 3 November 1998.
Christu Jayanthi Maha Jubilee and the Sapthathy of the Re-union Movement of the Syro-
Malankara Catholic Church were celebrated jointly at Tiruvalla on 26, 27, 28 December
2000. His Beatitude Ignace Moussa Daoud, the Prefect of the Congregation for the
Oriental Churches was the Papal Delegate for the Celebration.
A significant development in this period has been the establishment of parishes for the
faithful of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the United States of America. The
Holy Father John Paul II nominated the Proto Syncellus of Bathery Very Rev. Fr. Isaac
Thottunkal, as Apostolic Visitor and the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum on 18 June 2001
for the Syro-Malankarites residing in North America and Europe. He was consecrated on
15 August 2001 at Tirumoolapuram, (Tiruvalla) and he assumed the name Isaac Mar
Cleemis.
Bifurcating the Eparchy of Tiruvalla, the Eparchy of Muvattupuzha was erected on 15
January 2003 and The Most Rev. Thomas Mar Koorilos was appointed as its first Bishop.
On 29 March 2003 Bishop Mar Timotheos gave resignation to the Holy See due to super-
annuation and the Holy See appointed Isaac Mar Cleemis, the Apostolic Visitor to Europe
and America, as the Bishop of Tiruvalla. His Excellency Mar Cleemis took charge of the
Diocese on 2 October 2003. On January 5, 2005 Most Rev. Joseph Mar Thomas was
appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum and Apostolic Visitor to North America
and Europe.
10 February 2005 is a day that is engraved in golden letters in the history of the
Malankara Church. The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was raised to the status of a
Major Archiepiscopal Church on that day. His Grace Pedro Lopez Quintana, the
Apostolic Nuncio in India read the official declaration at St. Mary’s Metropolitan
Cathedral, Trivandrum. The Hierarchical Head of the Church was elevated as Major
Archbishop who exercises patriarchal powers and governs the Church assisted by the
Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church. The Major Archbishop also assumed the title
“Catholicos” according to the Antiochene-Malankara tradition. This is the crowing event
of all the ecclesial communion endeavours since 1653.
On 19 February 2005, Joseph Mar Thomas was consecrated as the Auxiliary Bishop of
Trivandrum and the Apostolic Visitor to North America and Europe. On 11 April 2005 the
Faculty of Theology of St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary got affiliated to the Pontifical
Urbanian University, Rome.
The enthronement of the Major Archbishop-Catholicos as the Father and Head of the
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 14 May 2005 was officiated by His Eminence
Ignace Moussa Cardinal Daoud, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental
Churches. His Grace Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy Father in
India, was present at the enthronement ceremony. The Malankara Major Archiepiscopal
Curia (Catholicate Centre) started functioning at the St. Mary’s Campus, Pattom,
Trivandrum. On 20 May 2005 His Beatitude Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos
blessed the Curia building. The Catholicos soon constituted the Holy Episcopal Synod.
The first Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was convened from 16 to 18
August 2005 at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia (Catholicate Centre), Trivandrum.
The first Holy Episcopal Synod constituted the Permanent Synod and the various Synodal
Commissions headed by Bishops to take care of various Apostolates of the Church. The
official bulletin, MALANKARA, is published from the Catholicate Centre, to
communicate the Synodal acts and voice of the Syro-Malankara Major Archiepiscopal
Church.
The Platinum Jubilee of the Reunion Movement and the Year of the Eucharist were
celebrated jointly at Mar Ivanios Nagar, Punnamoodu, Mavelikara on 19, 20, 21
September 2005. His Grace Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy
Father in India, Shri Bhaironsingh Shekhawat, the Vice-President of India, and Sri
Oommen Chandy, the Chief Minister of Kerala, participated in the celebrations.
By the decrees of the Major Archbishop-Catholicos the Metropolitan Province of
Tiruvalla with the Eparchies of Bathery and Muvattupuzha as suffragans, was established
on 15 May 2006 and Most Rev. Isaac Mar Cleemis was appointed as the Metropolitan-
Archbishop of Tiruvalla. On 10 June 2006 Isaac Mar Cleemis was enthroned as the first
Metropolitan-Archbishop of Tiruvalla.
By the decree of the Major Archbishop-Catholicos, on 01 January 2007, the new Eparchy
of Mavelikara was erected and His Excellency Joshua Mar Ignathios, The Auxiliary
Bishop and protosyncellus of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum, was appointed as its
first Bishop.
The Second Ordinary Holy Episcopal Synod was convoked on 6-7 December 2006 and it
was decided to revive the ministerial titles of Ramban and Corepiscopo which were in
vogue in the Church and to honour a few priests for their meritorious service in the
Church. His Grace Most Rev. Isaac Mar Cleemis, the Metropolitan Archbishop of
Tiruvalla, conferred the titles on Saturday, 13 January 2007 on three priests at St. John’s
Cathedral, Tiruvalla and Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos conferred these titles on
priests on 17 Wednesday, 2007 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom.
On Thursday, 18 January 2007 His Beatitude Moran Mor Cyril Baselios, the first Major
Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro- Malankara Catholic Church slept in the Lord. The
mortal remains of the Catholicos was entombed by the side of his great predecessors at
St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom on 20 January 2007.
His Grace Most Rev. Isaac Mar Cleemis was elected the Second Major Archbishop-
Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church through the first Holy Episcopal
Synod of election of the Syro Malankara Catholic Church convoked on 7 -10 February
2007 at Catholicate Centre, Pattom, Trivandrum.His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
approved the election on 9 February and it was announced on 10 February at St. Mary’s
Cathedral, Pattom.
The installation of His Excellency Most Rev. Joshua Mar Ignathios was held on 16
February, 2007 at Mavelikara and His Excellency Most Rev. Geevarghese Mar
Divannasios, the Administrator of The Malankara Catholic Major Archiepiscopal Church
presided over the installation ceremony. The new eparchy has a 30825 Syro-Malankara
Catholic faithful of a total population of 29,98,325 inhabitants. Of this 269849 are
Malankara non- Catholics and 5,98,824 Christians of other denominations.
On Wednesday, 7 February 2007 a long-cherished dream of the Syro-Malankara Catholic
Church was realized. The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI appointed Very Rev. Dr.
Chacko Aerath OIC as the Apostolic Visitor with Episcopal status for the Malankara
Catholic faithful residing in the Extra-territorial Regions of the Church within India.
Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis was enthroned the Second Major Archbishop-Catholicos of
the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 5 March 2007 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom.
His installation service was officiated by Most Rev. Geevarghese Mar Divannasios, the
Synodal Administrator of the Church. A large number of ecclesiastical and political
dignitaries including Cardinal Telesphore Toppo (the President of the CBCI), Cardinal
Mar Varkey Vithayathil (Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church) and Sri. V. S.
Achuthanandan (the Chief Minister of Kerala) participated in the installation ceremony.
On Saturday, 10 March 2007 Very Rev. Dr. Chacko Aerath OIC was consecrated Bishop
by Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos and he received the name Jacob Mar
Barnabas.
On Monday, 26 March 2007 the Most Rev. Thomas Mar Koorilos was appointed the
Second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla. His installation
Ceremony was held on Wednesday, 2 May 2007at St.John’s Cathedral, Tiruvalla. His
Beatitude Baselios Cleemis was the main celebrant.
His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Catholicos visited the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI on
28 May 2007 at Vatican and received ecclesiastical Communion The Congregation for
the Oriental Churches in Rome gave a warm reception to His Beatitude on his first visit
to the Holy See.
On Saturday, 14 July 2007 Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop-Catholicos
declared Archbishop Mar Ivanios as Servant of God on the basis of the petition submitted
by Rev. Fr. Antony Valiyavilayil, the postulator for the cause of canonization of
Archbishop Mar Ivanios the Prophet of Reunion Movement..
The 77th Reunion celebrations, the Platinum Jubilee of the Constitution of the Hierarchy
of the Malankara Church in Catholic Communion and the Golden Jubilee of the
Immigration of the Malankarites to Malabar were celebrated at Kodencherry in the
Eparchy of Bathery from 19 -21 September 2007.
On Sunday, 23 September 2007 the 125th birth anniversary of Servant of God Archbishop
Mar Ivanios was celebrated at Puthiyakavu, the birth place of the Servant of God in the
Eparchy of Mavelikara.
The Silver Jubilee of the Malankara Major Seminary that commenced on Thursday, 29
June 2007 was officially inaugurated on Tuesday, 2 October 2007 by His Beatitude
Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos and its concluding celebrations were held from
5-8 November 2007.
In the course of the growth and development of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church,
besides the canonical institutions, various associations such as the Malankara Catholic
Youth Movement (MCYM), the Malankara Catholic Association (MCA), the Legion of
Mary, Matruvedi, Pithruvedi, and other pious associations have become the backbone of
the life of the Church.
Monastic and other religious communities that are founded in the Malankara Catholic
Church contribute towards the spiritual enrichment of the Church. Similarly, other
Religious Congregations of both men and women founded in other sui iuris Churches are
rendering their valuable service in fulfilling the mission of the Malankara Church. The
cause of Canonisation of Mar Ivanios, the pioneer of the Reunion Movement is in
progress.