The Tradition of St.Thomas

Let me take this occasion to offer my greetings and best wishes to all of you as we are once again on the threshold of the celebration of the feast of St. Thomas as well as of the anniversary of the establishment of our diocese. As we look back, we have only feelings of gratitude and joy in the way the Lord has been guiding the development of this diocese. Within this short span of time, eight parishes have been established in different parts of the country and these parishes are becoming very much active in the development of the spiritual lives of the faithful entrusted to their care. Weekly Sunday masses in the Syro-Malabar Rite as well as CCD classes for the children are becoming the norm in many of the parishes.

T.S.Eliot , one of the twentieth century’s well-known literary critics in his essay “Tradition and Individual Talent” speaks about the relevance of tradition and heritage in any present-day activity. He points out very beautifully in this essay how the pastness of the past is becoming the presentness of the present. All the individual talents and creative energy of the present, according to him, carry the strong imprints of the past. For a community like ours, based on the faith –heritage we have received from St. Thomas, the relevance of our past is very significant. The very remembrance of the past heritage reminds us of the strong faith and perseverance of our fore-fathers in keeping alive the flame of faith through so many centuries. The vitality of the church in Kerala is reflected in the number of people devoted to the work of evangelization and in the establishment of orphanages and schools for the under-privileged. It is that heritage that we carry into this new land of our immigration.

The faith-heritage that we received from St. Thomas is becoming very alive in the USA through the establishment of the new Syro-Malabar diocese of Chicago .The Youth conference that was held in last November at Mundelein Seminary was itself a sign of the growth of this diocese as more than eighty college- going youths participated in the Convention .They left the place with a new understanding of the Rite and their faith- heritage, with a strong decision to renew their faith. Similar youth gatherings held in Bronx, Philadelphia, Dallas and Houston under the auspices of the parishes there have given a greater sense of unity in faith to our young people.

More effort will be spent in the coming years in bringing our youths to come closer and grow deeper in their faith in the Lord. More opportunities will be provided to our faithful to have a deeper understanding of their faith through courses in theology and scripture. Plans are afoot for on-line theological courses in conjunction with other dioceses in the States.

Our diocese has to go a long way in establishing its roots in different parts of the country. Efforts are being made to contact our communities who live scattered in different parts of the country and bring them together under the auspices of the diocese.