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Your Valuable Guide to the world of  Indian Christianity...regions churches denominations missions of India... Church History Art and Architecture Culture Dances Literature of Christians of India's States Districts  

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The St. Thomas Christian
Encyclopaedia of India		 Indian Church History Classics :
The Nazranies

 The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India
OLLUR Thrissur City India 680306


www.indianchristianity.com , kunjethy@gmail.com , +914872352468, +919846033713 

12 e-books on Christian India

www.indianchristianity.com celebrates its 12 years in existence by hosting the 12th e-book

The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India celebrates its Ruby Jubilee by publishing the 3rd Volume and by hosting 40 articles and papers on www.indianchristianity.com, www.nazraney.com, www.menachery.org
 


 

The tallest stone cross in the world the  great cross at Valle de los Caídos near Madrid Spain soaring to a height of 150 Mts. Ca. 450 ft. probably inspired by the open air or outdoor crosses of the Kerala churches termed Nazraney Sthambams, the pedestals of which are ‘balikkallus’ or sacrificial altars or stones.

Invitation
 2011 Paithrika Jnana Yatjnjam DUBAI

May 13th, 2011 | Dubai

2011 Paithrika Jnana Yathnam led by Chevalier Professor George Menachery

Friday, May 13th, 2011 | Dubai – 12 noon to 5 pm


A Passion for the Heritage of the Syro Malabar Community

"Several essential features of the Syro Malabar culture, history, traditions and customs are challenged and unknown in our day. It is important that we be well grounded in these truths so that we may have a deep affection for our unique heritage." --- Chev. Prof. Menachery

On May 13th, 2011, UACT is proud to invite you to join us with Prof. George Menachery as he looks at several important and at the same time forgotten or halfforgotten aspects of the great Syro Malabar tradition, such as the Indian sojourn of Apostle St. Thomas, culture, art, architecture, customs, manners and festivals, Syro Malabar folklore, food habits, costumes, and ornaments, Malayalee names and their origins, the Syro-Malabarians’ rightful place in India and in all regions, their international presence, chief events in their history and many other interesting matters…..

We look forward to your active participation

For registration please call: +971 508751316 (Mr. Franson), +971 504995102 (Mr. Alex)

To read What People Are Saying about Chev. Prof. Menachery’s works, please browse:

 

Commencement of a NEW BEGINNING

Once Again About the New Church Consecrated in Doha in 2009

 


The St Thomas Syro-Malabar Church, the largest among the Inter-Denominational Christian Church (IDCC) members, was consecrated on Friday at Mesaimeer, in the presence of thousands of faithful.

The blessing ceremony was led by the Syro-Malabar Church head Major Archbishop Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil and Vicar Apostolic of Arabia Bishop Paul Hinder, who had flown in from the Church’s homeland of Kerala, and the UAE, respectively.

Archbishop of Thrissur Mar Andrews Thazhathu, Archbishop of Rajkot Mar Gregory Karotemprel CMI, ad-hoc priest and church construction committee patron Fr Jose Thachukunnel and others participated in the consecration event.

Committee chairman and the ceremony’s general convener Dr Mohan Thomas, IDCC chief co-ordinator Siby Joseph, Fr Simon Cheruvathur, trustees Antony Tholath and Johnson Antony and officials of various committees were among those who attended.

Speaking during the ceremony, Mar Thazhathu described the St Thomas Syro-Malabar Church as a symbol of hope for the migrants from the community.

“The teachings of the Catholic Church has got a better expression in Doha with this Church,” he said while expressing gratitude to HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

The Syro-Malabar Church is an Apostolic Church which traces its origin to the Apostolate of St Thomas (one of the 12 apostles of Christ) who landed at Cranganore (present day Kodungallore, Kerala) in 52 AD and founded seven Christian communities.

It is one of the 22 sui juris (self-governing) Oriental Churches in Catholic Communion, under the Church of Rome, with its own particular characteristics expressed in worship, spirituality, theology and disciplinary laws.

There are 26 dioceses in the Syro-Malabar Church across the globe, with 15 in India. It is estimated that there are more than 3.7mn Syo-Malabar Catholics.

The IDCC complex at Mesaimeer, which houses the places of worship of 28 different Indian Christian denominations, was inaugurated on March 28 this year by HE the Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah.

 

Syro-Malabar Church:

More Attention to Indian Immigrants in Arab Countries

ROME, Oct. 18, 2010: Bishop Bosco Puthur of Foratiana and participant in the Synod for the Middle East, described the situation of the 400 thousand Syro-Malabar Indian immigrants who work in the Persian Gulf region. For the bishop,the faithful immigrants in Arab countries are moving away from the Church in the absence of parishes and the lack formed clergy.

The situation of the Christian migrants in the Arab countries is among the most important issues discussed at the Synod Churches for Middle East being held in Rome.

With over 400 thousand out of 3 million Christians faithful emigrant in the countries of the Persian Gulf, the Indian Syro-Malabar is among the most important communities in the region. Its presence in the Arab countries, however, is threatened not only by the restrictions typical of Islamic states, but include inadequate attention to the pastoral problems and social rights of the faithful who come from India to work in the region.

Bishop Bosco Puthur stresses that the lack of catechesis and religious sites are distancing many faithful from the Catholic Church and calls for greater attention from the Holy See to this community. He drew attention to the “new and important phenomenon taking place in Middle Eastern countries is the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers from Africa and Asia…These people are subject to social injustice…This immigration calls for the attention of our Churches which have the pastoral responsibility to assist them in both religious and social matters”.

The Syro-Malabar faithful have been present in the Gulf Region since 1960s. They fully depend upon the Latin Vicariates of Kuwait and Arabia for their pastoral needs. These ecclesiastical structures created in the twentieth century for a few thousand emigrants are not at all adequate to take care of millions of faithful now present in the region.

We gratefully acknowledge the efforts of the two Vicars apostolic of the region. However, the situation of the pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar faithful in the Arabian Gulf countries is very inadequate and unsatisfactory. There are almost 4,30,000 Syro-Malabar migrants in the region (Saudi Arabia 190,000; UAE-110,000; Oman 45,000; Kuwait-40, 000; Bahrain 35,000 and Qatar 10,000.), but not even a single parish is erected for them. There is no proper pastoral care and faith formation-catechesis for the Syro-Malabar faithful according to the proper ecclesial tradition, except in Doha. The Syro-Malabar hierarchy is not at all involved nor invited for this purpose. The only church that was built for our faithful in Doha is not even erected as a parish, but remains an outstation of the Latin parish. Besides, serious restrictions are placed on the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy through a ‘Rescript’ from the Holy See, which prevents any involvement of our Church for providing proper pastoral care to our faithful in the area.

The community is in a precarious situation and many of them have become indifferent to the practice of Catholic faith. As there is the inadequacy in the pastoral care, there is the ever growing danger of our people being led astray by Pentecostal groups thriving in the Gulf region. Hence it is essential to entrust the pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar faithful to our own Church, erecting proper ecclesial structures and granting jurisdiction to our hierarchy. Contrary to the opinion generally circulated by some ecclesiastics, the governments in the Gulf Region are in general open to the Christian communities, since at present they need emigrant workers.

In this situation, the Syro-Malabar Church proposes to the Apostolic See to take immediate and appropriate action to establish at least one eparchy/ exarchy in the Gulf region for the Syro-Malabar faithful. The proposed ecclesiastical unit may cover the present ecclesiastical territories of the Vicariates of Arabia and Kuwait. Politically this includes the countries of Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Seat may be Doha, the Capital of Qatar. Here we have the only Syro-Malabar church in the Gulf region and Qatar is relatively open and politically rather liberal. Geographically, it is the most accessible to all in the region.

We hope and pray that the Apostolic See may take appropriate action to redress the grave situation in the region and enable all concerned to provide adequate pastoral care to our faithful in accordance with the liturgical and spiritual tradition of the St Thomas Christians”.

Silver Jubilee of the Indian Visit of Pope John Paul the Second 

Double Delight for Kerala Christians

His Holiness Pope John Paul II commenced his Kerala visit on the 7th of February 1986. The first public function of the day was at Trichur or more familiarly Thrissur - the Cultural Capital of Kerala where the Pope enjoyed the “Pooram” with 15 caparisoned elephants and Muthukkudas (colourful parasols) staged by the Paramekkavu Devaswom and the 25 cultural programmes arranged around the papal path at the St. Thomas Nagar - today’s Shakthan Thamburan Nagar.  During his Kerala visit the Pope beatified Sr Alphonsa (who is now a Saint of the Church) and Fr Chavara Kuriakose Elias at a great function in Kottayam.The whole of Kerala is commemorating this Silver Jubilee event with colourful functions and religious ceremonies. This Silver Jubilee occasion has become memorable on account of another event too viz. the beatification of the saintly pope on 1st May 2011, the first Sunday after Easter, hardly four score days after the event, at the Vatican by the Roman Pontiff Benedict XVI.. It is a “first” in Church History since it is for the first time that the Catholic Church is beatifying a person  just after 6 years of his death on 2nd April 2005.

Pope John Paul II, shard his world-view and vision with dozens of countries and cultures during his long tenure of almost three decades as the Supreme Pontiff. He was a Leader for All Seasons and was accepted by the tens of millions of people who who thronged to have a glimpse of him in various continents as Guide, Philosopher, and Friend. H            is leadership to liberate millions from the yoke of unjust governments has been much appreciated, including his role in the liberation of his own country Poland from Commuism.

He was the most travelled pope ever, visiting more than 120 nations during the third longest papacy in history covering it is said a distance equalling 1.5 trips to the moon.Pope John Paul II is also remembered for raising a record number of persons to SAINTHOOD. He was perhaps the only Pope who was shot at but he survied the May 13 1981 attempt on his life and lived to forgive the would be assassin. His voice resounded from all corners of the world exhoting people againt war, abortions, and human rights violations.  

He passed away on April 2, 2005. During the last ceremonies for the pope attended by millions the cry went up to cannonise him immediately and Pope Benedict XVI waived the 5 year wait for the commencement of the process and now after just 5years of his death he is being beatified - after the miraculous healing of a French nun suffering from the Parkinson’s disease.  

Reuters adds: During his 2005 funeral Mass, crowds at the Vatican shouted for Pope John Paul II to be made a saint immediately, chanting “Santo Subito!” for one of the most important and beloved popes in history.

His successor heard their call and on Friday, in the fastest process on record, set May 1 as the date for John Paul’s beatification — a key step toward Catholicism’s highest honor and a major morale boost for a church reeling from the clerical sex abuse scandal.

Pope Benedict XVI set the date after declaring that a French nun’s recovery from Parkinson’s disease was the miracle needed for John Paul to be beatified. A second miracle is needed for the Polish-born John Paul to be made a saint. 

The May 1 ceremony — which Benedict himself will celebrate — is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome for a precedent-setting Mass: never before has a pope beatified his immediate predecessor.

Though the numbers aren’t expected to necessarily reach the 3 million who flocked here for John Paul’s funeral, religious tour operators in John Paul’s native Poland were already making preparations to bus and fly in the faithful to celebrate a man many considered a saint while alive.

“We have waited a long time and this is a great day for us,” said Mayor Ewa Filipiak of John Paul’s hometown of Wadowice, Poland, where the faithful lit candles Friday and prayed at a chapel in the town church dedicated to John Paul.

Father Pawel Danek, who runs a museum in John Paul’s family home, said Benedict had listened to the prayers of the faithful.

“The Holy Father has confirmed what we all felt somehow,” he said. “For us, John Paul II’s holiness is obvious.”

Benedict put John Paul on the fast track to possible sainthood just weeks after he died, waiving the typical five-year waiting period before the process could begin. But he insisted that the investigation into John Paul’s life be thorough to avoid any doubts about his virtues.

The beatification will nevertheless be the fastest on record, coming just over six years after his death and beating out Mother Teresa’s then-record beatification in 2003 by a few days.

It is not without controversy, however. While John Paul himself was never accused of improprieties, he has long been accused of responding slowly when the sex abuse scandal erupted in the United States in 2002. Many of the thousands of cases that emerged last year involved crimes and cover-ups that occurred on his 26-year watch.

Critics have faulted John Paul’s overriding concern with preserving the rights of accused priests, often at the expense of victims — a concern formed in part by his experiences in Communist-controlled Poland where priests were often accused of trumped up charges by the regime.

And here’s what the BBC had reported in 2005:

Pope seeks to beatify John Paul - pilgrims at the Pope’s funeral called for his immediate sainthood.

Pope Benedict XVI has begun the process of beatifying his predecessor John Paul II, the first step to sainthood. 

“The cause for the beatification of John Paul II is open,” the new Roman Catholic leader told priests meeting at Rome’s Basilica of St John in Lateran. 

The Pope waived the usual rules which require a five-year wait before the Church begins to make someone a saint. 

John Paul II died on 2 April, leading to widespread calls from Catholics worldwide for him to be made a saint. 

Standing ovation 

BEATIFICATION PROCESS 

Beatification requires that a miracle has occurred Group approaches local bishop After Rome’s approval an investigation is launched Findings are sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Case is presented to the Pope Blessed may be accorded a feast day Relics of the candidate may be venerated Canonisation (actual sainthood) requires proof of a second miracle 

REASONS FOR THE FAST TRACK

“And now I have a very joyous piece of news for you,” Pope Benedict XVI said in Italian before making the announcement in Latin. 

The Pope read out a letter from Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, the official in charge of sainthood, in which it said that Benedict XVI himself had authorised the start of the beatification process. 

The news was met with a standing ovation from the priests attending the meeting. 

It comes on the anniversary of an assassination attempt on John Paul II in 1981, when he was shot in St Peter’s Square by a Turkish gunman. 

Life Examined 

Information will now be gathered on the former pope’s life and teachings, including all private writings from the period before he became pope, and checked for orthodoxy to ensure that he expressed no heretical views. 

Pope John Paul II abandoned the five-year rule when he beatified Mother Teresa

A commission of historians will be appointed to gather all of the documents together, which will then be examined by panels of theologians, and cardinals and bishops. 

If a two-thirds majority agree with John Paul II’s beatification Pope Benedict XVI will then be called upon to give his own approval. 

But Vatican expert Michael Walsh told the BBC that for the process to be complete the Vatican authorities will then have to establish that a miracle has been ascribed to Pope John Paul II. 

“They have to prove someone has been miraculously healed... by his intercession, by praying to John Paul II, he or she has recovered from cancer or something of that sort,” he said. 

Miracle needed 

In the days following his death Italian media carried a number of reports of alleged miracles attributed to Pope John Paul II, including one claim that an American man suffering from a brain tumour was cured after receiving communion from the late pontiff. 

But the alleged miracles occurred during the Pope’s lifetime, and the beatification process studies those occurring after the candidate’s death. 

Beatification allows public veneration of the person and for the person to be known as “Blessed”. For actual sainthood, proof of at least two miracles is required. 

Beatification allows public veneration of the blessed person

In normal circumstances five years must pass between the death of the person proposed for beatification and the start of the procedure, to avoid emotion playing a part. 

However, John Paul II dispensed with this rule himself when in 2003 he beatified Mother Teresa of Calcutta. 

The entire process was completed just six years after her death. 

On Friday Pope Benedict XVI also announced who would succeed him as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

Sixty-eight-year-old William Levada, Archbishop of San Francisco, is the first American to hold the post as the Vatican’s chief watchdog of orthodoxy. 

 

The Apostolic Nunciature in India, New Delhi.

His Excellency Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Titular Archbishop of Montemarano, is the new Apostolic Nuntio to India. The following is the CURRICULUM VITAE of His Grace:

►     His Excellency, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio was born in Marano (Naples) Italy on 7 September 1952.

►     He was ordained a priest on 18 September, 1976.

►     He holds a Doctorate in Philosophy and entered into the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See on 15 April, 1979.

►     He served in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Panama, Ethiopia, Australia, Turkey, Egypt, Yugoslavia and Ireland. 

►     On 28 November, 1998, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda.

►     On 20 November, 2003, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia, and Apostolic Delegate in Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia and Brunei.

►     On 8 May, 2010, he was appointed apostolic Nuncio to India

►     He speaks English, French and Spanish   

His Excellency Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio
Past and Present Ordinaries

Cardinal Gracias and Cardinal Toppo Dedicate the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India to the Nation

GUWAHATI, March 3

The publication of the three volumes of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India is a worthy model for the world Churches and an incomparable achievement and contribution of the Church in India, stated Oswald Cardinal Gracias in Guwahati, dedicating the work to the nation. The publication of the third and final volume is something of which the Encyclopaedia team can be justly proud, but they should not rest on their oars but must continue their much needed work of service to the Church in India today, His Eminence went on to say. Telespore P. Cardinal Toppo dedicated the volumes to the world Christian community. The two Cardinals officially released the Encyclopaedia by exchanging copies of the work, in the presence of Archbishops and Bishops from all over India and members of the CBCI Commissions. Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, Prof. George Menachery the Editor of the Encyclopaedia, and Dr. George Plathottam the secretary of the CBCI Commission for Media also spoke on the occasion.

                           

The Encyclopaedia comprises the contributions of hundreds of well-known scholars from all over India and abroad. There are articles on almost every aspect of Christianity in india, dealing with all chronological, denominational, and geographical divisions. The more than thousand illustrations on art plates, half of them on full colour art plates, in addition to the dozens of maps including a whole Christian and Linguistic atlas of India, and the graphs, tables, figures, and sketches go to make the work an exhaustive reference tool. Each major article is supported by bibliographies and inclusive end-notes, making the encyclopaedia an indispensible reference work for seminaries and teheological colleges. universities and colleges, and libraries of ecclesiastical establishments and headquarters and formation houses of religious congregations.


Justice V. R. Krishna Aiyer [former Supreme Court Judge and president,
History Assn.] on the 3rd Volume of the Encyclopaedia:

"The third volume of the book St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India is an extraordinary work with focus on Christianity but being Cyclopaedic has learned chapters on Hinduism and Islam. Truly it is a holistic work, an eclectic theological composite piece. The chapter on Hinduism illumines its ancient and geographical character and true source of its origin. Read on to learn the basic principles and you will learn that this Sanatana Dharma (moral values for all times)... Professor Menachery has done great service to all religions by weaving all of them into a new fabric in his epic voluminous trinity which if popularly read and discussed and read in libraries will surely be the beginning of Jesus and Sankara and Mohammed as the Founders of a New World Order of peace and stability of human rights and equality with a bias of equity. Gandhiji and Vivekananda did it in different ways. I deeply appreciate the wonderful work of Professor George Menachery. It is not narrowly Christian but broadly universal in thinking. Jesus was the greatest humanist revolutionary and died for a dynamic dialectical world order...

The Syro Malabar Major Archbishop and Cardinal His Eminence Mar Varkey Vithayathil presents the first ever Syro Malabar Church Award instituted through the Liturgical Research Centre for "Outstanding Contribution to the Promotion of Syro Malabar Heritage", to Chevalier Professor George Menachery, editor of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India and the Indian Church History Classics, at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad, Ernakulam, Kochi on 1st Makaram - 14th Jan., 2010, in the presence of the 36 Bishops and Archbishops of that Church.  Click to see Deepika report.

 

Cardinal Vithayathil Better                                       Campaign for God

His Eminent Beatitude Mar Vakkey Cardinal Vithayathil, Major ArchBishop and Head of the Syro Malabar Church, and President of the CBCI, who was admitted to the hospital Monday night following a heart condition has registered considerable improvement in his condition and has been tranferred from the Ventilator. However His Eminence is still under active medical observation at the Lissie Hospital, Ernakulam. Visitors are strictly prohibited. -SARAS NEWS

Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil Critical

The condition of Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church, who was admitted to the Lissie Hospital on Monday night after a cardiac arrest, continues to be critical.

He is on life support system after the doctors successfully carried out an angioplasty to remove a major block in the artery, said Fr. Paul Thelekkat, spokesman for the Syro-Malabar Church.

The Cardinal suffered the cardiac arrest on Monday night while he was at the headquarters of the Syro-Malabar Church at Mount St. Thomas Kakkanad. He was immediately rushed to the hospital. The condition of the Cardinal, who is 82-years-old, is reported to be stable,

 


 

Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church Mar varkey Cardinal Vithayathil honours Prof. George Menachery with a bouquet on the latter's being selected for the first Liturgical Research Centre Award of the Syro Malabar Church. Present on the dais were Bishop Mar James Pazhayattil, Archbishop Mar Andrews thazhath, Bishop Mar Thomas Chakiath, and Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt

Vatican City, Sept. 19

At Castel Gandolfo, Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, Major Arch Bishop and Head of the Syro - Malabar Church, presents a copy of the third and final volume of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, the reference work on Christianity in India edited by Prof. George Menachery, along with the Alphonsa Coin to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

"Heads and Fathers" of all the Eastern Catholic Churches discuss future course of action with with Pope Benedict XVI

Vatican city, 19 Sept. 2009:

This morning in Castel Gandolfo Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil met the Holy Father along with other Catholic patriacrchs and major archbishops from the Oriental Churches.

Participating in the meeting were Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, alongside the "Heads and Fathers" of all the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with the Bishop of Rome.

They are: His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, Patriarh of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon; Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq; Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyc, Ukraine; Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil C.SS.R.; Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, India; His Beatitude Antonios Naguib, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, Egypt; His Beatitude Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek Melkites, Syria; His Beatitude Ignace Youssif III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Lebanon; His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Lebanon, Archbishops Major of the Rumanian and Syro-Malankara Churches and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The Pontiff had Lunch with the representatives of the Oriental Churches.

During the meeting the Head of the Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal Vithayathil presented the Holy Father with heritage articles of the Indian Church viz. the Alphona Coin and the third and final volume of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India edited by Prof. George Menachery.

URGENT LETTER TO HIS GRACE

Syro Malabar Processions / Pradakhinams in NRK NRI Cities / Communities 

May I humbly request your Grace to immediately issue a special circular to the NRKs/NRIs exhorting them to hold such a procession and celebration beginning with this July 3rd itself.

From

Prof. George Menachery

Ollur Thrissur City 680306

0091 487 235 2468, 0091 487 235 4398, 0091 98460 33713

14th June, 2009

Your Esteemed and Respected Grace,

May I humbly request your Grace to go through the following and take appropriate action if thought fit.

In the circumstances obtaining among the NRK/NRI Syro-Malabar communities in many Indian and foreign cities the Nazranies hardly get any chance to get together or to maintain their identity. Hence one possibility is for them to celebrate the Ormapperunnal of our father St. Thomas the Apostle with at least a public procession inside the church campus or if possible outside it, with all the cultural elements of our Pradakhinams or church processions.

It could be any one of the four types of processions we have - 1.intra-church procession, 2.procession rounding the open-air cross (this won’t be possible in most cases outside Kerala), 3.procession around the church building or campus, or 4. procession along the streets or Angadies.

I have found how happy our people are to congregate on such occasions - whether in the Americas or Europe or the Middle East, especially in the US and the Gulf, and how proud our people are of our cultural traditions and individuality.. A Syro- Malabar Mass may be said where ( and only where) the local hierarch permits it. Otherwise it can be a well attended religio-cultural event to which there could be no objection from any quarter. Such a programme, I feel - and am convinced from experience in different parts of the world - could and will go a long way to unite our people and to hold them together in the memory of our heritage and roots. AND it could be a first step in many ways.

These Pradakhinams or processions must have as many of the following elements as possible: 1. A gold(en) processional cross with the red (or other) sheath. 2.Two silver(y) crosses with sheaths. 3.Many colourful parasols or umbrellas viz. Muthukkudas. 4. At least one processional Roopakkoodu to carry the image of St. Thomas &c. typically decorated. 5.Band sets and typical Kerala Vadyams and Melams including drummers. 6. Fancy fire-works where permissible. 7. Public and common preparation and distribution of Kozhalappam, Achappam, Unni Appam, Neyyappam, and other Syro-Malabar confectionaries.

May I humbly request your Grace to immediately issue a special circular to the NRKs/NRIs exhorting them to hold such a procession and celebration beginning with this July 3rd itself.

Thanking Your Grace,

Your Graces’ obedient servant,

Prof. George Menachery.

p.s.Establishing a Bahya Kerala - Bahya Bharata Diocese for agreeable areas at least must be another priority.

p.p.s. Could we think of a reserve team of priests willing to serve these communities from time to time on special occasions and to give them cultural experiences and guidance in the form of seminars, video fests, power-point talks &c. occasionally?

Prof. George Menachery elected General Secretary of CHAI (Church History Association of India)

SHILLONG, May 10

At the Church History Association of India (CHAI) Triennial General Body Meeting held at the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) , Shillong, Prof. George Menachery was elected General Secretary of the Association for the next three years. He was working as national vice-president for the last three years.

Dr. O.L. Snaitang, Meghalaya (President), Rev. "Cardinal" Thomas Edmunds, Tamil Nadu (Vice- President), Dr. Agnes de’Sa, Maharashtra (Joint Secretary), S. Edathikavil, DVK, Karnataka (Treasurer), were also elected. Dr. Verghese  Perayil (Aroor), Dr. George Oommen (Deradun) were the other members elected to the Board of Trustees, . Dr. A. M. Mundadan will continue as the Editor-in-Charge of the ongoing History of Christianity in India project while Dr. Joe Kalappura (Patna) was appointed editor of the CHAI Journal, Indian Church History Review (ICHR).

The 14th Triennial of the Southern India region will be held in Thrissur in October, 2009 while the 15th Triennial of the National Association and the Platinum Jubilee will be hosted by the Southern India Branch.

The Vice-Chancellor of the NEHU, Dr. Pramod Tandon inaugurated the meet, presided over by the President of CHAI, Dr. Kranthi Farias. The Key Note address was delivered by Dr. J. Kalappura, Secretary.

The NE regional president Dr. O. L. Snaitang, secretary and Registrar cum Controller of the NEHU Dr. David Syiemlieh were the main organisers of the meet at which more than 20 papers on the Theme of the Conference "Christianity and the Marginalised in India" were presented by scholars from every region of india.
 


 

The new office-bearers and members of the Board of Trustees of CHAI, the Church History Association of India elected at the Shillong Triennial. (From left to right):Dr. Varghese Perayil (Member of the BOT), Dr. Agnes de'Sa (Joint Secretary), Prof. George Menachery (General Secretary), Dr. "Cardinal" Thomas Edmonds (Vice - president),  Dr. O. L. Snaitang (President), Fr. Sebastian Edathikkavil (Treasurer), Dr. George Oommen (Member BOT), and Dr. Jose Kalappura ( Editor, ICHR).

Some of the distinguished participants and delegates at the 14th Triennial of CHAI at Shillong.



 

A scholarly tome onChristianity in India

Staff Reporter

THRISSUR: The third volume of Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India (STCEI) which is scheduled to be published shortly, throw light on various subjects including Christianity in India, Hinduism, Christianity and Sankaracharya, Shaiva Siddhantha and Islam, says George Menachery, the editor of the encyclopaedia. 

STCEI is considered an authoritative workfor reference on India in general and Christianity in particular, says Mr. Menachery. 

It contains articles contributed by renowned archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, educational experts, lexicographers and biographers. The first volume of the encyclopaedia was published in April 1973 in connection with the 1900th death anniversary of Saint Thomas, the Apostle of India. 

The first volume was about the origin, growth and development of Christianity in India. 

The second volume was brought out in 1982. The Thomapedia, an enlarged millennium edition of the early volume, was also published in 2000. STCEI had been described by noted reviewers as monumental work containing significant information on India, Mr. Menachery says. 

Thousands of its copies have been sold the world over and leading libraries have subscribed to it. 

[The HINDU, 3 March 2009]
 
KCBC Darshanika Vyjnanika Award being presented to Prof. George Menachery by HE Mar Thomas Chakiath, Chairman of the KCBC Media Commission on 25th January at POC Auditoriam, Kochi, Ernakulam.
 

KCBC Awards 2008:
Prof. George Menachery awarded the Darshanika Vyjnanika Award

Kochi: A. K. Puthussery has won the literary award instituted by the K.C. B. C. Media Commission. Prof. George Menachery has won the Mar Mankuzhikkari philosophical award. Fr. Geo Payyappilly and Elizabeth Raju  won the media and young talent awards, respectively. [The Hindu].
 
Malayala Manorama and Deepika add: The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council's Media Awards 2008 have been announced.A. K. Pudussery bagged the Media Award for his contributions in the fields of the Novel and the Drama.Prof. Chev. George Menachery was selected for the Mar Mankuzhikkary Darshanika Vyjnanika Award. Fr. Geo Payyappilly obtained the Media Award while singer Elizabeth Raju was chosen for the Young Talent Award.
 
Rev. Dr. Jacob Kattakkal, O. V. Raphael, Prof. Thomas Kaniyanplavan, Varghese Kanjirathingal, and Abraham Pattani were selected for the Guru Pooja Awards.
 
A judging committee consisting of the Chairman of the KCBC Media Commission Dr.Mar Thomas Chakiath, Dr. George Irumpayam, Dr. Cherian Kuniyanthodath, Dr. Primus Perincherry, and K.C.B.C. Media Commission Secretary Fr. Joseph Nicholas decided the awards.
 
The awards will be bestowed at a function to be held at the POC auditorium, Ernakulam on the 25th of January, 2009. 

Prof. George Menachery is the Chief Editor of a number of reference works including the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Indian Church History Classics (The Nazranies), the Thomapedia, and the works in progress Ayurveda Encyclopaedia of India, and the Encylopaedia of the Arabian Sea.

Noted historian, archaeologist, numismatist, and geographer Prof. Menachery was in the UAE and Oman for the past several months researching on his latest publications.

Prof. George Menachery Sapthathy Sangeetha Seminar and Conference

Prof. G. Menachery Sapthathi Sangeetha (Musical) Seminar being inaugurated by Prof. George S. Paul the well known art critic and writer at the Kerala Sahitya Academy Campus. Seated from left to right are: M. D. Madhavan Namboodiri (Ch. Editor, Sangeetham, Kozhikode) [who gave a Chitra-Swara presentation of Kumaran Asan'n Veena Poovu in which Sri Namboodiri accompanied forty Veena Poovu paintings of Francis Kodankandath with his musical recital of the entire classicaql poem]: reputed educationist and cultural leader Sri Chitran Nampoodiripad (who presided); Dr. Mar Aprem Metropolitan of the Church of the East (who delivered the Key Note Address); Dr. Paul Poovathingal (who gave a classical concert and spoke on Voco-System in Classical Music); Prof. Balakrishnan (former principal of the Sree Kerala varma College and reputed vocalist who gave the Invocation Song; Prof. A. M. Francis the Principal of the St. Thomas' College (who welcomed the audience); and Prof. V.P.Jones the working Chairman of the Prof. Menachery Sapthathi Samithi who was also the M. C. on this occasion. Picture TWO: Artist Punachitaya gives a demonstration in connection with the Sapthathi Historico-Cultural EXPO on another day. months back he had inaugurated the Menachery Sapthathy Painters' Workshop attended by 40 odd artists from all over South India at the St. Thomas' College and the Archdiocesan Family Apostolate Complex presided over by Sri Madanan, Ch. artist at the Mathrubhoomi, Calicut.. Pic. THREE: Live Sapthathy demonstration by Artist Francis Kodenkandath in the Academy Complex: He painted a Jubilee Commemoration Montage in 55 minutes in which he represented M. T. Vasudevan Nair's Naalukettu, Vykkom Muhammed Basheer's Bhargavee Nilayam, and Kumaran Asan's Veena Poovu to commemorate the Jubilee Celebrations connected with these great sons of Kerala and pioneers in Malayalam Literature. The demo was followed by a two-hour discussion in which some of the leading artists and literary critics of Kerala participated.

Prof. G. Menachery Sapthati Historico-Cultural EXPO 2008

Bestowing "Ponnada" on Prof. George Menachery by Sri Therambil Ramakrishnan M.L.A. and former Speaker of the Kerala Assembly during the inauguration of the Sapthathi  Historico-Cultural Expo 2008 at the Kerala Sahitya Academy Complex. Sri M. V. Devan inaugurated the Expo at a function presided over by Vice-Chancellor of the Kerala Kala Mandalam Dr. K. G. Paulose. Dr. Raphael Thattil, V. G., Archdiocese of Trichur felicitated. Two Professors from the Krakov University of Poland are also seen discussing aspects of Kerala Culture with Prof. Menachery

 


 
 

Guide to Thomapedia

                       The SEVEN Indices in the Thomapedia

 The Thomapedia is the Enlarged 2000 Edition of the 1973 2nd Volume of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India                     both edited by Prof. George Menachery

U S and Canada Libraries having the Encyclopaedia
                                                            

                        Order Thomapedia                             

Send US$ 35.00 (Thirty-five only)
for the Paper Back Edition and  
for the Hard Bound Library Edition
send US$ 60.00(Sixty only) to
The Thomapedia, Ollur 680306 India.
Free Regd. Airmail Delivery
 

Thomapedia Index I
Index to Title Words and Contributors

Thomapedia Index II
Index to Photographs

Thomapedia Index III
Index to Dates

Thomapedia Index IV
Index to Personal Names

Thomapedia Index V
Index to Place Names

Thomapedia Index VI
Index to Subjects, Events

Thomapedia Index VII
Index to Bibliographical Details


[For YOUR EYES ONLY is a new LOL Series which would carry interesting pictures and illustrations which throw some useful light on St. Thomas Christian history, culture, customs, manners representing every church and denominations of Syrian Christians. Prof. George Menachery who is a renowned scholar with vast research experience in Thomas Christian traditions and history organizes this Series.]

 

Ollur Church photo taken in 1904 -  presented to Prof. G. Menachery by Henry C. Q. Brownrigg of the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia in October 2004. Note the three-tier roofing style and the gabled original copper roof of the bell-tower
 



 

Malabar Christians of Ancient Days (from an old painting). Photo published in the Cochin Government  Royal War Efforts Souvenir in 1938.
 



Ollur Church, inside view. Note the altat, altarpiece, hanging lamps, globes, railings, floor tiles etc.  Photo published in the Cochin Government  Royal War Efforts Souvenir in 1938.

 

Ollur Church photo published in the Cochin
Government  Royal War Efforts Souvenir
in 1938 -  it is almost identical with the
previous picture with slight changes in
the coconut leaves - may be this was
taken at the same time as the 1904 picture.
 

View from the left side of the Ollur Church.
Photo taken in 1904 -  presented to Prof.
G. Menachery by Henry C. Q. Brownrigg
of the British Association for Cemeteries
in South Asia in October 2004
 

For more info cf. http://www.indianchristianity.com/html/New Article.htm

MALABAR CHRISTIANS OF ANCIENT DAYS
By PROF. GEORGE MENACHERY
 

[For YOUR EYES ONLY is a recently started LOL Series which would carry interesting pictures and illustrations which throw some useful light on St. Thomas Christian history, culture, customs, manners representing every church and denominations of Syrian Christians. Prof. George Menachery who is a renowned scholar with vast research experience in Thomas Christian traditions and history organizes this Series.]

The very costumes and ornaments of the Thomas Christians indicate - at least used to indicate until very recent times - their deep Spirituality and commitment to the Gospel message. What the Bible speaks of the deportment of women is fully satisfied in the dress of Syrian Christian women of Kerala; it is a costume where beauty meets modesty. Allow me to quote (the late) Mrs. K. M. Matthew from the 1973 St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia: "The costumes they wear are worthy of special note which in many ways resemble those of the high caste Hindu women. A white cloth-length 51/2 yards by 12/2 yards [Mundu} is folded into a Pudava which is again folded into fan like pleats. This fan like arrangement, which is highly artistic completely, covers the back portion of the woman when she wears the

cloth. ... The upper portion of the body including the belly and the arm is completely covered with the loose blouse-like Kuppayam or Chatta. Going to the church they cover themselves from head to foot with a nice white cloth, when only the face will be visible. This dress is fully in keeping with the modesty and nobility of the Syrian Christian women. Naturally this dress is not meant to kill, the whiteness representing purity and chastity."

Again this is what Dr. J. Kolengadan has to say in the same Encyclopedia: "...the fan like appendage behind render their dress highly modest as well as artistically elegant...As they went out to church they had a veil like outer garment, with gold brocade, reaching to the ground showing nothing but the face..." The costume of the Syrian Christian women of Kerala does what the Purdah does but without its ugliness, unhealthy anonymity and abuses. Unfortunately today one has to watch the obituary columns of Malayalam newspapers to come across this unique costume - cry, the beloved country. D. Ferroli has this on the costumes of the Syrian Christians: " The mundu [of men] is fastened round the waist and reaches down to the heels. A towel is thrown over the shoulders...". "Except those who kept celibacy and those who had gone on a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Thomas at Mylapore, all kept long hairs tied up in a bundle..."(Placid, Thomapedia, p.107>f,g.)
 

 

[Author Prof. George Menachery is a freelance Indian Journalist and Editor of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India and the Indian Church History Classics. After teaching university classes for thirty years, he gave up the job as Head of the Department of Post-Graduate Teaching in order to concentrate on research and publication. SARAS (South Asia Research Assistance Services) provides information and research assistance for topics dealing with India in particular and South Asia in general. He has to his credit a large number of publications, research papers, articles, radio talks and TV programmes. His research activities and lectures have taken him to more than 20 countries in 4 continents.]

THE ROCK CROSSES OF KERALA CHURCHES

By PROF. GEORGE MENACHERY
 


[For YOUR EYES ONLY is a new LOL Series which would carry interesting pictures and illustrations which throw some useful light on St. Thomas Christian history, culture, customs, manners representing every church and denominations of Syrian Christians. Prof. George Menachery who is a renowned scholar with vast research experience in Thomas Christian traditions and history organizes this Series.]
 

This is the pedestal of the stone cross in granite [rock] in front of the Ollur Church which is the oldest church in the Thrissur Corporation area. But the Ollur Church is less than 300 years old whereas there are more than a hundred churches which are 400 years or more old in Kerala. And there are dozens of exquisitely carved open air rock crosses or Nazraney Sthambams in front of many of these ancient Kerala Christian places of worship, e.g. at Kottekkad, Enammavu [now in the Trichur Archieparcal Residence, where it was shifted from the Lourdes Cathedral Christian Cultural Museum that was estd. in 1980 - discovered by this writer in 1980 at Enammavu from a mud deposit] Mapranam, Puthenchira, Parappukkara, Veliyanad, Kalpparambu [the last discovered by this writer in the mud deposits] Koratty, Angamaly

[one each in front of the three churches - the Western church cross, 27ft. tall- has been exactly reproduced in front of the Kakkanad Mount St. Thomas St. Thomas Christian Museum], Kanjoor, Malayattoor, Udayanperur, Kuravilangad,Uzhavoor,Chungam,Kaduthuruthy [2 Nos.], Muttuchira, Kudamaloor, Niranam, Kothamangalam, Chengannur, Thumpamon, Chathannur, Changanacherry [the base of the second cross was discovered by this writer in the Changanacherry cemetery], and many other places.

These crosses have four members: the base with a socket often fixed on a huge pedestal (see pic), the huge monolithic shaft with cylinder-like projections at both ends, the arm with sockets above and below, and the capital which forms the fourth arm of the cross with a cylinder arrangement at the bottom. All these crosses rise from the lotus carved at the top of the base member termed the Pookkallu. Many of these crosses have exquisite carvings and sculptures esp. on the four sides of the pedestal, and in rare cases on the shaft as the Adam, Eve, and the Serpent on the Chengannur Obelisk Cross. Like the Egyptian Obelisks the cross is a ray of the sun - Horus or Christ.
 

[Author Prof. George Menachery is a freelance Indian Journalist and Editor of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India and the Indian Church History Classics. After teaching university classes for thirty years, he gave up the job as Head of the Department of Post-Graduate Teaching in order to concentrate on research and publication. SARAS (South Asia Research Assistance Services) provides information and research assistance for topics dealing with India in particular and South Asia in general. He has to his credit a large number of publications, research papers, articles, radio talks and TV programmes. His research activities and lectures have taken him to more than 20 countries in 4 continents.]

Our services include providing research assistance and instruction via the web, e-mail, fax, telephone, mail, and, when possible, in person on topics connected with India's culture and religions (esp.Indian Christianity). Xerox of portions of books and manuscripts and copies of photographs both in our own collections and from other sources are made available at a nominal cost. This web site includes a number of online research guides to help you conduct your study and  research at a distance. Contact:  kunjethy@yahoo.com, kunjethy@gmail.com ,  0091487-2352468, 0091487-2354398; 00919846033713, 00919387100181; www.indianchristianity.com 

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REASONS FOR THE FAST TRACK

“And now I have a very joyous piece of news for you,” Pope Benedict XVI said in Italian before making the announcement in Latin.

The Pope read out a letter from Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, the official in charge of sainthood, in which it said that Benedict XVI himself had authorised the start of the beatification process.

The news was met with a standing ovation from the priests attending the meeting.

It comes on the anniversary of an assassination attempt on John Paul II in 1981, when he was shot in St Peter’s Square by a Turkish gunman.

Life examined

Information will now be gathered on the former pope’s life and teachings, including all private writings from the period before he became pope, and checked for orthodoxy to ensure that he expressed no heretical views.

Pope John Paul II abandoned the five-year rule when he beatified Mother Teresa

A commission of historians will be appointed to gather all of the documents together, which will then be examined by panels of theologians, and cardinals and bishops.

If a two-thirds majority agree with John Paul II’s beatification Pope Benedict XVI will then be called upon to give his own approval.

But Vatican expert Michael Walsh told the BBC that for the process to be complete the Vatican authorities will then have to establish that a miracle has been ascribed to Pope John Paul II.

“They have to prove someone has been miraculously healed... by his intercession, by praying to John Paul II, he or she has recovered from cancer or something of that sort,” he said.

Miracle needed

In the days following his death Italian media carried a number of reports of alleged miracles attributed to Pope John Paul II, including one claim that an American man suffering from a brain tumour was cured after receiving communion from the late pontiff.

But the alleged miracles occurred during the Pope’s lifetime, and the beatification process studies those occurring after the candidate’s death.

Beatification allows public veneration of the person and for the person to be known as “Blessed”. For actual sainthood, proof of at least two miracles is required.

Beatification allows public veneration of the blessed person

In normal circumstances five years must pass between the death of the person proposed for beatification and the start of the procedure, to avoid emotion playing a part.

However, John Paul II dispensed with this rule himself when in 2003 he beatified Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

The entire process was completed just six years after her death.

On Friday Pope Benedict XVI also announced who would succeed him as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Sixty-eight-year-old William Levada, Archbishop of San Francisco, is the first American to hold the post as the Vatican’s chief watchdog of orthodoxy.

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CHAI Platinum Jubilee: First Announcement

The Church History Association of India

(CHAI)

Platinum Jubilee Celebrations and 15th

Triennial Conference

October 6 to 9, 2011 

AMERICAN STUDIES & RESEARCH

CENTRE, HYDERABAD 

Conference Theme : Indian Historical and Cultural Studies -Yesterday,

Today, Tomorrow

A. The Jubilee Celebrations include the following academic programmes:

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2. An Essay Competition on the theme, "Preservation of Christian Monuments and Landmarks in India" is being planned for three categories ofparticipants: a) Seminarians, b) Graduate and Post Graduate University /College Students, c) the General Public.

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Ancient Christian site in UAE opens to visitors
 Dec 12, 2010,Courtesy AFP

A general view of the United Arab Emirates' only discovered Christian monastery on November 29, 2009, in Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Photograph: MARTIN PFEIFER/ TDIC/AFP 
By AFP 
DUBAI - A 1,400-year-old monastery that is the only known pre-Islamic Christian site in the United Arab Emirates has opened to visitors, The National newspaper reported on Sunday.
The monastery on Sir Bani Yas island in Abu Dhabi emirate is "believed to be the only permanent settlement ever established on the island" and "the only pre-Islamic Christian site known in the UAE," it said.
 

It is believed to have been built around 600 AD by a community of 30-40 monks and was discovered in 1992, said the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Development Company which is developing the island.

Dr Joseph Elders, the chief archaeologist for the Church of England, is leading the team excavating the site, the company said in a statement.

"Twenty years ago, we had no idea that Christians came this far south and east" in the Gulf region, The National quoted Elders as saying. "We don't have many monasteries from this period."

The people who lived at the monastery probably belonged to the "Nestorian Church, or Church of the East," it said, adding that the settlement was abandoned after about 750 AD.

It opened to the public on Saturday.

 

As it happened: Pope in Britain: 19 September 2010


• The fourth day of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the UK saw him lead a beatification service for 19th Century theologian Cardinal Newman at Cofton Park in Birmingham
• He also visited the Catholic Seminary of Oscott, which trains future priests, and held a meeting with the Bishops of England, Scotland and Wales
• Prime Minister David Cameron thanked the Pope for making the country "sit up and think", and vowed to increase co-operation between the UK and the Vatican on issues like poverty and climate change

BBC Well, that's a wrap. Thank you for joining us for our live coverage of the Pope's visit and for all your contributions. We hope you've enjoyed our efforts and will join us again for some more live commentary soon.

Ruth Gledhill, religion correspondent for the Times newspaper, says that where protests occurred they were conducted with "dignity and decorum". She says she was told ahead of the visit that police were on "hair trigger" alert because of previous assassination attempts on the Pope's life, and if there had been any attempt to make an citizen's arrest of the pontiff, as some had suggested, officers would have had to decide in a split second whether to use their weapons.

Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes, policing co-ordinator for the papal visit, tells the BBC it's been challenging, but "enjoyable". He says colleagues at the Vatican have been "amazed" at the British ability - "spirit of fair play", he calls it - to allow both well-wishers and protesters to gather in the same area and make their views known without any problems.

Leo Goatley, from Gloucester, writes: "Perhaps surprisingly, the Pope omitted to place family at the centre of his preaching, which should be pivotal to the teaching of the Church. As a lapsed Catholic married to a devout member of the Church, I found the plea for dialogue between faith and reason curious as the idea of a belief in a God is, to me, far less challenging than a faith required to accept the full creed of Christianity or any other religion for that matter."

If you missed the events in Birmingham earlier today, the BBC's Sitala Peek was there and has written about her experiences.

Adrian Winchester writes: "I had my doubts about how successful this visit would be but I'm now sorry to see the Pope go. He has addressed some important issues that go to the heart of the sort of society we want."

Lord Patten, the government's papal visit co-ordinator, says the cost to the taxpayer is "pretty low", about £10m. "I think it's been an investment in a very important relationship," he tells the BBC. "A relationship with an organisation which is the second largest development organisation in the world, and a relationship with a faith which provides 30,000 different examples of social care in this country."
Archbishop Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, tells the BBC the visit has gone better than he could have expected. Contrary to the image often painted of him, he says the Pope came across as he truly is - "as a gentle, sensitive, eloquent and really lovely person". "It's out of that loveliness that he brings the message that he did," the Archbishop adds.
John Nixon in York writes: "The Pope has penetrated the superficiality and shallowness of many aspects of life today. He speaks in a calm and eloquent manner without an emphasis on him personally or his performance. This has stood out in contrast to the spin and gloss we see from many of our political and religious leaders."

Spoke too soon. The Pope squeezed in one more wave, from the window of the plane as it taxied away for take-off. It's bound for Rome's Ciampino airport where it's due to land at about 2230 local time.

One last wave from the top of the steps and that's it. The Pope steps inside the plane - known in some quarters as Shepherd One - which is flying both the union jack and the papal standard.

After a final shake of the hand and a few private words with the prime minister, Pope Benedict walks the red carpet for the last time and says goodbye to a number of his bishops.

The Pope says he will "treasure the time" spent with members of his Church while in the UK. He once again mentions Cardinal Newman and the lessons he feels we can all learn from him.

The Pope now takes centre-stage and thanks all those who have helped to organise his visit. He says the diversity of modern Britain is a challenge to the government, but also offers an opportunity for greater inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue.

The PM concludes by saying the government and the Vatican have agreed to increase their co-operation "on the key international issues where we share a common goal", including tackling climate change, fighting poverty and disease, and working for peace around the world.
David Cameron says Britain is characterised by a deep, but quiet compassion, and he has felt it personally in recent days "as I have cradled a new daughter and said goodbye to a wonderful father".

"Faith is part of the fabric of our country," the prime minister continues. But he adds: "People do not have to share a religious faith or agree with religion on everything to see the benefit of asking the searching questions that you, your Holiness, have posed to us about our society and how we treat ourselves and each other."

"You have spoken to a nation of six million Catholics, but you have been heard by a nation of more than 60 million citizens," David Cameron says. "For you have offered a message not just to the Catholic Church, but to each and every one of us, of every faith and none. A challenge to us all to follow our conscience, to ask not what are my entitlements, but what are my responsibilities? To ask not what we can do for ourselves, but what we can do for others?"

The Pope has now arrived on the airport tarmac. He emerges from his car, surrounding by his ever-present be-suited security guards, and takes David Cameron by the hand. After a few private words they take to the podium.

David Cameron has arrived at Birmingham airport. He's standing on the red carpet in front of the podium, complete with two gold-trimmed chairs, from which he and the Pope will speak.

The BBC's Robert Pigott says that while the visit has been a success and the turnout pretty good, most people have come out to see A Pope, not The Pope, because Benedict does not embody the Catholic Church as his predecessor John Paul did.

Sarah in Birmingham writes: "I'm not Catholic, but I have really enjoyed the Pope's visit to the UK this week. He has come across as a lovely man, he has spoken wisely and in a way anyone could listen and understand, and the crowds seemed to have responded to this at the events he has been too. He has looked happy to be here and I hope he enjoyed his visit."

RCYouthWorker tweets about the Pope's speech to the bishops: "Nothing in the speech that is a telling off but plenty that will be spun as such. Just wait and see."

The Pope leaves St Mary's on his way to Birmingham International airport.
More photo opportunities. Inside the chapel, the Pope poses for a picture with the heads of the Church in Scotland and England and Wales and the assembled cardinals and bishops. Outside, in St Mary's College garden, it's the turn of the West Midlands Police officers who have guarded him today. Then it's on to a group photo with the seminarians, who go on to give him a rousing send-off.
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott says the invitation to Anglicans is a "very sensitive subject" and the Pope's first public reference to it on this visit was surprising.

In his closing address the Pope defends the Vatican's offer to welcome disenchanted Anglicans into the Catholic fold. He says the move, which allows Anglicans to retain elements of their heritage, could help contribute "positively" to relations between the two churches. Pope Benedict says the abuse scandal "seriously undermines the moral credibility" of the Church but suggested the lessons could be shared for the benefit of wider society.
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, says the visit will "long remain in our hearts".
"Already in Scotland we are speaking of the Benedict bounce", says Cardinal O'Brien, as he refers to the four "wonderful days" of the visit.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, thanks the Pope for graciously wearing a special tartan during his time in Edinburgh on Thursday. He says he's pleased the pontiff was "proud to be an honorary Scotsman for a day". Cardinal O'Brien says the welcome the Pope received in Scotland reminded the world of the country's ancient Christian roots.
The meeting between the Pope and the bishops of England, Scotland and Wales has now wrapped up and we're expecting to hear a few words from some of those who were involved.
LicklePickle, in Birmingham, tweets: "The Pope was running late, so instead of the Popemobile going walking pace, it rushed past about 15mph! Sooo disappointing!"

Archbishop of Birmingham Bernard Longley says he is delighted with how smoothly today's events have gone and how warm the welcome has been. "The city has shown its concern for people of faith," he told the BBC.

Father Christopher Jamison, a Benedictine monk who appeared in the BBC series The Monastery, has given his take on turnout. "I think it is the spontaneity of those 200,000 people in London that will really surprise the Vatican because they'd been led to believe that while the Catholic faithful would welcome the Holy Father, there would be a great upsurge in scepticism and doubt among ordinary British people."

Nick Clegg has been asked about the Pope's visit at the Lib Dem conference in Liverpool. "I think the differences that people might have with the doctrine of the Catholic Church speak for themselves," he said. "But, I have to say that I also believe we are, above and beyond everything else, a liberal and tolerant nation, and that whilst debate, criticism, analysis of the teachings of the Catholic Church is, I think, necessary, I think as a community, as a nation and certainly as a government we have an absolute duty to welcome what is the leader of a very, very significant world religion."
Something else a bit special for you from our team in Birmingham - it's a gigapan image of the beatification service. You can use the controls to scroll around and to zoom in to see specific details up close.

 

Vatican stores computer chip fitted books in bombproof bunkerr
 

The Vatican Library is all set to reopen after a three year long renovation that saw computer chips being fitted in its 70,000 books dating back nearly 2,000 years and then stored in a bombproof bunker.

Daily Telegraph on Tuesday reported that all the library's 70,000 books, which are kept in a bombproof bunker, have been fitted with a computer chip that emits radio signals so as to prevent theft.

Fireproof walls, closed-circuit cameras, automated entry and exit gates and climate-controlled rooms were also introduced during the renovation.

The library houses the world's oldest known complete Bible, dating from around 325 and believed to have been commissioned by Emperor Constantine.

While 5,000 scholars are allowed to undertake research each year, but it is only the Pope who is allowed to take a book out of the library.

The library reading and research rooms will reopen Sep 20. The massive renovation effort, which cost about 7.5 million pounds, was sparked by an attempted theft by an American art history professor who smuggled pages torn from a 14th century manuscript.

In 1996, the professor was sentenced to 14 months in prison after he admitted that he took the pages during a 1987 research visit.

The chips will also ensure that each document is kept back in its proper place in the huge repository below the Vatican.

"In this kind of library, if a book is misplaced, it is as good as lost. "But with this new radio frequency system of identification, it will be much easier to locate a lost book and return it to its rightful place," Ambrogio Piazzoni, the library's vice-prefect, was quoted as saying.

The books and manuscripts were the product of the "thought, passion and faith" of centuries of religious scholarship, he said, adding: "It's not just the heritage of the Vatican Library but of the whole of humanity."

The library was started by Pope Nicholas V in the 1450s.

ST. EPHREM ECUMENICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (SEERI)

Research & Regional Centre of Mahatma Gandhi University 

 

7th WORLD SYRIAC CONFERENCE

&

SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS OF SEERI

 

8 - 16 September 2010

 

 

                                      ܒܫܢܬ ܕܥܣܪܝܢ ܘܚܡܫ ܢܘܕܐ

ܐܝܣܚܩ ܠܒܪܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ ܒܛܘܪܐ

ܡܢ ܣܟܝܢܐ ܘܗܘܐ ܚܠܦܘܗܝ

ܐܡܪ ܩܛܠܐ ܦܠܛ ܡܝܘܬܐ

ܘܡܝܬ ܡܚܐ ܟܠ  ܒܪܝܟ ܩܘܪܒܢܗ

 

In the 25th year let Isaac give thanks

to the Son who preserved him on the mountain

from the knife and became, in his place,

the lamb that was slaughtered:   the mortal escaped,

while there died He who gives life to all!

Blessed is His offering!

 

                        (St Ephrem, Hymns on the Nativity 18:30)  

                    

PROGRAMME 

 

INAUGURAL CELEBRATION

 

Wednesday, 8th September 2010 at 14.30

                       

 

     To’ ba-šlom: Rev. Fr. M.P George and Group (Orthodox Theological Seminary)

 

Prayer Song: M A Syriac Students (SEERI)

 

Welcome: H.G. Thomas Mar Koorilos

                                         (Metropolitan Archbishop, Tiruvalla and President, SEERI)

 

      Presidential Address: H.B. Baselios Cleemis Catholicos

                                                        (Major Archbishop, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church)

  

Benedictory Speech: H.G. Joseph Mar Thoma

                                                               (Metropolitan, Mar Thoma Church)

                                                   

Inaugural Address: Prof. Dr. Rajan Gurukal

                                                           (Vice Chancellor, M.G. University, Kottayam)

 

Keynote Address: Prof.  Dr.  Sebastian P. Brock 

                                                                             (Oxford University)

Felicitations:

 

Prof. P.J. Kurian, Member of Parliament.

H.G. Mar Mathew Moolakkatt, Archbishop of Kottayam.

H.G. Gabriel Mar Gregorios, Metropolitan Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.         

H.G. Kuriakose Mar Ivanios, Knanaya Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church.

Rt. Rev. Dr. John R. K. Fenwick, Bishop, Free Church, England.

 

Vote of Thanks: H.G. Mar Aprem,

                                                             Metropolitan, Church of the East, Thrissur.

 

Benediction:

 

Special Programme: A thirteenth century Chinese source on a certain Syrian Christian  

                                  Ruler in Kollam/Quilon, India 

 

*******

 

 

Thursday - 9th September 2010

 

06.30 – 07.30: Holy Qurbana 

 

Celebrant: H.G. Mar Aprem (Metropolitan, Church of the East, Trichur)

 

Registration: 08.00- 08.45

 

Session-I

           

Moderator: Rt. Rev. Dr. John Robert Kipling Fenwick

                                                                                        (Free Church of England)

 

08.50 –08.55 Prayer Song (Sisters, Udhanashram, Idukki)

 

08.55–09.30 Alison Grace Salvesen: Jacob of Sarug’s memre on the book of Daniel.

           

09.30–10.00 Colette Pasquet: Oriental Syriac Commentaires on Gen 1.26 and     

                                    Incarnation’s Mystery.

                                               

10.00–10.30 Buda Lorenzo: Mar Aprem: Martyr and Singer of the Word.

                        

Session-II  

 

Moderator:   Prof. Dr. Dr. Hubert Kaufhold

                                                         (Jura, Univ. München, Germany)

 

11.00–11.30 Christophe Vielle: Johann Ernst Hanxleden S.J. (1681-1732) and St. Thomas  

                                    Christians: from Malayalam poetry to Syriac liturgy and philology.         

 

11.30–12.00 Paul Blaize Kadicheeni: Baptismal liturgy in the writings of Timothy II.

 

12.00–12.30 Johnny Messo: The Syriac Universal Alliance, the endangered Syriac Cultural

                                          Heritage and the envisaged role of scholars.

 

12.30–12.40 Noon Prayer (Church of the East – Archdeacon Emmanuel Yokhanna)

 

Session III  

 

Moderator:  Rev. Dr. John Kochuthundiyil        

                                        (Rector, St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary, Trivandrum)  

 

14.00–14.30 Istvan Perczel: New sources for the history of the Chaldean Syrian                                                     

                                    community in India.

 

14.30–15.00 Toda Satoshi: Reconsidering the Intellectual Background of Bardaisan.

 

15.00–15.30   Emmanuel Thelly: Prayers of the Feast of Denha in the Syro-Chaldean

                                    Breviary.

 

Session IV

 

Moderator:     Dr. F.B. Chatonnet

                                 (CNRS IVRI Paris, France)

           

16.00–16.30    Robert Hawley:  Plants of Indian origin in the Syriac Pharmacopeia.

 

16.30–17.00   Joseph Palackal: Kerala, the Cradle of Christianity in South Asia: The

                                    Cultural Interface of Music and Religion.

 

(After supper: Discussion for setting up the syllabus for the proposed theological college of the Church of the East, Sydney as requested by Mar Meelis Zaia, Archbishop of Australia)

 

Friday - 10th September 2010

 

06.30 – 07.30 Holy Qurbana

 

Celebrant:  H.E. Mar Joseph Kallarangattu

                                                     (Syro Malabar, Bishop of Pala)

Session V 

 

Moderator:      H.G. Dr. Mar Aprem

                                          (Metropolitan, Church of the East, Trichur)                               

 

08.50–08.55    Prayer Song (Students of SEERI, East Syriac).

           

08.55–09.30   John R K Fenwick: Some Neglected Sources for the History of the St.

                                    Thomas Christians.

 

09.30–10.00   Hubert Kaufhold:  Die Reise des Syrisch-Orthodoxen Patriarchen Petros          

                                    IV, nach Indien (1876/1877).  

 

10.00–10.30    Martin Tamcke: “Bishop Gabriel”.      

 

Session VI

 

Moderator:       Prof. Dr. Jürgen Tubach

                                                (Martin Luther Univ., Halle, Germany)

 

11.00–11.30   Theresia Hainthaler: Christ in the flesh, who is God over all (Rom 9,5                   

                                    Pesh.). The letter of Catholicos Timothy I. (780-823) to the monks of Mar Maron.

 

11.30–12.00  Hidemi Takahashi: Additional information on the Syriac manuscripts
                                    at Yale University.

12.00–12.30  David A. Michelson: Proposals for Syriac Prosopography & Authority Control.

 

12.30–12.40  Noon Prayer (Syro Malabar – Fr. Emmanuel Thelly CMI)

                   

Session VII

 

Moderator:    Prof. Dr. Rainer Voigt

                                                            (Freie Univ. Berlin)

                                   

14.00–14.30  Timothy B. Sailors:  Quotations of Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians in                                               Syriac.

 

14.30–15.00  Simon S. Ford: Translating the faith: Syriac scholarship and the legislative program in the canons ascribed to Maruta of Maiphweqat.

 

15.00–15.30 Abraha Tedros: Isaac of Nineveh, Filoxenus of Mabbug, John Saba: three fundamental names of Ethiopian monasticism, theology and spirituality: History of the translation of the texts attributed to them and their influence.

 

Session VIII

 

Moderator:  Rev. Dr.  Johns Abraham Konat

                                                                       (Prof., SEERI, Kottayam)

 

16.00–16.30  Thomas Koonammakkal: Justin and Ephrem: A parallel.

 

16.30–17.00  Andrea Schmidt & Gaby Abousamra: Cataloguing the Syriac Manuscripts and Fragments of the Manuscripts Institutes in Yerevan and Tbilisi. The case of Syriac Amulets from the Urmia Region.

 

Saturday - 11th September 2010

 

06.30 – 07.30 Holy Qurbana

 

Celebrant:  Msgr. Jacob Vellian

                                      (Syro-Malabar Knanaya Catholic, Kottayam)

Session IX

 

Moderator: Prof. Dr. Martin Tamcke

                                              (Georg-August Univ. Göttingen, Germany)

 

08.50-08.55   Prayer Song (Bethany Sisters).

 

09.00–09.30  F.B. Chatonnet & Jimmy Daccache: Researches on Syriac writing in the background of Antioch.

 

09.30–10.00  Rainer Voigt: From the Aramaic script to the Indian scripts & from the Indian scripts to the Ethiopic scripts.

10.00–10.30  Baby Varghese: West Syrian Liturgy: A survey of hundred years of  

                                    Researches.

 Session X 

 

Moderator:   Prof. Dr. Andrea Barbara Schmidt

                                                             (Université Catholique de LLN,  Belgium)

           

11.00–11.30 Amir Harrak: New evidence on the Christian emirs of Mesopotamia during the Mongol period.

 

11.30–12.00 Abdo Badwi: The painting of the crowning of Our Lady between Lebanon and Kerala.

 

12.00–12.30 Mar Aprem: East Syriac books printed in India.

 

12.30–12.40   Noon Prayer (Abuna Abdo Badwi - Maronite Church).

 

 

Session XI

 

Moderator:  Dr. Alison Grace Salvesen

                                                              (Oxford University, UK)

 

14.00–14.30 Ugo Achille Zanetti: "Fraction prayers" in the Coptic Mass.

 

14.30–15.00 Philippa Malas: The illustrations of Syriac lectionary Add. 7170 in the British Library as evidence of cultural exchange.

 

15.00–15.30 Thomas A. Carlson: The nature of the Church (of the East) in Ishaq Shbandnaya’s “Poem on the Divine Economy”.

Session XII

 

Moderator:   Moderator:  Hidemi Takahashi

                                                                 (The University of Tokyo,  Japan)

 

16.00–16.30 Steve Cochrane: Angamaly: a re-examination of its importance in the light of early 9th century Asian comparative history.

 

16.30-17.00 JMF Van Reeth & Peter Strauven: The emergence of the Syriac Oktoèchos: a liturgical translation of the Universe.

 

 

Sunday - 12th September 2010

 

08.00 – 09.30: Holy Qurbana

 

Celebrant: Rev. Fr. Raju Parakkott

                                        (Vicar, St. Thomas Malankara Catholic Church (SEERI))

 

 

Excursion Programme (Foreign Delegates)

 

            10.00: Depart from SEERI. In the list, there are 10 destinations.  Necessary changes in the destinations will be made during the journey, according to feasibility and availability of time. Those interested should give their names at the registration counter by Friday, Sept. 10, to facilitate booking of transportation.

 

1. St. Mary’s Church, Kuravilangadu (There we can see “The boat of Jonah”. This is the only church where the 3-day fast in Kerala is solemnly celebrated. We can also see Pre-Diamper bell with Syriac inscription & Tomb inscriptions in Syriac).

 

2. Visit to Beth Aprem Nazrani Dayra, Kappumthala near Kuravilangadu.

 

3.  Kaduthuruthy St. Mary’s Church (Syro-Malabar Knanaya Church with the oldest and biggest granite Cross.

 

4. Pampakuda (The famous Konat collections of Syriac manuscripts, guided by Fr. Dr. Johns Abraham Konat).

 

5.  Mulanthuruthy Mar Thomman Church   (the venue of several Synods; pre-Diamper Syriac inscriptions on the main entrance and the tomb inscriptions of Mar Koorilos Yuyakim - responsible for West Syriac renaissance in the region).

 

6. Kandanad (Jacobite Syrian) Church, with mural inscriptions on the parish house and facade of the church.

 

7. Tripunithura Nadamel Palli (Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church), with beautiful Syriac inscriptions on the altar & tombs.

 

8. Kadamattam Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church with Syriac inscriptions. Famous for the legend of Kadamattathu Kathanar.

 

9. Pallikkara Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church with Syriac inscriptions and one of the best Portuguese interior decorations of the madbaha.

 

      10. Kothamangalam Cheriyapalli (Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church), famous for Altar and biographical inscriptions in Syriac.

 

Monday - 13th September 2010

 

06.30 – 07.30 Holy Qurbana

Celebrant:  H.E. Mathews Mar Aprem

                                                     (Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church)

Session XIII

 

Moderator:      Rev. Dr. Philip Njaralakkatt

                                                  (Prof. Syriac, Retd. Principal St Thomas College, Pala)

 

08.50-08.55   Prayer Song (Bethany Sisters, Kalathilpadi).

 

08.55–09.30  Erica C.D. Hunter:  Syriac prayer-amulets from Turfan.

 

09.30–10.00  Frederic Alpi: Severus of Antioch and Eastern Churches (512 -518).

 

10.00–10.30   Philip Vysaneth: Music, the language of heart in the Syro-Malankara liturgy and its relation to Raga in the Indian Music.

Session XIV 

 

Moderator: Rev. Dr. Xavier Koodapuzha

                                     (Reš Dayro. Mar Thoma Šliha Nazrani Dayara, Nallathanni)

 

11.00–11.30 Thomas Kollamparampil: Multiple covenants and the “People from the

                                    Peoples” in Aphrahat.

 

11.30–12.00 Kuriakose Valavanolickal: Attitude of Aphrahat to the poor.

 

12.00–12.30 Jiphy Mekkattukulam: Acts of Thomas: new findings.

 

12.30–12.40 Noon Prayer (Fr. Saju Keepanassery - West Syriac)

                                   

Session XV 

 

Moderator:  Amir Harrak

                               (Professor, Univ. of Toronto, Canada)

 

 

14.00–14.30 Gebremedhin Dimetros Woldu: The Significance of St. Ephrem in the

                                    Ethiopian Christian Tradition.

14.30–15.00 Rima Smine Gannage: The Iconography of Syriac Lectionaries: British Library Add. 7170 and Vatican Syr. 559.

 

15.00 –15.30  Paul C. Dilley: Heavenly visions in the martyrdom of Mihr-Narse. 

 

Session XVI 

 

Moderator:  Rev. Dr. Mathew Mannakattu

                                             (President, Paurastya Vidya Pitham, Vadavathoor, KTM)

 

16.00–16.30 Jean-Paul Deschler: Word and Meaning: A Glossary in Liturgy and Iconography with special reference to the theology of the Eastern Churches.

 

16.30–17.00  Rifaat Ebied: A Collection of acrostic admonitions in Syriac attributed to St. Ephrem the Syrian.  

                                                

20.40 -21.30  Cultural Programme: (Music, dance etc) led by Msgr. Jacob Vellian and his troupe.

 

Tuesday -14th September 2010

 

Jubilee Celebrations: Liturgy Service

                            Holy Qurbana (09.00 a.m.): 

Chief Celebrant: H. B. Ignatios Youssef III Younan,

                                                                             Syrian Catholic Patriarch of Antioch

            Co-celebrants: The Archbishop and Bishops of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. 

 

             Homily: H.E. Abraham Mar Julios,

                                                  Bishop of Muvattupuzha.

 

11.00 a.m. Public Meeting

 

           To’ ba-šlom – Rev. Fr. M.P. George and Group

 

Prayer Song: Bethany Sisters

 

Welcome Speech: H.G. Thomas Mar Koorilos,

(Metropolitan Archbishop, Tiruvalla & President, SEERI)

 

Presidential address: H.G. Mar Joseph Powathil,

                    (Archbishop Emeritus, Changanacherry & Chairman, Inter-Church Council for Education)

 

Inaugural address: H.B. Ignatios Youssef III Younan,
                     (Syrian Catholic Patriarch of Antioch)

Felicitations:

 

Rt. Rev. Sebastian Thekethecheril, Bishop of Vijayapuram, Roman Catholic Church.

H.G. Mathews Mar Aprem, Malankara Jacob Syrian Church, Angamaly.

Mr. K. M. Mani, Member of Legislative Assembly.

Mr. V.N. Vasavan, Member of Legislative Assembly, Kottayam.

Dr. Rajan Varghese, PVC, M.G. University, Kottayam.

            Tuvaik SEERI: Rev.Fr. Emmanuel Thelly CMI, Poonjar.

Msgr. Gabriel Quicke, Secretary, Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

Prelate Prof. Dr. Lothar Waldmüller, Munich, Germany.

Ms. Borgna Luciana, Missio Munich.

Mr. M.L. Thomas, CNEWA.

Abuna Abdo Badwi, Director, School of Sacred Arts, Holy Spirit Univ. Kaslik, Lebanon.

Prof. Andrea Schmidt, Catholic Univ. Louvain, Belgium.

Prof. Jürgen Tubach, Martin Luther Univ. Halle, Germany.

 

Vote of Thanks: Rev. Fr. Raju Parakott

                                                              (Asst. Director, SEERI)

Benediction.  

Photo Session 

 Session XVII (A) 

Moderator:  Prof. Rifaat Ebied                  
                              (Emeritus Professor of Semitic Studies, University of Sydney, Australia) 

14.00–14.30  Jürgen Tubach: Indigenous and foreign Christians in the East Arabian dioceses of the hyparchy Persis. 

14.30-15.00  Roula Skaf: La définitude en araméen-Syriaque. 

15.00–15.30    Lutz Greisiger: Emperor Heraclius in Jerusalem as reflected in 7th century Syriac and Hebrew apocalyptic narratives. 

Session XVII (B) 

Moderator: Theresia Hainthaler

                                        (Hochschule Sankt, Georgen, Frankfurt, Germany) 

14.00–14.30  Jacob Vellian: Taksa d’Raze. 

14.30–15.00 Stephen Plathottathil: Ramšo d-Denho: Technical terms and themes of Penquitho. 

15.00–15.30 Garry Moon Yuen Pang: The historical and theological significance of the Chinese-Syriac Jingjiao Monument in China.

Session XVIII (A) 

Moderator:  Rev. Dr. Abraham Kuruvilla
                                 (Principal Mar Thoma Seminary, Kottayam) 

16.00–16.30  Behnam Keryo: St. Ephrem, a monk in love. 

16.30–17.00  John Vattanky: Understanding Christian eschatology against the background of the thought of Ephrem and Sankara.

 

Session XVIII (B)  

Moderator: Dr. George Anton Kiraz

                                        (Beth Marduto - Gorgias Press,  USA)
 

16.00–16.30 Kuriakose Moolayil: Printed versions of the Nomocanon 

16.30–17.00 George Menacherry: Realities of South Indian social life and apostolic traditions as reflected in certain hymns of Ephrem.  

Wednesday - 15th September 2010 

Session XIX  

Moderator:  Prof. Erica C.D. Hunter

                                           (SOAS, London Univ., UK) 

08.50-08.55 Prayer Song: Orthodox Theological Seminary Students           

08.55–09.30 Zeki Aydin: Jacob of Sarug’s Mimro on Zakai. 

09.30–10.00 Assad Sauma Assad: Ephrem's commentary on the Blessings of Jacob 

10.00–10.30 Simone Isacco Maria Pratelli: The most ancient manuscripts of the store house of mysteries & Gregorius Barhebraeus’ commentary on the prophets: a few remarks.

Session  XX 

Moderator:  Fr. Dr. K.M. George

                                  (Principal, Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam) 

11.00–11.30 Sebastian P. Brock: The significance of the new finds of Syriac manuscripts at St. Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai 

11.30–12.00 Jomy Joseph: The eco-theological perspectives of Ephrem the Syrian.    

12.00-12.30 George Kiraz: The šhimo in the Syriac tradition. 

12.30–12.40 Noon Prayer (West Syriac Orthodox Seminary students)                                 

 

Session  XXI 

Moderator:  Rev. Dr. Thomas Kollamparampil CMI

                                      (President, Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore) 

14.00–14.30  Jonathan Loopstra: Perceptions of the Syriac Bible in the works of the 17th century biblical critic Father Richard Simon. 

14.30–15.00  Jincy O.U.:   A study on the commemoration of Sts. Peter and Paul from the Hudra of the Church of the East.  

15.00–15.30   Robert Gabriel: The first printed books in Syriac. 

Session  XXII 

Moderator:     Rev. Fr. Jerome, Peedikaparambil OIC

                                            (Provincial, Navajeevan Province, TVM) 

16.00–16.30   Robin Beth Shamuel: The Western missionaries and the revival of the neo-Aramaic dialects (Sureth). 

16.30–17.00    Shinichi Muto: Christ's descent to the underworld in the
            Khara-Khoto Syriac document found in inner Mongolia. 

Thursday - 16th September 2010 

Session XXIII (A) 

Moderator:  Gaby Abousamra

                                                (Kaslik Uni. Beirut, Lebanon)

 

08.50-08.55  Prayer Song: SEERI Students           

08.55–09.30  Rifaat Ebied & Lionel Wickham: A short Treatise on the Trinity in Syriac  

                                        attributed to St. Ephrem the Syrian. 

09.30–10.00  P.V. Philip: John the Evangelist, the disciple that Jesus loved.           

10.00–10.30  Saju Keeppanasseril: A Homily on the Number 12. 

 

 

Session XXIII (B)     

 

Moderator: Dr. Assad Sauma

                                        (Aram Stockholm, Sweden) 

08.50-08.55  Prayer Song: SEERI Students 

08.55-09.30  Stephen Olikal: The concept of “woman” in Mar Jacob of Sarug’s Mimre.                

9.30-10.00 Varghese George: Tesbuhtho d-Pothuro according to Jacob of Sarug. 

10.00-10.30 Luis Philipe Thomaz: St. Thomas in a 16th century Portuguese poem.

 

Valedictory Session: 11.15 hrs.           

Prayer Song: Rev. Dn. Severios 

Welcome: Rev. Dr. Kuriakose Moolayil Corepiscopa 

Valedictory Address: Prof. K. Mathew, Member, Syndicate, M.G. University             

            Moderator for Evaluations: Dr. Mary Hansbury (Philadelphia, USA) 

            Evaluations: A delegate from each of the following regions/countries is

                                    requested to evaluate this conference:

 

America 

Australia 

Europe 

Far-East 

India 

Middle-East 

Recommendations and suggestions: Open to floor. 

Vote of Thanks:  Rev. Dn. Shaun Mathew (1st Year M A Student) 

Tuvaik seeri & Abun d basmayo

Visit to Mannanam Collection of  Syriac Manuscripts & M. G. University: 16th September 2010

Fr. Prior of the St Joseph Monastery has invited us to visit Mannanam the citadel of Syriac heritage. Those interested may give their names at the registration counter. We will also be visiting Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala’s largest university, which also has the greatest number of affiliated colleges in Kerala. 

Additional Papers           

Nelson P.: Anaphora of Dionysius Areopagite 

Varghese Varghese: Ido d-Denho according to Mar Jacob of Serugh.  

Jose Charuvil: Prayer of peace in the Anaphora of St. James in comparison with those of other Anaphorae. 

John Kannanthanam: Jewish influence on East Syriac traditions with a special mention of marriage ceremonies.                  

            Raju Parakkott: St. Paul according to Narsai. 

            Mathew Kuttiani: Persian martyrs of early 5th century.            

             Johns  Abraham Konat: Cataloguing of the Syriac Manuscripts of  Pampakuda collection.  

            Thomas Mannooramparampil: An ancient Commentary of an anonymous author on the East Syriac Holy Qurbana.

            Jacob Thekeparampil: Simon as tupso – a model for penitence according to Jacob of Serugh.

 

BP oil leak offers 'lesson in humility'  and 'limits of technology' 

 

 

Catholic News Service   

The "sense of powerlessness and delay" in resolving the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history offers a lesson about the limits of technology, a Vatican official said.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said in a commentary June 19 that the leaking BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexicowas a disaster "of enormous proportions, and getting worse."

He compared it to the 1984 chemical factory explosion in Bhopal, India, or the 1986 meltdown of the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

"What is striking in this case is the sense of powerlessness and delay in finding a solution to this disaster faced by one of the largest and most technologically advanced oil multinationals in the world, but also by the most powerful country on earth," Father Lombardi said.

"It seems incredible, but it is a fact. This is not the eruption of a volcano, but a relatively small man-made hole in the seabed. Yet, in two months, expert scientists and technicians, leaders in their field, have failed to plug it," he said.

The Vatican spokesman said he hoped people would draw from the disaster a lesson of prudence and care in the use of the earth's resources.

"Perhaps we can also draw a lesson in humility," he said.

"Technology will advance. But if a relatively simple production process leaves us so helpless, what will we do if much more complex processes get out of hand, such as those affecting the energy hidden in the heart of matter or moreover in the processes of the formation of life?" he said.

Father Lombardi noted that the issue of responsible use of technology was addressed by Pope Benedict XVI in his latest encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate" ("Charity in Truth").

                 Belgaum Priest Wins Top Protestant Ecumenical HR Award

Coutesy CSF
A Catholic priest working in India’s Karnataka state has been selected for a human rights award instituted in memory of a Protestant clergyman. Father P. J. Jacob from Belgaum diocese is the first Catholic priest to be conferred the M. A. Thomas National Human Rights Award. He will receive a citation and cash prize of 100,000 rupees (US$2,174) in Bangalore in August. Father Jacob, founder of the Vimochana (liberation) Development Society, has “contributed immensely” toward social justice and “consistently promoted” people’s rights for 45 years, the Vigil India Movement (VIM) said in a statement. VIM set up the award in 1993 to honor Reverend M. A. Thomas of the Mar Thoma Church, who died in 1993 at the age of 80.
Father Jacob, a former member of the state legislative assembly for a term of five years, also established institutions to educate the poor, VIM program manager, John Juliana said. The human rights award is given once in two years to an individual or institution for making significant contributions in the field of human rights. Reverend Thomas, an ecumenical leader, founded VIM and the Ecumenical Christian Centre in Bangalore.

                                             CRI Meets the Challenge of a New India

The Conference of Religious India (CRI) is to launch a special scheme to prepare new Indian Religious congregation leaders to meet challenges posed by the country’s expected rapid development in the next decade. “There are many people predicting that India will be adeveloped country by the year 2020 and the Catholic Religious will have to prepare for that,” said Brother Mani Mekkunnel, CRI national secretary. He said the conference will organize courses on “visions for the future” for young Religious in its 13 regions across India. “We are planning to bring one Religious aged 30-35 from each region for the program,” Brother Mekkunnel explained. The first session is scheduled for July 1-4 at the Renewal Centre in Kochi, for the Kerala region. The program will conclude with a national convention in March, 2011 in Pune, where more than 1,000 young Religious are expected to attend. CRI represents more than 125,000 Catholic Religious brothers, priests and nuns in India. Some 30,000 religious are aged 30–35.                                  
 
Religious who participate in the program would become leaders in their congregations and regions by the year 2020, Brother Mekkunnel said. The participants will make a commitment to seek ways to make Religious life more relevant in the modern world. They will set 10 goals to achieve this. Many of the traditional functions done by Religious today will become irrelevant in the next ten years, said Brother Mekkunnel. The Religious will have to look for ways to make their life meaningful and purposeful, he said, adding “nothing will be imposed” on the participants during the program. It would be a collective search, he added. 

 

Popes and Ecumenical Thinking 

 Eastern Theology Has Enriched the Whole Church    

  by Pope John Paul II

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. Continuing my reflection on Eastern Christianity, today I would like to focus attention on the development of Eastern theology, which, even in the centuries that followed the age of the Fathers and the sad division with the Apostolic See, led to profound and stimulating perspectives at which the whole Church looks with interest. Although there is still disagreement on this point or that, we must not forget that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

An important doctrinal development occurred between the eighth and ninth centuries after the "iconoclast" crisis unleashed by several Byzantine emperors, who decided radically to suppress the veneration of sacred images. Many were forced to suffer for resisting this absurd imposition. St John Damascene and St Theodore the Studite come to mind in particular. The victorious outcome of their resistance proved decisive not only for devotion and sacred art, but also for a deeper understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation. Indeed, in the final analysis the defense of images was based on the fact that God truly became man in Jesus of Nazareth. It is therefore legitimate for the artist to endeavour to portray his face, not only with the aid of his talent, but especially by interior docility to God's Spirit. The images refer to the Mystery that surpasses them, and they help us feel its presence in our life.

2. The hesychast controversy marked another distinctive moment in Eastern theology. In the East, hesychasm means a method of prayer characterized by a deep tranquillity of the spirit, which is engaged in constant contemplation of God by invoking the name of Jesus. There was no lack of tension with the Catholic viewpoint on certain aspects of this practice. However, we should acknowledge the good intentions which guided the defense of this spiritual method, that is, to emphasize the concrete possibility that man is given to unite himself with the Triune God in the intimacy of his heart, in that deep union of grace which Eastern theology likes to describe with the particularly powerful term of "theosis", "divinization".

Precisely in this regard Eastern spirituality has amassed a very rich experience which was vigorously presented in the famous collection o