I was pondering on that thought for a while Aramis, and yes a semi autonomous diocese seems the most plausible answer to the Knanaya Dilemma. What you have stated above is the most logical reason for why the Knanaya do not have their own Sui Juris Church, which in my opinion is completely fine. Being under the Syro Malabar Church is fitting, as long as Knanaya rights are maintained and we are treated as equals.
yes it should God wants more people to have a place to pray where people can pray in peace without the bothersome trouble of those who dont believe :( when I go with my friends up & down our street singing & playing our musical instruments people throw things at us :mad: so yea we should have parish to pray in :) I should know Im a reverendAccording to Syro-Malabar diocesan website listing, it seems to be just that.
Since 1994 Houston Knanaya Mission practiced the East Syrian Rite under the Archdiocese of Galveston - Houston because St.Thomas Syro Malabar Diocese had not been erected. I can remember during our time as a mission Cardinal DiNardo visiting our mission many times. Endogamy was not a problem under the Archdiocese of Galveston - Houston and it was completely allowed.
SyroMalankara, we are not in any form making our parish Latin Catholic, it will and always has practiced the East Syrian Rite under the Archdiocese of Galveston - Houston. The Eastern Rite is protected because our parish is still Syro Malabar - Knanaya, the only difference being we are under a Latin Diocese. Why should we transfer our parish to the St.Thomas Syro Malabar Diocese when we can freely practice our customs under a Latin Diocese with no challenge? And we’re not wanting our parish to be under Cardinal DiNardo, it already is and has been since 1994. I do not know why but our Mission was never transferred under the St.Thomas Diocese when it was erected. The community has no fault in this, we just see this loophole as an opportunity to preserve tradition. Having one true Knanaya Parish is better than having none. Malankara Catholics would not understand our predicament, in the U.S you are blessed with every provision possible and have been honored with a bishop. Knanaya Catholics loose more and more provisions by year and are in justly treated in a one sided diocese.
There is a parish for these Non- Family members to eat the exact same Sunday Lunch called a Syro Malabar Parish less than 5 miles away.
Just how many Non-Knanaya exactly do you think attend Knanaya Parishes? The number is quiet low. Even so, they still receive the Holy Qurbana and take part in the sacraments, membership is just not given. I attend a Latin Parish on certain weekends and give to the collection box, as well as donate to the parish but I am not a member there. If these Non - Knanayas have such a problem with not being a member than they should go to the nearby Syro Malabar Parish where they can eat the “food” while being member at the same time.
1 is unwelcoming.
This is true. Centuries. But the Knanaya tradition is that 72 families came from the Middle East 2millenia ago. A century or two or three out of 20 is not very solid ground. Perhaps the practice had to do with preserving finances or land more than anything else. We have seen this in other cultures for a similar reason.
Was it the sharing of parishes that led to bloodshed, or the endemic caste-like system that sadly, even the Christian practiced?
Very, very few Knanaya families care about the issue, and the few that are vocal - yes - have caused strife to the Eparchy.
Maybe because it was unfair. You said earlier that a Knanaya cannot lose membership, even if he/she marries an “outsider”, now you say they “lost membership”.
Out of 20K families in North America, how many care? How many attend Latin parishes solely? Most Knanaya children I know could care less about endogamy. So realistically, who’s fighting this cause and for what purpose?
I like the way you debate SyroMalankara, you use logical points unlike others on this thread who have only used hate speech but the reason why endogamy was preserved we will never know. Perhaps it was solely on tradition or land/finances/etc we will not know because like many other communities of Kerala the Knanayas had mainly oral history.
I believe in this particular case it would have had to been the sharing of parishes. Portuguese records mention numerous times that the Knanaya reserved their parishes to themselves.
Like in any community there are those who like to keep out of issues and other who are very passionate.
What I mean by loose membership is that their membership is transferred to the nearby Syro Malabar Parish. I would like to think the majority of Knanayas care when it comes to this issue, for example just yesterday the KCCNA president came down to Houston to speak of the Church transfer issue. He left Houston with a petition composing of hundreds of signatures on the matter of preserving endogamy at St.Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Church. Another recent example is the Protest March in front of Mar Angadiath House, thousands of Knanaya rallied in Chicago from all states to show there support in preserving endogamy. From seeing all of these forms of mass petition I would think that the large majority of Knanaya care on this issue.