Will you stop bashing the mission parish in Phoenix? The name of the parish is Holy Family, not Akkara Kazhchakkal. Would you like people referring to your parish as Latinised-Romanized Trichurian Syro-Malabar Community of the Forgotten St. Thomas Tradition?
Mr SyroMalankara, it is not MY fault that the church which calls itself Holy Family Syro Malabar Church in Phoenix Arizona posted the kind of stuff on its website when I viewed it on 9 November 2009. It is because of the ability of webmasters to change content that the date of access is always mentioned. Akkara Kazhchakkal in association with the church name is likewise not MY invention. If anyone had clicked the link on the day it was first posted, 8 Nov 09, they would have read exactly what I posted here one day later on 9 Nov 09.
If pointing out the incongruous constitutes bashing, then you need to understand that I do not consider your political expediency as a virtue. You seem to have some kind of totalitarian background. You even went to the extent of issuing a veiled threat, to report me to my parish priest, right? For discussing history of Christianity in Kerala on an American forum? For calling attention to the colonial history of Kerala, which started in 1500 and did not end until 1947, at a period in history when there was no separation of church, state, colonial trade and conquests? And it was not unusual for colonial traders at that time to merge with the local population, as long as it suited their business interests and increased their local power?
My community in Thrissur District of Kerala happens to have resisted Synod of Diamper in 1599 (we did not live in the kingdom of Cochin where the Portuguese colonial traders had their control you know, and the issue of communion with Rome was pushed by other groups only after being without a bishop for two years from 1597 - 1599), so much so that Archbishop Dom Frey Aleixo de Menezes did not visit any church NORTH of Cochin BEFORE the Synod, but only AFTER the Synod.
Traders from Cochin did come to Thrissur in late eighteenth century when the king of Cochin, Shakthan Thampuran annexed Thrissur. But the locals know that part of history very well. And the suppression of Latin Rite Portuguese Padroado in 1838, which led to the second round of schism, which once again did not involve the authentic ancient community.
But once we had accepted Synod of Diamper, there was no need for anyone to break away as is commonly claimed since the arrival of British CMS in Kottayam in 1806. We did not live in the kingdom of Cochin where Portguese colonial traders had their control you know. Thrissur District did not cultivate pepper, coffee, tea or rubber that could have interested any European trader. The whole story of schism being among the ancient community was simply made up. The schism took place in Mattancherry, Cochin right in the middle of Portguese colony, just before Dutch captured Cochin with the help of a feudal lord and local supporters from south of Cochin who wanted to ascend the throne of Cochin and take over international trade. The real king of Cochin had to into hiding after the arrival of Dutch. So it is understandable Portuguese and their supporters had no place in Cochin in the lead up to the overthrow of Portuguese and the Portuguese supported king of Cochin with the help of Dutch.
The report submitted by Anglican, Rev Buchanan, to the British Resident of Travancore in 1806, led to the formation of many new churches. The claim to be “authentic” Syrians is simply because they went to the Middle East in the nineteenth century with British education and Anglican help and got hold of Syriac Liturgy in the Middle East at the time, and some even got Patriarchs from there to exert authority in Kerala. In comparison of course the Syriac Liturgy followed by the ancient Christian community which came in communion with RCC in 1599, is old and far removed from the Middle East Liturgy of nineteenth century.
Nobody has looked at development of Christianity in Kerala since 1806, and the report of Rev Buchanan from that angle because it has not occurred to anyone to question the role European Protestants played behind the scenes in Kerala ( Britain was a world power with colonies everywhere) among groups who broke with the Catholic church, and the introduction of Middle Eastern Patriarchs to Kerala in the nineteenth century. Some were probably not Catholic at any time to begin with since there were several European Protestant groups active in Malabar and Coromandel Coast since the arrival of Dutch and Danish fleets starting 1602, followed by British. British were the last arrivals to Kerala , but they had already set up base in Madras by 1639.
Mr SyroMalankara, you voice the opinion of European Protestants who were in Kerala from 1663 to 1947. The voice has been masked only because all these voices are hiding behind Middle Eastern Syriac Liturgies and Patriarchs picked up in the nineteenth century.
You as a member of the Syro Malankara Church created only in 1932 from groups that got a Middle Eastern Patriarch in the nineteenth century, calling any authentic member of the ancient community of Christians in Thrissur District, who is part of the Thrissur vicariate of the 1887 Syro Malabar Church, a member of the “forgotten Apostle Thomas tradition,” is a bit rich. To say the least.
Btw, it is common knowledge that the United States, the land of the free and unlimited opportunity, is also the land of tough lone pioneers and innovators. Hence the thousands of one pastor churches and New Age religions and innovative practice in all Christian churches that grows roots in the US.
