സിറോ മലബാര്‍ കത്തൊലിക്കര്

Syro Malabar Catholics :

Origin & History

The Syro-Malabar Church is an Oriental (Eastern Rite) Catholic Church, in full communion with the Church of Rome.

The Syro-Malabar Church, with its deep-rooted spirituality and high rate of vocations to priesthood, is considered the most vibrant Catholic Church in the world , and has a strength of over 3.8 million believers. It is the second largest of the 21 Oriental Catholic Churches, the largest being the Ukrainian Church with a strength of about 4.5 million believers.

Firm devotion, indomitable faith, deep-rooted spirituality, and rich traditions make the Syro-Malabar Church markedly special and vividly alive, making it an integral part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

St Thomas Christians trace their origins and their faith to the missionary efforts of St Thomas the Apostle who landed at Kodungallur in Kerala in AD 52. Today, the Syro-Malabar Church is the major community of ancient St Thomas Christians in India.

The Syro-Malabar Church hierarchy was founded in 1923. Since then, the Syro-Malabar Church has grown by leaps and bounds, and spread to regions outside Kerala and even overseas.

The term Syro-Malabar is a reference to the East Syrian (Chaldean) tradition the Church has followed and to the Malabar Coast where St Thomas the Apostle landed.

The Syro-Malabar Church is one of the three Major Archiepiscopal Churches, the other two being the Syro-Malankara Church and the Ukrainian Church.


The Syro-Malabar Church traces its origin to the missionary works of St Thomas the Apostle who landed on the Malabar Coast in AD 52. Thus, it is clear that the Church has a long tradition and originated at the same time as did the first Christian thought.

St Thomas Christians are the Christians rooted on Indian soil, and the Syro-Malabar Church is the church that took root on Indian soil. Most of the Syro-Malabar Catholics live in Kerala, the cradle of Christianity in India.

The history of the Syro-Malabar Church is a long story of struggle, hope, and faith. The gift that Apostle Thomas gave has survived century after century, and today forms the epitome of rich traditions and unflinching Christian faith.

Let us first be briefly acquainted with the Roman Catholic Church, Indian Catholics, and Indian Christianity before learning about the beginnings of the Syro-Malabar Church and its growth to its present size and status.

Syro-Malabar Church & the Church of Rome
The Catholic Church is the communion of 22 individual or sui juris Churches. There is one Latin Church, and there are 21 Oriental Churches (also called Eastern Churches).

All these 21 Oriental or Eastern Catholic Churches are in full communion with the Vatican (the Pope) and the Church of Rome or the Roman Catholic Church, forming the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Indian Catholics
India is blessed with three individual Catholic churches: The Syro-Malabar Church and the Syro-Malankara Church (both Oriental churches or Eastern Rite churches), and the Latin Church.

The Syro-Malabar Church and the Syro-Malankara Church follow the Oriental tradition; The Syro-Malabar Church follows the East Syrian (Chaldean) tradition and the Syro-Malankara Church follows the West Syrian (Antiochian) tradition.

Obviously, Kerala also has the above three individual Catholic churches.