New apostolic visitator for the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church for America and Europe, Bishop Issac Mar Cleemis takes charges

The new apostolic visitator for the Syro-Malankara Catholic diaspora in North America and Europe will work for Church unity, and to spread the Oriental rite abroad.

“Unity in love is my missionary slogan for the new and challenging assignment that God has given me,” said Auxiliary Bishop Isaac Thottunkal of Trivandrum, who was consecrated Aug. 15 in Kerala, southern India.

Pope John Paul II named Bishop Thottunkal June 18 as apostolic visitor for more than 600 Syro-Malankara Catholic families living in Canada, Europe and the United States.

He served as the vicar general of Bathery diocese of the Syro-Malankara Church, the youngest among the Catholic Church´s 22 Oriental rites.

The Church has 12 parishes in North America and five in Germany.

Syro-Malankara Church leaders view Bishop Thottunkal´s appointment as a prelude to the formation of a new diocese in the United States.

The Syro-Malabar Church, the other Oriental Catholic Church in India, opened its first overseas diocese based in Chicago, United States, last March.

“I am sure that Bishop Thottunkal´s appointment as an apostolic visitor is a precursor to the possibility of a new diocese for the Syro-Malankara Church outside India,” Archbishop Cyril Baselios of Trivandrum.

Archbishop Baselios, head of the Syro-Malankara Church and president of the Catholic Bishops´ Conference of India, led Bishop Thottunkal´s episcopal ordination ceremony at Tiruvalla, some 2,730 kilometers from New Delhi.

Those present included Syro-Malabar Archbishop Joseph Powathil of Changanacherry, Jacobite Orthodox Church Bishop Thomas Dionysius, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church head Baseliyos Marthomma Mathews II and other bishops.

Bishop Thottunkal told that his main aim is to unite all Malankara parishes scattered across North America and Europe and give the Church a proper direction.

“I will spend the next few months studying and assessing the Church´s present activities and prepare my future course of action,” he added.

The new bishop said he spent the past two months visiting the Church´s four dioceses in India to seek people´s prayers and wishes. Since June 18, he has kept contact with Church members abroad through e-mail, he added.

Bishop Thottunkal says his “biggest responsibility” is to attract to the Church the new generation of Indians settled abroad. “I will ensure that the culture and spirituality in which our Church grew and developed will continue in the foreign mission also,” he said.

According to Bishop Mar Cleemis, a major challenge for the Church in India these days is to bring back the new generation that has left the faith and Church life.

Spirituality is not limited to regular attendance at Sunday Mass, he said, explaining that “Our Christian values and spirituality should not remain within the four walls of churches.”

According to Father Wilson Thattarathundil, secretary to Archbishop Baselios, more than 500 Syro-Malankara families now live in North America and Canada and some 100 are in Germany.

Father Thattarathundil told that they have not conducted a formal survey of the overseas Church members. However, he added, “now that Auxiliary Bishop Thottunkal is in charge of our mission abroad, a survey will be done.”