Pope Francis erects new Syro Malankara Eparchy in USA, Canada

Pope Francis on Monday erected the Syro-Malankara Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, of the United States and Canada, nominating Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius Naickamparambil as its first Bishop.

The Eparchy consists of 11,500 faithful, especially in the US states of Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C., served by 19 priests in 19 parishes or missions. Three women religious Institutes also operate within the Eparchy’s territory.

This new Ecclesiastical circumscription is created by the elevation of the Apostolic Exarchate for the Syro-Malankara faithful resident in the United States, including the extension of the boundaries to include Canada, where the pastoral care of the faithful has been coordinated most recently by His Excellency, Thomas Mar Eusebios Naickamparambil in his capacity as Apostolic Visitator.

The Eparchy’s seat will be at St. Vincent de Paul Malankara Catholic Cathedral in Elmont, New York.

Eparchies in the Eastern Church are equivalent to Dioceses in the Western Church, and Eparchs are equivalent to Bishops.  The title Exarch is used to refer to an Eastern-rite Bishop who is responsible for the pastoral care of a territory where there is no formally established Eparchy, and an Apostolic Visitator is someone who is appointed by the Pope to officially visit with the faithful in a given territory where he himself is not resident.

The Papal Bull to this effect was read by Cleemis Bava about 2 hours ago  in Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBtjcBzOxWY

Mar Eusebius makes the announcement in USA

In all, the Syro Malankara Catholic Church has 10 Eparchys and an Exarchate today. The Eparchy of USA is the first outside of India.

The installation ceremony of Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius as the first Bishop of the Diocese will be held towards the end of this month.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius Naickamparambil was born in Mylapra in the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum on 6 June 1961 and

• ordained a priest on 29 December 1986.

• After completing his studies in Philosophy and Theology at Jnanadeepa in Poona, Bishop Mar Eusebius obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy in Rome.

• He was entrusted with the following responsibilities:
  • Associate Pastor and Pastor of various communities,
  • Professor and then Dean of Philosophy at Saint Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary,
  • Secretary General of the Major Archepiscopate of the Syro-Malankara Church,
  • Public Relations Officer,
  • Coordinator of inter-religious dialogue and Secretary of the Presbyteral Council,
  • Director of the Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, a school in Trivandrum and treasurer for the Mar Baselios Engineering College.
• On 14 July 2010 Pope Benedict XVI nominated him Titular Bishop of Lares and the first Exarch of the Exarchate for the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the USA and Apostolic Visitator to Canada and Europe.

Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius speaks Malayalam, English, German, Italian, Hindi and he has a working knowledge of Syrian, Greek and French.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, recently called the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church ‘a bridge to unity’.

In Malayalam

അമേരിക്കയിലെ മലങ്കര കത്തോലിക്കാ എക്സാർക്കേറ്റ് പുതിയ ഭദ്രാസനമായി ഉയർത്തി.നിലവിലെ എക്സാർക്കേറ്റ് അദ്ധ്യക്ഷൻ ബിഷപ്പ് ഡോ.തോമസ് മാർ യൗസേബിയോസിനെ പുതിയ ഭദ്രാസന അധ്യക്ഷനായീനിയമിച്ചു. ഫ്രാൻസിസ് മാർപാപ്പായുടെ നിയമന കല്പന തിരുവനന്തപുരത്ത് സഭയുടെ ആസ്ഥാനമായ കാതോലിക്കേറ്സെൻററിൽ കർദ്ദിനാൾ മാർ ബസേലിയോസ് ക്ലീമീസ് കാതോലിക്കാ ബാവയാണ് അറിയിച്ചത്.ഇതോടെ മലങ്കര കത്തോലിക്കാ സഭക്ക് 10 ഭദ്രാസനങ്ങളും ഒരു എക്സാർക്കേറ്റുമായി .ഇന്ത്യക്കു പുറത്തുള്ള സഭയുടെ പ്രഥമ ഭദ്രാസനമാണിത്.പുതിയ ഭദ്രാസനത്തിന്റെ ഉൽഘാടനം ജനുവരി അവസാനവാരത്തിൽ അമേരിക്കയിൽ വച്ച് നടക്കും