Melbourne - Mar John Panamthottathil will be ordained the second Bishop of the fast-growing St. Thomas Eparchy of the Syro-Malabar Church in Melbourne, Australia on May 31st 2023, the same day the Bishop-elect celebrates his 57th birthday.
The Episcopal Ordination and Solemn Installation will take place on the Feast Day of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Our Lady Guardian of Plants Chaldean Catholic Parish, Campbellfield, Australia at 5 pm local time. The entire Australian Christian community looks forward to this blessed occasion of the Syro-Malabar Church.
Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, who will preside over the ceremony, arrived in Melbourne on 29th May.
The Ordination Ceremony will be graced by the presence of the Archbishop Charles Balvo, the Apostolic Nuncio to Australia.
The Epsicopal Ordination can be viewed Live on Cnewslive YouTube and Facebook Page.
The blessed ceremony will witness the attendance of almost Thirty bishops from the Australian Latin Church, various Eastern Churches and the Syro-Malabar Church, as well as many priests and lay faithful.
The presence of 20 bishops, including four Latin archbishops and 16 bishops from Australia, will be a direct testimony of the local church's love and hope for the Syro-Malabar community. Syro-Malabar Church Bishops like Mar Stephen Chirappanath Titular Bishop of Slebte & Apostolic Visitator for the Syro-Malabar Faithful in Europe, Mar Jose Chittooparambil Bishop of Rajkot, Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil Bishop of Thamarasserry, Mar Joseph Kollamparampil Auxiliary Bishop of the Eparchy Shamshabad and Mar Neelankavil Tony Auxiliary Bishop of Trichur will also attend the ceremony. Various committees under the supervision of Monsignor Father Francis Kolenchery of St Thomas Syro Malabar Diocese, Melbourne and preparations are being made.
Monastic life in Wayanad to Australian pastoral care
Mar John Panamthottathil received the divine call to shepherd the Syro-Malabar faithful in the entire Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand, while he was involved in the activities of starting a nature study center at the 50-acre Monastery of the CMI Church surrounded by forest in the village of Niravilpuzha in Wayanad.
The service in the Archdiocese of Brisbane from 2015 to 2020 will definitely be a plus point for the experienced bishop-designate. Born in Perumpunna Parish of the Archeparchy of Thalassery, Mar Panamthottathil joined the CMI Church in 1982. After being ordained a priest in 1997, he served as a teacher for 10 years and as CMI Sabha Provincial and Provincial Councillor for nine years.
A Booming population
The Australian Christian community, where Catholic faith is quickly fading, looks forward to the country's Syro-Malabar community with great hope. Official statistics show that the Keralite community is one of the fastest growing population in Australia.
According to the 2021 Australian census, there are 78738 Keralites in the country. The actual figures are believed to be more than three times the official figure. The official figure includes only those who have documented Malayalam as their first or second language. Children born and raised in Australia, who do not speak Malayalam may not be included in these figures.
According to the official census of 2001, there were 2,968 Keralites and according to the 2006 census, there were 7,093 Keralites. After five years in 2011, the number of Keralites increased to 25,111, again in 2016, the figure jumped to 53,206.
The growth of the Keralite diaspora in Australia can be attributed to the increase of the Syro-Malabar faithful. When the Melbourne Syro-Malabar Diocese came into existence in 2014, the estimated number of Syro-Malabar faithful was 40,000. According to this year's figures, 85,300 people have been recorded as the Syro-Malabar faithful.
The Diocese of Melbourne, which had no church or other institutions of its own in the country, is now on the path of an expansion with 13 parishes and 28 missions. As of now, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne have their own churches. The construction of the Cathedral church in Melbourne and Churches in Brisbane and Melbourne Southeast are also in progress.
A Spiritual Awakening
The spiritual awakening in the country is the biggest contribution of the Keralite community. Even on ordinary weekdays, local Mass attendance have witnessed an increase, prompted by the presence of the Keralite Catholics.
The sight of overfilled Churches on Sundays and festive days is quite common where there is a substantial population of Keralite. The work of spiritual organizations such as the Syro Malabar Youth Movement (SMYM), Shalom Jesus Youth, Mathruvedi, Catholic Congress and Nurses Ministry are slowly having an impact on the Australian faith community.