Kakkanad: With incense rising and hearts turned toward reflection, the Syro-Malabar Church is preparing to open the second session of its 33rd Synod of Bishops a sacred assembly where faith meets discernment, and tradition walks hand-in-hand with the challenges of the present day.
From August 18 to 29, Mount St. Thomas in Kakkanad, the beating heart of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church, will host 52 bishops from across India and the global diaspora. Active shepherds and retired pastors alike will gather under one roof not merely as administrators, but as spiritual fathers called to listen, deliberate, and lead.
The Synod will open Monday morning with spiritual meditations led by Auxiliary Bishop Mar Alex Taramangalam of Mananthavady grounding the session in prayer before the formal proceedings begin. Following the joint celebration of the Holy Qurbana by all Synod Fathers, Major Archbishop Mar Raphael Thattil, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, will officially inaugurate the session.
In a message released ahead of the gathering, Major Archbishop Thattil called upon the faithful to accompany the Synod through prayer. “Let us raise our hearts and voices for our bishops,” he said. “This Synod is not just a meeting. It is a moment of grace and responsibility for our Church, for our mission, and for our communion.”
The Synod is expected to address pressing issues facing the Church in both its Eastern and Western missions, including pastoral challenges, liturgical questions, global diaspora coordination, and ongoing efforts toward unity and reconciliation.
As one of the world’s largest Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome, the Syro-Malabar Church carries a unique voice within the global Catholic communion rooted in apostolic tradition, yet dynamically responding to contemporary realities.
This 11-day session will be a time of discernment, discussion, and decision but above all, it will be a witness to the unity of bishops who serve not merely from office desks, but from the heart of a Church that stretches from the hills of Kerala to the corners of the world.