Archbishop Barry Hickey joined 500 members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic congregation for Mass in the traditional Syro-Malabar Rite at Holy Family Church, Maddington on 7 November.
The Syro-Malabar Rite is one of more than 20 sui iuris (Latin for “of one’s own laws”) Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Catholic Church.
Parish Priest Fr Varghese Parackal celebrated the Mass with Indian priests who serve various parishes of the Perth Archdiocese namely, Fr Sunny Peackal, Fr Rojan George, Fr Sabu Jacob and Fr Thomas Joseph.
For liturgical reasons, the Archbishop did not concelebrate the Eastern Rite Mass.
Men, women and children in traditional attire, with flowers and lights, gave Archbishop Hickey a traditional welcome on arrival. Students of the Catechism classes greeted the Archbishop with rose flowers, singing songs and exhibiting their class works.
While addressing the congregation, the Archbishop expressed his happiness to see the devotional and cultural activities and he reiterated the importance of practising and spreading the Good News.
The Syro-Malabar Church is an Oriental (Eastern Rite) Catholic Church. With its deep-rooted spirituality and high rate of vocations to the priesthood, it is considered the most vibrant Catholic Church in the world, and has over 3.8 million believers. It is the second largest of the 21 Oriental Catholic Churches.
Firm devotion, indomitable faith 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.
The Syro-Malabar Church is the major community of ancient St Thomas Christians in India.
The St Thomas Christians trace their origins and their faith to the missionary efforts of St Thomas the Apostle who landed at Kodungallur in Kerala, India in 52AD.