A Magnificent Cathedral On A Shaky Foundation

By Augustine Chittilappilly

Chicago, IL – USA- 60603

augustinechittilappilly@gmail.com

A diocese of it’s own in a foreign country! This dream of Syro-Malabar Church became true when St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago was started for the whole of America

and Canada a decade ago. Bishop Jacob Angdiath was appointed its first Bishop. He hailed from Kerala, India and had been working in one of the American dioceses when he was

appointed Bishop. It was with great enthusiasm and expectation that the faithful as well as the Universal Church welcomed this development.

Now the diocese has more than thirty

independent parishes and a few Missions. Its

newly built Cathedral in Chicago is magnificent

and it can stand up to any structural high

standards of developed countries. But it is

doubted the edifice was built with a strong

foundation!

  

Unfortunately growth of this Church has

become dwarfed with the same issue of “veil

and cross” as it happened in Kerala, India. It

has already crippled Syro-Malabar Church, one

of the most active Oriental Churches in the

Universal Church. It is vertically divided

forming two powerful camps vying with each

other. Most of the communities and parishes

are divided in the name of this issue too. The

adamancy shown by the people and authorities

in handling this reminds one of the stories of

two mothers who approached King Solomon

seeking justice.

Two prostitutes who lived in the same

house and who both had an infant son, came

to Solomon for a judgment. One of the women

claimed that the other, after accidentally

smothering her own son while sleeping, had

exchanged the two children to make it appear

that the living child was hers. The other woman

denied this and so both women claimed to be

the mother of the living son and said that the

dead boy belonged to the other.

After some deliberation, King Solomon

called for a sword to be brought before him.

He declared that there is only one fair solution:

the live son must be split in two, each woman

receiving half of the child. Upon hearing this terrible

verdict, the boy’s true mother cried out,

“Please, My Lord, give her the live child—do

not kill him!” However, the liar, in her bitterest

jealousy, exclaimed, “It shall be neither mine

nor yours—divide it!” Solomon instantly gave the live baby to the real mother, realizing that

the true mother’s instincts were to protect her child, while the liar revealed that she did not

truly love the child. (1Kings 3:16-28).

For those who stand uncompromisingly

for “veil and the shape of the cross” and those who vehemently oppose it, are doing it at the expense of the unity of the communities. Both

are like the prostitute mother who showed no concern and love for the live child.

The nature of the leadership of the

Church and the composition of the population

of the faithful of Syro-Malabar Church in USA

is very unique. It is totally different from that of

the Church in Kerala. The Syro-Malabar communities

in USA are more cosmopolitan and it

is a melting point of diverse cultures. Having

landed in a country of freedom the laity has

become more independent, self confident and

perhaps a little arrogant. At the same time some

people show more openness to truth and they

seek a rational explanation for everything.

Besides, these people have not succeeded in

becoming a part of the American main stream

society. It will never happen in the near future

For them the church and parish activities

are more a venue to fulfill their social needs

than spiritual needs especially for those who

are craving for leadership. Unlike in Kerala men

have to share their leadership in their families

equally; perhaps they don’t get an opportunity

to be a leader at all in their own families as

their counterparts do in Kerala. Knowingly and

unknowingly they try to compensate in the

parishes and other social gatherings. Consequently

they have developed a kind of negative

attitude and complex. Moreover, Syro-Malabar

Church in USA is in total dependence upon

laity for finance. If the laity withdraws their

contribution all the parishes will have to

undergo a very serious monetary crisis even

to the extent of foreclosure. This gives laity an

added leverage in decision making. This being

the situation it will be frustrating for authorities

to expect blind obedience from the members.

Anything forcefully imposed upon the laity

will be rejected, or they will show utter

indifference to it. More importantly it can become counter

productive too. The leadership

of the church also lacks some basic

qualities which they should have had as

pastoral leaders especially as pioneers.

Most of the priests currently working for the American Syro Malabar diocese have migrated to USA with

varying worldly purposes and vested interests. Some of them landed in America looking for a

greener pasture more for themselves than for the sheep. A few among them spent their active and youthful period of their life in India, and they opted for developed nations to live a

very comfortable retired life. Still others are sent

abroad by their authorities since they could not

be comfortably accommodated in the system,

discipline and traditions of the Church in Kerala.

Financial motive is another driving force for

many of them.

Some are sent to USA by their bishops

because they incurred big financial debt

involving themselves in secular business while

in Kerala. For some it was due to mismanagement.

It is said some of these priests were

encouraged by their bishops to go abroad since

they were not physically fit. None of these

people want to go back to their homeland even

to the extent of disobeying and defying the

order of their superiors. It was not missionary

zeal that led them to America to serve Syro-

Malabar Church. They are deprived of correct

missionary perspective. The authorities are

making use of the weakness of these ambitious

priests to get their hidden agenda executed.

Otherwise they are threatened to be sent back

to India. This is the only diocese in the Universal

Church which has neither any incardinated

priests nor any seminarians of its own even

after ten years!

This disorientation of the leadership is

very much reflected in the stunted growth of

the Syro-Malabar Church. It resulted in many

unprecedented scandalous events that

occurred in some of the parishes. This should

not have happened in an infant Church!

Considering the ample possibilities in

America this diocese should have made

 tremendous progress if it was not preoccupied

with “veil and the shape of the cross”. It spent

lots of energy in imposing some disciplines

which do not fit into the culture and lifestyle of

a developed country like USA. If the foundation

of a Church is laid by the leaders who do

not have genuine orientation and motivation,

that foundation will always be shaky. It can

never achieve an integral and healthy

growth.

Ignorant of these characteristics of

American Syro-Malabar communities the

hierarchy is trying to introduce liturgical

changes which are not unanimously accepted

by its Bishops’ Synod. Consequently these

changes are being opposed vehemently. The

best example might be the unfortunate events

that took place in St. Alphonsa Parish, Coppell,

Dallas, Texas very recently. This Mission was

one the most energetic, vibrant and united

Syro-Malabar communities in all America. Now

it is scandalously disintegrated and the

members are suspicious of each other; many

of them have even lost their faith in the

hierarchy. These developments make the children born and brought up in USA to distance themselves from the Church. This will have a very serious adverse effect on the

future of this Church. The immediate cause of this issue is the attempt to introduce ‘veil and

cross’ in the new church building. It was done without proper consultation with laity and without proper education. The division in the

community has already begun to show its ugly head in different ways. Regional, communal,

personal issues have crept in making the

problem more complex and complicated.

Everybody wants to split the “child” to vindicate

their selfish interests. Nobody, either the

authorities or the faithful, is willing to be humble

to accept truth and to keep up the unity of the

community. It seems no one truly loves the

Child (Church).

A topic for research: St. Thomas Cathedral

is fantastic structurally. Any American Syro-

Malabarian could be proud of it. But as soon

as a worshiper enters the church the circular

veil hanging down disappoints and distracts

him. Certainly it is not blending with the

architectural excellence of the building. The

architect should never have intended a circus

tent hanging inside the church building. An

unbiased onlooker will easily conclude that it

is an addition which was not in the original plan.

If the stories circulated are true it was one of

the hidden agendas of the administration of St.

Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese, Chicago, USA,

and it was withheld very cleverly until the last

moment of its completion.

As long as it hangs down inside the

church it will kill its elegance and aesthetic

beauty; it will hurt the feelings of a number of

parishioners; it will weaken the American Syro-

Malabar Church. If the saying “Cathedral is the

mother of other Churches” is true this veil would

be the mother of all dissensions and confusions

in Syro-Malabar Church in USA!

This Church is going to be a laughingstock

if it is left to the current leadership which

lacks creativity, openness, professionalism,

universal outlook, adaptability etc. Let Syro-

Malabar Bishops Synod intervene and do the

needful.