Alexander Chulaparambil
Alexander Chulaparambil ( born October 14, 1877 in Kumarakom, Kerala, India, † January 8, 1951 in Kottayam ) was a Catholic bishop and first head of the Syro -Malabar diocese ( eparchy ) of Kottayam, which solely for the faithful of strictly endogamous group the Knananiten was built.
Background
Order 350 for 72 families of Jewish Christians with their leader, the rich merchant Thomas Kynai (also Thomas of Cana ), a bishop named Uraha Mar Yousef and several clerics from their Persian homeland to the Pepper Coast to South India. Kynai or Kana was about 70 km south of present-day Baghdad. At the Pepper Coast, the present Kerala, were living at that time already the problems stemming from apostolic times, going back to the missionary activity of Thomas the Apostle Thomas Christians. Also with them were strong Judeo-Christian traditions, as the Apostle had first evangelized among its settled there as a spice trader compatriots. However, the Jewish Christians mingled quickly with new Christians from the local population. The immigrants under Thomas of Cana, known Südisten or Knananiten, however, were strongly influenced endogamous. Although they followed the same East Syrian Rite liturgy as the Indian Christians of St. Thomas, schotteten as ethno- religious group, but strong from them. They were only allowed to intermarry, had their own parishes and perverse largely only among their peers. So it remained under the Portuguese colonial rule and the subsequent cleavage of the entire Thomas Christians in a larger Catholic and in a smaller part autocephalous. In both camps, the Knananiten lived apart again and endogamous. The Catholic Knananiten were summarized on August 29, 1911 by Pope Pius X in virtue of the Apostolic Constitution in universi Christianized to exclusively built for them Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam. On December 21, 1923 transformed Pope Pius XI. this vicariate by the Apostolic Constitution Romani pontiffs regular diocese ( eparchy ) to. Pope Benedict XVI. it brought on 12 May 2005 archeparchy.
Life and work
Alexander Chulaparambil was born knananitisch - Catholic parents son in Kottayam District, studied theology at the Papal Seminary in Kandy, Sri Lankaund received on 22 December 1906, the ordination. After the death of Mathew Makil (1851-1914), the first Vicar Apostolic of Kottayam, Chulaparambil succeeded him in office. He had already served him before as his secretary. On July 16, 1914, Pope Pius X appointed Vicar Apostolic of Kottayam and Titular Bishop of Busiris. He received his episcopal consecration of the Apostolic Delegate of the East Indies, Archbishop Ladislas Zaleski (1852-1925), on November 1st of the year.
On December 21, 1923, Pope Pius XI. the diocese of Kottayam, as all Catholic diocese Knananiten to life; Alexander Chulaparambil became the first bishop.
Bishop Chulaparmbil was a great admirer of the Sacred Heart and appreciated the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales. In 1921 he founded the Salesian Order of Men " Oblates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus " ( OSH), which exists to this day. In 1932 he visited Europe and went there after Konnersreuth to the stigmatic Therese Neumann know personally. The Chief Shepherd initiated and consolidated the diocese of Kottayam until his death in 1951 with great care and excellent commitment. As vicar apostolic and bishop, he was for 35 years the head of the Catholic Knananiten.
The Diocese of Kottayam financed in 1943 in Madampam at Kannur a larger colony for Catholics knananitische where settled about 100 such families. The place was called the " Alexnagar ", derived from the first name Bishop Chulaparambils.