The Syro Malabar Church, together with other churches of St. Thomas tradition in India, traces its origin to St. Thomas ‘ the apostle of India’ who evangelized India in the period between 42 and 72 AD. 2000 years of glorious heritage and holy legacy marks the importance of Syro Malabar Church in the society as a whole. Following the footsteps of St. Thomas the Syro Malabar community has been triumphant till this day preserving the faith and tradition.
The Catholic Congress (Formerly known as AKCC), the official lay organization of Syro Malabar church is a powerful catalyst of change in the church and in the society. The Catholic Congress, pioneer and watchdog in the last century, has geared itself to meet the challenges of the future, within the church and in civil society with a dynamic and progressive outlook and vision. This year, the 106th year of the establishment of Catholic Congress is important in the history of Syro Malabar Church, specially so in the life of the laity. Today as never before there is a need to galvanize the common people if the church has to be revitalized.
The Catholic Congress can rightly claim for itself a pride of place among all the lay organizations of Syro Malabar Church. It has come a long way over a span of hundred and three years since its inception in 1918. Today Catholic Congress is spread across more than 80 countries in about 6 continents. It has its presence in 30 Syro Malabar dioceses and 2000 parishes in Kerala . The organization widened its horizons as the migrant population flourished across the globe, being the solace and succour in distress. The objective of Catholic Congress is to strive for the protection of the social, economic, communal, cultural and political interests of the Syro Malabar Church and for the multidimensional progress of the community by joining in the evangelical mission of the Church in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council but not being a political party.
Pope Francis has called for a “ poor church for the poor.” His words surely offer hope for this age of turmoil and increasing chasm between the rich and the poor. It is a fact that 85% of the members of Catholic Congress belong to the agrarian sector and the rest 15% comprise of all other denominations. This portrays the real picture of the mission of Catholic Congress. The upliftment of the agrarian sector has prime importance and key focus is given by dynamic and radical formation and self sustenance programmes and projects.
Syro Malabar Church has a strength of over 50 Lakh faithful and the community has its stronghold in Kerala where it originated. As Syro Malabar Church has grown beyond the boundaries of Kerala and India, it has become global by its strong presence across the globe. The Catholic Congress is over 106 years old, making it one of the oldest lay organisations in all over Asia. It is recognised by the Syro Malabar Bishops’ Synod as the only official lay organisation of Syro Malabar Church and the authentic voice of the Laity. From its very inception, Catholic Congress has been forging ahead a sustainable movement of transformation which is visible in its varied understanding and initiatives. Being in the forefront of the reformative activities, Catholic Congress is meant to be the unifying factor among the Syro Malabar faithful stretched out all over the world. The organization directs the mission of lay people in the Church. Catholic Congress strives to be the voice of laity on social and religious matters and at the same time coexist with religious and priestly pastoral ministries.
The Syro Malabar community is said to be one of the most daring and hardworking communities who migrated to every part of the world. Our forefathers fought untiringly with the hostile climatic conditions, Natural calamities, Wild animals and lived the hardships of agrarian life. Thus the community grew slowly and steadily and soon became a powerful community. The Catholic congress has played a vital role in the overall development of our community.
The time has come, that in accordance with developments, the members of this church are to broaden the vision and begin to think globally and act accordingly. The pastoral and missionary endeavours of our church in which the laity play active roles have made our community all over the world a force to reckon with. Our community is acclaimed as a role model for faith formation of the laity, education to masses and service to society. At the same time we are faced with the great challenge of transforming our community, especially the farmers to cope with technological advancement in the modern times. The task of acclimatising our community with technology change and dynamic entrepreneurial capabilities is in the priority list. The accelerating socio-technical systems and ever changing face of technology need to be mastered by our community members in the process of community empowerment.
Catholic Congress is now a global entity as it has a strong presence across the globe. Catholic Congress is growing and its wings are spread across 35 Syro Malabar Dioceses and many mission stations and exarchates all across the world. Catholic Congress is the power source of Syro Malabar Church in the dioceses of Belthanagady, Bhadrawathi, Bijnor, Chanda, Changanassery, Chicago, Ernakulam - Angamaly, Faridabad, Hosur, Idukki, Irinjalakkuda, Kalyan, Kanjirappilly, Kothamangalam, Kottayam, Manathawady, Mandya, Melbourne, Palai, Palaghat, Ramanathapuram, Sagar, Satna, Shamshabad, Thalassery, Thamarassery, Thrissur, Ujjain, Mississauge, Great Britain, and also Europe, Gulf & Middle East, Singapore etc.
One of the fruits of Vatican Council II has been the acceptance of the fact that the laity is no longer to be considered as an appendage of the Church, but rather as an integral part of the people of God who form the Church. The 103 year old saga of Catholic Congress is a testimony of laity empowerment and upliftment of the community. No one can deny the fact that the Catholic Congress has played a pivotal role in the upliftment and advancement of the community. From its inception to the recently concluded Global Meet in Dubai, Catholic Congress was proving to be the official voice of the laity and the face of the Church.
“Vision without action is merely a dream. A dream without vision is merely passing time.” Vision and action put together can certainly change the outlook and image of the community and that is what Catholic Congress is trying to do today.