St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Community, Melbourne history
Migration of Syro-Malabar faithful to Melbourne began in the late sixties. Even though they were few in number, they kept in touch with each other along with other Kerala Christians during the seventies and eighties. The first Syro-Malabar Qurbana was celebrated at the St. Paschals Chapel, Box Hill in the mid eighties by Fr. Jacob Kavungal, a SVD Priest from Changanassery who was a seminary professor in Melbourne. The early nineties saw a few more families migrating to Melbourne, but the flow slowly started its momentum by the late nineties.
A one-day Prayer service arranged by the visiting Vincentian Potta team in October 1998 gave a great enthusiasm for all Malayalee Catholics to gather for celebrating Qurbana in Malayalam. Fr. Francis Adapoor O’Carm arrived in Melbourne as a godsend in 1999, for his higher studies, and under his leadership, the Malayalee Catholic Society of Victoria was formed in year 2000 to organize monthly Holy Qurbana at Box Hill. The first committee of the Society decided to request for a permanent chaplain for the Community and with the approval of the Melbourne Archbishop and the Syro-Malabar Bishops synod, Fr. John Oravankara was appointed as the Chaplain. This appointment and arrival of Fr. John in December 2001, was a major step towards the growth of the Community, which paved the way towards a Syro-Malabar Parish structure in August 2004.
Melbourne saw a steady migration of Syro-Malabar faithful from all parts of the world in the beginning of the new millennium and it has become intensified in the last twelve years mainly due to the large number of Nurses’ & skilled Professionals migrating.
Mar Gregory Karotemprel CMI, who was the migration Commission Chairman, in consultation with the Melbourne Archbishop Denis J Hart, announced the Parish structure on the 15th of August 2004 and selected an adhoc committee to help implement the canonical structure. Fr. John Oravankara inaugurated the Parish structure on the 7th of November 2004 with the newly formed Parish council. It was in the correct timing that our merciful God allowed us to have a Parish structure to cater for the spiritual needs of new migrants as well as the settled Syro-Malabar faithful.
Few families who assisted with the development of the Syro-Malabar Community, which need special mention, are the families of Thomas John, Paul Kaithavelil, Thomas Mathew, Jose Pius, and Joy Abraham.
Mar Paul Chittilappilly joined us to celebrate the first anniversary of the Parish in 2005, which was a memorable occasion with solemn Qurbana and cultural programmes. The Parish website (http://melbourne.syromalabar.org.au/) inauguration and the Oak Park Parish allocation to the Community by the Melbourne Archbishop were celebrated with a thanksgiving Qurbana in August 2006 by Archbishop Mar Mathew Moolakkattu.
In October 2008 the parish celebrated its fourth Parish Day (Edavaka Dhinam) and Feast along with commemorations on Saint Alphonsa of Bharananghanam. Mar Thomas Chakiath and Auxiliary Bishop Christopher Prowse blessed the event with their presence. The cultural programmes organised after the Feast were a great success, where faithful from all over Melbourne participated with great enthusiasm.
Subsequently, Mar Sebastian Vadakel MST, Mar George Valiamattom, and Mar Bosco Puthur blessed the Parish Feast celebrations in the year 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively, which were all great and memorable occasions for the Parish.
The growth of the Community within the Parish structure is greatly evident, by the frequency of Qurbana and the number of faithful attending. Monthly Holy Qurbana were celebrated at twelve centres for almost two years along with regular Faith Formation classes for children. Friday night vigil services were also started at Oak Park and Doveton centres for the faithful who are eager to grow spiritually with opportunities for adoration, healing services along with Qurbana.
Apart from the regular services at the regional centres, other activities, which need special mention, are; 27 monthly ward Prayer groups, and Ecumenical prayer services with other Churches who have the Mar Thoma patrimony. In addition, children were prepared to receive the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation during the yearly Parish Feast celebrations.
Under Fr. John’s commendable leadership, which was supported by the arrival of Fr. Vincent Madathiparambil CMI in 2008 as the assistant Chaplain, gradual but steady and healthy growth of the Parish Community was achieved.
As per the request of the parish council in 2008 for a full time Chaplain, the Melbourne Archbishop in consultation with the Syro-Malabar Bishops synod, appointed Fr. Peter Kavumpuram MST for the pastoral care of the Community. Fr. Peter arrived in Melbourne early February 2011. Since his arrival, the long cherished dream of purchasing a property was fulfilled. The house at address 201 Lady Nelson Way, Taylors Lakes as the residence of the Chaplain as well as the administration office of the Community was purchased on the 25th of May 2011.
From July 2012, with the aim of providing weekly services to the Community the Parish was divided into three regions. This provision gave the opportunity to have weekly Catechism, and Qurbana on a regional basis, hence the number of Qurbana centres also reduced. Meanwhile, each region is also actively looking for a land to purchase so that to establish a Community Centre and Church.
Year 2012 was a specially blessed year with the pastoral visit of the Major Archbishop His Beatitude Mar George Cardinal Alencherry. The entire parish of approx. 1500 families cheerfully welcomed him to Melbourne on 2nd December 2012. His Beatitude celebrated solemn Qurbana at St. Patricks Cathedral and gave his pastoral message to the Community during Homily and Reception afterwards. Sixty children from the Community received First Holy Communion and Confirmation from His Beatitude during the Qurbana.
After ten years of service to Melbourne Archdiocese and Syro-Malabar Community, Fr. John returned to Kerala in December 2012.
