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The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
About Us

About Us

Migration of Knanites to Victoria began after the arrival of Annamma Jacob Pachikara in 1965. The migration began to grow faster in the beginning of 2001 and the first ever Knanaya Catholic Association in Australia was formed in Victoria in 2003 with Thomas Kuriakose Akkamyalil as the President and Sajimon Karuplackel as the Secretary. This association helped to bring all Knanites in Victoria under one roof and helped them grow in true Knanaya spirit by keeping up all the traditions of Knanaya Catholics. Under the leaderships of various leaders in the association along with Knanaya Priests who were sent to Victoria by the Archbishop of Kottayam from time to time were organizing social and spiritual activities to revive the Knanaya spirit to the best way possible. In 2011, Knanaya Catholic Congress of Oceania (KCCO) was formed to bring all the Knanaya Associations in Australia under one umbrella and the first ever Oceania convention was organized in Melbourne with Mr. Sajimon Joseph Vayalumkal from Melbourne as the President and Mr. Sachin Pattumakkil from Canberra as Secretary. Later KCCO joined with Diaspora Knanaya Catholic Congress (DKCC) which was instituted and approved by Archbishop of Kottayam on 24th August 2011 in order to unite all the Knanaya Catholics throughout the world.

From the year 2012 onwards, there was a quest to get a Catholic ecclesiastical structure for the Knanites in Victoria and a lot of spiritual programs were planned and conducted like Catechism classes for children, Vishwasa niravu (three days retreat for children and youth), Bible Kalolsavam for Children, Feast of Mother Mary etc. In 2013 while Fr. Stephen Kandarapally as the Chaplain, Sajimon Vayalumkal as the KCCO President and Bijimon Thomas Charamkandathil as the President of the Victoria’s association along with the committee members during that tenure took initiative and approached Archbishop Dennis J Hart, the Archbishop of Melbourne to request for an ecclesiastical structure exclusively for the Knanaya Catholics in Melbourne/Victoria, and thus, the first ever Knanaya catholic Mission in Oceania was established by Archbishop Denis J Hart on 2 24th July 2013 appointing Fr. Stephen Kandarapally as its first Chaplain. Knanaya Catholic Mission was inaugurated on 3rd November 2013 by Archbishop Denis J Hart in the presence of our Knanaya Bishop James Thoppil, the Bishop of Kohima at St. Matthews Catholic Church, Fawkner. On that auspicious day, Knanaya Association in Victoria celebrated its tenth Anniversary and the first feast of Mother Mary.

The visit of Mar Joseph Pandarasseril, the Auxiliary Bishop of Kottayam in February 2014 helped us to conduct our First Holy Communion for the first time in our Mission on 23rd February 2014 at St. Mathew’s church, Fawkner. The following students received their first Holy communion from our Bishop; Alwin Agi, Steffi Jacob, Sherin Ann Jacob, Dilshamol K. Shaji, Hannah Gijo, Christy Bijimon, Ann Rose Gigimon, Alveena Elizabeth Shaji, Chris Sony, Angelo Jose & Ann Maria Baiju. Mission conducted its first pothuyogam on 31st August 2014 at St. Peter’s church, Clayton and elected Solomon Palakat and Stephen Ockattu as its first Trustees. The first Parish council also formed then. Koodarayogams (family units) started on 28th June 2015, which is the grass root units of Knanaya Catholic Mission.

After the erection of Syro Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas The Apostle Melbourne, St Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Mission Melbourne became the part of it on 4th October, 2015 in the presence of Mar Mathew Moolakkatt, Archbishop of Kottayam during the time of our main thirunnal.

On 8th October 2015 Mission formed the Mission KCC (Melbourne Knanaya Catholic congress), Mission KCWA (Melbourne Knanaya Catholic Women’s Association) and Mission KCYL (Melbourne Knanaya Catholic Youth League) and inaugurated on November 8th 2015 by Bishop Bosco Puthur on the silver Jubilee celebration day of Fr. Stephen Kandarapally’s Priestly Ordination. These organisations had Sajimon Illiparampil & Joe Muriyanmyalil (MKCC); Sonia Joji Pathuparayil & Soji Alen (MKCWA); Joel Joseph & Denzil Dominic (MKCYL) as presidents and secretaries respectively. These associations had a key role in the growth of the Mission. Later in a stage, these 3 organisations decided not to continue in order to retain unity and harmony among Knanaya Catholics in Victoria.

On 5th March 2016, Bishop Bosco Puthur appointed Fr. Thomas Kumbuckal as the Chaplain of the Mission. He guided the Mission until February 2019 and directed the Mission towards its next level of bringing a full-time priest for the Mission from the Archdiocese of Kottayam and started direct debit account for the maintenance of the Priest. Fr.Prince Thaipurayidathil arrived in Melbourne on 1st January 2019 and was appointed as the first Full time Chaplain of the Mission on 14th February 2019. Bishop Bosco Puthur elevated the Mission as a Parish on 1st October 2019 and appointed Fr. Prince Thaipurayidathil as its first Parish Priest in the presence of Mar Joseph Pandarasseril, the Auxiliary Bishop of Kottayam during the time of our main thirunal.

Territorial boundaries of the newly raised Parish covered the diocese of Sale, suburbs of Shepparton, Bendigo, Ballarat, Hamilton and Mildura, in addition to the existing territorial boundary of the mission, that is the boundary of the Archdioceses of Melbourne. The Knanaya faithful living in the said region became members of the Parish under the Syro Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas, the Apostle Melbourne.

No one can deny and forget the contributions given from each and every one of us for the betterment of our Parish from time to time. The Parish is always obliged to its past and present volunteers such as Kaikkarans, Parish Council Members, Secretaries, Accountants, Auditors, Pastoral Council Members, Safeguarding Officers, Catechism Principals, Secretaries, Teachers, Koodarayogam Executive Members, Pius Association Animators, Extra Eucharistic Ministers, Choir Members, Altar Servers and other volunteers. We are proud to say that we are all united in spirit and are pledged to work together for the enhancement of our community. The Parish now serves around 200 Knanaya families and many Knanaya international students living in Victoria. We foresee many more families joining our Parish, in the near future.

Qurbana and Catechism Schedule

    • North West Mass Centre - St Matthew’s Catholic Parish, 90 William Street, Fawkner,Sunday Holy Mass @ 4:15 pm followed by Sunday      Catechism from 5:45pm to 6:45 pm.
    • South East Mass Centre- St Antony’s Catholic Parish, 33 Alfred Street, Noble Park Sunday Catechism at 5.15pm followed by Holy Mass at      6.30 pm.

Other important Activities

Annual Retreat; Parish Day and Koodarayoga Varshikam; Vishwasa Niravu and Bible Kalolsavam for Catechism Students; 10 days Rosary in the month of May and October throughout our koodarayogams.

Koodarayogams (Parish family units)

We have the following Koodarayogams:

    • Bethlehem Koodarayogam – Melbourne North East area
    • Calvary Koodarayogam – Melbourne East area
    • Cana Koodarayogam – Melbourne West area
    • Gethsemane Koodarayogam – Frankston area
    • Jerusalem Koodarayogam – Clyde North, Pakenham area
    • Nazareth Koodarayogam – Melbourne North area
    • Sehion Koodarayogam – Lynbrook, Cranbourne North area

Catechism

We have over 200 catechism students and over 40 teachers across our both centres.

Pious Associations and Ministries

    • Thirubalasakhyam for Year Prep- Year3
    • Cherupushpa Mission League Juniors for Year 4- Year 8
    • Cherupushpa Mission League Teens for Year9- Year12 (under age 18 only)
    • Youth
    • Young couples
    • Evangelisation

Main Feast

1st Sunday of October every year.



History

The Knanaya Community traces its origin back to a Jewish-Christian immigrant community. They migrated from Southern Mesopotamia to the Malabar ( present Kerala ) Coast of Cranganore ( Kodungalloor ) in AD 345 under the leadership of an enterprising merchant Thomas of Cana ( KnaiThomman ). This migration is considered as a turning point in the history of St Thomas Christians of Malabar. The original community consisted of about 400 persons belonging to 72 families of seven clans. A bishop by name Uraha Mar Yousef, four priests and several deacons were among them. They formed themselves into an endogamous community by keeping their tradition and culture but co-existed peacefully among the St. Thomas Christians in India.These colonists were welcomed by CheramanPerumal, then king, and were given permission to settle down in Kodungalloor. Later, CheramanPerumal bestowed them with 72 royal privileges, and it was recorded on copper plates ( KnaiThommanCheppedu ). According to the Copper plates, these privileges were given to Thomas and his colleagues and all of his descendents as long as the sun and moon exist. These privileges are very important since all these privileges had influenced the community’s social life as well as the social status in the past years.

All knananites were Syrian Christians until the historic ‘KoonanKurisuSathyam’ (A pledge by about 25000 Syrian Christians held on to a rope tied to a leaning cross) when some of them accepted Jacobite faith and joined Jacobite/Orthodox Church; others remained with the Roman Catholic faith. However, they continued to keep their culture, tradition and practicing endogamy through the centuries.

On August 29, 1911 a new Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam was erected exclusively for the Knanaya Community by the apostolic letter “In UniversiChristiani” of His Holiness Pope St Pius X and Mar Mathew Makil was transferred to Kottayam as Vicar Apostolic. On December 21, 1923 the Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam was raised to an Eparchy by Pope Pius XI. Pope John Paul II by a sovereign decision on December 23, 2003 reconfirmed its identity and allowed to maintain the status quo of the Archdiocese of Kottayam. On May 9, 2005 the Major Archbishop Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil issued the Decree “The Eparchy of Kottayam,” elevating the Eparchy of Kottayam to the rank of a Metropolitan See, and appointed Mar KuriakoseKunnacherry as the first Metropolitan of the newly erected Metropolitan See of Kottayam.