Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago

Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Chicago (Syro-Malabarese) Eparchia Sancti Thomae Apostoli Chicagiensis Syrorum-Malabarensium
Location
Country	United States
Ecclesiastical province	Eastern Catholic Eparchies Immediately Subject to the Holy See
Statistics
Population - Catholics	(as of 2010) 86,000
Parishes	18
Information
Denomination	Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Rite	East Syrian Rite
Established	March 13, 2001 (15 years ago)
Cathedral	Mar Thoma Shleeha Cathedral
Current leadership
Eparch	Jacob Angadiath
Auxiliary Bishops	Joy Alappat
Website
www.stthomasdiocese.org

The St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Chicago is an Eastern Catholic eparchy for Syro-Malabar Catholics in the United States. The eparchy, established in 2001, is one of the two eparchies of the Syro-Malabar Church outside India (the other is the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne), and it has jurisdiction over Syro-Malabar Catholics in the entire US. It is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Bishop

The first and current bishop of the eparchy is Mar Jacob Angadiath, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 2001.^[1] He is also the permanent Apostolic Visitator to Syro-Malabar Catholics in Canada.

Parishes and missions

The eparchy's cathedral can be found in Bellwood, Illinois. The Mar Thoma Shleeha Cathedral (Saint Thomas the Apostle Cathedral) is a parish with almost 1000 families and is seat to the bishop. Their cathedral was dedicated on July 5, 2008.

There are an estimated 100,000 Indian Catholics following this rite in the U.S. and Canada. Some of the parishes and missions are dedicated to the pastoral care of faithful of the Knanaya Catholics, under the pastoral guidance of Knanaya priests. The diocese includes 35 parishes and 43 missions. Congregations are located in the following states and provinces:

United States

• California
  • St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Forane Catholic Church, Santa Ana, CA
  • Syro Malabar Mission, San Francisco, CA
  • St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Los Angeles, CA
• Connecticut
  • Syro-Malabar Mission, Hartford, CT
• Georgia
  • Saint Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Loganville, GA
• Illinois
  • Mar Thoma Shleeha Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral (Bellwood, Illinois) (cathedral of the eparchy)
• Florida
  • Our Lady of Health Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Miami, FL
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
  • Syro-Malabar Mission of Boston
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Nevada
  • Blessed Mother Teresa Syro Malabar Catholic Church, Las Vegas, NV
• New Jersey
  • Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, East Millstone, NJ
  • Syro-Malabar Mission, Garfield, NJ
• New York
  • St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Bronx, NY (Forane Parish for the NY, NJ, CT Tri-State area)
  • St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, West Hempstead, NY
  • Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Rockland, NY
• North Carolina
  • Lourdes Matha Syro-Malabar Mission, Apex, NC
• Ohio
  • St. Raphael Syro Malabar Catholic Mission, Cleveland, OH
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
  • St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Philadelphia, PA
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Wisconsin

Canada

• Ontario
• Alberta

See also

• Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
• List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Other Eastern Catholic bishops
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States

References

1. "Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Chicago (Syro-Malabarese)". catholic-hierarchy.org.

External links

• Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago Official Site
• St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago at Catholic-Hierarchy.org
• Mar Thoma Shleeha Cathedral
• Knanaya Syro-Malabar Catholics in the US
• Sacred Heart and St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic Parishes in Chicago

Coordinates: 41°53′19″N 87°55′55″W / 41.88861°N 87.93194°W