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Sydney (Agenzia Fides) – The Australian Bishops' Conference, in response to a request from Syro-Malabar Catholics, has appointed them their first National Coordinator. His name is Fr. Francis Kolencherry, Administrator of St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra. The National Coordinator is an important liaison between the various Syro-Malabar migrant communities in the practice of their faith and traditions, with responsibility to oversee and administer their pastoral needs and to forge links between them and the Catholic Church in Australia/Syro-Malabar Church in India. In a note to the Australian Catholic Press Association, Fr. Francis declared that: “One of the key priorities is to educate children in the Catholic Faith in accordance with the Syro-Malabar tradition. This will help to ensure their native language and cultural traditions will survive to the next generation. It will provide migrants with an important link to their Indian heritage, at the same time allowing them to fully integrate with Australian society. I am looking forward to working with different Syro-Malabar communities and priests around Australia." There are approximately 11,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics in Australia mostly in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Parramatta, Wollongong, Darwin and the population is growing. The Syro-Malabar Church is one of the Eastern Rite (also called Oriental) Catholic Churches and has a rich and fascinating history. It was founded by St Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, in 52 A.D. after he travelled to Kodungallur, on the coast of Kerala state in India. The Church has become one of the biggest Oriental churches in the world with four Archdioceses and twenty two Dioceses with 4.67 million Catholics. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 6/8/2010)
