The Catholic Church is a Communion of more than twenty individual Churches; the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala, India, is one of them. In recent years, the members of this particular church have been migrating to different parts of the world in search of work and better opportunities and settling there. The St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago was established in 2001 to take care of the spiritual, religious and ecclesial needs of the Syro-Malabar communities in North America. In course of time, the different communities grew into Missions and Parishes. Thus the members of the Syro-Malabar Church living in the Washington Region came together as a community and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Greater Washington came into existence in 2007. At the moment, this is a small community of about 50 plus families; there are many more families in the region who are yet to become members.
The Roots:
It was in November 2002 that Cardinal McCarrick, the then Archbishop of Washington, appointed me as Director of the Syro-Malabar Mission of Greater Washington and Parochial Vicar at Mother Seton Parish, Germantown, Maryland. At that time there was no Syro-Malabar Mission in the Washington region. From 1978 onwards, the migrants from Kerala have been coming together for their traditional worship in Malayalam, once a month, under the banner of the Kerala Catholic Community (KCC)at different Worship Centers like St. Matthew’s Cathedral, the National Shrine, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Ukrainian Church and finally St. Rose of Lima Church. Rev. Dr. George Madathiparampil was the first tostart the Syro-Malabar Mass in the DC area at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in 1978. Other priests in the area supported the Community by offering the Holy Qurbana for them.
At last, St. Rose of Lima Parish, Gaithersburg, Maryland, was very generous to host the KCC gathering for Holy Mass on the fourth Sunday of every month. The Kerala Catholic Community and St. Rose of Lima Parish played a significant role in the birth and growth of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Greater Washington.
Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Greater Washington:
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Community of Greater Washington was started in 2004 with a Holy Qurbana at Mother Seton Church, Germantown, Maryland. In the beginning we had Holy Qurbana on the first Sunday of every month. We are very grateful to Rev. Fr. Ron Potts, the then Pastor of Mother Seton Parish, for all his support and encouragement in establishing the Syro-Malabar Community and beginning regular Syro-Malabar Masses, first once a month and then twice a month, at Mother Seton Parish.
The Syro-Malabar Mission of Greater Washington was established to serve the pastoral and spiritual needs of the Syro-Malabar Catholics living in the Greater Washington Region (including the areas under the ecclesiastical jurisdictions of the Archdiocese of Washington, Diocese of Arlington, Northern Virginia, and the surrounding regions). We are very grateful to the Latin Dioceses and parishes of the region for taking care of the Syro-Malabar faithful of the place all these years.
We were registered as a corporation in March 2007, and our first Parish Pothuyogam (Parish Assembly) was held in February 2007 in which the first Prathinidhiyogam (Parish Council) was elected. Shaji Joseph Kottooran and Thomas Antony took charge as the first Trustees of the Mission.
As Mother Seton Parish could not accommodate us for more than two Sundays a month, we entered into a contract with St. Rose of Lima Parish, Gaithersburg. From June 2007 onwards, we have been worshipping every Sunday in the Historic Church of St. Rose of Lima Parish. Very Rev. Msgr. Paul Dudziak, Pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, and the Parish Council of that time worked together to find ways to accommodate this new Community every week. Hats off to Msgr. Dudziak and Msgr. PaulLangsfeld, the present Pastor, and St. Rose of Lima Parish for their patience with and generosity towards the Syro-Malabar Mission.
The Northern Virginia Mission:
Meanwhile, to make it easier for the faithful of Northern Virginia, the Syro-Malabar Qurbana was celebrated once a month, the 3rd Sunday of every month, at St. Timothy’s Church, Chantilly, Virginia. It was totally inadequate to meet the pastoral and spiritual needs of the people. And it was not easy for the faithful to come to Gaithersburg, Maryland, every week for Mass. After a lot of prayer, discussions and consultations, it was decided to rent the facilities of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Centerville, Virginia, for regular Sunday Mass and Faith Formation Programs, with proper permissions from the superiors. And on June 26, 2011, Mar Jacob Angadiath, Bishop of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago, officially created St. Jude Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Northern Virginia as an independent Mission, and appointed Fr. Joseph Elampara OCD as the first Director of the Mission.
On the Road to Growth:
Realizing that Faith Formation was the backbone of any healthy community, Sunday School was started on a regular basis in September 2007 with about 30 children of all age-groups. Now every Sunday, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Faith Formation classes are held in the basement of the main church. The Eucharist is the focus of Christian faith and living. Hence Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help takes place in the Historic Church, every Sunday, at 2:30 pm; Holy Qurbana is at 3:00 pm, followed by fellowship and hospitality, Malayalam class, parish meetings and other activities. To foster devotion to our Blessed Mother, the Patron of the Mission, we introduced the OLPH Family Pilgrimage by which the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is carried to every home and enthroned there for a week with special prayers and novenas. The Rosary and Novena by conference call every evening at 8:30 pm is yet another powerful way of uniting the Community in faith and love and, above all, getting the young to love the Church and Our Blessed Mother and to pray the Rosary with devotion. It is so heartening to hear our children of all ages praying together the Rosary and other prayers every evening.We know Mary is our sure and powerful guide on our road to reach our goals.
Reaching for the Goals:
Our goal as a Syro-Malabar Mission is to have a vibrant community of faith, love and commitment. And it is hoped that as we grow in faith and commitment, we would need a place of our own to celebrate our faith and to train our future generations in the faith. All our organizations and activities aim at reaching our goals on a timeframe. Thus the “Marian Sangham” tries to enliven all the women of the Community to be better and committed spouses and parents, thus transforming the home and the family into a vibrant domestic church. The Youth Group tries to bring all the young people together and get firmly rooted in the faith through timely instruction to be the leaders of the church tomorrow. Their active involvement in the liturgy and faith formation programs heralds a bright future for the church.
Annual Retreats and other frequent retreats help the faithful to grow in spirituality. The Annual Family Bible Quiz is meant as a means of adult education in the Bible, Liturgy and Church History. Recently, we started monthly Night Vigil with the intention of consecrating the Community to the Eucharistic Lord to guide us and direct us according to His plans.
Fund-raising programs like “In the Beginning” (a creation story in song and dance, conceived and directed by Sri R. Srikanth) and the Car Raffle, were organized to achieve our dream of having a church of our own for worship and other activities. We have a long way to go. The recent successful presentation of “Mathrudarppanam” (presentation of Mary in all her human emotions and feelings in song and dance) once again proved without any doubt that we have the potential and the ability to do many more such programs to raise more funds to realize our long-cherished dream. All these activities prove beyond doubt that we are a strong team of purpose, good will, and tenacitythat works together to achieve any goal with God’s help.
Other cultural and social activities like the Annual Picnic, Parish Day, and Cultural Programs are a part of our community-building exercises. Our active involvement in organizations like ECKC (Ecumenical Council of Kerala Christians), KAGW, and KCS are intended to foster unity among fellow Christians and the people from Kerala.
In all this the Lord guides and directs us. May Our Lady of Perpetual Help be our constant support and unfailing help.
The Roots:
It was in November 2002 that Cardinal McCarrick, the then Archbishop of Washington, appointed me as Director of the Syro-Malabar Mission of Greater Washington and Parochial Vicar at Mother Seton Parish, Germantown, Maryland. At that time there was no Syro-Malabar Mission in the Washington region. From 1978 onwards, the migrants from Kerala have been coming together for their traditional worship in Malayalam, once a month, under the banner of the Kerala Catholic Community (KCC)at different Worship Centers like St. Matthew’s Cathedral, the National Shrine, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Ukrainian Church and finally St. Rose of Lima Church. Rev. Dr. George Madathiparampil was the first tostart the Syro-Malabar Mass in the DC area at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in 1978. Other priests in the area supported the Community by offering the Holy Qurbana for them.
At last, St. Rose of Lima Parish, Gaithersburg, Maryland, was very generous to host the KCC gathering for Holy Mass on the fourth Sunday of every month. The Kerala Catholic Community and St. Rose of Lima Parish played a significant role in the birth and growth of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Greater Washington.
Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Greater Washington:
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Community of Greater Washington was started in 2004 with a Holy Qurbana at Mother Seton Church, Germantown, Maryland. In the beginning we had Holy Qurbana on the first Sunday of every month. We are very grateful to Rev. Fr. Ron Potts, the then Pastor of Mother Seton Parish, for all his support and encouragement in establishing the Syro-Malabar Community and beginning regular Syro-Malabar Masses, first once a month and then twice a month, at Mother Seton Parish.
The Syro-Malabar Mission of Greater Washington was established to serve the pastoral and spiritual needs of the Syro-Malabar Catholics living in the Greater Washington Region (including the areas under the ecclesiastical jurisdictions of the Archdiocese of Washington, Diocese of Arlington, Northern Virginia, and the surrounding regions). We are very grateful to the Latin Dioceses and parishes of the region for taking care of the Syro-Malabar faithful of the place all these years.
We were registered as a corporation in March 2007, and our first Parish Pothuyogam (Parish Assembly) was held in February 2007 in which the first Prathinidhiyogam (Parish Council) was elected. Shaji Joseph Kottooran and Thomas Antony took charge as the first Trustees of the Mission.
As Mother Seton Parish could not accommodate us for more than two Sundays a month, we entered into a contract with St. Rose of Lima Parish, Gaithersburg. From June 2007 onwards, we have been worshipping every Sunday in the Historic Church of St. Rose of Lima Parish. Very Rev. Msgr. Paul Dudziak, Pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, and the Parish Council of that time worked together to find ways to accommodate this new Community every week. Hats off to Msgr. Dudziak and Msgr. PaulLangsfeld, the present Pastor, and St. Rose of Lima Parish for their patience with and generosity towards the Syro-Malabar Mission.
The Northern Virginia Mission:
Meanwhile, to make it easier for the faithful of Northern Virginia, the Syro-Malabar Qurbana was celebrated once a month, the 3rd Sunday of every month, at St. Timothy’s Church, Chantilly, Virginia. It was totally inadequate to meet the pastoral and spiritual needs of the people. And it was not easy for the faithful to come to Gaithersburg, Maryland, every week for Mass. After a lot of prayer, discussions and consultations, it was decided to rent the facilities of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Centerville, Virginia, for regular Sunday Mass and Faith Formation Programs, with proper permissions from the superiors. And on June 26, 2011, Mar Jacob Angadiath, Bishop of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago, officially created St. Jude Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Northern Virginia as an independent Mission, and appointed Fr. Joseph Elampara OCD as the first Director of the Mission.
On the Road to Growth:
Realizing that Faith Formation was the backbone of any healthy community, Sunday School was started on a regular basis in September 2007 with about 30 children of all age-groups. Now every Sunday, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Faith Formation classes are held in the basement of the main church. The Eucharist is the focus of Christian faith and living. Hence Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help takes place in the Historic Church, every Sunday, at 2:30 pm; Holy Qurbana is at 3:00 pm, followed by fellowship and hospitality, Malayalam class, parish meetings and other activities. To foster devotion to our Blessed Mother, the Patron of the Mission, we introduced the OLPH Family Pilgrimage by which the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is carried to every home and enthroned there for a week with special prayers and novenas. The Rosary and Novena by conference call every evening at 8:30 pm is yet another powerful way of uniting the Community in faith and love and, above all, getting the young to love the Church and Our Blessed Mother and to pray the Rosary with devotion. It is so heartening to hear our children of all ages praying together the Rosary and other prayers every evening.We know Mary is our sure and powerful guide on our road to reach our goals.
Reaching for the Goals:
Our goal as a Syro-Malabar Mission is to have a vibrant community of faith, love and commitment. And it is hoped that as we grow in faith and commitment, we would need a place of our own to celebrate our faith and to train our future generations in the faith. All our organizations and activities aim at reaching our goals on a timeframe. Thus the “Marian Sangham” tries to enliven all the women of the Community to be better and committed spouses and parents, thus transforming the home and the family into a vibrant domestic church. The Youth Group tries to bring all the young people together and get firmly rooted in the faith through timely instruction to be the leaders of the church tomorrow. Their active involvement in the liturgy and faith formation programs heralds a bright future for the church.
Annual Retreats and other frequent retreats help the faithful to grow in spirituality. The Annual Family Bible Quiz is meant as a means of adult education in the Bible, Liturgy and Church History. Recently, we started monthly Night Vigil with the intention of consecrating the Community to the Eucharistic Lord to guide us and direct us according to His plans.
Fund-raising programs like “In the Beginning” (a creation story in song and dance, conceived and directed by Sri R. Srikanth) and the Car Raffle, were organized to achieve our dream of having a church of our own for worship and other activities. We have a long way to go. The recent successful presentation of “Mathrudarppanam” (presentation of Mary in all her human emotions and feelings in song and dance) once again proved without any doubt that we have the potential and the ability to do many more such programs to raise more funds to realize our long-cherished dream. All these activities prove beyond doubt that we are a strong team of purpose, good will, and tenacitythat works together to achieve any goal with God’s help.
Other cultural and social activities like the Annual Picnic, Parish Day, and Cultural Programs are a part of our community-building exercises. Our active involvement in organizations like ECKC (Ecumenical Council of Kerala Christians), KAGW, and KCS are intended to foster unity among fellow Christians and the people from Kerala.
In all this the Lord guides and directs us. May Our Lady of Perpetual Help be our constant support and unfailing help.