The Syro-Malabar community of Western Sydney is celebrating the consecration of its first Australian cathedral in Melbourne, and believe this will help them to one day have a church of their own.
The Cathedral of St Alphonsa, in the Melbourne suburb of Epping, will serve as the spiritual home for the Syro-Malabar Catholic community in Australia.
The consecration ceremony on 23 November was led by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, the worldwide head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, and was attended by clergy from the Australian Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, other Catholic bishops and clergy from around the country, and hundreds of the faithful.
One of those in attendance was Father Mathew Areeplackal, from St Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Parish in the Diocese of Parramatta.
Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil cutting the ribbon on the main doors of the cathedral. Image: Syro-Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle, Melbourne.
He said the “once in a lifetime event” was “an awesome experience” that would make a difference to the lives of worshippers in his parish.
“We are excited to have a cathedral church of our own liturgical tradition,” Fr Mathew said.
He said it would help the Parramatta Syro-Malabar community “to look forward to having a church of its own to grow and flourish”.
“We hope and pray for having a parish church of our own, which can help us grow spiritually, and we hope it can showcase the richness of the Apostolic tradition of St Thomas to Western Sydney and beyond.”
The ceremony was attended by clergy from the Syro-Malabar church, other bishops and clergy and hundreds of the faithful. Image: Syro-Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle, Melbourne.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is the fastest growing in Australia, with Mass attendance increasing by 90 per cent from 2016 to 2021, according to the National Centre for Pastoral Research.
The Melbourne cathedral is built on a three-acre site and can hold up to 1000 worshippers.
Fr Mathew said that despite not being as large as other cathedrals it “carries the radiance of simplicity, tradition and rich Indo-Chaldean heritage”.
The cathedral is on a three-acre site in the suburb of Epping and can hold 1000 worshippers. Image: Syro-Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle, Melbourne.
Bishop Emeritus Bosco Puthur, who was appointed by Pope Francis as the founding Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle in Melbourne, and who spearheaded the building of the cathedral, said the fact it was finally consecrated was a “dream come true”.
“People wholeheartedly took to their hearts the building of this cathedral,” he told Shalom World News on the day.
“Their dream has come true. And now that dream becoming a reality should be lived fruitfully for the glory of God and the good of the people, and especially for the mission so that the word of God can be spread, and the love of Jesus shared.”
Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and Syro-Malabar clergy during the consecration. Image: Syro-Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle, Melbourne.
Archbishop of Canberra Christopher Prowse said the Syro-Malabar Community “are like a divine electric current throughout the Catholic Church here in Australia”.
He told Shalom World News it was “a great day for the opening, blessing and consecration of this cathedral, it’s a great day for the Catholic Church in Australia, and it’s a great day for Australia.”
To find out more about the St Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Catholic Community in the Diocese, click here.
