Listen Rev. Sisters....

An open letter to the congregations of Rev Sisters belonging to Syro-Malabar Rite.

Why do people talk about the Syro Malabar rite and its administration so much? The answer is simple - their purpose, which has come to be administration with no evangelism anywhere. Sri. Jose Paul aged enough to evaluate everything and bold enough to speak out the truth, continues to explore into the hidden agendas of a big rite.  

The syrian congregations of sisters  who had been working in the north for the past half a century with the Latin Churches are following the traditions of Kerala as slaves and servants of the priest of the Syro-Church. The S.D.Sisters were in the north for the past 50 years and now it seems to be the first to show their affection to Syro-Malabar in a big way. Others will automatically follow their foot steps - Editor

We the syro-Malabar- Catholics living in Kerala and anywhere in the country are proud of your congregations for the great and magnificent missionary work you have done in Kerala and elsewhere. Your congregations originated and flourished first in Kerala with solid roots there. They ventured to all parts of the country and even abroad with a catholic vision and mission to spread the message of Christ. You all came out of Kerala with the vision of the great apostolic, catholic (universal) and evangelic motivation. Your sacrificing spirit and simple and spiritual life in these faraway places have motivated many people of these places to come close to Jesus. Many of them have become members of the church were you were working.  Our congratulation to you for the courage and fortitude and independence you showed for the sake of your belief in Jesus.

We had the opportunity of seeing just three sisters C.M.C. congregation from the Ernakulum province left their comforts in their mother house and went to Jullundur in the 50s when the presence of Catholic churches, Catholic community and its strength in those areas were negligible and practically nil. They worked with the existing churches and bishops to do the evangelistic work.  Going through great struggles, walking hand in hand with the priests and the lay people, slowly and steadily the congregation grew and they have schools, hospitals, social work centres, and helped diocese institutions. Today they have many big and small institutions of repute in all the north Indian Dioceses, and even in the difficult border areas. Now they have their own province. Congratulations for your great achievements and services.  We also had the opportunity of seeing the Sisters of Destitutes working in Delhi Rosary School in the 50s and from there to

Holy Angel Hospital in Greater Kailash and then Jivodaya Hospital in Delhi. We have seen three or four sisters of the congregation Sr. Reni, Sr. Cyril etc coming to Himachal in the beginning of 60s and working their way with great missionary zeal in places where there were no Catholics and without knowing the local languages. Working with courage and commitment you  built up good hospitals, schools and social work centres and also served the small Catholic Community especially people in military services. Today the congregation has schools and their other institution in most of the parts of North India and in every diocese in North India. . They have grown to the extent of creating their own province in north. Real great work. Our real appreciation for the great vision. There are many other congregations such as Clarists and Adoration sisters and may be others also have done great service for the Catholic Church in different parts of the country and abroad. These congregations have taken Christ’s message to every part of the world.

We are writing this because we see that in the recent past, it appears that these congregations are losing their apostolic vision and they are slowly moving to slavery to their power hungry clerical hierarchy of Kerala. First and foremost these congregations of sisters were working with the Latin Bishops and priests as representatives of one and only one apostolic Catholic Church. Occasionally these congregations may have faced difficulties and differences with individual bishops or priest. This is what is common even within Kerala between the congregations and the some members of Church Hierarchy. Suddenly you are showing signs changing over your affiliation to the New Syro-Malabar Church which came to north India with sinister intentions.  Your congregations survived and flourished as exemplary catholic congregations

  

without the help of these saviors of Syrian Hierarchy. First of all you are dividing the one and only Catholic Church which you were a part of that mystical body into sectarian churches. By the change of this affiliation, you are changing your apostolic mission. You did not come here to look after a particular sect of the Catholic Church. You came here as missionaries to serve every community (Humanity of this area irrespective of the communal affinity) as servants of god because of your love of Jesus. If you become a part of this new establishment, you will have to reformulate your congregation’s vision and mission.  The new establishment has come to North in order to look after the spiritual needs of the Syro-Malabar people. They felt that the Latin Bishops did not really care about the Spiritual needs of the Syrians.  They are stating categorically that  they came to serve the Syro-Malabar Catholics living without proper guidance (Their own statement). It means that they are here not as an apostolic and evangelic church. They are just as administrators of an already established group of Malayalees and nothing else. They only want to run some institutions and make your congregations do the same for them. 

Forget about the lower caste people, not even a Brahmin from the north can be absorbed to the Syro-Malabar Church as these people from the north can be neither “Syro nor Malabar” people. Full stop for evangelisation.  Would you like to change your evangelical work?Are you going to be satisfied by just looking  after the health, wealth, prosperity and may be the spirituality of the few Syro-Malabar people who are working in the North of India? Are you going to dance to the tune of aristocracy of the new Eparchy and be proved of their culture? Or you will have your a greater vision? Only our request is “Please don’t break away from Jesus. You have left your homes and your parents and your dear ones to wed Jesus. Don’t Divorce Him”

  

Think well whether you have an individuality and identity of your own or do you just want to be the slaves of the patriarchal system of the Syrian Church? We believe that you have a number of sisters who can think, and take decisions for the congregations and provinces without just being emotionally attached to parochial organizations or heads of institution. Stand for your great mission. All the Best wishes.

With love,

People who admire you for your great Courage, commitment, and sacrifices to our dear nation and also elsewhere.

Prepared by Jose Paul (Delhi)