# Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palai

The Eparchy of Palai is a Syro-Malabar Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction or eparchy of the Catholic Church with an area of 1166 km$^2$ comprising the Meenachil taluk and a few villages of the neighbouring taluks in Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki districts of central Kerala in South India. The faithful of this eparchy, numbering 326,742, belong to the ancient St. Thomas Christian community. The seat of the bishop is the St. Thomas Cathedral based in the town of Palai. The current bishop is Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, serving since March 2004.
Pope Pius XII established the eparchy bifurcating then Eparchy of Changanacherry, and out of the territory covered by the then foranes of Palai, Muttuchira, Kuravilangad, Anakkallu and Ramapuram on 25 July 1950. Initially, the eparchy was erected as a suffragan of the Acheparchy of Ernakulam. The then apostolic nuncio to India, Archbishop Leo P. Kierkels, installed Sebastian Vayalil as the first bishop of the new eparchy. Eparchy of Changanacherry was elevated to the status of Archeparchy and constituted the new ecclesiastical province of Changanacherry on 22 August 1956. Thus, the eparchy of Palai became one of its suffragans.

## History

Pope Pius XII, by the Bull "Quo Ecclesiarum", issued on 25 July 1950, bifurcated the eparchy of Changanacherry and out of the territory covered by the then Foranes of Palai, Muttuchira, Kuravilangad, Anakkallu, and Ramapuram erected the eparchy of Palai as a suffragan of the Archeparchy of Ernakulam. Leo P. Kierkels, the Apostolic Internuncio in India, published the Bull in the St. Thomas Cathedral Palai on 4 January 1951 and installed Sebastian Vayalil as the first bishop of the new eparchy. On 22 August 1956, when the Holy See by the Ap. Const. ‘Regnum Coelorum’ raised the eparchy of Changanacherry to the status of an archeparchy and constituted the new ecclesiastical province of Changanacherry, the eparchy of Palai became one of its suffragans.
Jacob Muricken was appointed as auxiliary bishop in 2012. In 2022, he received approval from Synod of Syro-Malabar Bishops to leave the position of auxiliary bishop and live as a hermit. Joseph Kallarangatt is the current and third bishop of the eparchy and has held this position since 2004. As the delegate of Syro-Malabar Synod, he attended XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Family held at Rome from 4-25 October 2015.

## Past and present ordinaries

| Ordinary | Designation | Year of appointment | Last year of service |
| Sebastian Vayalil | Bishop | 1950 | 1981 |
| Joseph Pallikaparampil | Bishop | 1981 | 2004 |
| Joseph Kallarangatt | Bishop | 2004 | present |
| Jacob Muricken | Auxiliary bishop | 2012 | 2022 |

## Saints and causes for canonisation

* St. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception
* Blessed Thevarparampil Kunjachan (born Augustine)
* Venerable Mathew Kadalikkattil
* Servant of God Sr. Mariam Arampulickal (Mary Collette of the Infant Jesus)
* Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar (1736–1799)

## Foranes

1. Palai Cathedral (St Thomas Cathedral church)
2. Aruvithura (St George Forane church)
3. Bharananganam (St. Mary's Forane Church, Bharananganam)
4. Cherpunkal (Mar Sleeva Forane church)
5. Elanji (Ss.Peter & Paul Forane church)
6. Kadanad (St Augustine Forane church)
7. Kaduthuruthy (St Mary's Forane church)
8. Koottikal (St George Forane church)
9. Kothanalloor (Ss.Gervasis & Prothasis Forane church)
10. Kuravilangad (Major Archepiscopal Marth Mariam Archdeacon Pilgrim Church)
11. Moolamattom (St George Forane church)
12. Muttuchira (Holy Ghost Forane church)
13. Poonjar (St Mary's Forane church)
14. Pravithanam (St. Augustine Forane church)
15. Ramapuram (St. Augustine Forane church)
16. Teekoy (St Mary's Forane church)
17. Thudanganad (St Thomas Forane church)