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History Introduction of Christianity in India and the Work of the Missionaries

According to tradition, St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles, introduced Christianity to India in 52 AD. It is believed that he reached Crangannore on the West Coast (Malabar coast) of the South Indian peninsula and worked his way along the coastal regions. In 1972, Paul Paul VI declared St. Thomas the Apostle of India. His apostolic work was continued by missionaries from West Asia and Europe over the centuries.

Very little is known about the early Malabar Christians (also known as St. Thomas Christians) except a few historical notes. Pantaenus, sent by Demetrius of Alexandria, visited Malabar in 189. In 345, Thomas Cana, a merchant from Persia, traveled to Travancore and established a Christian colony apart from the Christian community that existed there. Timotheus I, the patriarch of the Nestorians in Persia, sent bishops to India (c. 800). In 825, Marwan Sabriso brought a party with two bishops, Mar Sapro, and Mar Prodh. The local ruler, the king of Venad, gave him land and some privileges. In 1122, there was an Indian patriarch in Rome. Indian churches came into contact with the Roman Church through European travelers and missionaries such as the Franciscans and Dominicans in the 13th century. In 1293, Marco Polo, a Venetian traveler, came to India and left some records of his visit to Mylapore. And in 1321, Four Franciscans were martyred in Thana, near Mumbai (Bombay).

The Franciscans were the first to arrive. They founded a convent in Goa (1518) and engaged in missionary work at Goa, Bombay, Cochin, Quilon, and Tamil Nadu. They opened schools in Crangannore, Poinsur, and Reis Magos in Bardez.

The Jesuits spread their message through the work of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552), a Spanish Jesuit, who arrived in Goa in 1542. With his Jesuit companions and successors, they strongly emphasized the need for evangelization. St Francis worked along the Malabar Coast and baptized hundreds of fishermen.

The Dominicans arrived in 1548 and established convents in Goa and Cochin. They also established a college of philosophy and theology near Goa. When the Portuguese viceroy divided the missionary territories (1554-1555), the Dominicans received the western part of Goa, and the Franciscans received the eastern part. Later the Dominicans established themselves in other parts of Portuguese India.

The Augustinians came to Goa from Persia in 1572 and opened a large monastery and a convent of Santa Monica in 1606.

The Carmelites, Italian Theatines, and Hospitallers arrived in 1600. The Oratorians of St. Philip Neri extended their activities to Sri Lanka (Ceylon).

Around the 1500′s, tensions began to arise between the Portuguese Jesuits and the St. Thomas Christians. This tension culminated in the Coonan Cross Oath of 1653 in which 20,000 Malabar Christians, under the leadership of their Archdeacon, Thomas Parambil, pledged their independence from the Roman Church. As a result, congregations were forced to choose between the two. About 32 congregations stood faithful to the Archdeacon, and 84 congregations rejoined Rome.

St. Thomas Christians who rejoined the Latin Church were called Malankara Christians. Those who maintained their independence and gave their allegiance to the Jacobite (“Orthodox”) Patriarch of Antioch were called the Jacobites. The Malankara Christians were further subdivided into two groups. Those who followed the rites of East-Syrian traditions were called “Syro-Malabar” Catholics and those who followed the West-Syrian traditions were called “Syro-Malankara” Catholics.

There are some Malabar Catholics called “Knanaya Catholics” who are an integral part of Syro-Malabar Catholics. They trace their origin to a congregation established by Thomas of Cana (Cnae of Thomman), a merchant who came to India in 345 AD from Syria. He brought along with him Mar Joseph of Uraha, a Bishop of Edessa (Turkey), four priests and deacons, and 400 families. They were received by a local raja and were given some land. In 1911, Pope Pius X established a Diocese for them at Kottayam in Kerala.

The Church in India in the 20th Century

During the early part of the nineteenth century, Catholic missionaries from France, Ireland, Italy, and the United States, as well as Protestant missionaries from England, Canada, Scotland, Denmark, and the United States, were engrossed in propagation of the faith. However, during the English rule over India, the British religious neutrality was not conducive to missionary work. Only the Anglicans received accommodation from the British. The Catholic missionaries took to establishing schools, hospitals, and charitable institutions such as nursing homes, orphanages, and dispensaries.

When India became a free and sovereign republic in 1947, it was ordered that the Indian Churches should function with the help of native clergy and, therefore, stopped all new missionaries from entering India. Later on, the order was revised to allow only those missionaries with specialized skills. At present, there are 900 foreign missionaries and 4,200 indigenous missionaries working in India. “Anti-conversion laws” are in effect in several states which have a restrictive effect on pastoral ministry and social service.

Presently, in India, there are 23 Archdioceses, 109 Dioceses, and 7,247 Parishes. There are 3 Cardinals; 1 Patriarch; 26 Archbishops; 125 Bishops; 16,593 Priests; 73,030 Sisters; 2,671 Brothers; 9,525 Seminarians; and 40,673 Catechists.

The following Indian states have more than one million Christians: Andhra Pradesh (2,959,606), Assam (1,028,817), Kerala (8, 893,496), Maharashtra (1,026.183), and Tamil Nadu (3,239,819).

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