His Holiness Pope John Paul II established the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago on March 13, 2001. Mar Jacob Angadiath was appointed as its first bishop, and his Episcopal Ordination was held in Chicago, together with the inauguration of the diocese, on July 1, 2001. On July 24, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Mar Joy Alappatt as the Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese.

The Syro-Malabar Church is the second-largest among the Eastern Catholic Churches. St. Thomas the Apostle founded the Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Church of St. Thomas Christians, in South India. The present-day Kerala State is the home of this Church. For centuries, St. Thomas Christians lived in the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin.

Migration and Growth

 The first wave of migration of St. Thomas Christians was to the Malabar region in the north and the High Ranges in the east. Since the faithful were mostly farmers, they sought farmland, and wherever they settled, they built churches and established faith communities. The first diocese established for the migrants was Tellicherry in 1953, with Bishop Mar Sebastian Valloppilly. In 1956, the Diocese of Kothamangalam was created for those in the High Ranges, with Bishop Mar Mathew Pothanamuzhy. Tellicherry later became an Archdiocese with four suffragan dioceses, and Kothamangalam was bifurcated to form the Diocese of Idukki.

The second wave of migration was to major cities in India, such as Bombay, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, and Calcutta. In 1988, the Kalyan Diocese was established in Bombay for the Syro-Malabar faithful, with Bishop Mar Paul Chittilappally. This diocese is now thriving under the leadership of the current bishop, Mar Thomas Elavanal, MCBS. Meanwhile, Bangalore, Chennai, and Delhi are awaiting the establishment of dioceses.

The third wave of migration was to Europe and the United States of America. In the late 1960s and 1970s, there was a large influx of Syro-Malabar Catholics to the United States in search of better opportunities. Many professionals from the Church, especially nurses, came in significant numbers to address a nursing shortage in the U.S. They settled in major metropolitan cities and brought their families. Wherever they settled, the faithful sought to have the Syro-Malabar liturgy whenever possible, with the help of visiting or student priests. Small faith communities were formed in this manner.

Early Syro-Malabar Community in the US

Since Malayalam was the primary language of people from Kerala, the Mass was initially referred to as “Malayalam Qurbana” for all Catholics from Kerala. Communities comprising members from the Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, and Latin Churches organized Kerala Catholic Associations in various cities. Examples include the Kerala Catholic Fellowship of Chicago and the India Catholic Association of New York. These associations organized monthly Holy Qurbana (Mass) and celebrated Christmas, Easter, Onam, and other cultural gatherings.

Establishment of the Diocese

In 1996, His Excellency Mar Gregory Karotemprel, CMI, chairman of the Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Apostolic Visitator to the U.S. and Canada, visited many places to meet the Syro-Malabar faithful and their priests. His thorough study and report to the Holy Father and the Congregation for the Oriental Churches highlighted the need for a diocese for the Syro-Malabar faithful in the U.S. and Canada. Mar Gregory’s work laid the foundation for the diocese’s formation.

In 1998, His Beatitude Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, C.Ss.R., then Administrator of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church, visited U.S. and Canadian cities with substantial Syro-Malabar populations. His recommendations to Rome further emphasized the need for a hierarchical arrangement.

In August 1999, a North American Syro-Malabar Catholic Convention was held in Philadelphia, initiated by lay leaders in consultation with Syro-Malabar Mission Directors. The presence of His Beatitude Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil and other Church dignitaries made the convention a great success and reinforced the need for a diocese in the U.S. and Canada.

The establishment of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago brought immense joy. Rev. Fr. Jacob Angadiath, Director of the Syro-Malabar Mission in Chicago, was appointed the first bishop of the newly formed diocese. The diocese encompassed the entire U.S., and Bishop Jacob Angadiath also served as the Permanent Apostolic Visitator to Canada. His Episcopal Consecration and the inauguration of the diocese took place on July 1, 2001, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago.

On July 24, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Rev. Fr. Joy Alappatt, Pastor of Mar Thoma Sleeha Syro-Malabar Cathedral in Chicago, as the Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese. His titular see is Bencenna.

On July 3, 2022, Pope Francis accepted Bishop Jacob Angadiath’s resignation and named Bishop Joy Alappatt as his successor.