By the Grace of God and by the favour of the Holy See, We, Mathew Makil, Bishop of Tralles and Apostolic Vicar of Kottayam, issue this letter.
To the Reverend Vicars, Assistants, Priests, and Faithful of the churches subject to Our authority, greetings and blessings in Our Lord Jesus Christ.
“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; from generation to generation I will proclaim Your truth with my mouth.”
Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo: in generationem et generationem annuntiabo veritatem tuam in ore meo.
(Psalm 88, vv. 1–2)
Venerable Brothers! Dear Faithful!
We undertook a long and difficult journey to Rome, lasting more than six months, in order to establish lasting peace in our Apostolic Vicariate of Changanassery and to determine the best means of bringing greater future welfare and prosperity to the two communities, namely the Vadakkumbhagar and Thekkumbhagar, belonging to our Catholic Malayalam Syrian Church.
It was also our purpose to present to the Holy See the joint petition of the three ecclesiastical superiors who are presently serving in this Malayalam Syrian Church.
We have already informed you, through our previous proclamations Nos. 34 and 35, that our petition was graciously received by the Holy See, that the Apostolic Vicariate of Kottayam was restored, and that we were appointed Apostolic Vicar of this Vicariate.
Now, however, the official documents relating to this matter have reached our hands on the 12th of this month. According to these documents, the Thekkumbhagar churches that were formerly included in the Apostolic Vicariates of Changanassery and Ernakulam have been incorporated into this new Apostolic Vicariate of Kottayam.
It is with great joy that we hereby make this information known to all of you.
“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; from generation to generation I will proclaim Your truth.”
Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo: in generationem et generationem annuntiabo veritatem tuam in ore meo.
(Psalm 88, vv. 1–2)
Therefore, Venerable Brothers and beloved children, since, through the ineffable grace of God, the great favour of the Holy See, and the fruit of the prayers of all of us, this new Apostolic Vicariate and our appointment have come into being, you are all bound to offer profound thanks and gratitude to God and to Holy Mother Church, that is, to the Holy Roman Pontiff, the visible head of Christ’s Church and successor of Saint Peter.
This gratitude and thanksgiving must not be expressed merely with our lips, but must also be shown in our hearts and through good works, in our conduct towards God and towards Holy Church. Otherwise, we would fall under the divine admonition:
“This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”
Therefore, beloved children, concerning the faithful who love Him wholeheartedly, Our Lord says:
“Whoever loves Me keeps My commandments.”
Consequently, true love of God and devotion to Him are manifested in a life of virtue and prayer, and also in obedience to the commands and instructions of your unworthy but devoted bishop and in faithfully carrying them out.
We must likewise remain grateful and thankful to the Holy Roman Pontiff, who is the head of Holy Church.
We hereby inform you that the Apostolic document concerning this matter, which has been sent to us, shall be proclaimed in the church of Idikkattu during this month.
In this way, we must all remain grateful to God and to this new Apostolic Vicariate.
We solemnly dedicate this new Apostolic Vicariate to God, with the sincere desire that, during our brief lifetime among you, the Kingdom of God and your spiritual and temporal prosperity may increase day by day.
Beloved Children,
It is hardly necessary for us to point out particularly that the responsibility and burden of preserving and nurturing this new Apostolic Vicariate, which is still in its infancy, rests upon each and every one of you.
You should remember the meaningful proverb:
“A thousand vines together can bind even an elephant.”
Finally, Venerable Brothers and beloved children, in order that the continual blessings of Almighty God and the gracious favour of the Holy See may always remain upon this new Vicariate, upon us, and upon you, we piously consecrate this Apostolic Vicariate to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, through the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His beloved Mother and our honoured Lady and Mother.
Furthermore, for this purpose, on the Sunday of the said month, in all the churches subject to Our authority, a Sung Mass shall be celebrated. After the Mass, in those churches where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, the Litany of Our Lady shall be recited either with the Blessed Sacrament exposed or with the tabernacle opened. The parish shall also be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the final blessing shall be given at the end of the Holy Mass.
In order that your devotion to the Sacred Heart may increase day by day, and that we may offer continual thanksgiving and praise for the unspeakable favours which the merciful Sacred Heart has bestowed upon us in this matter, as stated in our previous proclamation, after the three Hail Marys and other prayers and hymns recited at the end of every Low Mass, the following invocation shall be said three times:
(Priest): “Sacred Heart of Jesus!”
(People): “Bless us.”
We hereby command this, and in Our Lord we lovingly bless you all.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
From our bungalow at Kottayam
25 Thulam 1911
MATHEW MAKIL
Bishop, Vic. Ap. of Kottayam
