The document provides a history of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, which originated from a group of 35,000 Syriac Orthodox Christians in Kerala who broke away from that church in 1930 to join the Catholic Church under the leadership of Archbishop Mar Ivanios. The Syro-Malankara Church uses the West Syrian liturgy and its current head is Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis. It has 500,000 members and 500 priests today. The document also describes the structure of the Syro-Malankara liturgy and provides background on the Coonan Cross Oath of 1653, where St. Thomas Christians swore not to be under Portuguese authority.

1. ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE

2. SHORT HISTORY OF MALANKARA
RITE
 The catholic Malankarese go back only thirty
years. From the Syrian Jacobites of Malabar
coast a group of 35000, under the leadership
of their archbishop, Mar Ivanios of
Trivandrum, broke away in 1930. these came
over to catholic church.
 Liturgy of Syro Malankara church is of
Antiochene rite, west Syrian in character.

4. Mar Ivanios one who lead Syriac
Orthodox Christians to catholic church

5. MALANKARA RITE PRESENT STATUS
 Syro Malankara Archepiscopal Church
 Present head of Malankara Christians is Major
Arch Bishop Baselios Cleemis.
 At present they are 500000 faithful and 500
priests.
 Liturgy today celebrated in Malayalam,
Tamil, Hindi and English.

6. Major Arch Bishop Baselios
Cleemis.

10. STRUCTURE OF MASS
 The priest prays the prayer at the foot of the
altar. Then he vests and commends himself
to the prayer of the faithful.
 The holy mass begins with the offering of
bread and wine.
 The incensing of the gifts and the people,
where upon the praise of the lord Jesus christ,
the so called Trisagion.
 Then follows the reading of Epistle and
Reading of Gospel

11.  After the reading, the priest does reverence
to the Gospel.
 The Mass of the faithful consists of a solemn
Entry Prayer, with commemoration on the
Mystery of the Feast, an anthem of praise to
the Most Holy Trinity with an impressive
ceremony on the chains of the thurble, and
finally the Creed.

12.  The Eucharistic Sacrifice is introduced by the
Prayer of Peace, the Kiss of Peace, and the
Prayer of the Laying on of Hands.
 The Holy Gifts are uncovered, fanned by the
veil, lowered before and behind them
(signifying the earthquake on Calvary).

13.  Then follow the Preface, Sanctus, and
Consecration, with no elevation of the Sacred
Species. After the memento of the Lord
(anamnesis) and the Invocation of the Holy
Ghost (epiclesis) follow long intercessions for the
Pope, the Bishop, the living and the faithful
departed, and a memento of the Mother of God.
 The repeated breaking of the Bread then follows,
with the sevenfold intinction of the Host with the
precious Blood-a practice peculiar to the Syrian
rite.

14.  The third portion of the Mass, the Eucharistic
Banquet, begins with the Our Father and the
Prayer of the Laying on of Hands.
 Thereafter comes a threefold elevation of the
Sacred Species, at first singly, then together,
each time accompanied by a doxology.

15.  The Communion of the priest is followed by
the Sacramental Blessing and Absolution,
Dismissal and Final Blessing, distribution of
Communion to the faithful, and the Post-
Communion of the priest.
 Thereafter follows the Thanks-giving

16. TRADITIONAL CROSS OF ST. THOMAS
CHRISTIANS

19. THE COONAN CROSS OATH
 The Coonan Cross Oath in 1653 at the Church of Our Lady of Life in
Mattanchery was the culmination of several years of latinization by
the Portuguese, and the crowd gathered there took an oath that
they would not be subject to the Portuguese Archbishop of Goa,
Francis Garcia. St. Thomas Christians who gathered under the
leadership of the Archdeacon to receive a Bishop from Persia, took
the oath touching the cross there that they would not obey any more
the Jesuits who were the main European Missionaries in India at that
time; Coonan Cross Oath was a revolt against the oppressive rule of
the Europeans andnot against the Pope or the Holy See. After the
Oath 12 priests at the instigation of one of them laid hands on the
head of the Archdeacon and "ordained him Bishop". There began the
division in the Church of the St.Thomas Christians into two major
groups: one group continued to recognize the prelates appointed
by Rome and the other which broke away from Rome and joined
the West-Syrian Jacobite Church of Antioch. This group came to be
known as the Jacobites (Puthankootukar) or Syrian Orthodox Church
of India.