Festival of Eastern Catholic Churches, 2015

Saturday 1st August saw the Festival of Eastern Catholic Churches, held at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, London, organised by the Society of Saint John Chrysostom, the Catholic society founded in 1926 in the Diocese of Westminster to support and promote the Eastern Catholic Churches and especially the reunion of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The first for decades, the Festival brought together 70 clergy and faithful from various Catholic Churches of both East and West, which are all in full communion with Rome.

After a warm welcome to his Cathedral from Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, the Bishop in the United Kingdom of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is the largest of the Eastern Catholic Churches (Byzantine Rite in common with the Orthodox Churches), the followed the celebration of the Holy Qurbana in English, by three priests of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the second largest of the Eastern Catholic Churches (East Syrian Rite, in common with the Chaldean Catholic Church), whose direct origins are the apostolic Church founded by St Thomas and which is now spread across the world in diaspora. A beautiful Syro-Malabar choir sang and played instruments throughout the Mass, to a new setting in English devised by the eminent linguist and musicologist, Fr Joseph Palackal, who presided.

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is one of two Eastern Catholic Churches in India, the other being the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (Western Syrian Rite in common with the Syriac Catholic and Orthodox Churches).

After Qurbana, Dr Palackal presented two informative films. The first, on the origins, history and culture of the Churches of St Thomas, was Kerala, the Cradle of Christianity in South Asia: A Cultural Interface of Religion and Music. With the second, Aramaic, Jesus and India: A Connection through Language and Music, Dr Palackal showed how the Christians of India still use the language of Christ brought to them in the first century, along with the Syriac music tradition from the Holy Land and Persia, as well India’s own languages and music. Fr Mark Woodruff, Vice Chairman of the Society, said, “Father Joseph has shown us that just as the Latin Roman Catholic Church has spread throughout the world in history, now the Eastern Churches likewise are found everywhere: the global south, north America and Western Europe. This newly shows not only the diversity of Catholic communion, but also that the Eastern Churches are integral to the Catholic Church’s life here, its faith and increasingly its identity. As they grow, too, they are part of a richer presentation to wider society of Christ’s Kingdom. Uniting the patrimony in art, language, liturgy and music from an historic Church with English for the future in a new environment, is vital and teaches us much about how to be the Church in the world.”

In the afternoon, John Newton spoke about Aid to the Church in Need’s presence in the Middle East, helping the local Churches to survive and care for those in need and destitution because of the atrocities in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon towards Christians. The day concluded with Byzantine Vespers of Sunday in English, served by Father Mark. In total the Festival raised £1,500 for Aid to the Church in Need.


Peter Pidjarkowskyj Bykar, Secretary