The Syro-Malabar faithful, including the Knanaya Catholics, in Los Angeles got organized as Kerala Catholic Association in 1978 and organized Syro-Malabar Qurbana every month with available priests. When Fr. Abraham Mutholath came to Los Angeles for studies from December 1987, he took care of the pastoral needs of the Syro-Malabar Catholics in Southern California until he returned to Kottayam in December 1992.
The Knanaya Catholics in Los Angeles established Knanaya Catholic Congress of Southern California (KCCSC) in November 1992 under the leadership of Fr. Abraham Mutholath. Separate Holy Mass and other religious services were held by the KCCSC for Knanaya Catholics since 1992 at St. John Eudes parish hall in Chatsworth with the help of the priests who came for studies in Los Angeles. When Fr. Abraham Mutholath came back to Los Angeles on December 8, 2000, and then on he took care of the pastoral needs of the Knanaya Catholics.
After the establishment of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago in 2001, Fr. Abraham Mutholath took initiative to establish a Knanaya Catholic Mission under this diocese. Mar Angadiath established St. Pope Pius X Knanaya Catholic Mission in Los Angeles on March 17, 2002 and appointed Fr. Abraham Mutholath as its director.
Fr. Abraham Mutholath took initiative to establish Visitation Convent in Los Angeles on July 22, 2000 and St. Joseph’s Convent in West Covina on May 31, 2002.
Fr. Abraham Mutholath moved to Chicago on February 15, 2003 and Fr. Baby Kattiyankel who was in Los Angeles doing CPE Course was assigned as the director-in-charge of the mission.
Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed Fr. Abraham Mutholath as the syncellus (Vicar General) of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago on October 3, 2001.
Mar Jacob Angadiath officially declared the establishment of Knanaya Catholic Region at OLV Church Chicago and appointed Vicar General Rev. Fr. Abraham Mutholath as Region Director on April 30, 2006. Fr. Mutholath motivated the Knanaya Catholics in different cities of the United States to establish more missions and buy churches. Though there were strong objections, many people, along with Knanaya Catholic priests serving in the region, came forward to start missions and buy churches to form parishes.
Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed Fr. Thomas Malavanal as the syncellus (Vicar General) and Knanaya Region Director with effect from February 8, 2014 and relieved Fr. Mutholath from that responsibility.
Bishop Angadiath appointed Vicar General Fr. Abraham Mutholath also as the director of Knanaya Catholic Mission, Chicago on July 1, 2004. Fr. Philip Thodukayil was the former mission director.
Under the leadership of Fr. Abraham Mutholath, attempts were made to buy a church from the Archdiocese of Chicago. While the mission was celebrating the Solemn feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mar Jacob Angadiath announced on May 25, 2006 that the patron of the proposed new church would be the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Archdiocese of Chicago handed over St. James Church in Maywood to the Knanaya Catholic Mission on September 1, 2006. Since Mar Jacob Angadiath was in Kerala, Vicar General and mission director Fr. Abraham Mutholath inaugurated the possession of the church on Sunday, September 3, 2006. After signing the deed for the property purchase on September 22, 2006, Mar Jacob Angadiath blessed the remodeled sanctuary of the church on September 24, 2006 and elevated the mission as a parish and appointed Fr. Abraham Mutholath as the first vicar. This is the first Knanaya Catholic Parish of the Knanaites in diaspora.
Considering the request of some parishioners who wanted to continue Holy Qurbana at Our Lady of Victory Church in Chicago, Vicar General started St. Mary’s Unit on January 1, 2007. Attempts were made to buy a property for a second Knanaya Catholic Church in Chicago.
The Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic parish signed the deed for the rectory from the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 31, 2007. Under the leadership of Fr. Abraham Mutholath, the parishioners acquired a separate section at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillsdale with possibility of more than 1600 graves. The dedication of the Knanaya Catholic Parish Cemetery at the Queen of Heaven Cemetery took place on June 1, 2007 by Bishops Mar Jacob Angadiath, Bishop of Miao Mar George Pallipparambil, and Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Paprocki, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. A shrine was constructed in the cemetery with the name of our parish and Mar Joseph Pandarasseril blessed it on July 13, 2008.
The parishioners funded to build a new church in the Catholic Diocese of Miao in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India in the name of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in thanksgiving for the church they could buy in Chicago. The parish arranged mission pilgrimage to the North East India, including the Diocese of Miao, from January 11 to 23, 2008.
On January 19, 2008, Rev. Fr. Abraham Mutholath blessed Sacred Heart Church in the Diocese of Miao sponsored by Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish in Chicago. Thirty members from Chicago Knanaya Catholic Parish participated in the function.
St. Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Unit, Chicago bought a synagogue in Morton Grove on January 14, 2010 and converted it as a church. Mar Jacob Angadiath, along with Mar Mathew Moolakkatt and Mar Joseph Pandarasseril, consecrated St. Mary’s Church in Morton Grove on July 18, 2010. St. Mary’s Unit was elevated as a parish and Fr. Abraham Mutholath was appointed as its first pastor as an additional appointment. The Visitation convent building in Morton Grove near St. Mary’s Church was blessed on the same day by the three bishops after the consecration of the St. Mary’s Church in Morton Grove.
When St. Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Parish was established on July 18, 2010, the boundary of Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s parishes were defined based on the 90 Express Way.
Under the leadership of Fr. Abraham Mutholath, St. Mary’s parish also acquired a separate section at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles for the parishioners with the possibility of more than 1400 graves. A shrine was installed in the cemetery with the name of the church. Vicar General Fr. Abraham Mutholath blessed the shrine on July 22, 2012.
The front elevation of the St. Mary’s church was remodeled. Major Archbishop Mar George Alancherry, along with Mar Jacob Angadiath blessed it on October 25, 2011.
Fr. Abraham Mutholath was relieved from the pastoral responsibility of Sacred Heart Church when Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed Fr. Saji Pinarkayil, who has been associate pastor of both Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s Knanaya Catholic parishes in Chicago as the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Chicago on January 1, 2012.
Fr. Abraham Mutholath continued his service at St. Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Parish, Chicago until Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed Vicar General Fr. Thomas Mulavanal as pastor of St. Mary’s as additional charge on October 18, 2014.
Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed Fr. Abraham Mutholath as pastor of the Sacred Heart Parish, Chicago for a second term with effect from October 18, 2014.
Mar Jacob Angadiath elevated Chicago Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish as a Forane in the presence of Mar Joy Alappatt and Mar Lawrence Mukkuzhy on March 22, 2015. Fr. Abraham Mutholath was appointed as forane vicar.
The parish celebrated its tenth anniversary on a large scale from September 9 to 11, 2016 under the leadership of vicar Fr. Abraham Mutholath. Major Archbishop Mar George Cardinal Alancherry, Archbishop Mar Mathew Moolakkatt, Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath, Mar Joy Alappatt, and Bishop Most Rev. Dr. Michael Mulhall (Canada) were the chief guests. The parish sponsored the construction of another Sacred Heart Church in the diocese of Miao as a souvenir of the tenth anniversary of the parish.
With the support of Knanaya Catholic Society (KCS) of Detroit-Windsor, Vicar General and Knanaya Region director Fr. Abraham Mutholath motivated the Knanaya Catholics in Detroit area to start a Knanaya Catholic Mission. Mar Jacob Angadiath established the mission on January 3, 2009 with Fr. Abraham Mutholath as the mission director. Fr. Mutholath used to come from Chicago to offer Holy Mass for the mission until Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed Fr. Mathew Meledath as the director of the mission on August 15, 2009.
Vicar General and Knanaya Region Director Fr. Abraham Mutholath convinced the Knanaya Catholics in Tampa area to start a Knanaya Catholic Mission to take care of the pastoral needs of the community. Based on the unanimous request of the community, Mar Jacob Angadiath established Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Mission in Tampa on January 25, 2009 with Fr. Abraham Mutholath as the mission director. Fr. Abraham Mutholath offered Holy Qurbana on that day and inaugurated the mission. In the meeting that followed, a building committee was selected to search for a church facility.
Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed Fr. Abey Vadakkekara as the fulltime director of the mission on March 9, 2009.
With the support of the Knanaya Catholic Congress of Minnesota (KCCM), Vicar General and Knanaya Region Director Fr. Abraham motivated the Knanaya Catholics in Minnesota area to start a Knanaya Catholic Mission to care for their pastoral needs in the Syro-Malabar rite.
Mar Jacob Angadiath established St. Paul Knanaya Catholic Mission, Minnesota on October 18, 2009 with Fr. Abraham Mutholath as the mission director. Fr. Mutholath sought the help of Fr. Biju Mathew Pattasseril to take of the pastoral needs of the mission since Fr. Mutholath lives in Chicago and Fr. Biju is parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Boniface in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Vicar General Fr. Abraham Mutholath inaugurated the mission on October 18, 2009 after a Holy Mass.
VICAR GENERAL & REGION DIRECTOR
Rev. Fr. Thomas Mulavanal
541 Willow Rd
Elmhurst, IL 60126
1-310-709-5111, tmulavan@gmail.com
REGION PRIESTS SECRETARY
Fr. Bins Chethalil
541 Willow Rd
Elmhurst, IL 60126
1-281-818-6518, frbins@gmail.com
WEB EDITOR
Fr. Abraham Mutholath
1-773-412-6254
mutholath2000@gmail.com