Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal George Alencherry in a pastoral letter, sent out to be read in all the parishes of the Syrian Catholic Church during the Sunday Mass on September 5, has called upon the church members to adhere to the unified system of celebrating the Mass as decided by the synod that met online early this month.
The unified system of celebrating the Mass will come into effect from the new liturgical cycle starting on November 28 with the feast of Annunciation, says the letter. It also appeals to the clergy and the faithful to set aside “individual preferences” and work towards the unity of the Church as desired by the members of the synod.
The division in the Syro-Malabar Church is a long-running one and relates to the way the Mass is celebrated. While the vast majority of the parishes under the Church celebrate the Mass with the celebrant (priest) facing the faithful, there are some dioceses where the Mass is celebrated with the priest facing away from the people or facing the tabernacle (holy of holies).
There are also some parishes where the celebrant faces the people during most of the Mass time and faces the altar or turns away from the participants for brief periods of the rituals.
The most recent decision by the synod is that the celebrant will face the congregation during the introductory rituals and for the sermon. For the rest of the time, the celebrant will face the tabernacle.
The Major Archbishop also says that efforts should be made to avoid any further division on the issue of the way the Mass is celebrated. Priests and the religious should take special care in this matter, says the letter.
The Pope has been cited at the beginning of the pastoral letter as calling upon the priests, religious, and the lay believers to use the opportunity for a unified celebration of Mass to cement the overall unity and betterment of the Church.
