Rebel group celebrate full congregation-facing mass inside St. Mary’s basilica

Lay people, priests celebrate mass at St. Mary's Basilica in Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese; papal delegate had warned those rebelling against the synodal diktat; Fr. Jose Edassery said it was a moment of great happiness; mass began after grand procession of priests; gospel reading from John; meeting of parishioners decided to continue mass.

Around 700 lay people and about a hundred priests from the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church celebrated the full congregation-facing Mass at St. Mary’s basilica, principal church of the archdiocese here on Tuesday, a day after papal delegate Archbishop Cyril Vasil entered the basilica under heavy police protection to offer prayers.

The papal delegate, during his homily at a concelebrated Mass at St. Thomas Mount, the headquarters of the Syro-Malabar church, had warned those rebelling against the synodal diktat for 50:50 Mass. The synodal Mass involves celebrants facing the congregation for the opening part of the Mass and then turning away to the altar for the consecration part and then again turning to the people for the blessings after communion. The archbishop asked in no uncertain terms whether the rebel lay people and priests were with the Pope, the vicar of Christ.

Father Jose Edassery, who delivered the homily during the concelebrated Mass at the basilica, said it was a moment of great happiness for the lay people and priests to be able to resume Mass celebrations at the basilica. The closure of the basilica has been a cause of great pain to both the lay people and priests in the archdiocese, he said.

He said that the events that unfolded at the basilica on Monday were also cause for grief as policemen in uniform, complete with boots, trampled the floors of the basilica. Senior priest Sebastian Thalian was the main celebrant at the basilica Mass.

Lay people began to arrive at the basilica by about 3 p.m. for the Mass scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. The church was closed down on the eve of Christmas last year and no masses have been held so far. The basilica parishioners apart, lay people and priests had also arrived from neighbouring parishes for the Mass. The seats inside the church were full well ahead of the Mass and people were seen on the expansive veranda of the basilica participating in the Mass.

The Mass began around 5 p. m. after a grand procession of priests in vestments from the archbishop’s house. While about 200 people led the priests in procession, others sang hymns inside the basilica. The gospel reading was from John relating to the miracle at the wedding at Cana. It was said during the homily that the miracle at Cana reminded one that there is a time for everything.

A meeting of the parishioners has decided to continue the Mass at the basilica as usual in the coming days, said a spokesman for Alamaya Munnettam, lay people’s forum, after the Mass.