Australian Church gets Syro-Malabar coordinator

(August 07, 2010) The Catholic Bishops Conference of Australia has appointed a national coordinator for Syro-Malabar Catholics, following up a request from the synod of the Oriental Church based in Kerala. Archbishop Philip Wilson, President of the bishop’s conference, appointed Father Francis Kolencherry to the new post, said a release from the conference, on Thursday, 5^th of August. The priest has been administrator of St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra, it said. The National Coordinator works to liaison between the various Syro-Malabar migrant communities and to oversee and administer their pastoral needs. He also works as a link between them, their mother Church in Kerala and the Catholic Church in Australia. Father Francis spent 12 years working as the Executive Director of Catholic charities in his parent Archdiocese of Ernakulam - Angamaly, before going to Australia. He was also the Executive Director for India’s nation-wide ‘Save a Family Plan’ which saw Canadian families sponsor the poorest Indian families in a bid to improve their standard of living. Father Francis says a major priority for him “is to educate children in the Catholic Faith in accordance with the Syro-Malabar tradition. This will help to ensure their native language and cultural traditions will survive to the next generation.” Australia has some 11,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics.