A position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people are an Ethnoreligious group from Kerala, India. Denominationalism|List of Christian denominations|Church (disambiguation A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name structure and doctrine within Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given Religion. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight An archdeacon is responsible for administration of an archdeaconry, which is the principal subdivision of the diocese. In many rites of the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglican churches, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a Bishop.

Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church, the post of archdeacon was once one of great importance as a senior official of a diocese. It has fallen into disuse, and its duties are now part of the work of such officials as the vicar general, episcopal vicar, and the vicar forane/dean/archpriest. A vicar general (often abbreviated VG) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority A vicar general (often abbreviated VG) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority "Forane" redirects here For the veterinary anesthetic see Isoflurane. A dean, in a church context is a Cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy "Forane" redirects here For the veterinary anesthetic see Isoflurane.

History

In 11th-century England, a diocese was meant to be about 3,000 square miles (8,000 km²). England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In many rites of the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglican churches, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a Bishop. In theory, this meant that every part was reachable within a single day's ride. In practice, some dioceses were much larger, taking up to five days in some cases to go end to end. Additionally, some had topographical considerations that greatly limited travel within them (meaning that much shorter distances could be covered in a single day than in other areas). The response to the demands of such distances and terrain, and the increasing demands of church business, was territorial subdivision. The primary unit of subdivision of a diocese was the archdeaconry. An ecclesiastical council held at Windsor in 1070 ordered "that bishops should appoint archdeacons in their churches". Windsor (ˈwɪnzə/ /ˈwɪndzə is a suburban town and tourist destination in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England.

Function

The archdeacon acted as the bishop's representative with the duty of supervising parish churches, for example ensuring they had proper training in how to lead Mass and use the proper equipment. The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church.

These words, slightly adapted from the text of an archdeacon's installation in England in 2001, are indicative of the form that this ministry now takes:

"Archdeacons are called to share in the mission of the church, and to exercise their ministry in conjunction with the Bishop. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. They each have a part in the oversight, discipline and pastoral care of the clergy and people in their archdeaconry. They are to ensure that the Bishop is aware of the needs and concerns of clergy and people, and to foster in them a fuller sense of their responsibilities as members of Christ's body. Archdeacons share the ordinary jurisdiction of the Bishop of the diocese, and exercise the juridiction of the Consistory Court of the diocese as the Chancellor directs. They present candidates to the Bishop for ordination as deacons and priests. They are to induct and install ministers as priests of their parishes, to conduct visitations of the parishes, and to admit Churchwardens to their office on behalf of the Bishop. By word and deed, and by their own example, they are to encourage good administration and observance of the law of the church, exercising their authority with wisdom, gentleness and vision; in all things remembering that they minister as priests and pastors in the church of God. "

In practice archdeacons are concerned with decisions relating to resourcing and deployment and in the setting-up and evaluation of experimental and innovative patterns of ministry. They are ex-officio members of principal diocesan committees. In certain circumstances the archdeacon may be required to act as complainant in order to initiate an action under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Anglican Communion

In the Anglican Communion, an archdeacon is usually styled "The Venerable" instead of the usual clerical style of "The Reverend". See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The Reverend is a style used as a Prefix to the names of many Christian Clergy and ministers It is correctly called a style rather In the Church of England the position of an archdeacon can only be held by an ordained priest who has been practising for six years; in some other parts of the Anglican Communion the position can be held by a deacon as well. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions In some parts of the Anglican Communion where women cannot be ordained as priests or consecrated as bishops, the position of archdeacon is effectively the most senior office a female cleric can hold: this being the current situation, for example, in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight The Diocese of Sydney, in the Anglican Church of Australia, is unusual in that the majority of the diocese is Evangelical and Low church in tradition and

Eastern Orthodox Church

In the Eastern Christian Churches (Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches), an archdeacon is an ordained deacon who holds a senior position of responsibility and honor on the staff of a bishop—an archdeacon is part of the "monastic" (that is, celibate) clergy, as distinguished from a similar position of seniority and honor, the protodeacon (for married clergy). The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See Protodeacon derives from the Greek proto- meaning 'first' and diakonos, meaning 'deacon'

Syrian Malabar Nasrani

The Archdeacon was “the prince and head of the Christians of Saint Thomas” and had such titles as “Archdeacon and Gate of All India, Governor of India. ” Portuguese colonists stopped this practice among the Catholic Syrian Christians and Pulikkottil Mar Dionysias stopped this amongst the Orthodox Syrian Christians in 1816. This article addresses the Saint Thomas Christians and the various churches and denominations that form the Nasrani people.

According to the traditional structure, the Indian diocese of the Church of the East was governed by a Metropolitan sent by the Catholicos Patriarch, from Seleucia-Ctesiphon. At the same time, on the local level, in India, Church affairs were governed by the Malabar Assembly. There was also an indigenous head of the Church of Malabar, which, according to historians, means “the head of the caste,” that is, the head of the St Thomas Christians, but also the “Archdeacon of All India. ” Apparently, in his person an indigenous function, characteristic of the St Thomas Christian community, was combined with an existing function of the Church of the East.

The Persian Patriach Thimothy (780-826) called him the head of the faithful in India.

History

According to the canons of the Eastern Church, the Archdeacon is the highest priestly rank: he is the head of all the clerics belonging to a bishopric; he is responsible for the whole worship of the cathedral church and represents the will of the bishop in his absence. One clearly understands how the appointment of an indigenous Archdeacon of All India served the needs of the ecclesiastical organisation of the Church of the East. While the Catholicos Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon reserved for himself the right to send his own prelates originating from Iraq to the Indian diocese, the continuous governance of his Indian flock was secured by the indigenous Archdeacon serving as the head of all the priests in Malabar and representing the bishop’s will.

However, from the local point of view, the rank of the Archdeacon was more important than this; not only was he the most important priest of the community, but he also fulfilled the role of an Ethnarch. He was “the prince and head of the Christians of Saint Thomas” and had such titles as “Archdeacon and Gate of All India, Governor of India. ” The origin and the meaning of the term “Gate” is mysterious. One might suppose that it is a Christological title: “I am the Gate of the sheep” (Gospel of John 10:7). The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon

While originally the Archdeacon in the Church of the East was elected by the bishop according to merit, the office of the Archdeacon of India seems to have been hereditary. It was the privilege of the Pakalomattam family, at least from the sixteenth century onwards. Indeed, we know about a number of Pakalomattam Archdeacons, beginning with 1502, when Metropolitan John of India appointed George Pakalomattam. The name of the family varies, and the family seems to be identical with the Parambil family, translated into Portuguese as De Campo.

The Archdeacon had all the attributes of a secular leader and was normally escorted by a number, sometimes several thousands, of soldiers. It is important to note that while there could be several bishops appointed for the Malabar Diocese, there was always only one Archdeacon, a custom contrary to the canons of the Church of the East. This situation is best explained by the fact that from the point of view of the East Syrian Church structure the Archdeacon was an ecclesiastical function, but from that of the St Thomas Christian community it was also a socio-political, princely function, representing the unity of the Christian nation, or caste(s), of Hendo (India).

External links

• Role of Archdeacon in Nasrani Syrian Christians History-The prince and head of the Christians of Saint ThomasThe Nasrani Syrian Christian Network

• The tomb of Archdeacons- Kuravilangadu
• Bibliography of Works relevant to Archdeacons throughout Europe
• Pakalomattom Ayrookuzhiyil family

See also

• How the Church of England is organised