THE NEW TEXT OF THE SACRAMENTS IN THE .SYRO-MALABAR CHURCH

The newly approved text of the sacraments came into use on


111 January 2004.0ur aim is to have a general glance at the formation

process of the text and evaluate it.

Latinization

East Syrian sacramental texts had been in use among the St. Thomas Christians till the l61h century .

In 1585 the Goan Council decided to translate the Rituale Romanum of the Latin rite into Syriac

in order to be given to the Church of Thomas Christians Fr. Roz S.J.

translated it into Syriac with the particularities of the diocese of Braga

in Portugal and supplied it to the priests at the Diamper synod in

1599. It was this text which was printed in 1775 and reprinted in

1845 with the addition of some sacramentals that were in use in

Malabar till the restoration of the liturgy.

This rite separated confirmation from baptism and limited the

power of conferring it to bishops and to the priests who had special

permission for the same in accordance with the Latin discipline.

Though the rite of baptism for adults was printed in Rome and

published, it did not come into use. Mar Louis Pazheparampil

translated a new rite for confirmation from the Roman rite and used

it. It is believed that the Syriac translation of the Latin rite of the

blessing of marriage was of Fr. Roz S.J. The special blessing for the