The house of worship now stands out in the Canadian Catholic scene because it is one of the few to play host to the Syro-Malabar community.
The Syro-Malabar rite is the second-largest of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Pope in Rome. Its traditions and rites originate from when St. Thomas brought Christianity to India.
Present in Canada for at least 80 years, there are more than 50,000 Syro-Malabar Catholics in this country. On Aug. 6, 2015, Pope Francis erected the Apostolic Exarchate of the Canadian Syro-Malabar faithful. On Dec. 22, 2018, the exarchate was elevated into the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Mississauga.
On July 22, Bishop Héctor Vila inaugurated the Syro-Malabar rite within Whitehorse with a special Mass and reception. Bishop Jose Kalluvelil of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Mississauga co-presided over the celebration, and Sacred Heart rector Fr. Bartek Palczewski, Sacred Heart associate pastor Fr. Freison Kunnumpurathu and Fr. Leo Llames of Our Lady of Victory Parish in Whitehorse also attended.
Kunnumpurathu arrived in the Whitehorse diocese at Vila's invitation in April. He is charged with leading the bi-weekly Syro-Malabar services — there have been six as of Sept. 29 — in Malayalam, the official language of the Indian state Kerala.
“The 60 people who attended the Holy Mass on (July 22) were so happy because they got the Mass in their native language,” said Kunnumpurathu. He added that he and Palczewski would do their “level best by the grace of God” to bring the 70-75 families adherent to Syro-Malabar that they know to dwell in the region to the cathedral.
Many families Kunnumpurathu intends to contact came to Whitehorse between 10-20 years ago to pursue economic opportunity. Whitehorse’s economy is driven by the mining, hospitality, construction, public administration and petroleum industries.
A WhatsApp group has been established for the members to liaise with each other. Parish registration and sacrament enrollment forms have been sent out to prospective congregants.
Palczewski, who intends to learn the Syro-Malabar rite to lead the services when his associate pastor is away, said this community adds to a rich congregational cultural tapestry, which includes European Canadians, Indigenous peoples and Filipinos.
“It is what makes the Church in Canada so special and unique, right,” said Palczewski. “You can have people who come with different religious traditions, Christmas traditions and different feasts, saints, and we all put them together. Of course, there can be some pastoral tensions. It's like maybe when you have 12 kids, the kids sometimes struggle and quarrel for toys or something, but it's also very enriching. Each group can learn from each other.”
In addition to a Mass every two weeks, which could become weekly if the attendance grows, Kunnumpurathu intends to host monthly family prayer sessions in the home of a selected member of the Syro-Malabar community.
“I feel the (Syro-Malabar will be) an important community in Whitehorse,” said Kunnumpurathu. “They can give a lot of spiritual enlightenment to everywhere wherever they are working.”