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Bar Mariyam during priestly ordination of Fr. Kevin Mundackal.

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AP 87 - Bar Mariyam during priestly ordination of Fr. Kevin Mundackal.
Call Number

AP 87

Part Number Part I - Syro Malabar Church
Title Bar Mariyam during priestly ordination of Fr. Kevin Mundackal.
Duration 6:47
Place of Recording St. Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic Church at Somerset, New Jersey
Date of Recording 5 May 2018
Youtube URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqwDMCneT_o
Video Segment (s)

 

Notes

Bar Mariyam during priestly ordination of Fr. Kevin Mundackal

In this video we see history in the making. For the first time, the ancient Syriac hymn, ""Bar mariyam"" (“Son of Mary”) is heard in the context of a sacerdotal ordination. Here is a deliberate attempt toward re-imagining the (East) Syriac heritage by the young generation of Syro Malabar Catholics in the USA. The occasion was the priestly ordination of Fr. Kevin Mundackal for the St. Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago. The ordination took place at St. Thomas Syro Malabar Catholic Church at Somerset, New Jersey, on 5 May 2018. Fr. Kevin, in consultation with the choir, decided to add a Syriac element to the ceremony by singing two chants in Syriac, the trisagion ("Qandisa alaha," see Aramaic Project-86 ) and "Bar mariyam" ( see more on this chant at christianmusicologicalsociety.com). 'Bar mariyam,' which is a para-liturgical hymn, was sung during the kissing of the anointed hands of the newly ordained priest. Until this event, "Bar mariyam" used to be associated with the wedding ceremonies of the Knanaya Christians, an endogamous community among the St. Thomas Christians. By including this chant in the sacerdotal ceremony, Fr. Kevin has not only expanded the performance context, but also reclaimed the chant as a part of the common heritage of all the St. Thomas Christians. Fr. Kevin’s decision will surely lead to a new conversation on the Syriac identity of the Syro Malabar Church. It will also add to the evolving chapter in the story of the East Syriac language in America. It is interesting to see that the conversation that started on 7 September 2013 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D. C. is gaining momentum. (See Aramaic Project 66 & 65 ). The Christian Musicological Society of India congratulates Fr. Kevin and the choir.

Joseph J. Palackal
New York
11 May 2018

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