Official Website of CSI Parish Kattakada, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Official Website of CSI Parish Kattakada, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
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Church of South India (CSI)

     Church of South India (CSI) is the second largest Christian congregation in India, after the Catholic Church. It is also the biggest local Church denomination in India. It has approximately 4 million (40 lakh) members, spread across the four states of southern India, i.e., Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Also, the Church has one diocese functioning in Jaffna (Sri Lanka).
     The CSI has a diverse heritage, which differs from region to region. The majority of its fold consists of those people who received the word of God from the western missionaries who came to this land, braving all types of calamities and hardships. Once they received Jesus Christ, their lives witnessed tremendous changes in terms of social status, education, health care and quality of life. Meanwhile, a large number of people in some dioceses of Kerala claim their Christian heritage to a period dating back to 52 AD, when St. Thomas, a disciple of Jesus Christ came to Kerala. This diversity is reflected in liturgies used during various sacraments, across the regions.
     The believers of southern India initially belonged to various denominations and organizations. Discussions about a unified Church in India for the Protestant denominations began by the turn of the 20th century.  It yielded the first result  on 25th July 1907 1908, when the South Indian United Church was formed. This was a union between Congregationalists and Presbyterians. The Basal Mission, which functioned in the district of Malabar also joined the S.I.U.C. in 1919. The Tamil Churches of Travancore were also included within the fold of SIUC in 1921.