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establish a link to the subsequent chapter. A general conclusion completes
the work.

The first two chapters are the exposition of the teachings of Pope
John Paul II. In the first chapter, the focus is to present the teachings of
Pope John Paul II on the identity of Christian family as Domestic Church.
Beginning with the historical introduction of the theme, this study turns to
how this idea has been articulated in the official documents of the Church.
This will be realized with an overview from the teachings of the Second
Vatican Council to those of Pope John Paul I. This particular section is
preparatory for a logical entrance to the main topic of the chapter: analysis
of the teachings of Pope John Paul II on family as Domestic Church,
focusing on three of his documents: Familiaris Consortio, Gratissimam
Sane and Evangelium Vitae. The teachings of the Synod of Bishops of 1980
are included as background to the introduction of the concept of Domestic
Church in the Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio.

The second chapter considers the mission and function of the
Domestic Church as Sanctuary of Life in the teachings of Pope John Paul II.
According to Pope John Paul II, each family is called to form a community
of persons and a community of faith, love and life, which helps it to become
a true Sanctuary of Life.

The third chapter discusses the Christian family and its religious and
moral traditions in the cultural milieu of the Archdiocese of Kottayam. The
chapter is divided into two parts. The first part is an historical analysis of the
development of the cultural heritage of the Syro-Malabar Church and the
Archdiocese of Kottayam. The second part analyses the Southist family
customs and traditions.

The fourth chapter attempts to formulate the mission of the Christian
family as Sanctuary of Life in the Archdiocese of Kottayam, in the light of
the magisterium of Pope John Paul II. Here an attempt is also made to do a
pastoral and moral analysis of the contemporary context of the Archdiocese
of Kottayam. This part of the study takes the form of assimilation,
introspection, assessment, and personal reflections in the light of the
previous chapters and documents.

May this study prove to be a positive contribution to a better
understanding of the significance of family values and the importance of the
family apostolate, and an encouragement to such a living of the age-old
family traditions of the Southist community that they radiate the teachings
of the Church on family as a Domestic Church and a Sanctuary of Life.

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