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CHAPTER 4
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

Introduction

The first chapter studied the Christian families and their traditions in
the cultural milieu of the Archdiocese of Kottayam. The customs and
ceremonies of the Knānāya community express the faith and morals,
culture, vision of life, identity and lifestyle of this community and represent
their basic commitment to God. In this context, this chapter determines the
nature, mission and responsibilities of contemporary Kottayam Christian
families as a Sanctuary of Life.

Since the Archdiocese of Kottayam is an integral part of the Syro-
Malabar Church, and the Catholic Church in India as a whole, they all share
the same cultural context and social background, and thus have the same
mission. But this writer notes that this mission is manifested in a unique
manner in the family moral traditions of the Southist community. While the
sources used in this chapter are mostly common for the whole Catholic
Church in India, particular sources, unique to the Kottayam community, are
used when necessary.

This chapter tries to determine the conformity of the Knānāya
customs to the magisterium of Pope John Paul II on family as a Sanctuary of
Life and its subsequent mission in the modern world. The goal of this
chapter is finding concurrence between the specific missions of the
Christian family as a Sanctuary of Life, as envisioned by the magisterium of
Pope John Paul II, and the special Knānāya customs that imply those
teachings, and, finally, applying these findings in the contemporary context
of the Archdiocese of Kottayam.

4.1 The Missions of the Christian Family as a Sanctuary of Life in
Southist Customs

As studied earlier, Christian families, among their manifold
responsibilities, in communion with the Church, are called to sanctify
themselves, the Church and the world. “In this way the Christian family is
called to be sanctified and to sanctify the ecclesial community and the

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