The Syro Malabar Church is one of the 21 Oriental Rites in the Universal Church.

The Apostles went around the world and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to different ethnic groups and cultures. Those people understood the Gospel Values with different cultural interpretations. They expressed their Faith through celebrations in different styles, languages, & cultures. Thus different Liturgies were formed and developed in the East which are listed in 5 Fundamental Families, namely: Alexandrian, Antiochean, Armenian, Chaldean, and Byzantine. And there are many different filial Churches in each Family.

The Syro Malabar Church was founded by St.Thomas, one of the 12 Apostles, who came to India in AD 52. He preached in different Kingdoms all around the Subcontinent and established seven and a half Ecclesial Communities in Malabar, today called Kerala. After 20 years of His Mission Work, He was martyred in Mylapore, near Madras by a fanatic Hindu priest on July 3rd in AD 72. The whole world celebrates the Martyrdom of St.Thomas on July 3rd and it is a day of obligation for the Syro Malabarians.