The General Gathering (Poduyogam) of the Indian Catholic Community (ICC)

on 4th November 2006 at the SSP Hall

 

The meeting (Poduyogam) started with a prayer at 18:35 HRS. Welcoming all, the Chaplain, opened the forum suggesting that the first session, for around one hour,  would be for evaluating  the ICC activities and its functioning, expressing opinions and giving suggestions for improvement. The other half for clarifying the issues raised by the participants. For which, suggestion came from the participants that they require certain clarifications of issues and the session continued in a question and answer method:

 

1.         Whether the General body is the decision-making body of ICC;  for which the Chaplain answered that it is not, but the ICC Parish Committee as per the tradition of the Church and the practice in the  Archdiocese of Vienna.  Furthermore, this body now here is not proportionately represented.

 

2.         Whether we have any separate Statute or rules and regulations already made for the  functioning of the ICC; for which the Chaplain pointed out that there are no separate Statute for ICC. ICC is one of the 24 language groups (10 from the Asian and African Countries governed by the Afro-Asian Referat (AAI - AAG) under the Archdiocese of Vienna. AAG gives guidelines for the functioning of ICC and it is the duty and responsibility of the appointed Chaplain to administer the ICC according to the traditions and beliefs of the Community. Statues would be made by the Archdiocese in the Bishops/Priests Council, consulting the Canon Law specialists, etc.

 

3.         Regarding electing ICC Parish Committee Members like  in the Austrian Parishes, ICC is not a full-pledged Parish, it is only a canonical entity with a categorial status attached to one of the local Parishes, now to the Maria Lourdes, Meidling and Maria Hilfe der Christen, Stadlau. There is no Statutes/guidelines from the Archdiocese or AAI AAG, for election. The Diocese has started preparation to make such guidelines considering the overall situation of all the language groups and as soon as it is received, we could execute the instructions mentioned there. The eligibility for Catholics to be elected in the ICC would be that one registered in the Archdiocese and have a KB Number and registered with the ICC.

 

4.         Indian Catholic Community is composed of people belonging to the Latin Rite, the Malankara Rite, the Knanaya Community and mostly to the Syro-Malabar Group, besides the different liturgical practices in the different dioceses of Kerala. According to the pastoral principle of representative participation, there were even 38 committee members in 2005. We need not make a Statute or guidelines for fear of the future of the ICC when new Chaplains are appointed, because the Archdiocese would look into the matter. What we require is the financial independency for our functioning, since our group is the one in which 100% people are employed and a rich group. Archdiocese is even asking us to help the other poor language communities in Vienna.

 

5.         As part of Evaluation:-  On the whole, ICC functions well now, but participation of members into the  ICC activities can be improved; information about the advantage of registering in the ICC can be explained; the apprehensions, to come forward to become ICC   Committee members, may be cleared.

 

6.         Unlike in previous years, we have around 300 children participating regularly in our Catechism classes and Mass, etc. in both the churches.

 

7.   For distribution of Holy Communion more members are added in order to make it convenient for each one.

 

8.  For Catechism, exams will be held two times a year.

 

9.  Meetings of the Conveners may be called urgently to boost our involvement and activities since it is the Jubilee year.  

 

10.  The session was over by 20:55 Hrs.

 

List of Participants: