India’s Syro Malabar Church marks century of Catholic newspaper

ERNAKULAM, Kerala (Indian Catholic News) — The Syro Malabar Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly launched the centenary year of its weekly publication by emphasizing that growing a media culture through reading ecclesial testimonies and sharing stories of human dignity must form future generations.

The message was issued by Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, Archiepiscopal Vicar of Ernakulam-Angamaly, to mark the centenary celebrations of the Satyadeepam (“Light of Truth”) weekly, which commenced this August.

A century of faith, truth, and dialogue

The Malayalam Catholic publication was launched in 1927 during the tenure of Archbishop Augustine Kandathil by Father Jacob Naduvathussery and Father Joseph Panjikkaran. The foundational funds were raised by selling Father Joseph Panjikkaran’s boats, named Satyam (Truth) and Deepam (Light).

“One hundred years is not merely the anniversary of the printing of a weekly; it is also the story of a people who decided week after week to read, write, believe, and dialogue,” Archbishop Pamplany stated.

He noted that “Satyadeepam is a common heritage handed down by our ancestors—a constituent part of the culture of dialogue that belonged specifically to the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly and generally to the Syro Malabar Church”.

 Beyond ecclesiastical news, the weekly “has succeeded in fostering a meaningful cultural dialogue with our brethren belonging to other religions in society”.

Walking alongside society at historic crossroads

Throughout its history, the publication has actively engaged with public life. “At historical crossroads such as the Temple Entry Proclamation, the Freedom Struggle, the Formation of Kerala (Keralapiravi), and the developmental trajectories of the State of Kerala the Satyadeepam weekly has walked alongside the general public through clear positions and distinct contributions,” the circular noted.

Addressing wider contemporary challenges, the document emphasized that at a juncture in India when the vision of humanity is “significantly tarnished and even the Constitution of India faces severe challenges, it is imperative to intervene constructively in local politics and culture to stand up for human rights”.

The Archdiocese highlighted that “we are members of a vast dialogical community: the Catholic Church, comprising 1.41 billion people”.

Preserving the sacred observance of reading

Warning against modern media habits, the archbishop wrote that “we live in an age of media revolutions” where “our reading habit has depleted to a dangerous degree”. Drawing a historical parallel, he pointed to the Jewish community, noting that “a people losing the habit of reading are liable to lose the depth of their thought”.

While Christians live as a minority in Kerala and India, the archbishop stressed that the presence and influence of Christians in spheres such as “art, literature, journalism, and politics must be elevated”. “Man does not live by bread alone! To live, he requires deep stories and value-laden thoughts,” he wrote.

Full statement available: original Malayalam and AI‑generated English translation.