Need to organize Christian Diaspora Community and to establish Diaspora Centers in Kerala for our Generations

Atty. Lal Varghese, Dallas

The term “Diaspora” is a Greek word which means “dispersion” or “scattering” or “sowing”.  The root words of Diaspora is in the Latin – dia  = through, and speirein = to scatter or sow. The Hebrew equivalent word for Diaspora is Galut which means “exile”. In Malayalam it is commonly known as “Pravasikal”. Thus Diaspora means dispersed or scattered seeds to propagate new generation. Jews are a Diaspora community scattered all over the world who longed to return to Israel. We have a large number of Christians from Kerala and all over India as a Diaspora community scattered all around the world without the privilege to attend local parishes, since there is none in most of the places. Christian Diaspora communities are present today in the United States of America, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Middle East, and more recently in South America including Mexico. We became a Diaspora for reasons other than Jewish Diaspora . But still we need to understand and recognize the Diaspora community due to their plight from homeland, intention to resettle in homeland, intent to cultivate in the future generation its rich religious and cultural heritage, future of the Diaspora generations, and our vision and mission about the homeland from where we have been dispersed

The election and calling of the Christians must be traced from the calling of Abraham to understand its historical purpose and the relevance of the Diaspora Community. Hence we are told that the election was given over to the Christians with the Great Mission. "Go into all over the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15). We the Christians have the great tradition of being elected by Jesus for ministering the Gospel through his most rational disciple St. Thomas. But now we have scattered into all over the world. Our call and election as a Diaspora Community is clear and unequivocal; to proclaim the living Jesus Christ in the community where we live, and to pass on the rich tradition and heritage of our culture to our future generations.

What we need to do as Christians is to help this Diaspora Community to do the duties entrusted to them by God? We need to recognize and equip the Diaspora Community and the extended Diaspora Community who have no access to parishes to do their roles according to God’s plans wherever they are living. Our Christian heritage, strong family ties, our moral codes of behavior as individuals, families and community, our ethical standards in marriage and interpersonal relations, emphasis on monogamy and chastity, sexual purity and avoidance of sexual perversions and our emphasis on living on the word of God are unique and is the solution to the decaying society all over the world. No other culture in the world can give these values to the cultures we are living. It is because of this uniqueness; we are placed as a Diaspora Community at this historical moment.

Syrian Christians are no longer a local community within the bounds of Kerala. It has spread its wings across the world, since they moved across the different continents seeking better opportunities for whom God has specific plans. There are two kinds of Diaspora Christians, those who have access to local Indian parishes, and extended Diaspora Christians, those who do not have access to local Indian parishes. Both of these Diaspora Christians should not be ignored anymore by the various Church authorities. They have given valuable contributions to the respective churches they belong in the past, and still providing valuable contributions to such churches. We need to organize the Diaspora Community worldwide without any strings attached to any churches. It should be an independent organization consisting of members of different Christian denominations. Diaspora Christians should be able to communicate and extend help each other and organizations like FOCUS may take up this challenge and organize Diaspora Christians all around the world under one umbrella. They should be provided with everything which they are missing from a parish including pastoral care, and lay people’s caring and sharing.

When we think of what had happened to Jews in Germany during holocaust or Asians in Uganda or Mar Thoma Christians in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion, we immediately understand the importance and the urgent need for a Diaspora Centers in our mother land.  Now we may feel secure in our countries of adoption but a political tragedy in 50 or 100 years may change the landscape and it is important consider and provide for this eventuality. Joseph saw the famine before it occurred; therefore, he was able to save a whole generation and a nation. Since the leaders of the Church are ignoring the please to recognize Diaspora Community we should think about this very seriously, and should see that it has been implemented as token of appreciation for the future Diaspora generation living outside Kerala. Most of the other religious faiths have recognized its Diaspora Community, and is catering to their needs by providing Diaspora Centers, and other related services through such centers. Recently the government of India has recognized the need to organize Indian Diaspora Community all around the world and has taken steps for implementing to establish Diaspora Centers in India.

          Majority of the Christians may not think now seriously about the importance of recognizing Christian Diaspora Community living all over the world, and the importance of having Diaspora Centers in our homeland, to cater to their needs. It is not a building, it is an idea, and it is a mutual pledge that in times of adversity that we may have a home away from home. We have a father waiting to receive us back at home in case we may be forced to return for no fault of ours. It may not happen in our life time, it may not happen in our children's life time. But it may happen because of our skin color say in 50-500 years from now. But we should not put it away from our psyche this knowledge and this possibility. This is what Diaspora centre is all about, it is a concept for providing everything to build that concept and extent that possibility form 50 years to 500 years. This concept will also help the second generation Diaspora Christians to know about their roots, its faith and the rich traditions of their parents.

It is high time that we should awaken and organize the Diaspora Community all over the world under one umbrella and in the future to build Diaspora Centers in our home land. Our young people can use this Center as a source for building their knowledge about the faith and practices of our traditions, culture and origin. The dream to organize Diaspora community will materialize only if the independent organizations like FOCUS without any affiliation to any church can come forward and gather all Diaspora Christians under one umbrella. Let us pray that the good Lord may provide such opportunities to our future generations in the future through FOCUS for a community which has been neglected for the last more than half a century by the church authorities.