In Bellwood, Mar Thoma Sleeha Cathedral is known for celebrating the Holy Qurbana every day in English and Malayalam. The diocesan cathedral of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago serves more than 1,200 families and brings together Catholic worship, South Indian traditions, education, service, and ministry across generations.
Holy Qurbana at the Center of Cathedral Life
The Holy Qurbana is the Holy Eucharist and the divine liturgy of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. The cathedral celebrates it in Malayalam and English throughout the week. Confession is available Monday through Saturday before and after Qurbana, and the first Friday evening includes Adoration.
Sunday Qurbana in Two Worship Spaces
Sunday's schedule includes Malayalam Qurbana at 8:00 AM and 9:45 AM in the Main Church. At 11:15 AM, Qurbana is celebrated in English in the Main Church and in Malayalam in St. Ephrem's Chapel on the cathedral's lower level. A second English Qurbana is celebrated at 5:30 PM in the Main Church.
Monday through Thursday features Qurbana at 8:30 AM in Malayalam and 5:30 PM in English, with an additional 7:00 PM Malayalam Qurbana on Wednesdays. Friday has an 8:30 AM Malayalam Qurbana and a 7:00 PM English Qurbana. First Friday evening also includes Adoration. Saturday's Qurbana is at 8:30 AM in Malayalam.
A Long-Standing Syro-Malabar Community
The cathedral's long-standing history includes Catholic faith, community life, and South Indian traditions. It welcomes everyone, everywhere, to take part. More than 1,200 families give this diocesan cathedral a broad congregational life rooted in the Syro-Malabar tradition. Its work extends beyond worship into education, service organizations, family formation, and support ministries for people at different stages of life.
Children and Youth Take Part in the Life of the Parish
Children and young people have specific roles in worship and community life. Altar servers assist priests and deacons during Holy Qurbana, sacristans support the altar, and choir teams minister through music. The Sacraments program is designed to help young people explore the Catholic faith, while Faith Formation invites all cathedral members to participate in Catholic formation and provides Bible-study resources, including an Agape Bible Study option. The Syro Malabar Cathedral Malayalam School also educates children.
- Catholic Youth Movement (CYM) serves as a youth organization.
- Cherupushpa Mission League (CML) was founded in 1947 with a missionary purpose.
- Diocesan Youth Apostolate (DYA) is part of the cathedral's diocesan youth work.
- Jesus Youth is an international movement that began in Kerala in the early 1980s.
- Syro-Malabar Youth Organization (SMYO) gathers the cathedral's young people.
- Syro-Malabar Young Adults and Couples (SMYAC) provides a ministry for young adults and couples.
Teaching, Care and Service
The cathedral's ministries support worship, education, and service in several distinct ways:
- Malpans take their name from a Syriac word meaning guru or teacher.
- Eucharistic Ministers are lay people who assist achans, or priests.
- Nurses' Ministry is a movement of Catholic professional nurses.
- Divine Mercy Ministry has a dedicated place within the cathedral's liturgical life.
- Wards assign parish members to groups based on the area in which they live.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society is a worldwide lay Catholic organization.
The Syro-Malabar Cultural Academy was inaugurated in 2005. The ministry roster also includes a Seniors Forum, a Women's Forum, marriage preparation, a Help Line and Counseling ministry, and funeral services. Parish giving is also available online. Together, these ministries make Mar Thoma Sleeha Cathedral a Bellwood church centered on daily Qurbana, Malayalam and English worship, and service across generations.