On April 21, 2025, the Mariahilfer Church in Graz hosted the official founding celebrations for a Syro-Malabar Catholic congregation in Styria. With this, Graz joins Vienna, Feldkirch, and Salzburg as one of the Austrian cities with an officially recognized Syro-Malabar community.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is the second-largest Eastern Catholic Church in the world, with around 4.5 million members. While the majority live in the southern Indian state of Kerala, the church is also present in countries such as Australia, Great Britain, Canada, and the USA.
According to Vicar General Yuriy Kolasa, who was present at the celebrations, Austria is now home to more than 4,000 Syro-Malabar believers.
The founding of this new congregation marks an important step for the faithful in Styria, offering them a spiritual home to celebrate the Holy Qurbana in their own tradition and language, while remaining in full communion with the Catholic Church.
