Our history

St. Mary’s Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission (SMCM) Leeds had a very tiny beginning in late half of the year 2002. A few families with Christian background from Kerala, set up a prayer group and had regular prayer meetings every week. However, it had a steady and constant growth during the last 16 years. Today there are approximately 165 Syro-Malabar catholic families are living inside the territory of the Catholic Diocese of Leeds and this territory is the boundary of this mission. SMCM Leeds comprises of six communities – Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Keighley, Leeds and Pontefract/Wakefield. Various priests (mainly Rev. Fr. Babu Appadan, Rev. Fr. Mathew Choorapoikayil and Rev. Fr. Saji Thottathil), were celebrating the Holy Mass for each community until we had a permanent Syro-Malabar Chaplain in 2012.

Since the arrival of Rev. Fr. Joseph Ponneth in 2012, the first Syro-Malabar Chaplain, the progress of SMCM Leeds was very fast and well-coordinated. Holy Qurbana was celebrated in each community at least once in a month. Catechism classes were started in each community. 

On 18th October 2015, Right Reverend Marcus Stock, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Leeds allowed the Syro-Malabar Community within the Diocese to gather together at St. Wilfrid’s Catholic church, Lower Wortley for their regular liturgical services and St. Wilfred’s Presbytery as the residence of the Syro-Malabar Chaplain. Since then we have Holy Qurbana on every Sunday and week days in Syro-Malabar Rite. We also have Syro-Malabar Holy Mass in English for our children. SMCM Leeds have an outstanding Catechism School with more than 200 students and 36 teachers and having catechism classes every Sunday. We also have an active youth group (SMYM) and the Women Forum for our ladies.