KCCNA History
The innate desire to preserve the unique culture and traditions prompted the pioneer Knanaya visionaries to form the KCCNA. Founded in 1988, KCCNA, the federation of 20 different local units of Knanaya catholic associations has grown to be the largest catholic lay organizations representing over 20,000 members from United States of America and Canada . The youth wing KCYLNA and women’s wing KCWFNA are the umbrella organizations under KCCNA. As a lay organization, KCCNA strives to maintain and promote Knanaya culture, traditions and heritage. KCCNA organizes Knanaya Community gatherings at regional, territorial and international levels to develop and maintain contacts and relationship with Knanaya communities all over the world. KCCNA pledge her allegiance to the Arch eparchy of Kottayam.
My Message
"Catholic ennu kettalo, abhimana-pooritham-akanam-en antharangam; Knanayam ennu kettalo, thilakkanam chora njerambukalil"
Dear KCCNA national council members,
I am writing this with great pleasure and humility to present myself as a candidate for the president of KCCNA. I would like to thank you for the support you have provided to me in the past while working together for the knanaya community in general and KCCNA in particular as a member and as a humble leader of the Tampa knanaya community. I am presenting to you my visions about,
I am honored and humbled to present my visions and dreams for a united knanaya community of the future.
- (i) A new leadership style that will empower unit level leaders and grass-root level members in the decision-making process. Problems, issues and needs of the community and the best approaches to address them are identified at the grass-root level and I as the president becomes a humble servant of the organization to execute them for the community - a bottom-up approach that I have practiced throughout in my life.
- (ii) Making KCCNA, a vibrant organization by developing a web network to connect all local units of KCCNA as well as to promote greater unit-level involvement of youth (KCYLNA) and women. All major decisions will be taken through discussions with all local units using the monthly web-conferences.
- (iii) Stronger partnership between the spiritual and KCCNA leaderships, so that together we will achieve a win-win situation for the community. At the end of the day, we all realize that it is Jesus who offers the real solution for all problems. Spiritual growth of our community must be an important goal for us.
- (iv) As father of three young children, I share the same focus many of you have, in bringing the youth and kids to knanaya mainstream. We must make positive and concrete steps to involve the youth in KCCNA activities. Time is running out on this and we must act. I am 100% committed on this goal.
- (v) I stand for the two major virtues of our community - the catholic faith for which our forefathers travelled to India in AD 345, and our sacred traditions and endogamy. Instead of coming to you with a pre-decided team of KCCNA office bearers chosen by me, I would like to give you the freedom to directly choose the best people, especially the key positions including Vice President and Secretary. Although I have encouraged several highly motivated and dedicated individuals, who share my visions and missions, to submit nominations for these positions, it is my decision not to form the full team before the election. Instead, I prefer to form the team after the election by including the people you have chosen. I am fully confident and capable of leading a team of office-bearers chosen by you. As always, this is yet another testimony of my new grass-root level inclusive leadership style.
I have the resources, drive and determination to stand up for the needs of our community, its unifying virtues and uncompromising principles, and to lead the organization while listening to everyone's voices. I hope and trust that you will appreciate my inclusive leadership approach, ideas for grass-root level empowerment of members, especially youth and women, my vision for KCCNA as a community organization, my ability to address unsolved problems and to make progress in several new mission items, and I request you to give me an opportunity to lead our organization during the next two years. I assure you that I will remain committed to serve KCCNA and our community, irrespective of positions and power. Thank you again for considering my candidature and the support that you have extended to me,
Sincerely,
Tomy Myalkarapurathu
