The Birth of the Mangalorean Catholic Association of Sydney Inc. (MCAS)

Mangalorean Catholics are a ethnic-religious community of Roman Catholics following the Latin Rite from the Mangalore Diocese on the south western coast of Karnataka, India. They speak the Konkani language.

It is commonly established that the birds of a feather flock together. In any part of the world, it is a common practice to belong to an ethnic association. Australia is probably one of the most multi-cultural nations in the world, their origins coming from over 150 countries. In Sydney itself there are about 30 Indian associations. There are various associations which have existed for decades eg The Anglo Indian and the Goan Association. The formation of the Mangalorean Catholic Association will help in the spreading and the enrichment of the culture, tradition, values and other aspects of our community. With the arrival of more Mangaloreans in Sydney especially during the last ten years, a strong need was felt for the creation of an official platform like an association, as people wanted more and diverse activities in the community. Stanley D’Cruz with adequate support of like minded people led a sustained campaign and awareness during the last few years. This culminated in an historic event, the forming of the Mangalorean Catholic Association of Sydney in 2006.

In 2006 Sydney established possibly the third Mangalorean Catholic Association in the world. The other two are Nottingham in the UK, and Melbourne in Australia. Today there are numerous associations located in almost all parts of the world. With the creation of the Sydney association, a much needed platform for the Mangalorean community was established. It is estimated that there are over 1000 Mangalorean families in Sydney with quite a number of second-generation families. Many of these are multi-cultural i.e. they are married into Anglo Saxon, Italian, Greek, Sri Lankan and other ethnicities. These Mangaloreans have come from Mumbai, Bangalore, Persian Gulf, New Zealand and other places.