St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. The eparchy was erected by Pope John Paul II on 13 March 2001 The Syro-Malabar Church is the second largest Church among the Eastern Catholic Churches. St. Thomas the Apostle founded the Syro-Malabar Church, otherwise called the Church of St. Thomas Christians, in South India.