THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (UCAN) -- The annual Bible quiz in Kerala keeps gaining in popularity, according to organizers, who say 338,000 Catholics took part this year.

Traditionally held on the second Sunday in October, the 19th annual quiz on Oct. 8 drew about 50,000 more people than it did last year. It was held simultaneously in every parish of the southern Indian state's 28 dioceses.

The Kerala Catholic Bible Society, which conducts the written quiz, functions under the Bible Commission of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, the a regional body of bishops of all three rites that form the Indian Catholic Church. The program was held in all 11 Latin, 13 Syro-Malabar and four Syro-Malankara dioceses in the state.

The Latin rite follows the Roman liturgy introduced by European missioners in the 15th century, while the two Oriental rites follow Syrian Church traditions and trace their origins to Saint Thomas the Apostle.

Father Cyrus Velamparambil, secretary of the Bible commission, told UCA News the Logos (word of God) Quiz began in 1988 and has been "a great success," with the number of participants increasing every year.

Several months beforehand, organizers let participants know what portion of the Bible they will need to study. This announcement is made during Bible Week, celebrated June 11-17 this year. Those taking the quiz are divided into five age groups -- 10 and below, 11-15, 16-30, 31-50, above 50 -- and the question papers for each group are sent to parishes. The quiz is administered on the specified date, normally after Sunday Mass. Top scorers receive gold medals, shields and trophies. Other participants are awarded certificates.

Father Velamparambil explained that the multiple-choice questions are written in both English and the local Malayalam language. "It has been evoking good response. A lot of people took the program seriously and prepared for the event in advance," the 51-year-old priest told UCA News.

Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese was top in the number of participants, with 50,026. Trichur archdiocese came in second with 32,099 and Pala diocese third with 30,120.

At one parish of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, St. Joseph's, 4,450 people took part from about 2,500 families. "It shows their genuine interest in the word of God," Father Velamparambil remarked.

Charlie Paul, a Kochi-based lawyer and secretary of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese's pastoral council, told UCA News: "Now more and more youths are taking interest in reading the Bible. It's an indication of youth turning to God and his word. The Church must understand these realities and encourage them."

All Kerala's 28 Catholic dioceses observed Bible Sunday on June 17, the culmination of Bible Week. Families read the Bible after evening prayers.

The Charismatic movement, popular in Kerala the past decade, encourages family Bible reading, according to Father Velamparambil. "Now more and more people are reading the Bible. It's a good sign. The word of God is reaching more people," he continued, pointing out that the Catholic Church has not always encouraged laypeople to read the Bible, for fear of misinterpretation.

The complete Catholic Bible in Malayalam has been available only since 1988, when the bishops' Pastoral Orientation Centre published it. The center is based in Kochi, Kerala's commercial capital, 2,595 kilometers south of New Delhi.

According to United Nations data, the state of 31.8 million people is fully literate, but most people read and write in Malayalam. The state has about 6 million Christians, a majority of them Catholics.

Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil of Ernakulam-Angamaly, who heads the Syro-Malabar Church as its major archbishop, congratulated the quiz participants at a function associated with the quiz in his archdiocese. "The program helps many to have deeper experience of God and his word," he said.

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