Late Lamented Dr. Geevarghese Mor Gregorios Metropolitan
(affectionately calledPerumpally Thirumeni) was born on October 24th, 1933 (Thulam
8th, 1109 according to Kollavarsham/Malayalam Calendar).
He was the sixth child
of his parents, Maathu Aashan of Parappallil (Kaarapuzha) family, Puthuppally
and Annamma of Edavanthalayil (Kanjiram) family, Veloor (both places near
Kottayam). His baptismal name was Geevarghese and his pet name was Kunjukunju.
His home parish was St. George Valiyapally, Puthuppally.
He had a challenging childhood,
as he lost his beloved father Maathu Aashan, at the age of seven. This forced
him to walk through several valleys of despair, which included a
‘hand-to-mouth’ existence and daily learning under street lights. But as he
consistently recalled, ‘the rod and staff of Lord Almighty’ took care of him
through his loving mother and seven siblings, and those challenges, which
ultimately shaped him up into a passionate leader, later influenced him to
start orphanages, hospitals and schools, which benefitted the poor and needy
brethren of the society.
He did his primary, middle and
high school education at St. George Valiyapally School (Puthuppally), St.
Thomas School (Iravinelloor) and St. George School (Puthuppally) respectively.
After High School, he served the State Revenue Department (Treasury) for some
time. Then he obtained his B.O.L (Bachelor of Oriental Languages, ‘Sahithya
Visharad’) graduation from Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram, securing the
first rank. He also completed his Teacher’s Training Program from Training
School, Kozhikode.
From his early childhood he had
the blessing to be closely associated with Late Lamented Michael Mor Dionysius
(Panampady), Very Rev. Geevarghese Ramban Kochuparambil, Malpan Rev. Fr. Yacoub
Parayakulathu (Later H.G Yacoub Mor Themotheos, Mor Sharbeel Dayaro,
Thrikothamangalam) and Malpan Rev. Fr. Yacoub Madappattu (Later H.G Yacoub Mor
Yulios, Mor Ignatius Dayaro, Manjinikkara), which enabled him to attain
exemplary theological understanding and in-depth knowledge about the rich
heritage and traditions of Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.
He was ordained full deacon in
December 1958 by Late Lamented Elias Mor Julios Qoro Bava (The Patriarchal
Delegate to Malankara). On 1st August 1959 Late Lamented Elias Mor Julios Qoro
Bava ordained him priest at Mor Ignatius Dayaro, Manjinikkara.
He (Rev. Fr. P.M Geevarghese) was
subsequently appointed Vicar of St. George Simhasana Church, Perumpally and
before starting his journey to Perumpally, Late Lamented Elias Mor Julios Qoro
Bava blessed and presented him with a black habit of Moran Mor Ignatius Elias
III the Patriarch and a silver coin (1862 edition), in the presence of several
rambans and priests, including Very Rev. Kuriakose Ramban Vanchithaattil.
He assumed his responsibility as
Vicar of St. George Simhasana Church, Perumpally (the Church after itself he
was known later) on 9th September 1959. After assuming this responsibility, he
joined the Mahathma Gandhi Memorial (M.G.M) High School, Puthenkurishu as a
Malayalam teacher on 2nd June 1960. Later, he served the St. Mary’s High School,
Kandanadu from 6th July 1966 to January 1974.
The centenary celebrations of St.
Thomas and the subsequent heresies regarding the apostolic throne and
succession of St. Thomas made the Church atmosphere turbulent in early
seventies. It reached a flashpoint when the erstwhile Orthodox faction of the
Church incorrectly argued that the Malankara Church is autocephalous and
undertook unscrupulous steps to cancel the visa of the Patriarchal Delegate,
H.G Mor Themotheos Aphrem Aboodi. Witnessing this Satanic threat to their core
faith, the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church faithful, who bore truthful
allegiance to the One Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church, whose Apostolic
Throne was established in Antioch by St. Peter in A.D 37, and who exhibited
admirable loyalty and solid commitment to his successors the Holinesses the
Patriarchs, convened a meeting at St. George Simhasana Church, Perumpally on
24th January 1974. In the meeting, they unanimously chose Rev. Fr. P.M
Geevarghese and Rev. Fr. Thomas Cheruvallil (Later H.B Mor Baselios Thomas 1
Catholicose) as bishop elects and requested His Holiness the Patriarch of
Antioch to consecrate them as Bishops. (Earlier, in the year 1973, they both
had been elected to the leadership of Antiochean Vishwasa Samrakhshana Samithi,
at a meeting held at St. George Church, Karingachira).
Accordingly, the then Patriarch
His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Yacoub III consecrated
Rev. Fr. P.M. Geevarghese under the name H.G Geevarghese Mor Gregorios as
Bishop for ‘Theebel’ on 24th February 1974 at Damascus, Syria (Rev. Fr. Thomas
Cheruvallil was also consecrated as Bishop for ‘Theebel’ under the name H.G
Thomas Mor Dionysius, along with him).
The newly ordained Bishop, H.G.
Geevarghese Mor Gregorios, was accorded tumultuous welcome and grand reception
across various Churches in Malankara. And the various services he extended to
the Church during the period 1974-1999 remain unparalleled.
H.G Geevarghese Mor Gregorios
travelled across Malankara and rejuvenated the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
faithful. He established Mor Julios Seminary at Perumpally, until the Church
had its full-fledged Seminary later at Vettickal, Mulanthuruthy. Several
Churches including the St. Mary’s Soonoro Patriarchal Cathedral, Elamkulam
(Kochi) and St. Joseph’s Cathedral, LBS Road, Kottayam were found by him. He
also initiated and managed several institutions like the Hail Mary English
Medium High School, Hail Mary Hospital, Hail Mary League, M.G.M Shanthi
Mandiram etc. Since his assumption in 1959, he remained as the Vicar of St.
George Church, Perumpally and under his blessed stewardship it witnessed
magnanimous growth, including its renovation, Cupola in the name of St.
Geevarghese Mor Gregorios Chathuruthil (Parumala Thirumeni) at Perumpally and
dedication of ‘Jerusalem Bhavanam’, with its glorious collection of sacred
relics, including the Soonoro of St. Mary and other declared Saints of the
Church.
He celebrated the Holy Qurbana
with utmost passion and his response to anyone who queried about its reason was
“I consider every celebration of Holy Qurbana as my first celebration of that
most blessed Sacrament”. He firmly believed in the intercession of St. Geevarghese
Mor Gregorios Chathuruthil (Parumala Thirumeni), as he had the blessing to
celebrate Holy Qurbana on the ‘Thablaitha’ that was consecrated by Parumala
Thirumeni. (The ‘Thablaitha’, consecrated on Edavam 14, 1896, was held under
the custody of Pattamadathil family, Puthuppally and later presented to him).
He could effectively communicate
with people of all sections of life and his spiritual discourses, replete with
parables and jovial anecdotes, always attracted multitudes, with his powerful
voice adding more dimensions to them. He always remained a common man’s bishop,
and his suggestions and exhortations at the end of the Ordination and Marriage
ceremonies bore stamps of his unique and inimitable oratory skills.
His took up many offices of responsibility
in our Church. He was the President of Malankara Jacobite Suriyani Association
from 1974 to 1975. He served as the Metropolitan of Kochi and Malabar dioceses
from 1974 to 1976, Metropolitan of Kochi diocese from 1976 to 1982, Assistant
Metropolitan of Kottayam diocese from 1980 to 1982 and then as the Metropolitan
of Kottayam diocese (until 1999). From 1995, he also had the additional
responsibility of Kollam, Niranam, Thumpamon dioceses. He remained as the
Secretary to the Holy Episcopal Synod of Malankara and became its President and
Church Metropolitan Trustee after the demise of H.B Baselios Paulose II
Catholicose on 1st September 1996. He was also the President of Akhila
Malankara Marth Maryam Samajam, Manjinikkara Theerdhataka Samooham, Manager of
BPC College, Piravom and the Church representative to Nilackal Ecumenical
Committee.
In the year 1982, the Patriarch
His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka 1st decorated him with the title
‘Bartikesh’ and the Logos University (U.S.A.) awarded him doctorate based on
his detailed discourse on the subject ‘Bharatha Darshanam’, at their campus.
He ordained around one hundred
and seventy eight clergy to priestly hierarchy, prominent among them being H.G
Mor Gregorios Joseph (Kochi diocese) and H.G Mor Themotheos Thomas (Kottayam
diocese).
He
was called to eternal rest on 22nd February 1999, the same day our Church
celebrates as the Patriarchal Day (His beloved father, who was also a devout
Antiochian faithful, had passed away on the same day in 1940). As he desired,
his mortal remains were interred in the Chancel (haikala) of St. George
Simhasana Church, Perumpally and the steel trunk containing the black habit and
silver coin with which he had reached Perumpally from Manjinikkara in 1959,
were kept adjacent to the tomb. On 23rd February 1999, the funeral services
were officiated by Mor Dioscoros Benyamin Akthash, the Syrian Orthodox
Archbishop of Sweden, assisted by all bishops from Malankara Jacobite Syrian
Orthodox Church and other Churches.
Written by Mr. Eliyas Syriac
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