Pimonakhos Vol 5 Issue 11

Vol: 5 Issue: 11

Hatur 1728 / Nov 2011

THE MALANKARA ORTHODOX CHURCH

A Historical Perspective

By: Paulos Mar Gregorius It can only be a gift of Grace that the faith and tradition of a small community of the early Christians in India have remained alive and vibrant throughout nearly two thousand years. Even amidst eriodic storm, from one source or another, across these centuries of change, the community has maintained an inner calm, in the safety of the spiritual anchor, cast in the original concept of the word Orthodox, that is the right glorification of God. The early Christians of India (mainly on the southern coast) were known as Thomas Christians and indeed by no other name - until the advent of the Portuguese in the 16th century followed closely by the British.

There is a wealth of corroborative evidence to support, and no good reason to doubt the living tradition of St. Thomas Christians that the Apostle arrived in Kodungalloor (Muziris) in Kerala in 52 AD, preached the gospel, established seven churches, and moved on to other kingdom, returning to Madras (Mylapore) in 72 AD where he was martyred that year. Writers of the 4th century, St. Ephrem and St. John Chrysostom knew also about the relics of St. Thomas resting at that time in Edessa, having been brought there from India by West Asian merchants.

The Church founded by St. Thomas must have been rather spread out in the subcontinent, including the North-West, the Western and Eastern coasts of the peninsula, probably also reaching Sri Lanka.

Tradition associates the ministry of St. Thomas with the Indo-Parthian king, Gondophares in the north and with king Vasudeva (Mazdeo) of the Kushan dynasty in the south. It was the latter who condemned the apostle to death.

The Orthodox Church in India is one of the 37 Apostolic Churches,

dating from the time of the disciples of Christ. Nine of them were in Europe and 28 in Asia and Africa. Today it belongs to the family of the five Oriental Orthodox Churches, which include Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia and Armenia, and to the wider stream of the world’s Orthodox Churches, comprising in all over 150 million Eastern Christians. It has a strength of over 2 million members in about 1500 parishes mainly in Kerala and increasingly spread all over India and in many parts of the globe.

The early Church in India remained one and at peace, treasuring the same ethnic and cultural characteristics as the rest of the local community. Its members enjoyed the good will of the other religious communities as well as the political support of the Hindu rulers. The Thomas Christians welcomed missionaries and migrants from other churches, some of whom sought to escape persecution in their own countries.

Right: The monastery had the pleasure of hosting H.G. Dr Yakob Mar Irenaios Bishop of Cochin in India, accompanied by, Rev. Fr. Thomas Varghese, from St Thomas Orthodox Church in Sydney.

A Group of youth from St Thomas Indian Orthodox Church Visiting the monastery Page 2

Saint Gregorios St.Gregorios was blessed with the order of deacon at the tender age of ten by Palakunnath Mathews Mor Athanasius. At the age of 18, he was ordained Priest by Yuyakim Mor Kurillos, the then Patriarchal delegate of the Holy See of Antioch. Soon after Geevarghese was ordained a Bishop and later as Metropolitan, again at the blessed hands of Yuyakim Mor Kurillos Bava. Later he settled at the Vettikkal Dayro near Mulunthuruthy where he led a strict monastic life.

The protestant missionary activities, aided by the British Government, was at its heights in those days. The liberal stand taken by the protestants in matters of faith led to the crossing over of many of the Syrian Orthodox faithful to the new found churches. To bring an end to this extraordinary situation the faithful in Malankara came together under the chairmanship of Ramban Geevarghese in September 1872. But finding it difficult, they prayed for the help of the supreme head of the Church, the Patriarch of Antioch who was then residing in the monastery of Deir ez-Za`faran (Kurkumo Dayro) in Turkey.

Accordingly, His Holiness Mor Ignatius Peter III, the Patriarch of Antioch & all the East, arrived in Malankara in 1875. Ramban Geevarghese who was well versed in Syriac was appointed as the interpreter to the Patriarch. The Patriarch, impressed with the young Ramban, chosen him also as H.H's private secretary. When the historic Mulunthuruthy Synod was convened in the month of June/July 1876, the assistance of Ramban Geevarghese was of much help to His Holiness. The Patriarch's esteem of the Ramban grew so high that His Holiness decided to elevate him to the order of Metropolitan.

On 10th December 1876, H.H. the Patriarch ordained Ramban Geevarghese as Metropolitan by name 'GREGORIOS' at the St.Thomas church in North Paravur. When in Malankara, H.H. the Patriarch had consecrated six Metropolitans of which Mor Gregorios was the youngest and was only 28. The ancestral house where Mor Gregorios was born and brought up was known by name 'CHATHURUTHY' and for that reason he is also often referred to as Chathuruthy Thirumeni.

In his bishopric, he established various churches and was the motivator to establish schools in different parts of Malankara. Mor Gregorios was a man who grasped the value of Education for the upliftment of the society. In late 1890's, many educational institutions were started by the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church under the initiative and guidance of Parumala Kochu Thirumeni and Pulikottil Joseph Mor Dionysius (Malankara Metropolitan). St.Thomas School at Mulanthuruthy, St. Ignatius School at Kunnamkulam (named after his mentor the Patriarch of Antioch Mor Ignatius Peter IV), the Syrian English School (now known as 'MGM High School') at Thiruvalla, etc., were some of the well known schools of the Church at that time.

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The saintly father was closely and intimately associated with varied activities and development of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church. He was very much admired for his organizing ability and was very popular with the masses. Following the demise of Metropolitans, the administration of Thumpamon and Kollam dioceses also fell under him. In 1887, the first block of the 'Parumala Seminary', was consecrated.

Mor Gregorios was keen in maintaining relationship with all people, irrespective of caste or community. He always showed love and cared for the poor and suffering. He was very particular for the truthfulness and helping the poor. His Grace took special interest in preaching the Holy Gospel of Our Lord and many were accepted into our fold. He also worked hard to uplift this marginalized people.

While staying at Parumala Seminary, Mor Gregorios taught Syriac to deacons. His ability to Sing Syriac hymns was extraordinary. Even in the midst of the busy schedule, he gave maximum importance to prayers and lent. He used to get up at 4.00 am for prayer. His Grace observed prayers seven times a day as taught by the Holy Fathers of the Church. He was very particular about observation of lent with fasting, particularly on Fridays and Wednesdays.

His Grace's long standing desire to visit the Holy Land was fulfilled in 1895, nineteen years after his ordination as Metropolitan. During his Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he stayed at the Monastery of St.Mark, which was the diocesan headquarters of the Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan. During his stay there, H.G. visited almost all the important places of Christendom and led the Passion Week services at the altars of our Syrian church in the Holy City. On his return, His Grace collected a certain amount from all the Parishes in Malankara and sent a Silver Cross as offering to the Jerusalem Church.

At the age of 54 Thirumeni became seriously sick. He knew that his end was near.

While the Metropolitans and priests and others were praying, Kochu Thirumeni uttered, "MY LORD" and closed his eyes. Kochu Thirumeni passed away on 2nd November 1902 and his mortal remains were entombed at the St.Peter's Church, Parumala.

On 2nd November 1947 (the 45th Anniversary of his departure), Mar Gregorios of parumala was officially canonized as a saint by the holy Episcopal Synod on the Malankara Church, presided over by His Holiness Basalios Geevarghese II, Catholicose of the East. From then on many Churches and Altars have been dedicated in the name of Parumala Mar Gregorios.

(Source: http://www.stgregoriosphila.org)

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Above: A Group of Motorcyclists from the “Christian Motorcycle Club” has visited the monastery in their yearly trip. After attending a part of the liturgy they then shared a meal with the Congregation.

Right: A Group of youth from St Mark’s Church visiting the monastery during their holidays

Left: Year 7 boys from St Abanoub church visiting the monastery with Fr Pavlos Hanna

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The Monk and the World By: T. Paul Verghese Walter Hilton, the English mystic, draws our attention to the distinction made by St.Gregory regarding the two ways of life in the Holy Church through which Christians may reach salvation; one is called active and the other contemplative. One or other of these is necessary to salvation!

St. Francis de Sales, the great Roman Catholic guide of the ordinary man's devotional life, refers to the fact that most earlier treatises on the subject have been written for the 'instruction of persons very much withdrawn from the society of. the world, or at all events, they have taught a kind of devotion which leads to this complete withdrawal.

I think most of us would agree with St. Francis, even if we may not be satisfied that his patterns of devotional life for men not withdrawn from the world can. Be wholly serviceable for our day. St. Francis may be right in thinking of some of these spiritual manuals as suitable for those who have left the world or want to do so.

The monk, however, is not one who has left the world in a physical sense. The best monks have been aware that even when one leaves the world physically it is still with him in the wilderness. The monk's relationship to society in general and the Body of Christ in particular is of a different order than a simple “separation�.

The flourishing of monasticism in the Church often coincides with the prevalence of increased laxity in the discipline of the Church in general. The first great sprouting of the monastic vocation came with the beginning of the Constantinian era, when the 'whole world' came inside the Church. To say at that time that there should be the same strict discipline for the whole Church would have been futile because unenforceable.

The monk therefore was then one who separated himself not necessarily from the world as such but only from the very unholy worldliness and indifference of the Church in general.

But there was more to it than a mere desire to be 'better than the ordinary'. The longing for the Kingdom of peace was deeply ingrained in the consciousness of the Church from its very beginning. There was the temptation, however, for a church weary and worn out by persecution, to accept the new tolerant regime as the kingdom itself. The conflict between this world and the world to come appeared, in the Constantinian era, to have been resolved too easily.

The Christian monk saw this problem clearly, and made himself a symbol of the protest against this to facile identification of the world and the Kingdom, and experienced the special vocation to be a reminder of the coming Kingdom to the whole Body of Page 6

Christ. This was neither a rejection nor a hatred, of this world as being evil. It was merely a continuation of what was, experienced and expressed by the whole Church in the first centuries of its existence. When the conflict between the way of this world and the way of the coming Kingdom was transparently expressed in the conflict between the Church and the State which ensued in persecution. In that early period to be a Christian meant being a witness of the eschaton (second Coming).

The denial of the world and its desires and concern then was not an end in itself, but a preparation for filling the soul with new and life-giving desires for a different world, for the Kingdom, for the presence of Christ. To commune with Him without the hindrance of worldly desires, to be liberated by the Truth that makes men free, and to be transformed into His own likeness by exposure to Him whose image we are, these were the means by which the monks sought to become related to the world created by Him, in the same manner as He, the incarnate One was related to it.

(From: Be stil and know that I am God: The need for a new askesis)

H.G. Bishop Daniel and The monks of the Monastery would like to extend their love to their father H.H.

for his

Pope Shenouda III

40th Anniversary as a Patriarch of Alexandria and the Sea of St Mark 14 - 11 - 2011

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Year 11 boys from St Mark’s Church spending a retreat at the monastery Page 8