Moran Mor Baselios Geevarghese II of the

Malankara Church The Malankara Church, also known as ''Puthenkur'' and more popularly as Jacobite Syrians, is the historic unified body of West Syriac Saint Thomas Christian denominations which claim ultimate origins from the missions of Thomas the Apostle. ...

(16 June 1874 – 3 January 1964). Third

Catholicos of the East Catholicos of the East is the title that has been held by the ecclesiastical heads of the Church of the East, the Grand Metropolitan of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, since AD. 280. The term "Catholicos" is derived from the Greek word Katholikos (Καθολ ...

in Malankara and 16th

Malankara Metropolitan Malankara Metropolitan is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of the Malankara Syrian Church, previously by the Government of Travancore and Kingdom of Cochin, Cochin in South India. This title was awarded by a proclamation from the King ...

, was born to Ulahannan and Naithi of the Kallaserri family in Kurichi,

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

on 16 June 1874. On 24 April 1892, Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasios ordained him as

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

and on 24 November and 27 November 1898 he was ordained as priest and Ramban respectively by Parumala Mar Gregorios. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church website
/ref> He resided in Kadambanad church and took charge of the southern

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

s of the

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in Devalokam, near Kottayam, India. The church serves ...

. He also served as Manager and Malpan of the Old Seminary. His published books included "Sahodaran- marude Charithram". "Rehasya Prarthanakal". "Parudaisa", and "Mar Yuhanon Mamdana". On 8 September 1912 Abded Messiah consecrated him as

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Geevarghese Mar Gregorios at Parumala Seminary. He was appointed as the

of Thumpamon, Kollam and Niranam dioceses. On 15 February 1929, the Episcopal Synod of Malankara headed by Malankara Metropolitan Vattaserril Geevarghese Mar Dionysius installed him as the

Catholicos Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancien ...

of the East, succeeding Catholicos Baselius Geevarghese I, who had died in the previous year. When the Association met on 24 December 1934 at M.D. Seminary,

, he was chosen as

. It was a period when issues within the

were becoming very complicated. Through prayer and fasting he received the strength from God to lead his people for many years, inspiring his people to work for their Church and for the glory of God. Following the peace pact of 1958, he had the good fortune to guide the destiny of the unified Malankara Orthodox Church.St George's Orthodox Syrian Church website
Apart from consecrating twelve Metropolitans, and ordaining more than a thousand priests and deacons, he founded and consecrated many churches. As the Catholicos of the East, he officiated in the consecration of Holy Mooron (anointing oil) at the Old Seminary on 22 April 1932 and on 20 April 1951. On 2 November 1947 he declared Parumala Mar Gregorios and Catholicos Eldho Mor Baselios as

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

. From his time onwards the offices of

and

were united in one and the same person. Baselius Geevarghese II died on 3 January 1964 at Develokam Aramana and was laid to rest beside the Devalokam Aramana Chapel. Every year the Church observes his feast on 3 January.

Succession

References

External links

*
20th century leaders of the Indian Orthodox Church Website of the Indian Orthodox Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geevarghese 02 Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans Indian Christian religious leaders Indian Oriental Orthodox Christians Christian clergy from Kottayam 1874 births 1964 deaths