Geevarghese Ivanios (born 21 September 1882 as Geevarghese Panickeruveetil - died 15 July 1953) was the first
metropolitan archbishop of the
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of Ca ...
and Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum. He was the founder of
Bethany Ashram order of monks and Bethany madom order of nuns. He was the first
M.A. degree
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
holder in 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. ...
. He also served as the principal of the Kottayam M.D Seminary High School and as a professor at
Serampore College. He has been declared
Servant of God
"Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint.
Terminology
The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...
by
Cardinal Baselios Cleemis.
Family history, childhood and education
Geevarghese
Panicker was born in
Mavelikkara,
Kerala, India, on 21 September 1882 to Thomas Panicker and Annamma Panicker.
He was a descendant of the aristocratic
tharavad
Tharavad () (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic families in Kerala, which usually served as the common house for the joint family system practiced in the state. The German linguist Hermann Gunder ...
of Panickervettil in Mavelikkara within the erstwhile Indian
princely state
A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...
of
Travancore, currently in the
Alappuzha district of Kerala. The Panickervettil family was honored with the title of 'Mylitta
Panicker' bestowed upon by the Travancore rulers.
Geevarghese Panicker had his early education in Protestant and government schools. From 1897 he attended M. D. Seminary High School,
Kottayam and pursued his higher studies at
Serampore College and
Madras Christian College
Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institu ...
(M.C.C.). He completed his matriculation education in 1899: before which he received minor orders (of clerical life) on 20 September 1898.
Deacon
He was ordained a deacon by Pulikkottil Dionysius then the
Malankara Metropolitan of
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on 9 January 1900, he then continued his studies at CMS College, Kottayam and obtained a bachelor's degree in economics and Indian History from
Madras Christian College
Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institu ...
. In 1907 he took a
Master's Degree (MA) with distinction from the same college. On his return from Madras he was appointed principal of his alma mater, M.D. Seminary High School. During this time he led various schemes for the renewal of the Malankara Church. He organized basic church communities, commenced Bible conventions, because of this he was popularly entitled "Koodasa Semmasan" (Deacon of Sacraments).
Priestly life
He was ordained to the priesthood as P.T. Geevarghese on 15 September 1908 by Vattasseril Dionysius then the
Malankara Metropolitan of Malankara Orthodox Church. Geevarghese was popularly known as M A Achan, as he was the first priest with an MA degree in Malankara.
At the same time, he took the initiative to empower 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. ...
with hierarchical autonomy. He became instrumental to erect Catholicate for 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. ...
on 5 September 1912. After the establishment of Catholicate in 1912 Malankara Church divided into two, one under the leadership of
Malankara Metropolitan Vatteseril Dionysius (bishop's party) and one under Anthiochan Jacobite Patriarch (Bava Party). Geevarghese was belonging to Bishop's party.
Professorship in Serampore
In 1912 Vattasseril Dionysius received an invitation to attend a conference at Calcutta. Dionysius selected Geevarghese to accompany him to Calcutta to attend the conference. At the conference, they met Dr. Howels the principal of Serampore College who requested the Metropolitan to avail the service of Geevarghese as the professor of the College. The metropolitan permitted Geevarghese to take up the task. He made use of this opportunity to educate the Malankara Youth. About 20 young people from Kerala reached Calcutta for higher education.
At Serampore, Geevarghese got more time for prayer and contemplation. He came across the writings of
Basil of Caesarea
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Ca ...
on monasticism. The Basilian monastic vision had a great influence on him. Besides the visits to the
Sabarmati Ashram of
Mahatma Gandhi and
Santiniketan of
Rabindranath Tagore gave him a new vision of Indian Sanyasa (monasticism). These experiences made him to reflect upon starting an order of missionaries to carry out the task of evangelization in India. Slowly the residence of Geevarghese and his followers at Serampore became an Ashram (Monastery), and they began to live a sort of religious life according to the monastic rules of St. Basil, adapting them to
Indian culture. As he accepted this as his way of life, he resigned from the Serampore College.
Foundation of the Bethany Ashram
On his return from Calcutta, Geevarghese looked for a location to establish an ashram. One of his friends E. John Vakeel donated of land at Mundanmala,
Ranni-Perunadu,
Kerala at the meeting place of the rivers Pampa and Kakkatt. The place was thickly filled with thorny bushes and herbs. Geevarghese and his followers built a small thatched hut made out of the branches of trees and bamboo. This turned to be the first ashram in Malankara on 15 August 1919. He prayerfully searched for a name for the ashram and opened the
Bible and he got the word "Bethany". He meditated upon it and came to the conclusion that it was an apt name for a religious order which upholds both contemplation and action. Eventually the
Bethany Ashram became a place of pilgrimage and spiritual experience. Spiritual retreats and discourses were given by Geevarghese especially in Passion Week. Geevarghese envisioned the ashram also being a shelter for the poor and the marginalized. Along with the Ashram, he started a house for the orphans.
While at Serampore Geevarghese was thinking of the empowerment of the
Syrian Christian Syrian or Syriac Christians may refer to
* Adherents of Christianity in Syria
* Adherents of Syriac Christianity, various Christian bodies of Syriac traditions, especially:
** Syriac/Assyrian/Aramean people, Christian neo-Aramaic speakers through ...
women through education. To realize this idea, he took initiative to give education and training to the selected group of young girls with the help of the Epiphany Sisters of England working at Serampore. He founded the
Bethany Madom (literally Bethany Great House or convent) for the women religious in 1925.
Bishop of Bethany
It was decided by the Malankara Synod to ordain Geevarghese as the Bishop of Bethany. He was ordained a
bishop 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 serve ...
by
Baselios Geevarghese I on 1 May 1925. He received the name Geevarghese Ivanios.
Ecclesial communion
On 20 September 1930, Theophilos,
John Kuzhinapurath, Alexander Attupurath, and Chacko Kiliyileth made the Catholic profession of faith before Aloysius Maria Benziger, the then Bishop of
Kollam
Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...
. Many of the members of the Bethany orders also came into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. This spawned the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
Establishment of the Syro-Malankara Catholic hierarchy
In 1932 Geevarghese made a pilgrimage to Rome for the reunion as per the letters from Rome and met
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...
. Geevarghese received the
pallium. He also participated in the thirty-second
Eucharistic Congress held at
Dublin,
Ireland. There he met
G.K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox". Of his writing style, ''Time'' observed: "Wh ...
, who said to Geevarghese "The dignified Indian gentleman, who represented this far off triumph in the Orient, had changed his neighbours by bringing them to the Roman Communion."
On his return from Rome, Geevarghese made efforts to build up the Unite Rite establishment of the Malankara Christian Community. Pope Pius XI established the Malankara Catholic hierarchy, Syro-Malankara Catholic on 11 June 1932 through the apostolic constitution ''Cristo pastorum principi''.
Ecumenical endeavours and cultural development of the society
Geevarghese sent missionaries to different parts of the land. Besides the newly joined bishops and priests from different Malankara denominations, he received missionaries from the
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
. Joseph Kuzhinjalil, the founder of the congregation of the
Daughters of Mary, was a missionary appointed by Geevarghese to work in the southern parts of the land. Under Geevarghese's leadership about 75 priests were joined from different denominations of the Malankara Church. About 150 parishes including mission stations were established.
A lot of
hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s (especially from
Nadar (caste) community) also joined the Syro Malankara Catholic Church from
Kanyakumari of the
marthandam diocese in
Tamil Nadu.
Geevarghese established about 50 schools, and one 'A' grade college, named
Mar Ivanios College. He visited U.S. President
Harry S Truman,
G.K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox". Of his writing style, ''Time'' observed: "Wh ...
, King
George V of the United Kingdom, and
George Bernard Shaw.
Silver Jubilee of episcopal ordination
The Silver Jubilee of the episcopal ordination of Geevarghese was celebrated in 1951, and
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
wrote to him remembering the reconciliation.
[Pius XII, "Letter to Archbishop Mar Ivanios" quoted in M. Gibbons, ''Mar Ivanios (1882-1953) Archbishop of Trivandrum: The Story of a Great Conversion'', Dublin, 1962, p.127.]
Death
Geevarghese died on 15 July 1953 and was entombed at
Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum.
Writings
''Girideepam - Mountain Lamp'', Trans. Sr. Rehmas SIC, Cause of Canonization of Mar Ivanios, Trivandrum, 2006.
''The Sacrament of Confession: A Meditative Study'', Trans. Fr. Samuel Thaikkoottathil Ramban, Cause of Canonization of Mar Ivanios, Trivandrum, 2006.
''The Holy Qurbono: An Appraisal and Meditation'', Trans. Dr. Bishop Thomas Mar Anthonios (Antony Valiyavilayil OIC), Cause of Canonization of Mar Ivanios, Trivandrum, 2006.
''The Liturgical Year: A Theological Reflection'', Trans. Fr. Samuel Thaikkoottathil Ramban, Cause of Canonization of Mar Ivanios, Trivandrum, 2006.
''A Guide to Malankara Religious Life'', Trans. Fr. Samuel Thaikkoottathil Ramban, Cause of Canonization of Mar Ivanios, Trivandrum, 2006.
Cause of beatification and canonization
Geevarghese was declared
Servant of God
"Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint.
Terminology
The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...
(Daivadasan) a first step toward sainthood on 14 July 2007, the day prior to the 54th anniversary of his death. The proclamation was read by his third successor Cardinal
Baselios Cleemis
Baselios Cleemis (born 15 June 1959) is the current major archbishop-catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He was named to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 November 2012.
At the moment of hi ...
at
Saint Mary’s Malankara Syrian Catholic Cathedral in
Trivandrum,
India and the cause for his
canonization
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...
will continue.
See also
*
Malankara Catholic Youth Movement
References
Citations
Sources
"His Grace Most Rev. Geevarghese Mar Ivanios O.I.C." Bethany Ashram website, retrieved 10 January 2006
*
* Maragaret Gibbons, ''Mar Ivanios (1882–1953) Archbishop of Trivandrum: The Story of Great Conversion'', Dublin, 1962.
* L. Moolaveettil, ''The Spiritual Life of Mar Ivanios'', Kottayam, 1977.
External links
catholicate.netsyromalankara.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanios, Geevarghese
1882 births
1953 deaths
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in India
20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops
20th-century Indian Roman Catholic theologians
Founders of Catholic religious communities
Converts to Eastern Catholicism from Oriental Orthodoxy
Eastern Catholic Servants of God
Syro-Malankara bishops
Burials at the Cathedral of Saint Mary, Pattom
20th-century venerated Christians
Christian clergy from Kerala