Geevarghese Mar Ivanios

Geevarghese Mar Ivanios OIC Panicker ( born September 8, 1882 in Mavelikkara in Alappuzha, India, † July 15, 1953 in Trivandrum ) was a religious founder, founder of the Syro - Malankara Catholic Church and the first Malankara Catholic Archbishop of Trivandrum.

Life and work

Jacobite

He was (also Paniker or Panickerveetil ) born as Geevarghese Panicker; His parents were Thomas Christian Thomas Panicker and his wife Annamma. The family belonged to the autocephalous Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, which was created after the so-called oath from the Leaning Cross ( 1653) and their original East Syrian Rite (also Chaldean rite ) of the Thomas Christians against the West -Syrian Rite (also Antioch rite ) had exchanged. Their members are usually called in South India " Jacobites ".

From the age of 15 the boy visited the Jacobite Orthodox MD Seminary School, Kottayam. On April 20, 1898, he received minor orders and was sent to Madras on the local Christian college to complete his studies. Here he obtained the degree of Master of Arts in history and economics. Then he became a deacon and principal ( rector ) of his former school, the MD Seminary School, Kottayam. On August 15, 1908 he was ordained priest by Bishop Mar Vattaseril Divannasios the Seminary of Parumala.

Panicker was known as " MA- priest " because he was the only Syrian Orthodox priest in South India, who had the title of Master of Arts ( MA). From 1913 to 1919 he taught history, politics and economics at the University of Serampore, near Calcutta. Finally, he gave this job up, returned to his native South Indian, today's Kerala and founded on August 15, 1919 Orthodox Men's Orders " Imitation of Christ ", and its first monastery " Bethany Ashram ". 1925 also joined a female religious branch to the " Bethany Sisters".

On May 1, 1925 Geevarghese Panicker received episcopal consecration and was Jacobite Orthodox Chief Shepherd of Bethany, on 13 February 1929, he became the Metropolitan. In the episcopal ordination, he took the name " Mar Ivanios " to.

Catholic Archbishop

In the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church at that time there were many unpleasant quarrels and disputes. Regardless prevailed in many parts always the aspiration, again return to the lost unity with Rome in 1653.

Mar Ivanios was a friend of Alois Benziger, the Catholic Bishop of Quilon, a connoisseur of oriental liturgies. Through him, Union negotiations came to Rome in gear and finally led on the 20th September 1930 in Kollam ( Quilon), for the transfer of the Metropolitan and his Suffraganbischofs Jacob Mar Theophilos ( 1891-1956 ) in the Catholic Church, while fully maintaining its West -Syrian liturgy and their spiritual offices. They founded the Syro - Malankara Catholic Church an oriental branch of the Catholic Church, which is currently (2013 ) approximately 500,000 members counts. The Order of the " Imitation of Christ " (OIC ) was also converted to the Catholic Church, many of the nuns are now active in Germany.

On June 11, 1932, Pope Pius XI established. the Syro- Malankara Archdiocese of Trivandrum and Mar Ivanios ordered for the first archbishop of the Syro -Malankara Catholics main. In the same year he traveled to receive the pallium to Rome. In Dublin, he attended the 32th International Eucharistic Congress, where he among other things, met with Gilbert Keith Chesterton, the " Cardinal Newman of India" referred to him as the. 1947 Mar Ivanios visited Australia and Canada. In 1953 he died at the age of 70 and was buried in the crypt of St Mary's Cathedral Trivandrum - sitting as is the custom among the Jacobite metropolitan. His grave chamber is therefore higher than wide.

Mar Ivanios was of deep personal piety and had the Malankara Catholic Church built in the spirit of his Syro -Indian spirituality. As religious founders and founder of the Catholic particular Church, he enjoyed great veneration; it sat pilgrimages to his grave a. Therefore, the process of beatification was opened, during which it was explained to Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios on 14 July 2007 to the Venerable Servant of God. In Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala, the Mar Ivanios College is named after him.