The Mar Thoma Church, often shortened from Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, is an Oriental Indian church, based in Kerala, India. The church employs a reformed variant of the West Syriac Rite Divine Liturgy of Saint James. The Mar Thoma Church believes that they are the successors of the Saint Thomas Christian community of Malankara, which originated from the missionary activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. The term "Mar Thoma" literally means "Saint Thomas" in reference to Thomas the Apostle and Christians of Malankara were called as Christians of Saint Thomas or Marthoma Nazranees. The church in Malankara flourished under various ecclesiastical faith streams from time to time.
Malankara Metropolitan was a legal title given to the head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, by the Government of Travancore and Cochin in South India. This title was awarded by a proclamation from the King of Travancore & the King of Cochin.Malankara Metropolitan is believed to reign it faithful from the Apostolic See of Saint Thomas.The Prime jurisdiction regarding the temporal, ecclesiastical and spiritual administration of the Malankara Church is vested in the Malankara Metropolitan. Since 1934 Catholicos of the East is holding the office of the Malankara Metropolitan.The Malankara Metropolitan is elected to that office by the Malankara Syrian Christian Association . Presently, His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II is the Malankara metropolitan
Ayiroor is a village located in the western part of Ranni taluk, in the Pathanamthitta district in Kerala state, India. It is bordered by hills and located near the Western Ghats. Ayiroor was previously part of Tiruvalla taluk in Alleppey district and is considered part of the Edanadu region in Kerala. The Pamba River flows on the southern side of the village, making the soil around the village very fertile.
Mathews Mar Athanasius was the Metropolitan of the Malankara Syrian Church from 1852 until his death. As a reformer, he spent most of his reign attempting to heal rifts within the church, but following his death a faction formed the independent Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church in 1889,under the leadership of Metropolitan Palakunnathu Thomas Mar Athanasius.The faction that opposed the reformation of the Malankara church conducted the Synod of Mulanthurathy against the reformations in 1876 in the presence of Malankara Metropolitan Pulikootil Joseph Dionysious 2 and Syrian Orthodox Patriarch.
Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Didymus I was Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan from 2005 to 2010. Didymos I was consecrated as Metropolitan bishop on 24 August 1966 at Kolencherry St. Peter's & St. Paul's Church and served as Metropolitan of the Malabar Diocese of the church from 1968. He was the seventh Catholicos since the Catholicate of the East was relocated to India and 111th in the lineage of Catholicose of the East in the Apostolic throne of St. Thomas. Didymus I was the 20th Malankara Metropolitan of the Church.
Aboon Geevarghese Ivanios was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum and the founder of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Reunion Movement. He was the founder of Bethany Ashram order of monks and Bethany madom Order Of Nuns. He was the first M.A. degree holder in the Malankara Church. He also served as the Principal of the Kottayam M.D Seminary High School and as a professor at Serampore College.
The Malabar Independent Syrian Church, also known as the Thozhiyur Church, is a Christian church centred in Kerala, India. It is one of the churches of the Saint Thomas Christian community, which traces its origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.
Mar Dionysius I, also known as Mar Thoma VI, was the Metropolitan of the Malankara Church from 1765 until his death. A member of the Pakalomattom family, he was a shrewd administrator who appealed to outside authorities to assert his position as the sole leader of the Malankara Church and to attempt to reunite all the Saint Thomas Christians.
Mar Dionysius II, born Pulikkottil Joseph Ittoop was Malankara Metropolitan from 22 March 1815 until his demise. Despite the brevity of his reign he made lasting contributions to the Malankara Syrian Church.
Mathews Mar Athenasius Episcopa was the first missionary bishop of the Mar Thoma Church. As a diocesan Episcopa he did remarkable pioneering work in organising parishes and new mission fields. His evangelical ardour and concern for the unreached area, made him forge ahead expansion programmes and colonisation schemes besides establishing of several institutions.
Easow Mar Timotheos was an Indian episcopa (bishop) of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, an Indian Christian church tracing back to Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. He was a bishop from 1975 to 1988, and a missionary priest before that.
The Diocese of North America & Europe is a diocese of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church that includes all the Mar Thoma parishes in the North American and European continents. Its headquarters is at Sinai Mar Thoma Centre, Merrick, New York. As of 2013 the Diocesan bishop was Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa. In 2011, 66 parishes and 12 congregations were under this diocese. As of 2016, Mar Theodosius is presiding over the Bombay Diocese. Rt. Rev. Dr. Isaac Mar Philoxenos is now the current bishop.
The Kolkata Diocese is one of the 30 dioceses of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril, born Geevarghese was the Malankara Metropolitan (primate) of the Malankara Orthodox Church. Vattasseril Geevarghese Mar Dionysius is popularly known as "Malankara Sabha Bhasuran", a title which the Church bestowed on him in recognition of his contribution to Malankara Church. Vattasseril Thirumeni was a man of prayer, determination and dynamism. He was the greatest advocate of sovereignty and autonomy of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
The Diocese of Madras is one of the 30 dioceses of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church with its headquarters at Chennai.
St. Stephen's College, one of the prominent colleges accredited under University of Kerala, is situated at Pathanapuram, Kollam, Kerala. The Institution was founded in 1964 by Mar Thoma Dionysius, whose objective was to improve the cultural condition of the people in this remote backward area. The college is affiliated with Kerala University.
Moran Mor Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II is the 8th reigning Catholicos and the Supreme Head of the Indian Orthodox Church. He was enthroned Catholicos of the East & Malankara Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on 1 November 2010 at Parumala, Kerala. He succeeded Baselios Thoma Didymos I. At the time of his election as Catholicos, Paulos had been Metropolitan Bishop of Kunnamkulam. He is also known by his traditional episcopal name, Paulos Mar Milithios. Born on 30 August 1946 in the ancient Syrian Christian family of Kollannur to K. I. Ipe and Kunjeetty at Mangad. His mother, Kunjeetty hails from the famous family of Pulikkottil and he was baptized at St Mary's Orthodox Church Pazhanji. Metropolitan Paulose Mar Milithios was unanimously elected as Catholicos designate by Malankara Association on 12 October 2006. He was enthroned as the Catholicos of the East for Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on 1 November 2010 at Parumala Seminary. He is the 91st Catholicos and 21st Malankara Metropolitan in the lineage of Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitans respectively. He is officially styled as His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II, Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan enthroned on the Apostolic Throne of St. Thomas .
Sir Dr. Mor Athanasious Eliyas is a Syriac Orthodox bishop. As of 2012 he was the President of Antiochean Faith Movement in India and Vicar General of the St. Athanasius Cathedral at the Puthencuriz.
Mathews Mar Thimothios is the Metropolitan of UK, Europe and Africa Diocese and Assistant Metropolitan of Chenganoor Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
Geevarghese Mar Philoxenos aka Puthencavil Kochu Thirumeni was an administrator, orator and an advocate of Orthodox and the Catholicate of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of India. He served as Metropolitan of Thumpamon Diocese from 1930–1951.
