St Thomas Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Congregation, Mumbai

H.H IGNATIUS APHREM II (OUR PATRIARCH)

The 123rd Patriarch of the See of Antioch & All the East adorning the Throne of St. Peter, the Chief of Apostles, and the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church.Since St. Peter has assumed the leadership of the Church and had make use of Antioch as the capital to lead the Church, those who are ordained as Patriarchs by the church to succeed St. Peter are no doubt the successors and emissaries of St. Peter.The divine grace is handed down from Jesus to St. Peter, St. Peter to his successors the Metropolitans to Priests, and from Priests to the laity.

Thus, in the Syrian Orthodox Church the Patriarch represents the first and the foremost link in respect of the apostolic succession and divine priesthood. The universal Syrian Orthodox Church perceives its strength and Unity in His Holiness the Patriarch, the supreme head of the Church. As the Successor of the St. Peter, His Holiness is the embodiment and symbol of unity of the universal Syrian Orthodox Church. This embodiment signifies two types of representative characters. Firstly, as the successor of St. Peter, the patriarch represents him. As St. Peter is the chief shepherd and supreme head, the Patriarch by virtue of his position upholds the unity of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church. Since the Patriarch’s ordination and coronation are deemed to be through the grace of the Holy Ghost and by the will of God, the first representative character is bestowed from above and is divine. So the Patriarch as the high priest the Universal Church, represents Jesus Christ when he celebrates the Holy Eucharist. Secondly the Patriarch as the chief Shepherd of the Church, is the emissary of the entire body of believers. The church is not only an invisible spiritual fellowship but is also a historical reality. So, all the attributes of the Church like one, Holy, Chatholic and Apostolic must also become a historical reality. And the Patriarchs who are ordained from time to time and represent the universal Syrian Church as the Supreme heads, make the unity of the Church a reality.

H.B Baselios Thomas I Catholicose (OUR CATHOLICOSE)

The spiritual head of the Syrian Christians of India, In the Syrian Orthodox Church hierarchy, the Catholicos is second in rank to the supreme spiritual head, the Patriarch of Antioch.He was born in the Cheruvillil family of Vadayambadi, Puthenkuriz to Mathai and Kunjamma on 22nd July 1929. Early part of his life was full of sufferings.Though he belonged to an aristocratic family, by the time he was born the family had seen bad days.

As a child he had frequent bouts of illness which affected his education. His mother used to take the young boy frequently to the nearby Malecuriz Dayro where the relics of late Patriarch St. Ignatius Elias III and Saint Gregorios Geevarghese (Parumala Thirumeni) had been interred. One night, as his mother prayed with the young boy on her lap, she had a vision which prompted her to dedicate the boy to the service of the church. Within days, the boy's illness was entirely cured. God was with him, guiding him and shaping him. His priestly formation was under the guidance of Mor Philoxenos Paulose (Late Catholicos Mor Baselios Paulose-II) who ordained him ‘Korooyo’ in 1952 and ‘Shamshono’ at Kadamattom Church in 1957. In August 1958, C M Thomas was ordained ‘Kassisso’ (full priest) by Mor Yulius Elias at the Majanikkara Dayro. In 1959 he was appointed as the vicar of St.Peter’s church, Puthencuriz. Later he served the churches at Vellathooval, Keezhumuri, Fort Cochin, Valamboor, Calcutta and Thrissur. For a period of seven years from 1967, he was the organizing secretary of Kolenchery Medical Mission Hospital. He also served as the Chief organizer of the North Indian mission at Bhilai in 1970’s and as the secretary of the Pourasthaya Suvishesha Samajam in 1974. He was well known as a great revivalist preacher and was also recognized as an excellent organizer. In January 1974, Fr. C M Thomas was elected to the episcopate by the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christian Association convened at the Karingachira St. George Church and was consecrated Metropolitan with the title ‘Mor Dionysius’ by H.H. Mor Ignatius Ya`qub-III on 24th February 1974 at Damascus, Syria. He was entrusted with the charge of Angamali diocese, the largest of all the Syrian Orthodox dioceses which has a membership of more than half a million. On Friday the 26th July 2002, His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka-I Iwas, the Patriarch of Antioch & all the East, consecrated the 73-year old Mor Dionysius Thomas as the CATHOLICOS with the title ‘BASELIOS THOMAS I’ at a solemn function held at the St. Peter & St. Paul Cathedral in Mor Ephrem Monastery, Ma’arat Sayyidnaya, near Damascus.

H.G.Thomas Mor Alexandrios (OUR METROPOLITAN)

H.G. Thomas Mor Alexandrios, formerly Fr. Thomas Abraham Neriyanthara was born in Panampady, Kottayam, Kerala in 1971 as son of Fr. N. M. Abraham and Mrs. Elizabeth Abraham. He was baptized at St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Panampady, Kottayam his home parish.

After his graduation, he joined the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Dehradun for his Theological studies. He completed his B.Th. (Bachelor of Theology) Post which he completed Master of Divinity from Beracah Bible College & Seminary, Thiruvallur. He also holds a diploma in Philosophy from Mor Aphrem Seminary, Vadavathoor, Kottayam, Kerala Thomas Abraham Neriyanthara was ordained as a deacon on 15 March 1997, by H.G. Joseph Mor Gregorios and as a priest on 15 May 2004, by H.G. Thomas Mor Themotheos. After his ordination as priest, he served as vicar in St. Peter's J.S.O Church, Chicago, USA and St. Mary's JSO Church, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. He was elevated to the position of Metropolitan (Bishop) as H.G. Thomas Mor Alexandrios on 2 January 2012 at the Puthencuriz St. Athanasious Cathedral by H.B. Baselios Thomas I Bava. He is also the founder and director of Santhwana Guidance & Counselling Centre at Vellore, Tamil Nadu.