LL HG Dr. Geevarghese Mar Osthathios | Feb 16 : Malankara Sabharathnam

LL HG Dr Geevarghese Mar Osthathios, Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Church is widely known in India and abroad as a prophet of social justice and as a propagator of the Universal Religion of Love. He was born in a poor family in Cherukole, Mavelikara, Kerala. His father Munduvelil Kochitty was a member of Marthoma Church and Mother Mariamma Kochitty belonged to the Orthodox Church. Thirumeni used to attend the Sunday school of both the Churches. His parents were very devout and led a dedicated life. Standing amid a prayer meeting, Georgekutty, dedicated his life to God right from the childhood.

There were many unforgettable lessons taught by the unpleasant experiences in life, that influenced of the word of God right from the childhood. Thirumeni mentioned in his autobiography that he could not attain even a fraction of the spirituality that his mother could achieve in her life. Thirumeni accompanied his generous-minded mother, in her household charitable mission of visiting the houses of preachers and poor starving people with food, in the locality, while she remained hungry, without knowing others. The readiness to obey the word of God, the spiritual shadow of his mother, the ups and downs in the society, and the higher studies in the American university are the other factors molded his life. This spiritual insight and ideological basis paved a way for Thirumeni to go on to become the Champion of Charitable Missions of Malankara Church, which changed the face and outlook of the Church itself.

M V George, as he was known, completed high school education at St John’s High School Pathichira and Boys High School in his native place and Passed his TTC from St John’s Rural Training College, Shasthamkota. He obtained his B.D. from Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur and S.T.M. from Union seminary, Bangalore. He secured MA from Drew University, New York and honorary Doctorate from Serampore University, Calcutta. He was inspired by the life and works of Pathros Mar Osthathios, who had a deep sense of the mission of the Church and had founded an organization—Sleeba Dasa Samooham (Society for the Servants of the Cross). He exemplified Christ through his life, and he gained a lot of converts for the Church. Accepting him as a role model, Fr. M.V. George later took the name Osthathios when he became a bishop.

He received the order of deaconate (Kooroyo – Reader) from H.G. Augen Mar Timotheos on 9 August 1947 and priesthood from H.H. Baselius Geevarghese II on 10 May 1956. He was nominated to the post of Metropolitan by the Malankara Association which met at Niranam on 2 October 1974. Metropolitan Daniel Mar Philexinos ordained him as a Ramban at St. Mary’s Cathedral Puthencavu. He was consecrated as a bishop by Baselios Augen I, Catholicos of the East on 16 February 1975 at Niranam Valiya Palli. He was appointed as the Metropolitan of the Niranam Diocese on 1 April 1975 and was the Diocesan Metropolitan of Niranam diocese for thirty years from 1976 till 2007.

Rev. Fr. M. V. George, witness to the cries of an orphan child, led him to realize that it was the responsibility of Church and society to shelter the orphans and bring them in to the mainstream of social life by providing proper education. Thus, founded St Paul’s Ashram and Children Home, in Nov 1958. He also founded a Mission Training Centre, Mavelikara which gives training to lay missionaries of love and evangelism. Sneha Sandesam was a traveling Gospel project started by HG, which worked to enable the evangelization in all corners of India. He also started more than 40 humanitarian institutions, movements, and projects all over India for poor people, numerous Orphanages HIV positive patients and their children, cancer patients, leprosy patients and their children and orphan, old age homes for men and women other Charitable Institutions, under the Church Mission Society spread all over India. He also formulated many charitable schemes and foundations, like Marriage Assistance Foundation, Sick Aid Foundation, Save A Heart Foundation, House Building Aid Fund, M.G.D Ashram Balabhavan Karunagiri, St. Paul’s Asram Puthuppady, Haripad Mission Centre, Yacharam St. Gregorios Balagram, Bethanya Bhavan, St. George Balikagram Pune, etc. He was the President of the Mission Society of the Church for all these years. The Mission Society has played crucial role whenever necessity arisen for relief work and rebuilding of lives and society during and after natural calamities and other tragedies.

He has written about 59 books of which 13 are in English. He is also a poet and was the spiritual inspirational poet of this era, only nest to After Kochoonju Upadeshi, who wrote and composed more than fifty songs that could be used in the daily worship in the Christian families. His songs were not only spiritual but were even revolutionary and simple in thoughts which will inspire the mind of the singers urging them to repent and dedicate themselves fully to the God. He has participated in so many national and international conferences as a leader, preacher, and a resource person. He was the member of Faith and Order Commission and World Mission and Evangelism and was the advisor of the WCC assembly in Nairobi in Dec 1975. He had great passion for justice, equality and sharing founded on divine love of Holy Trinity. He advocated for the Indian theological philosophy with a new approach of ‘Atraita’ equating to ‘Advaita’ defined by Indian Rishis. He broke the barriers of region, language or community and emerged to the whole world for his commission to be discharged.

The life and achievement of beloved Mar Osthathios Thirumeni is beyond the limits of words, which it can carry. In Him surfaced out a unique person, send by God for commission of the mission of a real Church. His enriched life taught the world, what is the way a Church should look like and in what mode the church should act in this world. He achieved everything out from a thorny surface, turmoil of life, by hard work, purity of vision and real love for and from God, the Almighty. The Malankara Orthodox Church had honored Mar Osthathios Thirumeni, the lover of God and human, with the title of Sabharathnam [Jewel of the Church], for the vivid and rich contributions to the Church and society at large

Here is a bishop who believes that God does not call the qualified, but He qualifies the one whom he called. H.G. Geevarghese Mar Osthathios, a prophet of social justice and as a propagator of the Universal Religion of Love, theologian, orator and writer was called for his heavenly abode, breathed his last on February 16, 2012, at a ripe old age of 94 years. He was a lived legend of our era, who successfully completing an eventful and fruitful life, before he passed on to the other side of the veil. A modern-day prophet with the spirit and power of Amos and HG Osthathios was a saintly philosopher and evangelist with the charisma and wisdom of St. John, the evangelist. His vision of life and the mission he accomplished, will certainly yield very valuable lessons for us.  His mortal remains are interred at the St. Pauls Mission Center in Mavelikara.