LL HG Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios – Feb 23

LL Metropolitan His Grace Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios, was born on May 26, 1926 to Mr. A T Chacko & Mrs. Mariamma Kuttikandathil. His family is noteworthy for their service to God and contributions to the Malankara Orthodox Church. Two of his brothers also entered into priesthood, Very Rev K C Mathew Cor-episcopa and Lazarus Remban, a Monk. One of sister also entered into the holy ministry, as a nun at the Bethany Convent. After attending schools and colleges, he began his career as a school teacher in India, he decided to join for theological studies at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam.

On Feb 23, 1951 he was ordained as a deacon and later he was ordained as a Priest in September 1952 in Madras at the Saint Thomas Cathedral by His Holiness Catholicos Geevarghese Baselios I. Afterwards he came to India’s capital of New Delhi where he organized congregations in North Indian cities, in which ultimately, he became the first Vicar of the Indian Orthodox Church in New Delhi.

It was during the time of the litigation of the Church that the Metropolitan as a young priest, showed his ingenuity as leader and scholar in Church History. He helped the lawyers of the Church understand the history, Traditions and Canons of the Church. This was instrumental in seeking an historic verdict by the Supreme Court of India in favour of the Church in 1958. He has also studied in various religious institutions in England, Germany, Switzerland, and France. He was in the U.S since 1963 and earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Nashotah House in Wisconsin, a Master of Sacred Theology, from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Theology from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond.

He returned to India and worked as a professor of Church History at Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam. In 1975, Fr. Thomas was consecrated as Metropolitan Thomas Mar Makarios by His Holiness Catholicos Augen I. In the same year, the Catholicos appointed Metropolitan Mar Makarios as the first Metropolitan of the Bombay Diocese. I remember, HG Makarios speaking to us children in English, in those days when most of our clergy gave sermons in Malayalam. He spoke earnestly and his advices were practical, blended with humour and laughter.

Later in 1979, His Grace Mar Makarios was enthroned as the first Metropolitan of the American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church. Since 1985, Metropolitan taught religion classes at Alma College in Michigan. In 1990, Alma College conferred Metropolitan with the degree of Doctor of Divinity Honourees Causa.

He was widely known as an ecumenical leader and was involved with Indian community and worked among youths in many Churches. In 1994, His Grace Mar Makarios was appointed as the first Metropolitan of the newly created Canada & Europe Diocese. His Grace Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios passed away on February 23, 2008. HG lies interred in main chapel of the Catholicate Palace, Devalokam Kottayam.