H. H. Moran Mar Baselios Augen I Dec 8 – 4th Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan

His Holiness Baselios Augen I was born on 26 June 1884 at  Perumbavoor, Vengola, to Abraham Kathanar of Thuruthi Chettakulathukara family and Annamma, daughter of Valiyal Mathai at Puthenkurrissu. His father Fr. Abraham was a Scholar of Syriac language.  The family as a whole led a very pious and spiritual life with timely daily prayers. His both parents had high life longevity. He was baptized by Metropolitan Murimattom Mar Ivanios, who later was elevated as the first Catholicos of the Malankara Church. He was christened him with baptismal name of Mathai. Mathai lived in his mother’s house at Puthenkurrissu and did his preliminary education there. At a very young age itself Mathai joined for theological studies at Pampakkuda Seminary under the discipleship of Konattu Mathen Cor-Episcopa who was the Malankara Malpan at that time.In 1900, Mathai was ordained as a deacon by Kadavil Mar Athanasios. After gaining proficiency in Malayalam, Syriac, and attaining sufficient skill in preaching, Dn. Mathai went for English education at M.D. High School Kottayam. At this time, he came into contact with Deacon Sleeba of the Church of Syria who was in Malankara. Dn. Sleeba later became Metropolitan Sleeba Mar Osthathios. Dn. Mathai travelled with Dn. Sleeba in many Churches of Malankara and translated his sermons. His Close association and affinity to Syriac and Syrian Church, Dn. Mathai went to Syria with Deacon Sleeba in 1906 and stayed at Kurkum Dayara at Mardin in Syria. For three years the deacon lived in Syria visiting the holy land, various historical monasteries and studying theology. During that time, he got ordained as a full deacon at Mar Mathai Dayara in Assyria.

He lived in the Kurkum Dayara for about nine months. He read many invaluable theological books in Syriac at this Dayara and it increased greatly his knowledge about Eastern Church Theology and got acquainted with traditions of the Syrian Orthodox Church.

In 1908, he was ordained to the monastic order of Ramban, by Patriarch Mar Abdullah at the Dayara of St. Mark in Jerusalem. After returning from Syria in 1908, Ramban Augen was ordained as a priest at Cheriapally, Kottayam by Metropolitan Sleeba Mar Osthathios. When Patriarch Abdullah and Ramban’s friend and inseparable companion, Sleeba Mar Osthathios, visited Malankara in 1909, he traveled with them to all places as a translator to them.

He was consecrated as Metropolitan Augen Mar Timotheos on 15 May 1927 at Jerusalem. He was appointed as the fourth Metropolitan of Kandanad. He adopted the name of Augen in place of his baptismal name of Mathai, as he resided in the ancient and famous Dayara of Mar Augen at Thurabdin in Syria.

He has left his imprint in several offices that he held during his life. He was principal of the Orthodox Theological Seminary, and the Metropolitan of Kandanad and Thumpamon dioceses. On 17 May 1962, when the Malankara Association met at Niranam, he was chosen as the Catholicate of the East. It was on 22 May 1964 at M.D. Seminary, Kottayam that he was installed formally as the fourth Catholicos. As he was very old, he relinquished his position as Malankara Metropolitan to his successor on 24 September 1975. Having stayed at the various Syrian Orthodox monasteries in Turkey and Syria, he attained mastery of the Syriac Church language and its rich traditions. Having achieved exceptional scholarship in Malayalam and Syriac languages, he translated into Malayalam the ‘Penkisa Namaskaram’ ‘Prumiyonukal’, ‘ Valiya Nombilae Namaskaram’, ‘Pattamkoda Shushrusha Kramangal’ and ‘Pallikoodasha Kramangal’. He also composed the ‘Hoodomakal’ for ‘Holy Synods’ and the ‘State after death’.

H.H. Augen 1 represented in the Indian Church in the ecumenical council of Oriental Orthodox Churches held 1965 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the official minutes, this council was described as the fourth ecumenical council of Oriental Orthodox Churches after Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus. In this council the Indian Orthodox Church was included as one of the five Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Mar Augen had to undergo many persecutions in his life at various periods and he suffered all with great endurance in Christ. He led a very exceptional ascetic and prayerful life. He had very hectic prayer schedules in his daily living routine. Timely traditional Tri-hour prayers, fasting, lent etc. were very rigorously observed by him. He had a very simple living pattern and dress pattern. At home he always wore cotton red garments. He never bothered to wear costly garments as he always reminded that he is monk. The fourth Catholicos Mar Baselios Augen consecrated 8 Bishops in two ordination ceremonies in 1966 and 1975, this included many prominent bishops of the Malankara Orthodox Church.

Mar Augen at the age of 91 years he breathed his last on December 8, 1975. Mar Augen was buried in a grave in solemn ritual of prayers befitting the head of the Church adjacent to that of late Catholicos Mar Geevarghese II at the Catholicate Chapel, Devalokam Aramana and was laid to rest there. The fourth Catholicos led the Church for eleven years and five months from May 22, 1964 to Oct. 27, 1975. By his characteristic humility and calm and serene disposition, the Catholicos had endeared himself to the flock of sheep. His Anniversary is 8 December.