His Holiness Baselios Geevarghese II – Jan 3 I Third Catholicos of the East I Kallacheril Bava

The Third Catholicos of Malankara and Malankara Metropolitan His Holiness Baselius Geevarghese II of the Indian Orthodox Church (1874 – 1964), was born to parents Ulhanan of Kallacheril, a branch of famous and priestly Puthenpurackal family and Naithi, daughter of Pampakuda Madapparampil Kunjikooru at Kurichi, Kottayam India on 16 June 1874. The child, Punnoose was given the baptismal name as Geevarghese. Paternally Punnoose was related to Vattasseril Geevarghese Mar Dionysius and maternally to St. Gregorios of Parumala.

Punnoose was called to the priestly vocation at the tender age of nine. The Story goes that child had fallen seriously ill at the age of nine. His grief-stricken Parents vowed to dedicate Punnoose to the service of God and immediately the child got recovered from that life-threatening disease. As per the vow of the parents, Punnoose was taken to Parumala Seminary for clerical training. Punnoose had under gone the preliminary Syriac and theological training under discipleship of Metropolitan Mar Gregorios of Parumala and Vattasseril Geevarghese Malpan. After six years, Punnoose shifted to Old Seminary for his further training. There, he was kept under the discipleship of Kadavil Mar Athanasios, Vattasseril Geevarghese Malpan and Konattu Mathan Malpan. After attaining proficiency in Syriac, Punnoose was enrolled at CMS College High School at Kottayam for his English education, but returned to Parumala and started living with Mar Gregorios of Parumala.

On 24 April 1892, at the age of seventeen, Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasios ordained him as deacon. As Dn. Geevarghese decided firmly to lead a celibate life, so on 24 November 1898 Parumala Chathuruthy Mar Gregorios ordained him as priest and on the fourth day, on 27 November 1898 Kallacheril Geevarghese Kathanar was elevated to the ascetic order of Ramban by Mar Gregorios. For thirteen long years, the future Catholicos remained as Ramban.

As per the order of Parumala Mar Gregorios, he resided in Kadambanad Church and took charge of the southern dioceses. He also served as Manager and Malpan of Old Seminary. He published books like ‘Sahodaran-marude Charithram’, ‘Rehasya Prarthanakal’, ‘Parudeesa’, ‘Mar Yuhanon Mamdana’ Private Prayers and ‘Lives of Martyrs’. On 8 September 1912, His Holiness Patriarch Abded Meshiah consecrated him as Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Gregorios at Parumala Seminary. He was appointed as the Metropolitan of Thumpamon, Kollam and Niranam dioceses. Mar Gregorios had also the fortune to be present as a celebrant in the ordination ceremony of First and Second Catholicos.

On 15 February 1929, with the Malankara Metropolitan Vattaserril Geevarghese Mar Dionysios as the chief celebrant, he was installed as the Catholicos of the East. When the Association met on 24 December 1934 at M. D. Seminary, Kottayam, he was chosen as Malankara Metropolitan. Thus the two ecclesiastical positions: Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan, wielding the spiritual, temporal and ecclesiastical authority in Malankara came to repose in one and the same person. Through prayer and fasting he received strength from God to lead his people for long years, courageously, inspiring his people to work for their church and for the glory of God. Following the peace pact of 1958, he had the good fortune to guide the destiny of the unified Malankara Church. Apart from consecrating twelve Metropolitans, and ordaining more than thousand priests and deacons, he founded and consecrated many churches.

On 22 April 1932 and on 20 April 1951 he conducted the ‘Mooron Koodasha’ (Chrism Consecration) at the Old Seminary. On 2 November 1947 he declared Geevarghese Mar Gregorios and Yeldo Mar Baselios as Saints. Both these shrines of both Saints are pilgrimage centers today. In order to replenish the financial position of the Church, a Church Welfare Fund called “Catholicate Fund” was inaugurated. Every year the 6th Sunday in the Great Lent was declared as the Catholicate Day and the collections from parish churches towards this fund was to be made on that day every year.

The present headquarters of Catholicos, Devalokam at Kottayam was constructed in 1951 during the tenure of Baselios Geevarghese II. He had also initiated the emergence of two missionary movements in the Church viz. The Society of Servants of the Cross at Mulanthuruthy and the St. Paul’s Missionary Society at Mavelikkara.

The Catholicos led the Malankara Church delegation to the Faith and Order Commission at Edinburgh in 1937. The Catholicos was given the place of honour among all the Church leaders, both of the East and the West and the western media gave adequate coverage to this visit of the Head of the Malankara Church to the West. It was during his tenure the Spiritual Organizations Sunday School, Orthodox Christian Youth Movement and Martha Mariam Samajam were strengthened and given a new face lift. H. H. personally attended and blessed the activities of these organizations.

The deep spirituality and wisdom of this Catholicos earned him the title ‘Valiya Bava’ or ‘The Great Catholicos.’ Shedding luster like a Beacon illuminating the history of the church, he led it from glory to glory. He entered the eternal realms on 3 January 1964 at Devalokam Aramana. He was known for his integrity, deep faith in truth and justice, sharpness of his devotion to the Church, strong endurance in Orthodoxy, deep knowledge, great sense of humour, strict observance of prayers and fasts, and implicit faith in divine guidance, so much so that no one of his generation equaled the divine grace and charisma His Holiness had. His glorious career was one of many sided splendor.

H. H. celebrated his last Holy Qurbana on August 15, 1963. A bruise appeared on his right toe and caused acute distress and pain. He had the vision of St. Mary beckoning him, that night. On September 3, 1963, the sacrament of Holy Unction was performed on him and it gave great relief for his pain. He had a great desire to attend the feast of St. Gregorios on November 3, 1963 at Parumala and by the grace of God he could accomplish it. Thereafter, his bodily weakness got aggravated. On January 2, 1964, the Bava fell unconscious and passed away peacefully on Friday January 3, 1964 at 4.30 a.m., Kallacheril Bava was laid to rest beside the Catholicate Chapel Devalokam Aramana Chapel. His Anniversary is 3 January.