Indian Christianity

The Great Unrest, His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Mathews II, the Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan has successfully Graced His 90 years of age. Our Prayerful Greetings. "Navathy celebrations" will be on 28th of this month at Edamulackal VMDM center........

The Managing Committee of The Malankara Orthodox Church proposed to elect 7 Bishops and the Priests Trustee on Thursday 2 PM, the 27th May 2004 at Parumala Seminary.

Priests Trustee Candidates

1. Very. Rev. Alexander Vaidyan Co-Episcoapa Former Diocesan Secretary, Trivandrum

2. Very Rev. Joseph Mannaraprayil Cor- Episcopa Diocesan Secretary, Angamaly Diocese

3. Rev. Fr. Mathai Vilanilam, Diocesan Secretary, Mavelikara Diocese

4. Rev.Fr O Thomas, Professor Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam

Fr. Joshua John is presently the Vicar of St.Thomas Orthodox Syrian Church and principal of St.Mary’s English School Malad, Mumbai. He was the principal of Gujarat Refinery, St.Mary’s school, Ahmedabad, etc.

He is known for his God given voice and has sung for many devotional cassettes. He is an educationalist, a good orator, and an administrator, designer and very religious. He has visited about 62 countries all over the world. In 1994 His Grace Dr.Late Mar Theophilus sent him to Vatican to meet Holiness Pope and he was a Vatican State Guest.

He has been doing his doctoral research work in the subject “Contribution of Minority community to Human Resources Development” with Pune University.

He was the Vicar of St.George Orthodox Syrian Church Kuttiyani – Ranni, St.Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Church –Ahmedabad,St.Gregorious Orthodox Syrian Church - Doha– Quatar and St.Thomas Orthodox Syrian Church – Kirkee – Pune.

Fr. M. Johnson Elevated as Yoohanon Ramban

Ranni: Dec.14, 2003: Fr. M. Johnson, first member and Superior of the Holy Trinity Ashram, Angadi, Ranni has been elevated to the Rank of Ramban on December 12, at the Ashram Chapel, Ranni, as Yoohanon Ramban. His Holiness Baselius Marthoma Mathews –II was the chief celebrant of the elevation ceremony and Metropolitans H.G. Mathews Mar Epiphanios, Philipose Mar Eusebios, Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, Mathews Mar Severios, Abraham Mar Severios, Kuriakose Mar Clemis, and Paulose Mar Pachomios were the co-celebrants.

The service started at 7 a.m, with morning prayers, followed by Holy Qurbana, celebrated by H.G. Paulose Mar Pachomios , who is also the visitor bishop of the Ashram. The Elevation service began by 9.30 a.m which took more than two hours to complete. Over eight hundred people, including a large number of Rambans, Corepiscopos, Priests and Deacons attended the function.

The Holy Trinity Ashram was founded by H.G.(Late) Geevarghese Mar Dioscorus Metropolitan and Fr. Johnson joined the Ashram in 1978. Now there are seven other priests, one deacon and two brothers as members of the Ashram. The Ashram situated one kilometer away from Ranni town.

Yoohanon Ramban, is the youngest son of (Late) Philipose Mathai and Thankamma Mathai, Nediyavilayil Sankarathil, Kurampala, Pandalam, who has six sisters and three brothers.

Following the ceremony, Fr.Daniel Pullelil, Vicar of the St. Thomas Church, Kurampala, Pandalam, (mother parish of the new Ramban), Fr. John Sankarathil, (representing the Thalanadu Family) and Mathew Sankarathil, Chief Editor of the Malayala Manorama (Representing the Sankarathil Family), spoke at the felicitation meeting. P.Thomas Sankarathil,(Retd. D. Y. S. P.) read and presented the "Mangala Pathram" of the Sankarathil Family to the new Ramban.

Fr. Johnson had been the Secretary to H. G. Mathews Mar Barnabas of the American Diocese and Diocesan Office Secretary for eleven years, from September 1992 to September 2003. In the American Diocese, he also served the St. Mary’s Church (2) - Philadelphia, St. Mary’s Church -Jackson Heights, St. Mary’s Church - WestSayville, St.Mary’s Church - Brooklyn, St. Thomas Church- Dover, and St. Gregorios Church- Westchester.

Before coming to America, he was the Secretary to H.G.(Late) Geevarghese Mar Dioscorus Metropolitan of the Trivandrum Diocese and Chaplain of the Trivandrum Aramana Chapel for four years, from 1988 to 1992.

After his School education at the NSS High School, Pandalam, he took his MA (Sociology) from the University of Kerala, GST from the Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam, BD from Serampore College, Calcutta, and STM from the General Theological Seminary, New York, NY. He published his book "BAPTISM, EUCHARIST AND PRIESTHOOD" in 1999. He widely travelled in the Gulf (Bahrain and Kuwait) and Europian (Germany, London, Paris) countries and visited the Holy Land and Rome also.