Valia Methrachen [Senior Bishop] Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionasius who was the spiritual mentor and inspirer of Fr. P.T. Geevarghese left for heavenly abode in 1909. By this time, he had already translated all the Church positions to his successor Vattasseril Geevarghese Mar Dionasius who was the Guru and inseparable supporter of M.A. Achen. Patriarch Mar Abdulla of Antioch initiated for a visit to Malankara during 1909. M.A. Achen was the one whom Malankara Metropolitan Vattasseril Thirumeni deputed to welcome the Patriarch when he landed in Bombay. So Fr. Geevarghese went to Bombay along with Vattasseril Thirumeni and received the Patriarch. After two years stay in India, Mar Abdulla Patriarch returned to his country on Oct. 12, 1911.

After eight months of the return of Mar Abdulla, Abded Messiah Patriarch visited Malankara in 1912. During this visit of the Patriarch, the Catholicate was reinstated on Sept. 19, 1912 and installed Murimattom Mar Ivanios as the first Catholicose of Malankara. MA Achen was also present during the ordination ceremony. Patriarch Mar Abded Messiah lived in Malankara for about nine months. Geevarghese Achen acted as a translator to the Patriarch while he lived in Malankara. The Patriarch had brought with him an ancient manuscript of Church Canon which was about 500 years old. Inquisitive clergies of Malankara including P.T. Geevarghese Achen verified the manuscript with the one which was available in Malankara and found they are same. When Patriarch went back to his country, M.A. Achen accompanied him to Bombay

The protestant missionary from America, Dr. John R. Mott had convened an all India meeting of Christian students in Serampore with the intention of debating possiblities for initiating a spiritual awakening in India. To schedule a specific scheme for the propagation of Christianity in India was the major item on the agenda. All Indian Church groups were invited for the conference. Malankara Metropolitan also had an invitation to send delegates to attend the meeting held in Calcutta. Malankara Metropolitan Mar Vattasseril Dianasius Thirumeni participated the one-week conference, accompanied by MA Achen. It was a great opportunity for Geevarghese Achen to get in touch with outstanding delegates from all over the world and he could impress whoever he could meet during the session.

After the conference Dr. Howells, Principal of Serampore Theological College invited MA Achen to join his College as a Professor. Though it was very painful proposition for Achen and his Guru Vattasseril Thirumeni to detach themselves out of their closely bonded relations to proceed to Serampore, eventually with mutual consent they came down with the decision in favor of M.A. Achen accepting the offer of Professorship of Serampore College.

Serampore College was founded in 1818 by English Protestant Missionaries William Carey, Joshua Marshman, and William Ward of Baptist Missionary Society to give education in Arts and Sciences to students of every 'caste, colour or country' and to train a ministry for the growing Christian Churches in India. From the beginning the College has been ecumenical. In 1826, the College is upgraded as a University with privilege to confer theological and art degrees for all Christian denominations in India. By 1960, twenty other Indian colleges and seminaries affiliated themselves with Serampore. Many of the Orthodox and Protestant Seminaries and Bible Colleges in India and abroad are now affiliated or associated to Serampore University. Interdenominational character of the College is evident as Anglicans, Baptists, Congregationalists, Disciples, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Syrian Orthodox, and Welsh Calvinists either enrolled or served on the faculty.

Thus MA Achen proceeded to join the Serampore institution which focused on English education and Theological studies. He took along with him Deacon K.S. Yakob who just matriculated from M.D. Seminary [Lately consecrated as Yakob Mar Theophilus Metropolitan]. Fr. Geevarghese was given a position equivalent to the English Professors from abroad. Many Church fathers graduated and post graduated from Serampore later. Deacon Alexandrios Mattackal, Deacon Mathew Parett [Later consecrated as Mathews Mar Ivanios], Deacon Pathrose Mookkancheril [Later consecrated as Pathros Mar Osthathios] and Dn. Geevarghese Puthencavu [Later consecrated as Geevarghese Mar Philaxenos] were few among them.

About 20 students had enrolled themselves during that period at Serampore. They were housed in a two storied building nearby. Fr. P.T. Geevarghese was as much concerned with the advancement of women as with higher education possibilities for the Malankara youth. He recognized the role of educated women in the progress of the family as well as the society. He expressed his wish to the Principal of the Diocesan College Calcutta, Sr. Mary Victoria. This college was being run by European nuns. The sister-Principal who appreciated this commendable suggestion soon accepted a few young women from Malankara on the College rolls. This opened up possibilities for them to train in the Convent in Barisole, East Calcutta and pursue studies in the English language simultaneously. A few young from Kerala were regularly taken into the Convent by Mother Superior Edith, at the instance of Fr. Geevarghese.

During that time a magnificent project of an educational complex came up at Thirumoolapuram, Thiruvalla with support of Kandathil Varghese Mappilai, a social activist, language scholar and founder editor of Malayala Manorama News Paper. He had the great intention of establishing a girl’s school also. But Varghese Mappilai passed away before his dream was realized. It fell upon Fr. P.T. Geevarghese to take up the unfilled dream and Achen fulfilled his duties very well. Many girls from Central Travancore sent to this school for higher studies and training.

[TO BE CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE]

ARCH BISHOP MAR IVANIOS - PART 1

ARCH BISHOP MAR IVANIOS - PART 2