METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP: His Grace Most Rev. Dr Thomas Mar Koorilos
Heavenly Patrons:
St John, the Evangelist and St Theresa of Child Jesus
Archbishop’s House,
Marygiri, P. B. No. 4, Tiruvalla – 689 101, Kerala
Phone: 0091 469 2701319, 2730620
E-mail:archtvla@gmail.com, markoorilos@gmail.com
Website: www.catholicarchdioceseoftiruvalla.org
Short History:
The Mar Thoma Syrian Christian Community of Kerala was an autonomous Church in the unity of the Catholic Church, ever since its foundation in 52 A.D by St Thomas, the Apostle. They remained one body and flourished in the course of years. But in the seventeenth century, due to the intervention of the Portugese missionaries a schism occurred. A good section of the Syrians eventually became Jacobites under the Patriarch of Antioch.
Ever since the schism, attempts at reunion were made. On September 20, 1930 the Reunion Movement took shape with the reunion of two eminent Jacobite Prelates, the late Archbishop Mar Ivanios and late Bishop Jacob Mar Theophilos. It was a triumph of ecumenism as their reunion took place as a church accepted with its liturgy, customs and jurisdiction. Thus it prepared a way for a complete reunion of the Jacobite – Orthodox Church of Kerala.
As the Reunion Movement developed speedily, Pope Pius XI established the Malankara Catholic Hierarchy for the reunited people and established the Archieparchy of Trivandrum and the Eparchy of Tiruvalla by the Apostolic Constitution, Cristo Pastorum Principi dated June 11, 1932.
Accordingly, the Eparchy of Tiruvalla was established on November 6, 1933 and Most Rev. Jacob Mar Theophilos was enthroned as its first Bishop. He was called for his eternal reward on 27th June 1956. His Excellency Most Rev. Thomas Mar Dioscoros Metropolitan reunited with the Malanakra Catholic Church and joined in the Eparchy of Tiruvalla from the Knanaya Jacobite Church on November 12, 1939 and led a private life at Thirumoolapuram. He passed away on 21 February 1943. His Grace Most Rev. Joseph Mar Severios, Metropolitan of the Niranam Diocese of the Orthodox Church reunited with the Malankara Catholic Chuch on November 29, 1937. Due to the ill-health of His Excellency Jacob Mar Theophilos, the Holy See appointed His Grace Joseph Mar Severios as the Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla in 1938. He was appointed the Bishop of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla in 1951. He was given the honorary title ‘Archbishop – Bishop’ by the Holy See. He was called for his eternal rest on 18 January 1955. The Holy See appointed Reverend Father Cherian Polachirackal Auxiliary to the Bishop of Tiruvalla. His consecration was on 22 April 1954 and he took the name Zacharias Mar Athanasios. The Holy See appointed Zacharias Mar Athanasios as Bishop of Tiruvalla on January 27, 1955. The Eparchy was extended from the river Pampa in the south to the river Ponnani in the north and from the Arabian Sea in the west to the Western Ghats in the east. The Eparchy was further extended to the north from the river Ponnani by the decree of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches, by Prot N. 534/43 dated February 14, 1958 and brought under it the whole of Malabar region of Kerala, the civil districts of Coimbatore and Nilgiris and Karoor Taluk in Thiruchirappally District of Tamil Nadu and the districts of Mysore, Mandya, Coorg, Hassan, Chickamangalore, Shimoga and South Kanara of Karnataka State. His Excellency Zacharias Mar Athanasios entered into eternal rest on 28 September 1977. Rt Rev. Msgr Mathew Nedungattu was elected the Administrator.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II by the Apostolic Constitution of October 28, 1978 separating the civil districts of Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur of Kerala, Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu and Coorg, Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, South Kanara, Chickamangalore and Shimoga of Karnataka from the Eparchy of Tiruvalla, established the Eparchy of Bathery and appointed His Excellency Most Rev. Cyril Mar Baselios as its first Bishop. The official inauguration of the Eparchy was on 2 February 1979. Very Reverend Father Isaac Koottaplackal was appointed bishop of Tiruvalla to succeed His Excellency Most Rev. Zacharias Mar Athanasios. His consecration took place on 28th December 1978 at Mar Ivanios Nagar, Thirumoolapuram and he received the name Isaac Mar Youhanon.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II sent His Eminence Cardinal Wadislaw Rubin, the Prefect of Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches as his delegate to the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Reunion Movement, held in December 1980 at Kottayam in the Eparchy of Tiruvalla. The Golden Jubilee of the establishment of the Eparchy was celebrated in January 1984 at St John’s Cathedral, Tiruvalla. Mar Youhanon was called for eternal peace on 28 April 1987. Rev. Fr George Chundevalel was elected the Administrator who later was appointed the bishop of the Eparchy with the name Geevarghese Mar Timotheos. His consecration took place on 6th August 1988 at St John’s Cathedral, Thiruvalla.
Mar Baselios, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Malankara Catholic Church.
His Eminence Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud paid a visit to the Eparchy on 12 May 2005. The Holy Episcopal Synod of the Malankara Catholic Church decided on 3 December 2005 to elevate the Eparchy of Tiruvalla to the status of an Archieparchy with the Eparchies of Bathery and Muvattupuzha as its suffragans, and the Bishop of Tiruvalla as Metropolitan Archbishop. With the consent and blessings from the Holy See, His Beatitude Moran Mor Cyril Baselios Catholicos, the Major Archbishop of the Malankara Catholic Church, announced the proclamation on 15 May 2006 at St John’s Cathedral, Tiruvalla. His Grace Most Rev. Dr Isaac Mar Cleemis was installed as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla on 10th June 2006 at St John’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Tiruvalla.
As per the decision of the Holy Episcopal Synod and in consultation with the Holy See, the Major Archbishop-Catholicos, Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis, transferred His Excellency Most Rev. Dr Thomas Mar Koorilos from the Eparchy of Muvattupuzha and appointed him as the Second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla on 26 March 2007 and His Beatitude officiated the Installation Ceremony on 2 May 2007 at St John’s Cathedral, Tiruvalla.
With the establishment of the Eparchy of Puthur, the Metropolitan Eparchy of Tiruvalla has three suffragan eparchies.
Having been elected by the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and with the assent of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos appointed Rev. Dr Stephan Thottathil as the Auxiliary Bishop of Tiruvalla on 25th of January 2010 and was consecrated on 13 March 2010 at Mar Ivanios Vidhya Nagar Nalanchira, Trivandrum with the name Philipos Mar Stephanos. On 6th November 2010, the Idukki Region was inaugurated. His Excellency Mar Stephanos is given in-charge of the Pastoral Care of the Region and His Excellency resides in the Jyothis Pastoral Centre, Kattapana.
