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 AD by St. Thomas, the Apostle. They remained as one body and flourished in the course of years. However, in the seventeenth century, due to the intervention of the Portuguese missionaries, a schism occurred. A good number of the Syrians eventually became Jacobites under the Patriarch of Antioch.

Ever since the above-mentioned schism, attempts for reunion with the Catholic Church had been made. On September 20, 1930 the Reunion Movement took shape with the reunion of two eminent Jacobite Prelates, namely, the Servant of God 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 Hierarchy for the reunited people and established the Archieparchy of Trivandrum and the Eparchy of Tiruvalla by the Apostolic Constitution, Christo Pastorum Principi dated June 11, 1932.

The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was extended from the river Pampa to the south to the river Ponnani in the north. It was on February 14, 1958 that the Holy See by the Decree Prot. 534/43, further extended the jurisdiction of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla to the whole of Malabar Region of Kerala, the Civil Districts of Coimbatore, Nilgiris and Karur Taluk in Tiruchirappally Districts of Tamilnadu and the Districts of Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, Coorg, Chickmangalore, Shimoga and South Kanara in Karnataka.

After the extension of the eparchy, His Excellency late Zacharias Mar Athanasios, the third Bishop of Tiruvalla, sent a few priests to the new regions. These pioneers of the Malabar Mission began to work zealously among the Malankara faithful, concentrating on a few centres like Bathery, Mananthavady, Nilambur, Edakkara, Karuvarakundu and Maikavu.

In 1963, His Excellency Zacharias Mar Athanasios sent two priests to South Kanara (Karnataka) to work among the Malankara faithful living there who had migrated from Kerala. Desiring to establish the identity of the Malankara Catholic Church and to accelerate the Reunion Movement in the newly organized territories, Mar Athanasios requested the Holy See to bifurcate the Eparchy of Tiruvalla and to erect a new eparchy with Sulthan Bathery as its headquarters. His Holiness Pope John Paul II responded to the request and erected the new Eparchy of Bathery on 28th October 1978. His Holiness appointed Very Rev. Dr. Cyril Malancharuvil OIC, the then Superior General of the Order of the Imitation of Christ, as its first bishop. Msgr. Cyril was consecrated on 28th December 1978 and took the name Cyril Mar Baselios.

It was on 2nd February 1979, that His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Cyril Mar Baselios, the first Bishop of Bathery, officially took charge of the eparchy. The Enthronement (Sunthroniso) ceremony took place at St. Thomas Pro-Cathedral at Sulthan Bathery. The existing 8,500 Malankara Catholics were organized in 43 Parishes and Mission Stations by zealous and committed priests of whom 18 belonged to the Eparchy of Tiruvalla and 2 belonged to the Bethany Ashram. 13 Bethany Sisters and 17 Sisters of the Deena Sevana Sabha also gave valuable services in different parts of the eparchy. After serious thought and prayerful reflection, it was concluded that the most urgent need of the eparchy was nothing but proper community formation both in its ecclesial and social sense. The Archieparchy of Trivandrum and the Eparchy of Tiruvalla had generously given the services of some of their zealous and active priests. Thousands of families including some prominent priests belonging to the Jacobite, Orthodox Churches came into the full communion of the Catholic Church. Several Parishes and Mission Stations were opened. In fact, many people from the sister Churches requested the eparchy to start the Malankara Catholic Mission Stations in their locality.

His Excellency Mar Baselios instituted a few departments for the effective realization of the goals set by the eparchy. These were the departments of Catechism, Youth, Family and Bible, which were instituted in view of forming and uniting the whole people, namely, children, youth, men and women, of the eparchy. The eparchy also gave due importance to its social commitment, taking seriously the life situation of the people around. The eparchy chalked out a social programme aimed at promoting the integral growth of men and women. The Social Service Centre, named Shreyas, which is the official organ of the eparchy for promoting justice and fellowship, is instituted in view of creating a more human and just society, based on Gospel values, through a scientific programme of mass education, mass mobilization and mass action. The eparchy also started few educational institutions under the Corporate Educational Agency of the eparchy to impart a value-based education to the children and youth in the eparchy irrespective of caste and creed.

After 16 years of inspiring leadership in the eparchy, His Excellency Mar Baselios left for Trivandrum on 12th December 1995 as he was appointed the Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum and the Head of the Malankara Catholic Church. His Grace Cyril Mar Baselios took charge of the Church and of the Archieparchy of Trivandrum on 14th December 1995. From 14th December 1995 to 5th February 1997 the eparchy was led by Very Rev. Msgr. Thomas Thannickakuzhy as its Administrator.

On 18th December 1996 His Holiness Pope John Paul II appointed Very Rev. Dr. Varghese Ottathengil, the then Rector of St. Mary's Malankara Major Seminary, Trivandrum as the new Bishop of Bathery. Very Rev. Fr. Varghese Ottathengil was consecrated a Bishop on 5 February 1997, taking the name Geevarghese Mar Divannasios, at Mar Athanasios Nagar, Bathery (St. Joseph's School Ground) by His Grace Cyril Mar Baselios, the Head of the Malankara Catholic Church.

Msgr. Mathew Nedungatt and Msgr. Thomas Thannickakuzhy had served the eparchy as its Vicar General from 1980-82 and 1984 to 1998 respectively. The Diamond Jubilee of the Malankara Reunion Movement was celebrated in the Eparchy of Bathery on 20, 21 September 1990 at Sulthan Bathery.

His Eminence Wladislao Cardinal Rubin, the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches visited the eparchy on 9th January 1981 and inaugurated the Pastoral Council and the Parish Senate in the eparchy.
The Eparchy of Bathery was blessed by the visit of His Eminence Simon D. Cardinal Lourdusamy, the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches on 25th August 1987.

Rev. Dr. Isaac Thottunkal (the present Major Archbishop-Catholicos Baselios Cleemis) was the Vicar General of the eparchy from 1999 to 2001. He was appointed Apostolic Visitor for North America & Europe and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archieparchy of Trivandrum on 18th June 2001. His Excellency Rt. Rev. Dr Isaac Mar Cleemis was consecrated bishop on 15th August 2001 at St. Mary's Malankara Catholic Church, Thirumoolapuram, Thiruvalla.

The Eparchy of Bathery celebrated its Silver Jubilee year from 28th October 2002 to 27th October 2003. The Silver Jubilee celebrations began with the Holy Qurbono by His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Cyril Mar Baselios, the first Bishop of Bathery and with the solemn declaration of the Jubilee year by His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Divannasios on 28th October 2002 at St. Thomas Cathedral, Bathery. The concluding celebration of the Jubilee year was held along with the 73rd Reunion Day celebration of the Malankara Catholic Church on 18 to 20 September 2003.

Rt. Rev. Thomas Charivupurayidam Corepiscopo was the Vicar General of the eparchy from 19th June 2001 to 30th March 2008. Very Rev. Msgr. Eldho Puthenkandathil is the present Vicar General of the eparchy.

The Eparchy of Bathery comprises of the Civil Districts of Wayanad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod of Kerala State, Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu State and Dakshina Kannada, Chamarajnagar, Chickmagalur, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Mysore, Shimoga and Udupi of Karnataka State.

The Ecclesiastical Districts of the eparchy at present are Bathery, Nilgiris, Nilambur, Kozhikode, Kannur, South Kanara (Dakshina Kannada) and Shimoga.