SG. Puthenparampil Thommachan

SG.Puthanparambil Thommachan , Founder of Franciscan Third Order Secular in Kerala ,Popularly known as Kerala Assisi declared as servant of God on 29 June 2012. He will be the first layman from Syro Malabar Church, to become the Servant of God .

Thommechan was born on 8th July 1836 to a Couple Philippose Puthenparampil and Thresiamma Karukayil. When Thommechan was about two year old His Father , Philippose was called to his eternal reward. At the age of 20 he got Married to Annamma, daughter of Mathachan, Vadakkeveettil of Pulincunnu parish and  blessed with a son and two daughters. He died on 1^st  Nov 1908  and his mortal remains on St George Forane Church Cemetery Edathua.     

On 4th Oct.1889, in the presence of the Rt Rev. Vicar Aposolic, of Kottayam, Puthenparampil Thommen Louis of Edathua is appointed, as the common head of third order of  all Tertiaries.

This formal appointment marked the beginning of a very active and dynamic period of prolific growth of the third order in Kerala. Thommechan worked wholeheartedly and succeeded in establishing over fifty fraternities of the Fransciscan Third Order in parishes like Alleppey, Changanacherry, Anakkullu, Aruvithura, Cherpunkal, Tumpoli, Palai, Kalloorkunnam, Ampalloor, Arthunkal, Poonajar, Vaipur, Kaduthuruthy, Athirampuzha. These parishes covered the three dioceses of Changancharry, Cochin and Ernakulam. The membership exceeded 3000. The history of the movement till 1899 is recorded in the handwriting of Thommechan himself.

Popularly known as Kerala Assisi
Born	8th July 1836
Died	1st  Nov 1908
Servant of GOD	29 June 2012
Founder of	Founder of Franciscan Third Order Secular in Kerala

SG .Geevarghese Mar Ivanios

First Metropolitan Archbishop Syro-Malankara Catholic Church & Father of re-union movement
Born	September 21, 1882, Mavelikkara
Died	July 15, 1953
Servant of GOD	14 July, 2007
Founder of	Bethany Ashram

Mar Ivanios, the First Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.He was, the Father of re-union movement, the founder of Bethany Ashram and decalred as Servant of God on 14th  July, 2007, by Major Archbishop Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos .

Mar Ivanios was born on September 21, 1882, to Thoma and Annamma Panicker of the Puthicavu parish in Mavelikkara. He was born on the Feast of the Nativity of Mother Mary according to the Julian calendar, and was baptized a short time later with the name George or Geevarghese. He was sent to Madras Christian College where he would receive his Master’s Degree in History and Economics. He was the first among the Jacobite clergy to receive a Master’s degree. Geevarghese Semmashen was ordained as priest On August 28, 1908.

Seven years, from 1912 – 1919,  he was a professor at Serampore. On May 1, 1925, Geevarghese Achen was ordained Bishop of Bethany; he took the name Ivanios after the Apostle John, the patron saint of Bethany. In 1926, with the full approval and complete support of the Synod of Bishops, Mar Ivanios began communicating with Rome regarding reunion. After four painstaking years, Rome was ready for reunion.

SG Msgr.Reynold purackal

Msgr.Reynold purackal also known as alappuzha’s  valiyachan, was born on December 28 1910 at Chethy in the district of Alappuzha.

Kerala. The entire fifty golden years of his priesthood was spent within the four walls of St.Antony's Orphanage Alappuzha, He devoted his life for grooming the lives of hundrdes of boys from destitute families.
Msgr.Reynold purackal declared  as Servant of God on 28th December 2010.

Popularly known as Alappuzha’s  valiyachan
Born	December 28 1910 ,Chethy, Alappuzha Dist.
Died	1988.
Servant of GOD	28th December 2010.

SG. Rev. Mgr. Joseph C Panjikaran

Rev. Mgr. Joseph C Panjikaran was born on 10th September, 1888 in Uzhuva, Shertalley Ernakulam District. He was the first to obtain a M.A degree from among Syrian Christians, in 1913 from St. Joseph’s College Trichy, after which he joined the diocesan seminary at Candy (Sri Lanka) and became an ordained priest in the year 1918.

As a zealous missionary, Mgr. Joseph Panjikaran devoted his entire life for the upliftment of the poor and marginalized, specially the untouchables - the Ezhawas and lower castes. His ineffable works in the fields of evangelization and social justice earned him the titles of ‘Bene Merendi’ and ‘Papal Chamberlaine’. He was the pioneer to start a Christian Hospital ( Dharmagiri Hospital,Kothamangalam in Kerala )and was the founder of a religious congregation, the Medical Sisters of St. Joseph, solely dedicated to the care of the sick. The Servant of God, Mgr. Joseph C. Panjikaran died on 4th November 1949 and his mortal remains in the cemetery attached to Dharmagiri, Kothamangalam, the Mother House of the congregation of Medical Sisters of St. Joseph.

The cause of Mgr. Joseph C. Panjikaran, the founder of the Congregation of the Medical Sisters of St. Joseph (Dharmagiri) has officially taken up for canonization by the diocese of Kothamangalam, Kerala. The official announcement to this effect was made on 18th July, 2010 by Mar George Punnakottil, the Bishop of the diocese of Kothamangalam

Founder of the Dharmagiri Hospital and the Congregation of the Medical Sisters of St. Joseph (Dharmagiri sisters)
Born	1888 September 10, Cherthala, Kerala
Died	1949 November 4
Servant of GOD	2010

http://www.smcim.org

SG. Fr. Tommiyachan Poothathil

Thomas was born on October 24, 1871, in a noble family of Poothathil as the second son of Ittikunj and Naithy at Neendoor in Kottayam District of Kerala.

After the primary schooling at his home town, he was sent to a school in Thrissanappally, run by the Jesuit fathers. He joined the Seminary in Puthenpally near Varapuzha on September 21, 1887. Enriching himself in the philosophical and theological studies he was ordained priest by Mar Mathew Makil, the vicar Apostolic of Changanacherry on December 28, 1897.

His linguistic proficiency deserves words of appraisal for he was fluent in Syriac, English and also Malayalam. he was appointed as a professor in Puthenpally Seminary in 1898 very soon after his ordination. Having completed his teaching profession in three years in Seminary, he had been sent to different parishes,Kumarakom (1900-1904), Uzhavoor (1904-1908). He served as chaplain of Visitation Convent, Kaipuzha and the Manager of St. Margaret School (1908-1915). Due to ill-health he could not take up pastoral ministry during 1915-1921. Residing at Kaipuzha parish, he began his efforts in view of founding St. Thomas Asylum, on 3rd May 1925 and St. Joseph's Congregation (SJC).St. Joseph congregation started on 3rd July 1928 with its first five members

 Later he was appointed parish priest at Kidangoor (1921-1923), Kurumulloor (1923-1930), Neendoor (1930-1932), Chamakkala (1932-1933), Kurumulloor (1933-1938). After the retirement, he stayed at Kaipuzha parish presbytery from 1938 till his death on December 4, 1943.

His body was buried at Kaipuzha Church, southern side of the altar. Later, Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry, the Bishop of Kottayam permitted to transfer what remains from the tomb from the Church to the convent chapel at Kaipuzha on 4th December 1983 on his fortieth death anniversary.Declared as servant of God on 26 Jan 2009.

Founder  of St. Thomas Asylum & St. Joseph's Congregation (SJC)
Born	October 24, 1871, Neendoor ,Kottayam Dist, Kerala.
Died	December 4, 1943
Servant of GOD	26th Jan 2009

http://poothathilthommiachan.org

SG. Mar Mathew Kavukatt

First Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Changanassery.
Born	(1904-07-17)July 17, 1904, Pravithanam, Palai
Died	October 9, 1969(1969-10-09) (aged 65)
Servant of GOD	Oct. 25, 1996
Founder of	Assumption College at Changanacherry, B.K College of Amalagiri, St Aloysius College at Edathua and many other educational institutions in the Archdiocese
Motto	‘Caritate Servire’ (Service with Love)

Mar Mathew Kavukatt, the former Archbishop of Changanacherry was an eminent educationist and administrator. He was born at Pravithanam, now in the Pala diocese, Kerala to the couple  Chummar and Tresa on 17 July 1904.

After the elementary education at Anthinadu School he joined the St. Thomas High School, Pala. There he had many companions who became renowned persons in later years. After the School final in 1923 he joined St. Berchmans College Changanacherry for his Higher Education. After two years there he pursued his studies in Trivandrum where he graduated in 1927. The following year was spent at home engaging himself in various parish youth activities.

He joined the St. Thomas Minor Seminary at Kottayam on 1 June 1928 and then to Aluva for the major Seminary. He was ordained a priest on 21 December 1935 by Bishop Kalassery together with 19 others. He offered his first Mass on 24th of the same month in his home parish. For 15 years he served the church in various capacities: as pastor, teacher, Headmaster, Director of ministries etc. In between he served in Kanjirapally for a couple of years as Headmaster of St. Dominic’s H S and Assistant priest of the parish.

On 9 November 1950 Fr. Mathew Kavukattu was ordained Bishop in Rome. On 3 January 1951he assumed the post of the Bishop of Changanacherry with the motto ‘Caritate Servire’ (Service with Love). In 1956 the Diocese of Changanacherry was raised to Arch Diocese and Bishop Kavukattu became the first Arch Bishop. The following years were important in the History of Kerala Church and the minority communities due to the peculiar political situation. The Arch Bishop played the key role in organizing the people and leading them in the liberation movement. Pope John XXIIIrd appreciated him for this great work when he visited him in 1960.

The silver Jubilee of his Priestly ordination was in 1959–1960. He requested the faithful a housing scheme for the homeless in the diocese as a Jubilee gift. The Kanjirapally St. Dominic’s parish started our school as the Jubilee memorial under the leadership of Fr. George Thachenkary. The following years are very important in the History of the Catholic Church. The council of Vatican II and the Eucharistic Congress of Bombay are the major events. In both these, Mar Kavukattu played a very prominent role. Though his health was deteriorating and had to undergo a major surgery in Germany he continued his great work in the diocese specially the work for the poor and the suffering. In his words he did not want any Lazar to be crying in the portico. He died in the early hours of 9 October 1969.

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SG. Mar Mathew Makil

First Vicar Apostolic of Changanacherry and Kottayam
Born	1851 March 27, Manjoor, Kottayam. Kerala
Died	1914 January 26, Kottayam
Servant of GOD	26 Jan 2009
Founder of	SVM (Sisters of the Visitation of the BI. Virgin Mary)

Mar Mathew Makil was born on 27th March1851 as the third son of Thomman and Anna Makil puthenpurayil of Manjoor in Kottayam District, Kerala India.

He was appointed Vicar General for the Southists in the Vicariate of Kottayam in 1889. When the Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam and Trichur were re-organized into Trichur, Ernakulam and Changanassery in 1896, he was nominated Titular Bishop of Trallus and appointed Vicar Apostolic of Changanassery. In 1911, a new Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam was constituted exclusively for the Knanaya Catholics and Mar Mathew Makil was transferred to Kottayam as Vicar Apostolic. He died at Kottayam on 26^th   Jan 1914 . He  Declared as Servant of God  on 26 Jan 2009. 

Bishop Mar Mathew Makil, the first Vicar apostolic of Changanacherry and Kottayam, the good shepherd of the syrian christians, the founder of the Visitation Congregation, and the spiritual inspirator of the Knanaya Community.

http://marmakil.org/