Suffragan Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar Geevarghese Mar Athanaseus passed away at a private hospital in Kochi at 4.40 a.m. on Wednesday. He was 74.
The Suffragan Metropolitan was keeping indifferent health for some time and was undergoing treatment for liver and kidney ailments at the Kochi hospital for the past two weeks.
The mortal remains of Mar Athanaseus were brought to the Church headquarters at the Syrian Christian Seminary Hills in Thiruvalla in the afternoon, after being kept at the Elamkulam Mar Thoma Church in Kochi till 11 a.m. for the public to pay tributes to the departed bishop.
He joined the services of the Church as a deacon in 1969 and served as vicar at various parishes, including those of Palakkad, Nelliampathy, Attappady, Kuzhalmandom, Mumbai, Dadar, Toronto (Canada), Venmony, Kottayam-Jerusalem, and Chennai-Chettodu. He became an Episcopa (bishop) in 1989 and first served as Episcopa of the Mumbai-Delhi diocese of the Church.
He was the Episcopa of the Kottayam-Kochi diocese during 1993-2001. He had been serving as head of the Ranni-Nilackal diocese since 2001.
Elevated in 2015
Mar Athanaseus was elevated to the post of Suffragan Metropolitan on October 2, 2015.
His mortal remains will be kept at the Church headquarters for the public to pay homage till Friday and the funeral will be held at the SC Seminary Hills the same day, according to sources.
