Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry, archbishop emeritus of the Knanaya archdiocese of Kottayam under the Syro-Malabar Church, is no more.
He was 88.
Mar Kunnacherry, who had been suffering from age-related health problems, was admitted to a private hospital which he had helped establish at Thellakom. His end came by 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Mar Kunnacherry, who had been at the helm of affairs of the territory since 1967 as coadjutor bishop and later as bishop from 1974, became the first archbishop of Kottayam when the diocese was elevated to the arch eparchy status in 2005. He retired on January 14, 2006 after leading the territory for his flock for nearly half a century.
His body will be placed at the Christ the King Cathedral in the town from 2 p.m. on Friday for the public to pay their respect. The mortal remains will be interred at a specially constructed crypt at the Cathedral on Saturday afternoon after Holy Mass which will begin at 2 p.m, Church sources said.
Born to a Knanaya Christian family at Kaduthuruthy on September 11, 1928, he had his school education locally. He was ordained a priest in 1955 and later took doctorate in Civil and Canon Laws from University of Lantern (Rome) and postgraduation in politics from University of Boston.
In 1967, he was nominated bishop of Cephas and appointed coadjutor bishop of Kottayam at the young age of 39. Mar Kunnacherry succeeded as Bishop of Kottayam diocese at the retirement of the then bishop Mar Thomas Tharayil. He was only 45 years old, then.
An institution builder, Mar Kunnacherry was instrumental in the development and expansion of Caritas hospital and establishment of the Cancer Care Centre, the Ayurveda Hospital and the Centre for Yoga and Naturopathy.
He had served as the chairman of St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Aluva; and St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, among other posts. Mar Kunnacherry was active in the area of ecumenism in addition to the various positions he had held at the local, national and international level in the Church.
