By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April greeted Metropolitan Philipose Mar Chrysostum, the spiritual leader of Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, on his 100th birthday.
“On the special occasion of his 100th birthday, warmest greetings to Metropolitan Emeritus, His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom,” the prime minister tweeted.
An ensuing tweet said, “Metropolitan Emeritus, His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom has devoted himself towards service. I pray for his long & healthy life.”
Church groups in India have planned several programs to celebrate the centenarian prelate, who is known for reaching across to people of all religions and walks of life.
Lal Krishna Advani, veteran leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, opened the main celebrations at Thiruvalla, Kerala, on the prelate’s birthday.
In his inaugural talk, Advani said all communities in the country should move forward with none experiencing neglect.
Stressing the need to give equal respect to all sections he said that his party has never discriminates on the basis of religion or caste.
“All sections of the society should be respected. That is the approach my party has adopted and throughout our functioning we have not made any distinction between communities, sections, castes and sex,” he asserted.
The former deputy Prime Minister said the Marthoma church has played a ‘vital role’ in the battle against emergency, adding it stood up against terror, supported those who were being suppressed and harassed and that was “not a small thing.”
The church commands unique respect in the entire Christian world and keeps an integral national outlook, he added.
Advani said he was happy to see the Metropolitan “scoring a century” and wished him good health all his life.
“Even though he has turned 100, he is youthful in thoughts and his speaking style is unparalleled as it is laced with humor,” the former federal home minister said reminding the audience that he himself will turn 90 this November.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, was among those present at the function.
Metropolitan Chrysostom, who became a bishop 64 years ago, is the longest serving prelate in India. He is addressed as Chrysostom Thirumeni or Valiya Thirumeni (grand prelate).
The metropolitan has served as the president of the National Council of Churches, an umbrella body for the Protestant and Orthodox Churches in the country.
He attended the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). He also participated in the World Council of Churches at Evanston in 1954 and Uppsala in 1968.
He was born Philip Oommen in 1917 at Eraviperoor, in Kerala’s Kollam district, then part of Travancore kingdom.
Philipose’s father was Vicar General K. E. Oommen, Kalamannil, Adangapurathu, Kumbanad. His mother was Sosamma of Nadukke Veettil, Karthikappally. He did his schooling at Maramon, Kozhencherry and Eraviperoor schools, and graduated from Union Christian College, Aluva.
He was ordained in 1944 and made a bishop in 1953. He was promoted as a metropolitan in 1999.
A year after his priestly ordination, he joined St. Augustine’s College, Canterbury in the United Kingdom for higher studies in theology.
He was installed as metropolitan of the Marthoma Church when Alexander Mar Thoma Metropolitan was made senior metropolitan. After Alexander Mar Thoma Metropolitan stepped aside the administration of the Marthoma Church because of physical ailments Mar Chrysostom was designated officiating Metropolitan.
On 28 August 2007, he resigned as the Church’s supreme on grounds of old age and ill-health.
On his 90th birthday, his Church devised a project, Navathy (90 years) Home Project, to provide houses for 1,500 families in India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Each house cost 150,000 (US$2400) then.
100 years of Chrysostom is an upcoming Malayalam biographical documentary film on the metropolitan. Directed, produced and written by Blessy, it narrates the prelate’s story.