Portrait of Metropolitan Alvaris Julius unveiled at the historic St Mary’s Orthodox Church in Niranam

OCP News Service – 30/7/14

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Niranam, India, July 27, 2014, – The Niranam St. Mary’s Orthodox Valiyapally, one of the few churches found by St. Thomas the apostle; commemorated the blessed memory of Metropolitan Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares Mar Yoolios of India, Goa and Ceylon on Sunday the 27th of July 2014. To mark the 125th year of his consecration of metropolitan, Fr. C. V. Oomman, vicar, unveiled a portrait of Alvares Mar Yoolios. Prominent historian Dr. M. Kurian Thomas delivered the key-note address.

Fr. Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares, Roman Catholic priest from Goa, a born philanthropist and nationalist, inspired by the true Christian doctrines and motivated by the Indian nationality spirit, embrace the Malankara Church, the only church in India that follows the true apostolic doctrines and with the true nationalist background. He joined the Malankara Orthodox Church in 1889 that he found fit to his dreams and several thousand Roman Catholic Christians throughout British India who really wants to get rid of their European dominion.

On 29 July, 1889, Fr. Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares was consecrated as the Metropolitan Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares Mar Yoolios. He was enthroned as the Metropolitan of the newly formed Latin archdiocese of India, Goa and Ceylon of the Malankara Church at Old Seminary, Kottayam, India. He was consecrated by H.G. Geevarghese Mar Gregarious of Niranam (later canonized as St. Gregarious of Parumala), H. G. Paulose Mar Ivanios of Kandanad (later H.H. Mar Baselius Paulose I, Catholicos of the East), and H. G. Paulose Mar Athanasius of Kottayam & Angamaly by the order of H. B. Mar Dionysius V, Pulikoottil, Malankara Metropolitan.

Earlier, he was elevated as a monk (Remban) according to the West Syriac tradition by H.G. Geevarghese Mar Gregarious of Niranam on 27 July, 1889 at the Old Seminary, Kottayam.

“We, the Niranam church, one of the very few churches with St. Thomas origin, privileged to starts the jubilee calibrations of Mar Alvares Yoolios, the most zealot Indian missionary” said Fr. Ommen on the occasion. Cor-Episcopa Thomas Kurian presided over the meeting. Fr. John K. Varghese, lay trustee M. V. Abraham and the church secretary K. B. Mathew gave the felicitations.

The present Niranam church was consecrated by H. B. Mar Dionysius VI, Vattasseril, Malankara Metropolitan (later canonized as St. Dionysius of Malankara) along with H.G. Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares Mar Yoolios Metropolitan on 2 Kumbham 1912 (15 February, 1912 – feast of Mayalatho – the presentation of Christ).

Source:
Independent