Baselios Augen I

In those days, Mathai met Dn. Sleeba from Syria (later Sleeba Osthathios Metropolitan). Together they visited almost every Church in Malankara. Mathai used to translate the Syriac speeches of Sleeba. Mathai left for Syria with Sleeba in 1905, and was ordained Deacon at Mar Mathai Dayaro (St. Mathew's Monastery) in Assyria. During his stay at the oldest monastery of Mar Augen in Tur-Abdin, Mathai adopted the name Augen. He stayed for a few days with the Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Abdul Masih II, at the monastery of Mar Abraham in Tur-Abdin. Then he travelled to Mardin and reached Kurkuma Dayara where he stayed for about nine months and studied several rare books in Syriac. In 1908 he was elevated to the monastic order of Ramban by Patriarch Ignatius Abdulla at St. Mark's Syrian Orthodox Monastery in Jerusalem.

While staying at Tur-Abdin, Augen Ramban corresponded with some of the leaders in Malankara. He provided the information about the deposed Patriarch Ignatius Abdul Masih II to the Metropolitan Vattasseril Dionysius.

On his return to Malankara, Augen Ramban was ordained to priesthood by Metropolitan Sleeba Osthathios at Kottayam Cheriya Palli (an ancient Church in Kottayam). In 1909, Fr. Augen Ramban accompanied Patriarch Abdulla and Metropolitan Osthathios to the churches they visited, to translate their speeches. He was impartial in the factional disputes in the Malankara Church. When Patriarch Ignatius Abdul Masih II arrived in Malankara in 1912, Fr. Augen visited him at St. Mary's Church, Niranam and held an audience with the Patriarch. There he also attended the enthronement ceremony of Metropolitan Paulos Ivanios as the Catholicos of the East Baselios Paulos I. Later he left for Madras to serve the faithful and conduct Holy Mass there.

He was consecrated as Metropolitan by name Thimotheos on 15 May 1927 at Jerusalem by the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Ignatius Elias III. Patriarch appointed him as the fourth Metropolitan of Kandanad for the faction favoring the Patriarch.

In the late 1930s he left that faction and joined the faction of Malankara Church which submitted to the authority of the Catholicos of the East. He later became the Principal of the Orthodox Theological Seminary (Old Seminary), Kottayam and also held charges of the Kandanad and Thumpamon dioceses.

Pope Paul VI used to visit the Heads of Churches of each country he visited. On his visit to India to attend the Eucharistic Congress in Bombay, the Pope expressed his wish to exchange greetings with the Supreme Head of the Malankara Orthodox Syriac Church, Augen I Catholicos. Owing to his tight schedule, the Pope was unable to travel from Bombay to Kerala and asked the Catholicos whether it would be convenient for the Catholicos to visit him at Bombay. Augen I agreed, and the meeting took place on 3 December 1964 at 9.00 am. During the meeting in a specially arranged room in the Palace of the Catholic Archbishop of Bombay, only Fr. K. Philipose (later Philipose Theophilos Metropolitan)[2] and the Archbishop Valarian Gracious were present. The primates embraced and sat together.[3] The Catholicos informed that his trip to Bombay was with the sole purpose of meeting the Pope. The Pope invited the Catholicos to visit Rome as his guest. The Pope also expressed his desire to visit Kerala and meet the ancient Christian community there. Fr. K. Philipose read out the 433-worded message of Augen I to Paul VI and submitted it to the Pope. The Pope replied in 470 words, saying that he enjoyed the fact that India was lucky enough to listen to the Gospel at the same time as Europe.[4]

Augen I (sitting fifth from the left) along with other Oriental Orthodox Primates and Haile Selassie at the Addis Ababa Conference

In January 1965, 81-year-old Augen I attended the Synod of Eastern Oriental Orthodox Churches at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.[5] The Synod was convened by the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie. Along with the other Oriental Orthodox Primates, the Patriarch of Antioch Ya'qub III was also present on the occasion. The Catholicos was accompanied by the Secretary of Malankara Episcopal Synod Daniel Philexinos, Fr. T. C. Jacob, Fr. Dr. V. C. Samuel and Fr. Dr. K. C. Joseph. Catholicos Geevarghese II had expressed the desire for convening such a conference for the first time.[6]

The conference began on 15 January. Patriarch Ya'qub II, Armenian Supreme Catholicos Vazken I, Catholicos Augen I, Catholicos of Cilicia Khoren and Patriarch Abune Theophilos of Ethiopia were seated on both sides of the Emperor on the dais. The emperor inaugurated the function. From 18 January onwards, several important decisions were taken at the Conference with regard to Orthodoxy.

On 25 January, Augen I along with the Indian delegation reached Cairo as the guests of the Coptic Orthodox Church and visited the important Churches and places there. Two days later, they went to Jerusalem. After visiting Beirut and Antelias ( the seat of the Catholicos of Cilicia), the party reached Damascus on 3 February. The Patriarch Ignatius Ya'qub III gave a warm reception to the Catholicos and the members of the Indian delegation. After holding friendly dialogue with the Patriarch, the Catholicos visited Homs, Aleppo, Hesakka, Derik and Mosul.

At Mosul, the Patriarch Ya'qub III and Metropolitan Severios Zakka received the party and took them to the Headquarters of the Mosul Metropolitan as a procession. When renovation works for a wall of the Church at Mosul (named after Apostle St. Thomas) was carried out, the Holy relics of Apostle St. Thomas were regained. The relics were kept safely in a marble box with and old Estrangela inscription which said that it contained the holy relics of the founder of the Indian Church. The Patriarch considered the relics as a suitable present to the Indian Church signifying the re-established peace in the Church, and a witness of the Apostle's evangelisation in India. Augen I celebrated the Divine Liturgy at that Church. Amidst the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch placed the holy relics on a specially decorated place in the chancel, and presented them to Augen I. After a grand procession, the Divine Liturgy was concluded.

The Catholicos and the delegation then visited Baghdad, Basra, Bahrain, Qatar and the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Congregations there, and then returned to India. The holy relic of St. Thomas is kept at the Catholicate Palace, Devalokam, Kottayam.

By the end of March 1966, Augen declared Mar Elia Chapel, Kottayam as the official Thronal Cathedral of the Catholicos of the East.

On 24 August 1966, Augen I elevated Yuhanon Severios, Thomas Thimotheos and Dr. Philipose Theophilos as Metropolitans at Kolencherry St. Peter's & St. Paul's Church. These newly consecrated Metropolitans were appointed to lead the Dioceses of Cochin, Malabar and Angamaly respectively.

As Catholicos of the East, Augen I consecrated the Holy Mooron (anointing oil) at the Old Seminary, Kottayam on 21 December 1967.

By the early 1970s, there was a second rift in the Malankara Syrian Church and factional feud re-emerged, supporters of the Syrian Patriarch, accepted authority of the newly installed Catholicos Baselios Paulose II. After the demise of Augen I, Baselios Mathews l was elected as the 5th Catholicose of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.