KOCHI: The Suffragan Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Athanasius of Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian
Church passed away on Wednesday morning. The 74-year-old breathed his last at PVS Memorial Hospital in Kochi where he was admitted for liver and kidney related ailments.
"With painful heart and deep grief, this is to announce that Geevarghese Mar Athanasius Suffragan Metropolitan is taken to eternal rest at 4.40 am in PVS Hospital," K G Joseph, secretary Malankara
Mar Thoma Syrian Church made an announcement on Wednesday morning.
The spokesperson of PVS hospital told Express that Metropolitan was admitted to the hospital on April 8. "After his condition deteriorated on Tuesday, he put on the ventilator. He was suffering from kidney related ailment for past several years," the hospital spokesperson said.
The body of Geevarghese Mar Athanasius was kept at Mar Thoma church, Elamkulam, Kochi to enable the public to pay homage on Wednesday morning. His mortal remains were later shifted to the
headquarter of Mar Thoma church at Thiruvalla. "The mortal remains of Suffragan Metropolitan will be kept at the headquarter for the public to pay homage. The funeral will be held at Mar Thoma Church headquarter in Thiruvalla on Friday. A meeting of Mar Thoma church council will be held on Wednesday evening to discuss the preparations for the funeral ceremony," an information provided by Mar Thoma Church headquarter stated.
Geevarghese Mar Athanasius is the son of late C I Idicula and late Achiyamma of Nedumpram in Pathanamthitta district. He completed his high school education from TMT High School, Neerattupuram, and later graduated from the Mar Thomas College in Tiruvalla. After joining the seminary, he completed the BD degree from Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur.
Ordained Deacon and Kassessa in 1969, he was consecrated as Ramban in 1989. He became an Episcopa, taking the name of Geevarghese Mar Athanasius, in the same year. In charge of various organisations and
projects of the Mar Thoma Church, he was installed as Suffragan Metropolitan on October 2, 2015.