A day of remembrance was observed in memory of Fr Mathias Mundadan, church historian, author and founder of the Aluva Palackal Jeevass Centre, who died on August 31.
Bishop Mar Thomas Chakiath of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese and Fr Alex Oruthayappally, provincial CMI congregation, attended the function organised at Jeevass Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.
Major Archbishop Mar Baselios Cleemis was the chief guest.
In his memorial speech, Mar Cleemis said that he shared a student-teacher relationship with Mathias. While Cleemis was a student at Dharmaram College, Bangalore, Mathias was the professor of theology there.
“He was a complete teacher in every aspect. While he was teaching theology he tried to live what he taught, making a model of himself to all his wards,” Mar Cleemis said.
“Mathias had a dream on Indian Church. He had studied deeply the subject of ‘differences created in the Indian Christian society by the arrival and teachings of various missionaries’.
The subject was always a hot topic in the classrooms. Mathias had a clear vision about how it should be seen, as a historical impact caused by various backdrops from which they had come,” Mar Cleemis said.
Mar Thomas Chakiath said that the Church in Kerala, especially when Syro-Malabar Church was formed, has passed through many critical situations with regard to its teachings, and on such occasions Mathias was helpful in finding solutions.
He also helped on establishing the St Thomas Academy of Research and had presided over it for many years.
Fr Alex said that Mathias was a clear example of undivided love. “There were many people including, priests and nuns who had gone out of the Church for unknown reasons.
Instead of forgetting them for ever, Mathias thought about ways to bring them back to Church,” he said. Fr Jose Thekkinedath, Fr Ferror Wadakkancherry and Francis Paul Thekkinedath spoke on the occasion.