KOZHIKODE: In a ceremony steeped in history and symbolism, Mananchira Cathedral witnessed the affirmation of change in the centuries-old Christian tradition of Malabar. For the first time, two women made their way up the aisle not as worshippers, but as candidates for ordination.
On Thursday morning, Dr Saju Mary Abraham, 52, and Nimshi David, 25, along with A P Vibin Joseph, were ordained as deacons in the Church of South India’s (CSI) Malabar diocese. After a year of service, they will be elevated to priesthood, a role long reserved for men in this region.
The service was led by Rt Rev Royce Manoj Victor, bishop of the Malabar diocese, while Rev J C Ranjan of the Karnataka Central diocese delivered the sermon. Rows of male clergy filled the sanctuary as the two women took their vows. “This is not just about two individuals; it is about the whole church taking a step forward,” remarked Joyprasad Pulickal, a member of the diocesan executive committee.
Saju Mary, hailing from Ranni, Pathanamthitta, is an accomplished academic with postgraduate degrees in physics, sociology, and theology, along with a doctorate in New Testament studies.
A polyglot fluent in six languages, including Greek, Hebrew, and Sanskrit, she has taught in seminaries in Salem and Allahabad and now serves at the Kerala United Theological Seminary, Thiruvananthapuram. Her family is deeply rooted in church life. Her husband, Rev Reji George Varghese, is a priest, while their two children are pursuing law and engineering.
Nimshi represents a new wave of women entering the ministry. Born in Nagercoil and raised in Wayanad, she was a gold medallist in philosophy at Madras Christian College before completing her theological studies in Chennai with distinction.
Daughter of Rev David Stephen, vicar of St Paul’s CSI Church, Nedumkarana, she grew up in the rhythms of church life that have now shaped her calling.
The ordination marks a first for Malabar diocese but not for the CSI at large. Since 1976, the church has been ordaining women, and in 2013, Eggoni Pushpa Lalitha of Telangana became South Asia’s first woman bishop.
Still, for the Malabar diocese, stretching from Palakkad to Kasaragod and home to over one lakh members, Thursday’s ceremony marked a unique occasion. Also ordained was Vibin Joseph, assistant vicar of Hermann Gundert Church, Kozhikode, and chaplain at Malabar Christian College.
According to him, for generations, the altar had been a male domain. On September 18, two women broke that tradition, carrying with them not only their own journeys of faith but the hopes of a church moving into a new era.