By our Religious Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram, March 15 (IVC) A high thanksgiving mass was said by the Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis here today in response to declaring Archbishop Ivanios as Venerable by Pope Francis at Vatican yesterday and Ivanios was the first metropolitan of the Thiruvanathapuram Archdiocese of the Syro-Malankara Hierarchy of the Syro-Malabar Church.
The declaration of Venerable is the second stage for attaining sainthood under the Roman Catholic Church. They are: Servant of God f God, Venerable, Blessed and the Sainthood, the Church sources said.
The Archbishop Ivanios was declared as Servant of God on July 14,2007. The Syro-Malankara Hierarchy of the Syro-Malabar Church was established in 1932 with the reunion of two Jacobite Prelates –Mar Ivanios and Mar Theophilos with a large number of faithful and clerics in 1930.
This was an important landmark in the history of the Saint Thomas Christians. Later in 1978 Paulose Mar Phelexinos, the Metropolitan of Thohiyoor (Kunnamkulam) , pretty a good number of followers, was reunited with the Catholic Church under the pope.
A remembrance service in memory of late Ivanios was also held here today along with the thanksgiving mass.
On June 23, 2014, archbishop’s tomb was opened aand examined for gathering evidence for elevating him to sainthood.
Four faithful had been elevated to sainthood d from Keraala. They are : Sister Alphonsa (Kottayam), Mother Euphrasia (ollur –Thrissur), Maram thresia (Puthanchira –Irinjalakuda) and Kuriakose Elias of Chavara. The other faithful on the way to sainthood from the Thrissur Archeparcy are : Joseph Vithayathil, Antony Therattil, Augustine John Ukken and Sister Celin Kannanaikall.
