Rest in Peace, Beloved Makarios

Someone special to my Church and family passed away on Saturday.

The words that come to mind for many about Makarios Thirumeni (Bishop) are probably the same: intelligent, driven, charismatic, humorous, worldly, courageous, a talented story-teller. Thirumeni holds a particular place in my heart because he was our greatest advocate during a time when it looked like Church politics would supersede faith. There are so many moments I can reminisce about. I think many who knew him would agree about how approachable he was, how regular he was among clergy who generally are very intimidating or aloof to communicate with. In my opinion, Thirumeni was the single most influential individual in the hierarchy of our Orthodox Church in the West. His larger than life personality attracted hundreds of thousands of people, across ages and cultures. He was the only Bishop in our Church to really push the notion that our Orthodox ideals and traditions COULD co-exist in a progressive society. He was really the only Bishop in our Church who took an active and consistent role in educating non-Orthodox, non-Christian and non-Indian communities about who Christ was and what our faith was about.

Makarios means "blessed" in Greek. I remember him saying this mantra often" "Be better tomorrow than you were today." I only hope those us wanting to continue in the traditions of the Church will be able to live up to his legacy.

I got a chance to write an article/obituary about Thirumeni's recent passing that will hopefully be published in this Saturday's S.I. Advance. I'd like to share it so that more can learn about what a great soul he was. Here it is, before the editors water it down.
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*Charismatic and Influential Bishop, Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios, Dies at 82

Bishop Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios, founder and leader of the U.S.-Canada Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church of India and a much-beloved professor of religious studies died Saturday morning,
Feb. 23, in Newcastle, England. He was 82.

The Bishop was in England for his annual pastoral visit to the parishes in the United Kingdom and Ireland when he sustained serious injuries in a traffic accident on January 5. He remained hospitalized until his passing. The mortal remains of the Bishop will be brought home to Kerala, India and entombed at the Catholicate Palace Chapel, Kottayam, which is the headquarters of the Church.

The Malankara Orthodox Church was founded by St. Thomas, an apostle of Christ, in India in 52 A.D. Many in the family of Dr. Makarios have devoted their lives to serving the Church as bishops, priests and nuns since the Church's inception, and that tradition continues.

Bishop Makarios began his career as a teacher, later resigning his position to study theology. After completing his theological education in India, he was ordained as a priest in 1952 and was appointed as the first Vicar of the Orthodox Church in New Delhi, India's capital. He was able to sow the seeds of several churches in the Northern parts of India. He immigrated to the United States from India in 1963 in pursuit of higher education, receiving his masters in religion from Virginia Theological Seminary and a doctorate in theology from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. He went back to India and became a professor of Church History at The Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam, Kerala, India. In 1975 he was elevated as a bishop and was then appointed as the first Metropolitan Bishop of the new Bombay Diocese of the Church. In 1979 he was appointed as the first Metropolitan Bishop of the United States and Canada.

Bishop Makarios's leadership was instrumental in establishing the first Indian-Orthodox Churches in North America. The growing Indian-Orthodox Christian community on Staten Island signaled an opportunity to assemble and formally incorporate a parish. In 1980, he consecrated the first Indian-Orthodox Church in the western hemisphere, St. George Malankara Orthodox Church of India in New Dorp. He frequently visited St. George during the Church's feast days and other celebrations. "Makarios Thirumeni (Bishop) was a gifted storyteller and a teacher. His commitment to our Church was sincere, and he always reminded us that our Church was the first newborn of Indian-Orthodoxy in the west. We were privileged to have him play such a tremendous role in launching our parish. The Church has lost one of its brightest gems and he will be deeply missed," says a founding member of St. George.

The Bishop's ministry was not confined to the Indian-American community; rather it expanded across various ethnic, cultural, and religious communities to enter into the mainstream. He established mission centers in Washington, Louisiana and Minnesota for the benefit of non-Indian communities. During a reorganization of the Diocese, Bishop Makarios was given the responsibility of heading the Dioceses of Canada, the United Kingdom & Europe.

A very well accomplished organizer and a renowned speaker with a rare sense of humor, Mar Makarios intertwined the Eastern and Western cultures and explained the differences between the Eastern and Western modes of religious thinking to his congregation and to his students. To start a Diocese from complete barrenness and to help it grow to around 75 parishes and 7000 families in the United States speaks volumes about the organizational acumen of H.G. Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios and the leadership of the Church. He constantly traveled to minister to his churches and was a frequent guest of church leaders around the world. Most recently, he traveled to the city of New Orleans to minister to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The Bishop also taught at Alma College in Alma, Michigan for 25 years as professor of religious studies. "My mission at Alma is not just academic alone," he said. "By being on campus, I'm a father figure to many students to help them in their personal lives. Sharing with students about their concerns and their problems — that is part of my calling." His students noted his non-judgmental and accepting personality, even though he represented a specific Christian perspective. His passion for students included introducing them to Indian philosophy and culture. He encouraged and made it possible for Alma students to visit India. He helped develop the Alma India Program, which has a relationship with the Mathen Mappilai Memorial Public School in the village of Ayroor in the state of Kerala, India.

Bishop Makarios, the eldest of five children, is survived by his younger siblings, two of who are clergy and one who is serving as nun in the Church. He became a U.S citizen in 1993.