Pages from History: 40 Years – No Salary – Selfless Parish Service – Rev. C M Joseph
26 February, 1876: Birth of C.M. Joseph Kathanar, Cheruvathur, Kunnamkulam (d..28 February 1943) was ordained deacon on 17 November 1900 and priest on 5 Jan 1901. During his 40 years of service as vicar of various parishes he did not take any salary or any monetary benefits. It was a totally voluntary service! He was the vicar of Kunnamkulam, Pzhanji, Trichur, Chennamkerry, Chalasserry, Varakkara, Vengoor, Kizhillam, Valakam and Kochi. With ten of his friends he formed an association” Kunnamkulam Mar Thoma Suriyani Suveshesha Prasangasangam” and he was the president for it for 35 years.
Rev. C. M. Joseph
Pages from History: Generosity Personified – Bishop Edward Alfred Livingstone Moore
25 February, 1925: Consecration of Bishop Edward Alfred Livingstone Moore (13 Nov 1870 – 22 Sep 1944) Fourth Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Travancore and Cochin. He was consecrated in England by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He arrived in Kottayam on 10th August, 1925. He had a great concern for the people from the backward community. He ordained Rev. P. J. Isaac and Rev. C. I. Mathai – both from the backward community. He served the diocese for 12 years. He was a very generous man who donated his full salary for charitable work in the diocese.
Bishop E. A. L. Moore
Pages from History: Metropolitan Suspends Vicars for violating Sabbath (1881)
27 February, 1881: (M.E. Kumbham 15, 1056): The Metropolitan suspended several vicars for solemnizing a marriage on Sunday morning. One of the Vicars of the Maramon Parish solemnized the marriage of his son a deacon on a Sunday morning with the help of another priest. All three of them were suspended from official duties for violating the fourth Commandment (Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy).
Maramon Mar Thoma Church
Pages from History: Birth of Emperor Constantine (AD 272)
27 February, 272: Constantine, the first Roman Emperor (d 22 May 337) who converted to Christianity, is born. Though, some scholars question the authenticity of Constantine’s conversion (which came after he saw a vision on the battlefield), the Emperor did seek to settle church controversies, and he called the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325.
Emperor Constantine (Metropolitan Museum of Art # 26.229)
Pages from History:- Johannes Gutenberg publishes the Bible – 1455
23 February, 1455: (traditional date): Johannes Gutenberg publishes the Bible, the first book ever printed on a press with movable type. Gutenberg (c. 1400 – February 3, 1468) was a German goldsmith and printer, who is credited with inventing movable type printing in Europe and mechanical printing globally. His major work, the Gutenberg Bible, also known as the 42-line bible, has been acclaimed for its high aesthetic and technical quality.
The Gutenberg Bible
New York Public Library, 2009. (Author NYC Wanderer (Kevin Eng))- wikipedia.com
Pages from History: Formation of Mar Thoma Sunday School Samajam – 1905
Formation of Mar Thoma Sunday School Samajam – In a meeting held on Saturday 25 February, 1905 at the Maramon Convention Pandal under the leadership of Rev.C. P. Philipose.
The following decisions were made:
1. All the Sundays Schools (52 Schools) which are run by various parishes of the church are to be included in this Samajam.
2. The name of this association will be “Malankara Mar Thoma Suriyani Christiyani Sunday School Samajam.”
3. Headquarters of the Samajam will be in Tiruvalla .
4. Mr. V. P. Mammen will be first secretary
5. A committee is to be formed for the running of the Samajam.
Sunday School – Mar Thoma Parish Sharjah.
Photo from http://www.marthomaparishsharjah.com/sunday_school.php
Pages from History: Inauguration of Vanitha Mandiram 1925
25 February, 1925: Inauguration of Vanitha Mandiram. To give training for the women workers of the Mar Thoma Suvisesha Sevika Sanghom, Vanitha Mandiram was established in Tiruvalla in 1925. A Church Mission Society (CMS) missionary Miss. Kellaway from Australia was willing to give the training and necessary leadership. After serving the Vanitha Mandiram for 20 years she returned to Australia in September 1946.
Miss Kellaway
First Ordination Service outside Kerala, February 22, 1936
22 February, 1936: First Ordination service outside Kerala. The Mar Thoma congregation in Madras was formed in 1915. As there were no resident priests in Madras, the spiritual needs of the members were fulfilled by visiting priests and evangelists. Many requests were sent to Titus II Metropolitan for a resident Priest. Deacon C. K. Mathai, who completed his Theological studies in the Kottayam seminary, was sent to Madras to look after the spiritual needs of the congregation.
Bishop Titus II even made arrangements for his intermediate studies at the Madras Christian College. To fulfill the long cherished desire of the Madras Congregation, Titus II decided to conduct the ordination ceremony in Madras itself. Titus II ordained Deacon C. K. Mathai and another person as priests in the St. John’s Church in Madras. Very Rev. V. P. Mammen, Rev. M.G. Zachariah Malpan, and Rev. V. I. Philipose and priests from sister churches were present for the Ordination ceremony.
Mar Thoma Church Adyar, Madras (Chennai)
Birth of Titusji – An unknown Freedom Fighter from the Mar Thoma Church
Titusji (b.18 Feb, 1905), hails from a farming family, (Theverthundiyil, Maramon) in Kerala. He was a member of the Maramon Mar Thoma Parish. After his high school graduation, he taught in a school in Vadasserikkara (a village about 20 km away from Maramon), for a few years and then joined the Allahabad Agriculture University and passed an Indian Dairy Diploma course with distinction……… to read more click
https://nalloorlibrary.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/titusji-indian-freedom-fighter.pdf
Titusji
Mar Thoma Church publishes its first Directory (1969).
19 February, 1969: Dr. Juhanon Mar Thoma writes in support of the publication of the Mar Thoma Church Directory. For many of our leaders the publication of a Directory was “an impossible and unwanted” task. Some even claimed that it will invite God’s curse like that of King David’s time when he counted his people (2 Samuel Ch.24). But Metropolitan Juhanon Mar Thoma strongly supported the idea and the first Mar Thoma Church Directory was published in 1969.
Mar Thoma Church Directory
Nalloor Library 