H G DR.ZACHARIAH MAR THEOPHILOS- A memoir-
Prof. Joseph K. Alexander
Late H G Dr. ZACHARIAH MAR THEOPHILOS was a big “Everest” of deep piety, church ethics, liturgical tradition, insistence of Qurbana before his daily breakfast however late it is, simple life, very ascetic in personal needs, service to his people, specially needy students or laity and priests, inseparable relation to his diocese, the MGOCSM and the Thadagam Asramam {[where, he constructed recently the three storied Divine Retreat Centre in 2016 costing Rs.77 lakhs]} to which he attached himself and his self sacrifice for their causes made students and youth –even elders- who came in contact or learnt about him to become his fan and adore him. No wonder the whole church and all who knew about him became sad on his demise. On Comparison we all are very small men made of small hand-full of sand.
I came to know him first as a young deacon who after his degree from the Mar Thoma College, Thiruvalla joined Old Seminary for his Theological diploma course and late the MGOCSM. On a Sunday in my travel from Malankara Quarters to Old Seminary Qurbana, he joined me and got acquainted. He was from Puthusery a village town near Kallupara, a similar small town. I had some cousins on my maternal side who were his school mates and friends. We updated our information about them. That meeting grew into a deep friendship till his lamented demise. Three months before his sad demise he came to my residence, as was his custom in Trivandrum trips, to pray for me ,my family members who are present and specially my ailing wife. That was my last intimate meeting. On getting on to his vehicle I said “Thirumeni you are in my prayer chain and I am continuing my prayers”, Then he sportingly said “now I have not two, but three cancers” I replied, “That is already included in the list”. Our common friend Anand Isaac from Bangalore hearing his critical state went and was with him on the last three days. He used to inform his last peaceful welcoming passing away moments three- four times daily. I lost a great intimate friend to whom I could confide and discuss any problem.
Dr. Theophilos was great a reader, thinker, writer, inventor of short cryptic pregnant words to convey his ideas, and devotional leader. I remember writing forwards to a small prayer book and another catechetical book in English. After Bsc Maths, he did his diploma in Theology, GST- graduation in Theology-, BD-Bachelor of Divinity- from Serampore University, MTH from FFRC, from Serampore, Research on “Bible and Holy Land past and present” in Jerusalem, and a Doctorate of Ministry conferred by Valdimir Seminary, New Jersey.
During his ministry in the MGOCSM as its book shop manager, warden of the Kottayam and Trivandrum Hostels, General Secretary from 1999 and Bishop Vice President of the Movement from 2005, he merged into the Movement that made him the Guru, institution builder and mentor of what MGOCSM is today. All its achievements from 1990 to 2010 are his own making.
1. His construction projects first at Trivandrum MGOCSM commercial centre, repayment of all the loans taken by the movement from the people and the State Bank of India {( I was at his elbow in all his endeavours’ as senior Vice President of the Movement, director of those constructions and honorary treasurer of the Movement from 2002;)}
2. Then he was General Secretary of MGOCSM and took up the construction of the Kottayam Student centre with Rs. 73 lakhs raised from his friends in USA after demolishing the dilapidated MGM Hostel.;
3. MGOCSM Centenary Five Year plan (2004-2008) Projects inaugurated by the then Bava H H Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews IInd at Parumala Seminary during the inauguration of the Education Orientation Camp of 2004, were all his own ideas, --- The Schemes included a mega project of the translation of an Orthodox Study Bible from the original texts, catechetical audio-video for students, job-oriented short term courses. more student centres, an International Student and Youth Centre at Kottayam, sick-aid marriage aid, housing scheme for the poor , Total free education of deserving students from U. P. School standards, charity programes, Kottayam Student Centre with Counseling facilities etc. for housing the Career Guidance Centres, Job-oriented courses, and the development of the International Student and Youth Centre at Kottayam etc.
4. He had confidence and tenacity to implement them with support from his Orientation student friends and public at large;
5. The Movement (He) proposed to purchased 87 cents of land adjacent to Kottayam MGOCSM Study Centre; His incessant and continuous prayers every day to get funds to purchase this land finally materialised;
6. His and Rev. Fr. Paul O I C of Bethany Asramam (L.L. H. G. Paulose Mar Pachomios) created intimate relation with the Education Orientation Camp students of each year of 50 to 75, from 1981 onwards; with active support from Thambu (Mr. K. C. Zacharia), chief co-coordinator of the camps. Including myself, all the four of us used to stay all the days of the camps with the children. They later became the ambassadors of our church wherever they went and started prayer groups and parishes. They became Dr. H G. Zachariah Mar Theophilos’ main lenders of over Rs. three crores in 2004-2005 for his mega projects;
7. Construction of 53 flats in a 15 storied building and Centenary plaza of six stories of over 50,000 sq ft. later rented out to Karikineth Villagio for nearly Rs.15 lakhs per month.
8. He was ready to go to the ends of the world with his very pleasing smile, to spread the motto of MGOCSM- “worship, study, service” despite his diabetics and homeopathic pills and other ailments to meet his Education Orientation Students and to conduct even Qurbana for the small group or start a unit of the MGOCSM among our students in remote areas or congregations of Orthodox students. I remember him going to northern states of India to conduct Qurbana for our students when the priests of the Delhi Diocese could not muster a priest for them. There was no limit for his self sacrifice. Just a few days before his demise he travelled with his smiling face all the way to Trivandrum in a night despite his knee, prostrate and vertebra cancer pain and chemo therapy to conduct the next morning (August 28th,2017 ) matrimony service of his chief aide and friend -MGOCSM Officer-Thambu’s ( Mr. K.C. Zacharia) daughter at Kallada parish church. .
9. MOCSM made great strides including Mega construction projects worth Rs.40- 60 crores during the 1991 -2010 period—all Rev. M C Cherian Achen’s Ideas and
funds that came through him. He believed in tithing and was always instilling it among his students and senior friends. It was while he went second time to USA for collecting funds for the Kottayam H G Philipose Mar Theophilos hall that he declared that 10 % of whatever funds that comes to his hands will be spent for charity. This promise made it easy for him to Collect Rs. 73 lakhs from the four parishes that he went in USA. He kept this tithe system to the very end of his life. I once send him some money specifying it for his personal treatment expenses. Soon came the reply mail thanking me with a statement that he has given a certain amount from that to a specific charity. This was his belief in tithing.
10. Most of these schemes he started with confidence. On the assumption of full charge as the head of the Malabar Diocese he visited every home in the diocese- an herculean task- and the poverty and plight of the poor of his Diocese made him to promise more houses, sick-aid, marriage and educational aid. This commitment burdened his ever open purse and heart. The constant travel to Gulf, Europe, U S A. and to the needy and poor everywhere and the spiritual needs of his benefactors had its tell-tale on his health. He suffered cancer pain first while he was on a tour in USA which later spread to two more organs that ultimately led to his untimely and pre-mature death at 65.
We lost a great soul who never lived for him, but for others and the glory of our Orthodox Church and its liturgy and traditions. He had great faith in Thailabhishekam sacrament as rejuvenator of health and spirits. He had it six or seven times—whenever he felt weak to start a new project or new journey. He was a Holy man. No one is holy except God. But we often say that the head of churches like our Bava or Patriarch or Pope of Rome as Holy. A man becomes Holy only when he repents for his sins and pray to God for absolution. If God pardons his sins he becomes Holy at least at that moment. We believe that our heads of churches incessantly pray to God for remission of sins and thus become Holy. In that sense Late Dr. H G ZACHARIAH MAR THEOPHILOS who conducted Holy Qurbana every day was seeking remission of his sins and was being pardoned by God. Hence I believe that he was as Holy like any other Holy ecclesiastical head of Churches. He was led away to Paradise with his ever smiling face by angels of God to the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all his kith and kin of yester years
in heaven. May his prayers increase his tribe in the service of MGOCSM and Its students and youth? They have a great role to play in the future of our church. That Is the relevance of the MGOCSM as taught and shown to us by Late Lamented Dr. H G ZACHARIAH MAR THEOPHILOS .May his soul rest in peace.
Note: Prof Joseph K Alexander, Retd. Director of Collegiate Education, Kerala Govt. is an economist and is a long associate of MGOCSM and shared in the service of the Movement and the Orthodox Church in various capacities.
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