His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Didymus I

His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Didymus IDiocese of Kottayam Central


His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Didymus I

Ordained to the Holy Priesthood on January 25, 1950
Consecrated as Metropolitan on August 24, 1966
Served as Metropolitan of Malabar Diocese from 1966 to 1991
Elected as Catholicos Designate on September 10, 1992
Enthroned as Catholicos of the East & Malankara Metropolitan on October 31, 2005
Fell Asleep in the Lord on May 26, 2014

His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Didymus I was born on October 29, 1921 to Ittyavira Thomas of Mulamootil House in Nedumbram near Thiruvalla and Sosamma of Chiramel House in Mavelikara. He joined the Mount Tabor Monastery in Pathanapuram in 1939 and completed his high school education. He passed his intermediate studies from C.M.S College, Kottayam in 1945, his B.A from National College, Tiruchirapalli in 1951, his Bachelor in Theology from Maston Training College, Madras in 1954, and his Masters in Arts from Christ Church College, Kanpur in 1961.

He completed his training for holy priesthood under the tutelage of Metropolitan Thoma Mar Dionysius and His Holiness Catholicos Augen. He was ordained as a Reader by the hands of His Holiness Catholicos Geevarghese II on March 11, 1942, and the Diaconate on May 22, 1947 and Holy Priesthood on January 25, 1950. He Has served as headmaster of Ponnayya High School, Thiruchirapalli and St. Stephen's High School, Pathanapuram, as Professor of English in St. Stephens College in Pathanapuram and President of the Orthodox Christian Youth Movement. On May 16, 1965 His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Augen tonsured him a monastic. The Malankara Syrian Christian Association, which met on 28 December 1965 at M.D Seminary, Kottayam, elected him to serve the Church as a Metropolitan. On August 24, 1966 at Kolencherry His Holiness Baselios Augen consecrated him as Metropolitan Thomas Mar Timotheos.

He became the Metropolitan of the Malabar Diocese on November 11, 1966, and served as the Superior of Mount Tabor Monastery and Convent in Pathanapuram. On September 10, 1992, the Malankara Syrian Christian Association, which met at Parumala, elected him as the Catholicos Designate.

His Holiness began his service to the Church as a monk when he was just a teenager. He was called to the monastic life by the late Metropolitan Mar Dionysius of Niranam. He was a rigorous monastic. Mar Didymus was a monk, who armed himself with the ascetic life of the church through fasting, daily scripture reading and prayer. Aside from the monastic life, His Holiness was known to be a celebrated teacher in mathematics, and also served as a high school headmaster for over a decade. Following his post graduate degree in English literature, he held his lectureship at St. Stephen’s College in its very beginning.

His Holiness fell asleep in the Lord on May 26, 2014 and was entombed on the very grounds he was raised as a vigorous monastic - Mount Tabor Monastery in Pathanapuram, Kerala, India