Mechernich – He feels closely connected to Communio in Christo and cultivates the spirituality of this community, which was founded in Mechernich in 1984 by Mother Marie Therese, said His Excellency Bishop Thomas Mar Anthonios OIC on Wednesday afternoon during a joint lunch with the community at the mother house.

Born on 14 February 1955 in Adoor in the Indian district of Pathanamthitta, Kerala, the clergyman visited the Ordo Communionis in Christo, led by his compatriot Jaison Thazhathil, for the third time in just a few years.

The clergyman, who himself belongs to the Order of the Imitation of Christ (Bethany Ashram), a Syro-Malankara religious community in India, said in conversation with Father Jaison Thazhathil, Superior General of the Ordo Communionis in Christo with its mother house in Mechernich, his deputy Deacon Manfred Lang, Sister Lidwina, Spiritual Father Rudolf Ammann ISch and Marie-Thérèse Dijkstra, that would remain closely connected and support each other.

He told Superior General Father Jaison Thazhathil and his leadership team that the Mechernich Communio, with its 250 members worldwide, and his diocese of Gurgaon-Delhi, the largest in India in terms of area, would remain closely connected and support each other.

Bishop Mar Anthonios would like to see the spirituality of God's love spread through active charity in the parishes and families in Delhi and Mechernich: "We will help and support each other."

Mar Anthonios, who speaks excellent German, graduated from the University of Kerala. He obtained his doctorate in Oriental Canon Law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. After his ordination, he served as superior of various monasteries, director of a school in Kottayam, postulant master, treasurer, chaplain and parish priest, professor at St. Mary's Malankara Major Seminary in Trivandrum and other major seminaries.

A member of a religious order himself

He served Bethany Ashram in various capacities, including Master of Pre-Philosophers, Master of Pre-Novices, Procurator and Rector of Bethany Ashram Pune, and Director of Bethany Vedvijnana Peeth, Institute of Oriental Theology Pune. He served the Congregation as a member of the General Council for two consecutive terms.

His pastoral activities in the Church were mainly in the extraterritorial regions of the Syro-Malankara Church in India, particularly in Pune. He also served the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla as Vicar Judicial and was Postulator in the canonisation process of Archbishop Mar Ivanios. In addition to his native language Malayalam and German, Bishop Thomas Mar Anthonios OIC also speaks English, Hindi and Italian.

pp/Agentur ProfiPress