30 May 2025 | Mavelikara
Today, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church stands still for a moment to offer heartfelt thanks to His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Joshua Mor Ignathios, who retires as the first bishop of the Eparchy of Mavelikara after over 18 years of episcopal service and a lifetime of unwavering commitment to the Gospel.
Born on 24 May 1950 in Kottarakkara, Kollam district, to Umman Varghese and Annamma Varghese, he began his studies at St. Mary’s School, Kizhaketheruvu, and later graduated from Government High School, Kottarakkara, in 1967. From his early days, those who knew him saw a quiet fire in him—a calling deeper than ambition, anchored in prayer and justice.
He entered seminary and was ordained a priest, Koshi Achan, entering a ministry that would come to be defined by love for the people and courage in public life. As a bishop, and long before, he became known for a singular quality: he not only preached Christ—he stood with Him in the margins.
As Vice Chairman and then Chairman of the Labour Movement of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Conference (KCBC), and later its Secretary, Vice President, and President, he helped shape the voice of the Church in Kerala across two decades. He was Chairman of the CBCI Labour Commission, and represented the Church at international platforms, including the World Council of Churches in Geneva.
But beyond titles and honours, he was a father to the people. Whether in homes of sorrow or in crowds at protests, Mor Ignathios stood where others hesitated. His tireless efforts with the Nilackal Ecumenical Trust, and participation in countless pilgrimages and Church conventions, affirmed his identity as a builder of communion.
A voice that rang clear across Kerala was his stand against alcohol. Not content with silence or mere statements, he took the fight into public life. As Chairman of the Anti-Liquor Public Front, he led marches, press conferences, and interventions that questioned not just government policies but the collective conscience of society. At the 117th Maramon Convention, he called liquor “the mother of all evils”, warning of its grip over families, finances, and politics. Even in his later years, he challenged the state’s Excise Department for the contradiction of selling alcohol while attempting to run awareness campaigns. His call was unambiguous: total prohibition, and a society freed from this destructive bondage.
To the poor, he was a companion. To the grieving, he was solace. To the struggling, he was a pillar. Many called him “the bishop with wings at his feet,” for his willingness to travel any distance to be present where love and care were needed. He was often found at the bedside of the sick, at the side of a protestor, at the funeral of the forgotten. His phone rarely went unanswered. His presence brought not only pastoral assurance, but moral clarity.
On 16 February 2007, when the Eparchy of Mavelikara was inaugurated, he was enthroned as its first bishop. For eighteen years, he led the diocese, not from a height, but from within—listening, guiding, accompanying. On 30 May 2025, he retires from active ministry, but remains in service as Apostolic Administrator until the enthronement of His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Mathews Mor Polycarpos.
As he lays down the responsibilities of office, he carries with him not only the gratitude of a Church, but the affection of a people. He leaves not empty-handed, but with a heart full of the tears, prayers, and hopes of the countless lives he has touched.
May his days ahead be filled with the peace he so often gave others. We thank God for the grace of his presence, his strength, and his witness.
Let us keep him in our prayers as always, he has kept us in his.
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