Augustine Kandathil

His Beatitude

Mar Augustine Kandathil.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Ernakulam
Diocese Ernakulam
Installed 3 December 1911
Term ended 10 January 1956
Predecessor Mar Aloysius Pazheparambil
Successor Mar Joseph Parecattil
Orders
Ordination 21 December 1901.
Personal details
Born 25 August 1874
Chempu
Died 10 January 1956 (1956-01-11) (aged 81)
Ernakulam
Nationality Indian.

Mar Augustine Kandathil (25 August 1874 – 10 January 1956) was the first and longest serving Metropolitan and Head of the Syro-Malabar Church, the principal Church of the Saint Thomas Christians in India. He was the first Indian to assume powers and reign as an Archbishop of the Catholic Church.

He was born in Chempu, near Vaikom, in Kottayam, Kingdom of Travancore, and was ordained a priest on 21 December 1901. In 1911, he was ordained Bishop and appointed Coadjutor to Mar Aloysius Pazheparambil, and in 1919 succeeded the latter as Vicar Apostolic of Ernakulam. He became Archbishop and Head of the Syro-Malabar Church on 21 December 1923 when the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy was founded, and led the church until his demise.

He participated in the canonisation of the "Little Flower", Thérèse of Lisieux in 1925 and also visited and came to know at close quarters the activities of the Congregation of Christian Brothers during his visit to Ireland; this inspired the Archbishop to found the Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux on 19 March 1931. He was also the senior founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth in 1948. He died in Ernakulam, Travancore-Cochin, aged 81.

Further reading

  • Fr. George Thalian: "`The Great Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil, D. D.: the Outline of a Vocation'". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2011. , Mar Louis Memorial Press, 1961. (Postscript) (PDF).
  • Mar Augustine Kandathil: "`Statement" (PDF). Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2011. on the Poem Shreeyeshu vijayam by Kattakayam Cherian Mappillai, 1926.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Mar Aloysius Pazheparambil		 Archbishop of Ernakulam
1919–1956		 Succeeded by
Mar Joseph Parecattil
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