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Joseph Mar Koorilose IV
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Geevarghese Mar Philexenos II was metropolitha and primate of Malabar Independent Syrian Church(1856-1888) It was during the time of Mar Koorilose-I that the Malabar Independent Syrian Church established the churches at Kunnamkulam, Chalissery and Porkulam. Joseph Mar Koorilose was a native of Kunnamkulam. So it was his ardent desire that he should have a church in his native place. An extensive plot in the heart of the town was purchased. It is an elevated place and so could command a beautiful view around. It is still commonly known as ‘The Hill Church’, though formerly it seems to have been called the Seminary Church. Later, it became a fully constituted parish. It is noteworthy that the local Christians of all denominations have heartily co-operated in all the activities of the church and also in its renovation in the year 1940. Another church acquired by Joseph Mar Koorilose was the one at Chalissery in British territory. It is unique in two respects. Firstly, its patron saint is St. Augan the Martyr. Churches with Mar Augan as the patron saint are very rare in this area. Secondly, it is unique in its architecture. The sanctuary is more or less a hemisphere built of stone. These two features are clear evidence of the fact that it was designed by a foreigner. The foreigner in fact was Yoakim Mar Koorilose, the delegate of the Patriarch of Antioch who arrived in Malankara in 1846. This very Koorilose had claimed that the properties of the Thozhiyur Church belonged to the Patriarch and had launched a civil suit to try and gain possession of them. The court ruled against Yoakim Mar Koorilose and required him to pay the costs. Since he had no assets other than the churches he had established he was required to forego those churches. Thus the churches of St. Augan, Chalissery, and St. Adai at Porkulam came under the jurisdiction of the Thozhiyur. A third church at Matancherry at Fort Cochin was also gained by the MISC but its distance from Thozhiyur made it difficult to maintain and it was disposed of. All three churches were in British Malabar. Yoakim Mar Koorilose, having lost the churches to a diocese which he had hoped to bring under his own control, now disappears from the story. In 1896 the church at Chalissery was renovated; but its sanctuary was kept intact in order to preserve its uniqueness. St. Adai’s Church at Porkulam is two miles north of Kunnamkulam. It is on a hill away from the busy roads and din of the town an ideal place for worship and retreat. It is said that due to an earthquake a crack appeared on the eastern wall of its sanctuary and so it was rebuilt in 1970. Like the St. Augan Church at Chalissery the name of the patron saint of this church, St. Adai, too is unique, for such names are very rare in these places. According to tradition there was a church by this name at the foot of the hill where the local school now stands. While Mar Koorilose IV was Metropolitan one of the priests was bitten by a dog. Nobody took a great deal of notice, for the animal was a pet in the bishop’s residence. Later, however, the priest began to show symptoms of rabies. The Metropolitan was extremely sad, not least because the Church was a place where rabies was treated. So he closed himself in the church for prayer. The third day he celebrated the Holy Qurbana and the victim was brought in. By that time he had gained his normal senses and received Holy Communion with due respect and devotion as before. It was this priest who later on succeeded the Metropolitan under the name Joseph Mar Athanasios (Maliyakkal). An entry in the Thozhiyur Visitors’ Book dated 28 March 1889 reads, ‘I was sorry to hear of the demise of my old respected friend Mar Curialos, who treated my son, John from mad dog bite.’ The man (whose signature is illegible) had in turn with three other children likewise afflicted. The entry is an interesting testimony to the Church’s healing ministry. See Also
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