The longest-serving bishop in India, Mar. Chrysostom was the patriarch of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, a community which is believed to have been converted by St Thomas (or Mar Thoma in Malayalam), one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. Though the Church itself ranks as only the sixth-largest Christian community in the state as per the 2011 Census, the kind of acceptance and adoration that Chrysostom commanded was perhaps not enjoyed by any Christian priest in the state.
Chrysostom was born as Philip Ommen in 1917 into a family near Thiruvalla which has produced many priests. Following in the footsteps of his father, who was the vicar of a local Mar Thoma church, he completed his graduate studies in Kerala, going on to study theology in Bengaluru where he began missionary activities in 1940.
Even before India got Independence, Oommen was ordained as a deacon with the Bengaluru parish. And in 1953, he was given the episcopal title ‘Philipose Mar Chrysostom’, the one with the golden tongue, a description he conformed to till his last breath.
He remained a bishop for 67 years and 11 months, the longest-ever within any church in the country. He was installed as Metropolitan in 1999 and retired as Metropolitan Emeritus in 2007. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third-highest civilian honour, in 2018 for his outstanding contribution to society and communal harmony.
The mortal remains of Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Metropolitan, the emeritus Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, were laid to rest with full state honours at St Thomas Mar Thoma Church.
On the centenary of his birth, acclaimed film director Blessy produced a documentary on the life and ideals of Chrysostom that gained entry into the Guinness Book of World Records in the category of ‘longest documentary’ ever, running over 48 hours.
The remarkable aspect about Chrysostom is that even as the world’s greatest honours came looking for him, he owed his achievements to the most basic people whose work and livelihoods shaped his life. We Indians had a huge loss because of his sad demise. May God bless his soul and give an eternal life
