Yuhanon Mor Philexinos

Mor Philaxinos Yuhanon

Bishop Emeritus of Malabar (Retired)

Metropolitan Mor Philaxinos Yuhanon (Malayalam: അഭിവന്ദ്യ ഡോ. മോര്‍ പീലക്സീനോസ് യൂഹാനോന്‍ മെത്രാപ്പോലീത്ത)

Church Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch
See Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
In office 1985 — 2010
Predecessor Samuel Mor Philaxinos
Successor Zacharias Mor Philoxenos
Orders
Ordination 1969
Personal details
Born December 5, 1941
Pambady, Kerala

Mor Philexinos Yuhanon ( born John Jacob on 5 December 1941) is a retired Syriac Orthodox bishop.He is the Bishop Emeritus of Malabar Diocese.

Early years

John Jacob was born to the Elappanal Family of Pampady on 5 December 1941. In 1964, at the age of 23, he was ordained deacon by Mor Philaxinos Poulose (then Catholicose Mor Baselios Paulose II) and Kassisho in 1969 by Mor Baselios Augen I.

Education

Jacob had his primary and high school education at Pampady. Later, he joined Baselios College (Kottayam) where he received a BA in economics. After that he obtained a MA in economics from Sri Venkateswara University (Thirupathi). His basic theological training was at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam. Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, Archbishop of Canada, sponsored Jacob for his higher studies in the United States. Jacob joined the New York Theological Seminary and obtained his STM degree. Subsequently, he took his ThD degree from Logos Graduate School of Theology in New York and DD degree from Orlando International Seminary in Florida. Mor Philaxinos is the only bishop in Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church with two doctorates. He also completed a Clinical Pastoral Education in New York. After becoming a bishop, Mor Philaxinos continued studying and joined Dakshin Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha, deemed a university and center of excellence under Govt. of India, and secured Hindi Bhooshan and Hindi Praveen.

As a priest

When Jacob was studying in the USA, he served as the vicar in many Jacobite churches in Staten Island, Manhattan, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Augusta. He also performed volunteer work for the Holy Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.

As a metropolitan

After 17 January 1985, when the Metropolitan of Malabar Diocese, Samuel Mor Philaxinos, died, the Holy Episcopal Synod selected Jacob as the new metropolitan to the diocese. On 12 September 1985 Mor Baselios Paulose II consecrated Jacob as the new metropolitan of Malabar, with the name Mor Philaxinos, at St.Peter's & St.Paul's Cathedral Church in Meenangadi (one of the biggest churches in Malankara).

The history of the Malabar Diocese is closely related to Yuhanon Mor Philexinos. When Yuhanon Mor Philexinos took charge of Malabar, the Diocese area was in a high state of deterioration. He therefore co-ordinated the works in the diocese and constructed many new churches throughout the diocese. A lot of them are built in Nilgiri District of Tamil Nadu, Kozhikode and Malappuram Districts of Kerala.

Mor Philexinos Yuhanon started institutions including:

See also

Syriac Orthodox Church
Jacobite Syrian Christian Church

References

  1. www.syriacchristianity.org
  2. Athmadeepam
  3. www.viswasasamrakshakan.org