His Grace Dr.Thomas Mar Makarios, the founder Metropolitan of America and Metropolitan of Canada, UK and Europe, a native of Kerala, India, was born on May 26, 1926, the son of Mr.Chacko and Mrs. Mariamma Kuttikandathil. After attending schools and colleges, he completed theological studies at the Orthodox Theological Seminary at Kottayam. He was ordained a priest in 1952 by His Holiness Catholicose GeeVarghese Baselios II. He was sent to New Delhi, the capital city of India, and to organize congregations in North Indian cities. He became the first vicar of Orthodox Church in New Delhi.

It was during the time of the litigation of the Church that Mar Makarios showed his ingenuity as leader and scholar in Church History. He helped the lawyers of the church understand the history, traditions and Canons of the Church. This was instrumental in seeking an historic verdict by the Supreme Court of India in favor of the Church in 1958. Mar Makarios has studied in various religious institutions in England, Germany, Switzerland and France. He has been in the U.S since 1963 and earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Nashota House in Wisconsin, a Master's of Sacred Theology from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Theology from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond. He returned back to India and worked as a professor of Church History at Orthodox Theological Seminary in India for many years. In 1975, Mar Makarios was consecrated as a Metropolitan by His Holiness Catholicos Eugen I. In the same year The Catholicos appointed Mar Makarios the first metropolitan of Diocese of Bombay.

In 1979 Mar Makarios was installed as the first metropolitan of the Diocese of America of Indian Orthodox Church. Since 1985, Mar Makarios has been teaching religion at Alma College in Michigan. In recognition of Makarios's achievements and contributions to church and society, the college awarded him the degree of Doctor of Divinity Honorees Causa in 1990. In 1994 Mar Makarios was appointed as the first metropolitan of the newly created Diocese of Canada and Europe.His .Grace was the one who consecrated the new Catholicos.His Grace was teaching at Alma College in Michigan as a professor in Religious Studies.

Mar Makarios is a great teacher and defender of Orthodox faith. In guiding the Church in the western world into the third millennium, Mar Makarios has superbly evincing a rare and high order of vision, courage and foresight. His Grace had a car accident after a consecration in Sunderland at New Castle, United Kingdom on Jan 5th and breathed his last on Febuary 23, 2008 on the same day as his rolemodel St.Dionysious..Thirumeni is buried in Devalokam Aramana in Kottayam India. (read less)

His Grace Dr.Thomas Mar Makarios, the founder Metropolitan of America and Metropolitan of Canada, UK and Europe, a native of Kerala, India, was born on May 26, 1926, the son of Mr.Chacko and Mrs. Mariamma Kuttikandathil. After attending schools and colleges, he completed theological studies at the Orthodox Theological Seminary at Kottayam. He was ordained a priest in 1952 by His Holiness Catholicose GeeVarghese Baselios II. He was sent to New Delhi, the capital city of India, and to organize... (read more)