The First Eastern Catholic Fathers

[Thomas48]

The First Fathers
In honor of the first fathers of our churches I have a created a list naming a few of the first Eastern Catholic Heads and a short biography about each one. If you would like to add any that I have missed, please feel free. Also correct me if you see anything that does not sound accurate.

**Armenian Catholic Church **

http://www.armeniancatholic.org/images/en/2/3/1/ardzivian.jpg
Patriarch Abraham Petros I Ardzivian
Abraham Petros I Ardzivian (in Armenian Աբրահամ Պետրոս Ա. Արծիւեան ) was an Armenian Catholic Patriarchs of Cilicia. In 1738, the Armenian Catholics of Aleppo obtained a church and brought a license to return Ardzivian to Aleppo in 1739. They decided to have an independent patriarchate with their bishop, who arriving to Aleppo, by the help of Greek Catholic bishops, ordained bishop his vicar Hagop and two other clergymen. They, in their turn, consecrated him patriarch on November 26, 1740.

Chaldean Catholic Church
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/John_sulaqa.gif
**Mar Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa **
Mar Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa (Classical Syriac: ܫܡܥܘܢ ܬܡܝܢܝܐ ܝܘܚܢܢ ܣܘܠܩܐ; also John Soulaqa, Sulaka or Sulacha, circa 1510–1555) was the first Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, from 1553 to 1555.Yohannan Sulaqa’s ascension as Patriarch was part of the 1552 schism in the Church of the East which resulted in the establishment of rival patriarchates and ultimately a permanent rift in the Church. He was elected by those who opposed the hereditary patriarchal succession and he took an unprecedented step in the Church of the East: he traveled to Rome, accepted the Catholic creed and was consecrated as Patriarch in 1553.

Knanaya Catholic Church
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Urha Mar Yoseph
Urha Mar Yoseph (345), was said to have traveled with the merchant Knai Thoma and 72 families who migrated from the Middle East to Western India to strengthen the Malabar Christians. Mar Yoseph and four priests were said to have attended to the needs of the community of Knai Thoma until their deaths. Henceforth the community shared the same bishops of the Malabar Christians but required their own priests ordained, this continued until 1910-1911 when the Knanayas received their own diocese.

Maronite Catholic Church

**Mar Youhana Maron **
John Maron (Arabic: يوحنا مارون‎, Youhana Maroun) (628-707), was a Syriac monk, and the first Maronite Patriarch. He is revered as a saint by the Catholic Church, and celebrated on March 2. John was born in Sarum, a town located south of the city of Antioch. He was the son of Agathon and Anohamia. He was called John the Sarumite since his father was governor of Sarum. His paternal grandfather, Prince Alidipas, was the nephew of Carloman, a Frankish Prince, and governed Antioch. John was educated in Antioch and the monastery of Saint Maron studying mathematics, sciences, philosophy, theology, philology and scripture. He became a monk at the monastery of Saint Maron, adding the name Maron to his own.

Syriac Catholic Church

Mar Ignatius Andrew Akijan
Mar Ignatius Andrew 'Abdul-Ghal Akijan (or Akhidjan, Akidjian, 1622–1677) was the Patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church from 1662 to 1677. His election as Patriarch marked the first separation of the hierarchy between the Syriac Catholic Church and the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Syro Malabar Catholic Church

**Chandy Mar Parambil **
Parambil Mar Chandy Methran (alias Alexander Palliveettil, Alexander de Campo ?-1687) is the first known person to be appointed in India as a bishop from among the native Syro Malabar Catholics of Kerala. Until his time Indians held the office of deacon, archdeacon etc. He had an instrumental role in reclaiming eighty-four churches for the Catholic side after the Coonan Cross Oath. After his death from 1678 until 1896 there were no native Bishops of the Syro Malabar Church.

Syro Malankara Catholic Church
http://www.kmrm.net/2007_08/images/marivanios2.jpg
Geevarghese Mar Ivanios
Archbishop Aboon Geevarghese Mar Ivanios (born 21 September 1882 as Geevarghese Panickeruveetil) was the main architect of the Reunion Movement and the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum. He is the founder of the Bethany Ashram order of monks. He was the first M.A. degree holder in the Malankara Church. He also served as the Principal of the M.D seminary High School and as a professor at the Serampore College.

Ukranian Greek Catholic Church
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Michał_Rahoza.%D0%9C%D1%96%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B0.jpg/220px-Micha%C5%82_Rahoza.%D0%9C%D1%96%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B0.jpg
Michael Rohoza
Michel Rohoza (Belarusian: Міхал Рагоза, Ukrainian: Михайло Рогоза) (died 1599) was the Ukrainian Metropolitan of Kiev, Galychyna and All-Rus’ from 1588 to his death in 1599. In 1595 he signed the Union of Brest which moved the Ukrainian Church from the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to the jurisdiction of the Pope, thus forming the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

 

[Holly3278]

This is very interesting! Thank you for posting! My boyfriend is a Syro-Malabar Catholic and he lives in India.

 

[Thomas48]

This is very interesting! Thank you for posting! My boyfriend is a Syro-Malabar Catholic and he lives in India.

That’s good to hear! Feel free to ask if you have any questions about the Syro Malabar Church!

 

[Zekariya]

Melkite Greek Catholic Church
https://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net...=d42a60f5d4b4991686b5715f89158abf&oe=53E6F00F
Saint Peter the Apostle
The divinely-blessed Peter was from Bethsaida of Galilee. He was the son of Jonas and the brother of Andrew the First-called. He was a fisherman by trade, unlearned and poor, and was called Simon; later he was renamed Peter by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who looked at him and said, “Thou art Simon the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter)” (John 1:42). On being raised by the Lord to the dignity of an Apostle and becoming inseparable from Him as His zealous disciple, he followed Him from the beginning of His preaching of salvation up until the very Passion, when, in the court of Caiaphas the high priest, he denied Him thrice because of his fear of the Jews and of the danger at hand. But again, after many bitter tears, he received complete forgiveness of his transgression. After the Resurrection of Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit, he preached in Judea, Antioch, and certain parts of Asia, and finally came to Rome, where he was crucified upside down by Nero, and thus he ascended to the eternal habitations about the year 66 or 68, leaving two Catholic (General) Epistles to the Church of Christ.

Source: Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

 

[Thomas48]

Thank you for the information on St. Peter the Apostle Zekariya, though all the churches listed above are of apostolic origin, for the purpose of this thread and in relation to it, I believe the first bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church would be Cyril VI Tanas.. I’m sorry I didn’t get to include Melkites in this thread, I couldn’t find any portrayals of Patriarch Cyril Tanas.

 

[Vico]

Although the Union of Uzhorod (a.k.a Ungvar) occurred in 1664 for the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church, and was an Apostolic Vicariate in 1689, it was not until 1771 that Pope Clement XIV erected the Ruthenian eparchy of Mukačevo (Munkacs) and made it a suffragan of the Primate of Hungary. That bishop was: Bishop János Bradác.

Giga-Catholic lists Cardinal Isidore of Kiev as the first Ukrainian Greek Catholic Metropolitan (1437 – 1442).

 

[WetCatechumen]

Thank you for the information on St. Peter the Apostle Zekariya, though all the churches listed above are of apostolic origin, for the purpose of this thread and in relation to it, I believe the first bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church would be Cyril VI Tanas.. I’m sorry I didn’t get to include Melkites in this thread, I couldn’t find any portrayals of Patriarch Cyril Tanas.

I do not like this way of talking about the Eastern Catholic churches. It gives legitimacy to the false idea that the Eastern Catholic churches are breakaways that were created out of the eastern orthodox churches.

The reality of the Melkite church is that it is the ancient church of Antioch started by St. Peter. The patriarchs of Antioch and his followers were called Melkites all the way back to the Council of Chalcedon. The Antiochian Orthodox church was created by a minority of Melkite bishops and their first patriarch was a Greek monk appointed by the patriarch of Constantinople.

Patriarch Cyril did sign the union with Rome, but he was not the first Bishop of the Melkite church.

 

[nicky_st_leo]

I do not like this way of talking about the Eastern Catholic churches. It gives legitimacy to the false idea that the Eastern Catholic churches are breakaways that were created out of the eastern orthodox churches.

The reality of the Melkite church is that it is the ancient church of Antioch started by St. Peter. The patriarchs of Antioch and his followers were called Melkites all the way back to the Council of Chalcedon. The Antiochian Orthodox church was created by a minority of Melkite bishops and their first patriarch was a Greek monk appointed by the patriarch of Constantinople.

Patriarch Cyril did sign the union with Rome, but he was not the first Bishop of the Melkite church.

i agree, you are right

 

[Thomas48]

My apologies friends, that was not my purpose of the thread, my idea was just to honor these men. When thinking of legitimacy you can think of it either way, that the true line continues on with these men that reunited with Rome (some of the men above weren’t even part of an Orthodox Church to begin with I.E Maronite, Syro Malabar ) or the true line is with their Orthodox counter parts. Even though I am Catholic I feel that both the Catholic and Orthodox sides are legitimate, they are both Christs children who went their separate ways over small conflicts.

 

[Zekariya]

My apologies friends, that was not my purpose of the thread, my idea was just to honor these men. When thinking of legitimacy you can think of it either way, that the true line continues on with these men that reunited with Rome (some of the men above weren’t even part of an Orthodox Church to begin with I.E Maronite, Syro Malabar ) or the true line is with their Orthodox counter parts. Even though I am Catholic I feel that both the Catholic and Orthodox sides are legitimate, they are both Christs children who went their separate ways over small conflicts.

I did not intend any denial of legitimacy of the Catholic/Orthodox sees. My point is that while some came into Communion with Rome and had a patriarch elevated for them by Rome, the Melkite Church was not founded in such manner. And, as such, Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas is not the founder of our Church but, rather the patriarch that sought union with Rome.

 

[spina1953]

This is a most interesting thread, and I thank all who add to helping us to know the history of First Eastern Catholic Fathers. I hope that there will be more information for one to learn.