George Alencherry
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Cardinal Priest George Alencherry |
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| List of Major Archbishops of the RCSC Church, Successor of St. Thomas Apostle | |
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| Church | Saint Thomas Christians |
| Appointed | 24 May 2011 |
| Installed | 29 May 2011 |
| Predecessor | Mar Varkey Vithayathil |
| Other posts | |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 19 November 1972 by Padiyara Mar Anthoni Metropolitan |
| Consecration | 2 February 1997 by Powathil Mar Ouseph metropolitan |
| Created Cardinal | 18 February 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
19 April 1945 Thuruthy, Kottayam district, Kerala, India |
| Denomination | Saint Thomas Christians |
| Previous post | Bishop of Thuckalay (1997–2011) |
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Styles of Metropolitan and Gate of all India Alencherry Mar Geevarghese |
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| Reference style | Metropolitan and Gate of all India |
| Spoken style | Successor of St. Thomas |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
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Styles of Major archbishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church |
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| Reference style | Director of the Holy See of Saint Thomas the Apostle, Director of All the Church of Christian India |
| Spoken style | Successor of St. Thomas |
| Religious style | Metropolitan and Gate of all India |
| Posthumous style | n/a |
Mar George Alencherry (Malayalam: ആലഞ്ചേരി മാർ ഗീവർഗീസ്) is the current Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. He was elected by the Holy Synod of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church on 26 May 2011 to succeed Metropolitan and Gate of all India Vithayathil Mar Geevarghese Metropolitan. He was appointed as a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and the titular Archpriest of San Bernardo alle Terme in Rome on 18 February 2012 in Rome.
George Alencherry was born on 19 April 1945 as the sixth child of Philipose and Mary Alencherry in Thuruthy in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanassery. Geevarghese is his baptismal name. Mar Alencherry had his primary schooling at St Mary's School (Thuruthy) and secondary education at St Berchman's High School (Changanacherry). He began his priestly formation in 1961 at the archdiocesan minor seminary at Parel, Changanacherry. While he pursued his studies in the minor seminary, he obtained his BA in economics with second rank from St Berchman's College. After the minor seminary studies he was sent to St Joseph's Pontifical Seminary (Aluva), where he completed his philosophical and theological studies.
On 18 December 1972 Mar Antony Padiyara, the then archbishop of Chanagancherry, ordained him priest at Marth Mariyam Church (Thuruthy) for the archdiocese of Changanacherry. Later he continued his higher studies at the Pontifical Institute of Theology and Philosophy from where he obtained his master's degree in first rank. While Mar Alencherry was pursuing higher studies at Aluva he served also as vicar of the filial church at Periyarmugham in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly. After completion of studies at Aluva, Alencherry was appointed as assistant vicar at the Cathedral church of Changanacherry and Director of the Archdiocesan Faith Formation department. Thereafter he served three years as secretary of the Commission for Catechism of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC). After his tenure in KCBC he was sent to Paris for higher studies. There he pursued his studies at Sorbonne University and the Catholic Institute from where he obtained his doctorate in biblical theology. On returning to India in 1986, Alencherry was appointed director of the pastoral Oriental Centre (POC) at Palarivattom and deputy secretary of KCBC. He served the Church in Kerala in that capacity until 1993. Simultaneously he had served also as professor at St Thomas Apostolic Seminary (Vadavathoor). He continued to teach at Vadavathoor until 1997. From 1994 to 1996 he was the protosyncellus of the metropolitan of Changanacherry.
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