Background
March Gregorios or "Thangalathil Thirumeni" was born and raised in the Malankara Jacobite Church.
March Gregorios or "Thangalathil Thirumeni" was born and raised in the Malankara Jacobite Church.
He studied Philosophy and Theology at Papal Seminary, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
He was baptised by the name Varghese. As a teenage boy Varghese came closer to the ideal of Bethany Ashram. He was ordained a religious priest of Bethany Ashram by Archbishop March Ivanios in 1944.
As a dynamic young priest he taught Syriac for some time in Saint Aloysius Seminary, Trivandrum.
He was sent for higher studies in Economics to Saint Joseph"s College, Trichy (1946–1949). He became the first principal of March Ivanios College.
He was appointed Bishop in 1952 and consecrated in January 1953. He received the name Benedict March Gregorios.
After the demise of Archbishop March Ivanios he became the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in 1955.
Large number of parish communities were formed in Syro-Malankara Catholic Church during this period. Archbishop March Gregorios paved the way to establish March Theophilos Training College, Trivandrum and March Gregorios College of Arts and Science, Chennai. After 41 years of Episcopal ministry Archbishop Benedict March Gregorios died on 10 October 1994.
His body was entombed in Saint Mary"s Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum.
Saint John"s College, Anchal, a first grade arts and science college in Kollam district was established by Gregorios. Saint John"s College Anchal became the nerve centre of the total development of a remote rural village into a fast developing township.
He was attracted by the personality of Archbishop Geevarghese March Ivanios and later became a member of Bethany Ashram and adopted the name Benedict.