Prominent Figures of the Kerala Church –24
Rev. Dr. C. A. Abraham
“Just as Amos was told to prophesy to my people Israel while looking after the flock of sheep,” Dr. C. A. Abraham is a person who was appointed to the priestly office under similar circumstances. Even if he had the right to the anointing oil that flowed through the paths of his mother’s and father’s grandparents, ordinarily, he should have become a priest like his elder brother. The one who captured Amos also captured Abimelech. Every path has its own lessons!
Dr. C. A. Abraham was born on January 2, 1921, as the ninth of ten children to his parents, in a family with deep ecclesiastical roots. The name “Adai” is not uncommon in the West and originates from a Marthoma priest who settled here along with a metropolitan. Adai Shemmash, who was the granddaughter of the Marthoma priest from Tholanikal, is the origin of this name. His father, Jacob Kurian Eppi, was the first vicar of Cherothottam church and a member of the Marthoma Jacobite family. Members of the Cherothottam family later served as vicars in that church. It was the family’s wish that someone from their lineage should serve as a priest in the church they established. As a result, C. A. Abraham became a priest. Originally a member of the Jacobite Orthodox Church, he later joined the Catholic Church through re-conversion.
Dr. C. Babu Paul IAS writes, “Father C. A. Abraham is a polymath. He is extremely proficient in studies, excels in teaching, and deserves a place of distinction in scholarship. He is unparalleled in linguistic knowledge and language use. Among Indo-Anglian writers, Salman Rushdie, Dom Moraes, Shashi Tharoor, Arundhati Roy, and Amitav Ghosh, none can match Father Abraham in the nuances of the English language or in his diverse application of it. His main flaw is that he reads more than he writes.”
Father Abraham’s primary education was at Potthanikal. After studying at MGM High School in Kuruppampady and Ashramam High School in Perumpavoor, he joined CMS College in Kottayam and completed his Intermediate exams, setting a record in the Humanities section. He then secured a BA Honors degree from Madras Christian College in 1947. He achieved this success with a first rank and the University Golden Jubilee Medal from Madras University. After working as a tutor there for a year, he turned his focus to Vedic studies. He had already completed studies in Syriac before this. He was trained by the Malpan Abdul Ahad Ramban (later Youkhub III Patraiyakese) at Manjanikkara Monastery. At that time, he translated works from Syriac into English with the assistance of Yulius Bava, a significant ecclesiastical representative. The necessity of Western biblical scholarship inspired him to pursue further studies at Calcutta Bishop’s College. In 1948, he was ordained a priest at a seminary in Aluva by the great Metropolitan Mar Athanasius and the newly consecrated assistant Mar Gregorios. Therefore, while studying at Bishop’s College, he was also a vicar of the Jacobite (Orthodox) church in Calcutta. After completing his BD in 1950, he taught there for a while. Later, while continuing as an English teacher at St. Paul’s College in Calcutta, he received a scholarship to Canterbury St. Augustine’s College. He completed his post-graduate diploma there. At that time, Metropolitan Mar Thoma Paulose (Philippos Chrysostom) was the principal of the college. After studying in Canterbury, he gained admission to Oxford. He earned an MLitt degree in English Literature from Oxford University in 1954 and was also a member of the university’s hockey team.
Before moving to Canterbury, Father Abraham was the headmaster of a new high school in his hometown. Upon returning from England, he worked as a teacher at Aluva UC College for two years. In 1958, he was re-converted to the Catholic Church, under the previous Archbishop of Trivandrum, Benedict Mar Gregorios. He then served as a teacher at Muvattupuzha Nirmala College for four years. Later, he worked as an English professor and vice-principal at Mar Ivanios College in Trivandrum for five years. In response to the insistence of Cardinal Joseph Parecattil of Ernakulam, he took up the position of principal at Bharathmata College in Ernakulam, where he served for 12 years. He obtained a doctorate from Pennsylvania University in 1973. Father Abraham also served as the Director of the Kerala Educational Research Center in Trivandrum. He was instrumental in establishing the All-India Committee for Christian Education and was a founding member of the All India Association for Christian Higher Education, serving as its executive member for nine years. He also served on various committees and advisory boards related to higher education and self-governed colleges.
During his tenure as vicar of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ernakulam, he built the Malankara Center and Parish Hall. He then moved to Kothamangalam, where he worked with Vimala Giri Public School. The recognition and acclaim received by Vimala Giri Public School today are primarily due to Dr. C. A. Abraham. Even after reaching the milestone of a hundred years, he continues to serve as the rector of the school. He transformed a modest middle school into a renowned higher secondary school, a feat that even age cannot diminish.
Father Abraham has also served as a visiting professor in liturgy at Catholic seminaries. He participated in the Divine Mercy Congresses held in Munich in 1960 and in Bombay in 1964. In Bombay, he was the convenor of the Malankara Catholic Church Parish and the chief coordinator of public events. His papers presented at educational seminars in Madrid and Paris were highly praised and contributed new insights to the discussions.
Father Abraham is also a forward-thinker. As a gold medalist who won first prize in English speech contests at Travancore and Madras universities, he was an active member of the Oxford Union. He has received the Eminent Educationist Award from the Christian Educational Society (AIACHE). A festschrift called “The Web of Life” has been designed in his honor.
He has authored several books, including “From Antioch to Rome,” “A Matter of Rite,” “A Church at Risk,” “A Jarring Note,” and “Human Ascent” (a book on the late Archbishop Mar Gregorios). He is currently working on a major work related to St. Jacob’s Taqsa.
Rev. Dr. C. A. Abraham is the pride of a family, the light of a region, the asset of a community, and the incomparable beacon of a church.
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