By DC Correspondent
Copyright deccanchronicle
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a groundbreaking moment, two women were consecrated on the path to the priesthood, a role traditionally reserved for men.The historic ceremony at Mananchira Cathedral in Kozhikode the other day, saw Dr Saju Mary Abraham, 52, and Nimshi David, 25, walk up the aisle as candidates for ordination, signifying a pioneering shift in the Church’s centuries-old tradition.Rev. Royce Manoj Victory, Bishop of the Church of South India (CSI) Malabar Diocese, ordained Saju Mary and Nimshi David as deaconesses. After a year of service, they will be elevated to the priesthood. Rev J C Ranjan of the Karnataka Central diocese delivered the sermon.It was a historic event for the CSI Malabar Diocese, which covers the Malabar region of Kerala, stretching from Palakkad to Kasargod with 132 churches and over one lakh followers.Saju Mary, hailing from Ranni in the Pathanamthitta district, is a distinguished academic with postgraduate degrees in physics, sociology and theology as well as a doctorate in New Testament studies.She has taught at Bethel Bible Institute in Salem and Allahabad Biblical Studies Seminary, and she is now a lecturer at Kerala United Theological Seminary in Thiruvananthapuram.Fluent in six languages, including Hindi, Greek, Hebrew and Sanskrit, she’s married to Rev. Reji George Varghese.Nimshi David, from Nedumkarana, Meppadi in Wayanad and born in Nagercoil, is a philosophy gold medalist from Madras Christian College. She also earned her Bachelor of Divinity from Gurukul Lutheran Theological College in Chennai.Her father, Rev. David Stephen, is the vicar of St Paul’s CSI Church, Nedumkarana. Vibin Joseph, assistant vicar of Hermann Gundert Church, Kozhikode and Chaplain at Malabar Christian College, was also ordained at the ceremony.The Church leaders stated that the ordination, which included the first-ever women deaconesses in the CSI Diocese of Malabar along with a dedicated young pastor, represents a pivotal moment for church leadership and ministry within both the church and society.The Church of South India has ordained women in other dioceses since 1976, but this is the first ordination for the Malabar diocese.
