Our Patron Saint: St. Ignatius Elias III

Mor Ignatius Elias III (1867–1932) was the 119th successor to St. Peter on the Holy Patriarchal See of Antioch. Born in Mardin and christened Nasri, he was the second son of Chorepiscopus Abraham and Maryam.

In December 1930, Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, asked the Patriarch to help resolve a schism within the Malankara Church. Despite his doctor’s cautions, Elias left Mosul in February 1931 and arrived in Malankara that March. He remained in India until his death on February 13, 1932, at St. Ignatius Monastery, Manjinikkara, where his remains are interred. In 1987 his successor, Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I, officially declared him a saint. His feast day is observed on February 13 — the parish celebrates its Perunnal around this feast.

Our parish, named for him on December 31, 2022, keeps his memory as “Manjinikkara Bava” — the father of Manjinikkara.