Remembering Very Rev. Cyril Rambachan (d. 02 Sep 2008)

 

On September 2, the Malankara Orthodox Church commemorates the memory of Very Rev. Cyril Rambachan (1919-2008), a monk and a teacher. A member of Bethelehem Monastery, Chengamanad, which was established as an extension of St. George Orthodox Monastery, Othera, Rambachan lived during a period when many faithful were increasingly exposed to modern movements that promoted a "Bible-only" understanding of Christianity. In response, he would often remind people- "It is the Church that teaches; the Holy Bible validates the instructions of the Church."

This conviction shaped his entire ministry. To those considering leaving the Orthodox Church, he would gently pose two thought-provoking questions: 

(1)"Do you think being in the Orthodox Church will prove to be a barrier to the salvation of your soul?" 

(2)"If you have a difference of opinion within your family, do you bid farewell to your home forever and move into a neighbouring house?"

Early Life

Cyril Rambachan was born on November 10, 1919, to Shri Abraham Panickar and Smt. Aleyamma Panickar of the Mukalel family in Kundara, Kerala. Before embracing monastic life, he was known as M. A. Varghese Panickar.

Rambachan once recounted an interesting tradition concerning the title "Panickar." According to local history, when the Raja of Kottarakkara visited the king of Kayamkulam, he was impressed by a dramatic performance staged in his honor. Upon learning that the performers were also skilled martial artists and loyal subjects, he requested that some of them be settled in his kingdom. The request was granted, and these martial warriors were established in Kundara with the title "Panickar." A church was later built for the community, which is today known as St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Kundara.

After completing the ninth standard, Varghese Panickar worked briefly as a teacher at St. Kuriakose L.P. School before completing his S.S.L.C. education at M.G.D. School. During the years of the Second World War, he moved to Madras and served the British Indian Army as a civilian Quartermaster Clerk, overseeing supplies and the management of twenty-five military trucks.

Following the war, he returned to Kerala and served as a teacher at Kundara M.G.D. High School from 1947 to 1950. He later worked as a Library Inspector for the taluks of Kollam, Karunagappally, and Karthikappally. Yet despite having a stable career, he felt a deeper calling.

A Life Offered to God

In 1953, Varghese Panickar resigned from government service and joined St. George Orthodox Monastery, Othera. The monastery was then under the leadership of Rev. Fr. E. Mathews, who would later become His Holiness Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews II Catholicos. The monastery was home to eighteen inmates, and in this community the future Rambachan began his formal spiritual formation.

From 1953 to 1958, he studied at the Old Seminary in Kottayam. Among his classmates was the future Mathews Mar Epiphanios Metropolitan. On March 25, 1958, Dn. Varghese was ordained to the priesthood.

Over the next five decades, Fr. Geevarghese Panickar faithfully served numerous parishes in India and abroad, including Kudassanad, Kozhikode Cathedral, Mavelikara Puthiyacavu, Kollam Cathedral, Vellore, Singapore, and Malaysia. Wherever he served, he became known for his commitment to prayer, discipline, and Orthodox teaching.

In 1987, His Holiness Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I Catholicos ordained Geevarghese Achen to the rank of Rambachan, formally embracing the fullness of monastic life.

Rambachan’s prayer book was a constant companion. Whether traveling or at home, he was careful to maintain the discipline of prayer. If the appointed hour of prayer arrived while he was walking, he would quietly seek a secluded place, often beneath the shade of a tree, and continue his prayers.

Kundara Seminary, established by His Holiness Baselios Geevarghese II Catholicos to support the ministries of the southern dioceses, became closely associated with Cyril Rambachan's life and ministry.

From 1982 until his repose in 2008, he served as its Manager for twenty-six years. During this time, he worked tirelessly for the spiritual growth of the institution and was instrumental in establishing within the seminary the holy relics of St. George, Mar Kauma, St. Kuriakose, and St. Yulithi. Every Friday, he organized special prayers for the students of M.G.D. School and personally counseled them in matters of faith.

When someone once asked whether he felt lonely living at the seminary, Rambachan simply pointed to the portraits of departed holy fathers hanging in its hall and replied that he enjoyed their company. With saints as companions, he saw no reason to fear solitude.

One concern that weighed heavily upon his heart was the declining number of young people embracing monastic life. He viewed this not merely as an organizational challenge but as a spiritual loss for the Church. Indeed, his own love for the monastic vocation was so profound that when he learned his name had been proposed for episcopal consideration, he personally approached His Holiness Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I Catholicos and requested that his name be withdrawn, preferring the quiet path of monastic service.

Inspired by the call of his spiritual father, His Holiness Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews II Catholicos, to live as a pilgrim journeying toward heaven, Rambachan undertook many pilgrimages beginning in 1978. These journeys took him to lands intimately connected with biblical history, including Holy Land, Jordan, Greece, and Egypt. His travels were not undertaken merely for personal devotion. He studied ancient Christian sites deeply, particularly the monasteries of Egypt, and shared his findings through books and writings.

After a lifetime of service, prayer, teaching, and sacrifice, Very Rev. Cyril Rambachan departed this earthly life on September 2, 2008. He was laid to rest at Chengamanad Bethlehem Monastery, the community he loved and served.

His life stands as a quiet reminder that the most enduring service to the Church is often offered not through prominence, but through steadfast faithfulness.

In one of his interviews, he left a simple message to the faithful-"Participate without fail in the liturgical life and rituals of the Malankara Orthodox Church. Love your Church. Respect the holy fathers. See to it that you always maintain simplicity and purity in your life."

May those words remain engraved upon our hearts.

May the memory of Very Rev. Cyril Rambachan be eternal.

In Christ,

Rincy

Reference: (Translated from Malayalam) Bethlehemile Theerthadakan, ed. Fr. K. Geevarghese, Chengamanad: B.A. Publications, 2009.