Augustine Kandathil

His Beatitude Archbishop Augustine Kandathil
Metropolitan Archbishop of Ernakulam
Diocese	Ernakulam
Installed	3 December 1911
Term ended	10 January 1956
Predecessor	Aloysius Pazheparambil
Successor	Joseph Parecattil
Orders
Ordination	21 December 1901.
Personal details
Born	25 August 1874 Chempu
Died	10 January 1956 (1956-01-11) (aged 81) Ernakulam
Nationality	Indian.

Archbishop Augustine Kandathil (25 August 1874 – 10 January 1956) was the first and longest serving Metropolitan and Head of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the principal Church of the Saint Thomas Christians in India. He was the first Indian to assume powers and reign as an Archbishop of the Catholic Church.

He was born in Chempu, near Vaikom, Kingdom of Travancore, and was ordained a priest on 21 December 1901. In 1911, he was ordained Bishop and appointed Coadjutor to Bishop Aloysius Pazheparambil, and in 1919 succeeded the latter as Vicar Apostolic of Ernakulam. He became Archbishop and Head of the Syro-Malabar Church on 21 December 1923 when the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy was founded, and led the church until his demise.

He participated in the canonisation of the "Little Flower", Thérèse of Lisieux in 1925 and also visited and came to know at close quarters the activities of the Congregation of Christian Brothers during his visit to Ireland; this inspired the Archbishop to found the Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux on 19 March 1931. He was also the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth in 1948. He died in Ernakulam, Travancore-Cochin, aged 81.

Further reading

• Fr. George Thalian: "`The Great Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil, D. D.: the Outline of a Vocation'"., Mar Louis Memorial Press, 1961. (Postscript) (PDF).
• Abp. Augustine Kandathil: "`Statement" (PDF). on the Poem Shreeyeshu vijayam by Kattakayam Cherian Mappillai, 1926.