Late lamented Bishop Dr Thomas Mar Makarios served as the founding Metropolitan of the erstwhile Diocese of Canada and Europe from its formation in 1994 until his demise in 2008.

Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios was born in 1926 to Mr. Chacko and Mrs. Mariamma Kuttikandathil. After his preliminary theological education at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam, he was ordained as Priest by Catholicos Baselios Geevarghese I in 1952 and served in Delhi (India) organising several Congregations. He relocated to USA in 1963 to pursue theological education and earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Nashota House in Wisconsin, a Master of Sacred Theology from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Theology from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond. He later returned to India and served as professor at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam Kerala.

As a young priest during the years of the litigation of the Church, Mar Makarios showed his ingenuity as a leader and scholar in Church History., even helping the lawyers of the Church in understanding the history, Traditions and Canons of the Church. His efforts were instrumental in attaining the historic Supreme Court of India verdict in 1958.

• Consecrated as Bishop by Catholicos Baselios Augen 1 in 1975 and appointed as Metropolitan of the newly formed Bombay Diocese.
• Appointed as Metropolitan of the newly formed American Diocese in 1979.
• Appointed as the first Metropolitan of the newly formed Diocese of Canada UK and Europe in 1994.

Since 1985, while he served as Metropolitan in USA, he also taught religion classes at Alma College in Michigan. In 1990, Alma College conferred Metropolitan with the degree of Doctor of Divinity Honoris Causa.

It was with Mar Makarios’ permission that the first priests arrived in Dublin at the early stages of the Parish in Dublin. Mar Makarios declared St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church Dublin as an independent Parish through his Letter No. 25/per/2006 dated 01 May 2006. He later reaffirmed this during his Episcopal Visit in December 2006. Mar Makarios visited the Parish once again in December 2007. It was following this visit, on his journeys in the UK, that he met with a tragic road accident. He entered the heavenly abode on 23 February 2008 and his mortal remains were interred at the Catholicate Aramana Chapel in Kottayam Kerala.