Kandanad East Diocese

His Grace was born on 28 June 1952 at Arikuzha, Thodupuzha, to Rev. Fr Yohannan Puttanil and Mrs Mariam. He did his schooling at Government UPS School Arikuzha and NSS High School, Manakad. Thereupon he joined New Man College, Thodupuzha and passed out his Pre-degree and Degree from there. He did his MA from St John’s College, Agra.

In the theological front, he took his BD degree from Serampore College and United Theological College, Bangalore. And went for his DTh from Protestant Faculty, University of Munich.

He was ordained a priest in 1990 and the very same year was consecrated as Bishop and was given the charge of Kandanad Diocese. He was a teacher at Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary at Vettickal during 1990-95. From 1992, His Grace was the President of Kerala Council of Churches till 1998.

Dr Athanasius is a known social worker and a philanthropist. He runs Swasraya Rehabilitation & Training Centre at Vettickal, Mulanthuruthy; Trinity Retirement Home, Kolenchery; Samanvaya Study and Dialogue Centre, Pampakuda; Sukhada Retreat Centre, Kolenchery; Santhula Hospital and Deaddiction Centre, Vadakara; and Giliyad, Retreat Centre & Orphanage, Vadkara.

His Grace is an author of few well-known books. A Comparative Study of Theological Methodologies of Irenaeus and Sri Sankara (1990); Church and Society (1992); Neethi Samooham; and Anthyokya Malankara Bandham: Oru Punarchintanam are the main titles.

Abbot of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite Monastery, Saint James, NY.
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR)

Fr. Vasileios Willard entered into the monastic life in 2015. He was ordained to the holy priesthood in 2020 at the Monastery of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite in Saint James, NY. Since 2024, he has served the brotherhood as abbot.

Fr. Dr. Abey George graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the College of Staten Island, City University of New York. He completed his seminary studies at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, earning a Master of Divinity. He later received a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality from Fordham University, New York, and holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, New York.

Fr. Abey currently serves as the Vicar of St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Long Island, NY. In addition to his parish ministry, he is a Board-Certified Hospital Chaplain with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in New York. He also serves as the Principal Secretary to His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, Metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese.

Lijin Hannah Thomas holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston and graduated from St. Vladimir's Seminary in 2015 with her M.A. in Theology. She then went to the University of Texas in Arlington and received her Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Mental Health and Substance Abuse. She is married to Fr. Shawn Thomas and has two young children, Eliana and John. Her passion is working with any kind of abuse or trauma patients. She works full time as an Associate Executive Director of Behavioral Health and Housing, helping find permanent housing for homeless individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses and substance disorders, and ensuring they receive behavioral health services and other resources.