Order of the Imitation of Christ (OIC)Congregation
Bethany Ashram is a clerical congregation of religious priests and brothers of Pontifical Right. Bethany, formally called the Order of the Imitation of Christ (OIC), is the first indigenous religious congregation founded in the Malankara Church at Perunadu in Kerala. Bethany beautifully blends the spirit of both the Oriental Monastic Tradition and Indian Sanyasa. The Charism of the Order of the Imitation of Christ is to follow Jesus Christ in His life of prayer and action, to experience constant union with God through meditation, the liturgical life of the Church, and the observance of the spiritual exercises prescribed in the Holy Rule.
- Foundation : 15 August 1919
- Reunion : 20 September 1930
- Pontifical Status : 14 April 1966
- Province Erection : 24 May 2000
- Founder : Venerable Mar Ivanios OIC
Fr. P.T. Geevarghese Panickaruveetil OIC started the first Christian religious community in the Malankara Church on August 15, 1919, at Mundanmala, Perunnad-Ranni, Kerala. In a short time, Bethany Ashram and its beloved founder came into the limelight of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Abo Geevarghese OIC was consecrated Bishop of Bethany on May 1, 1925, and received the new name Mar Ivanios OIC. His relentless search for truth, the ascetical atmosphere of Bethany Ashram, led him to the firm conviction to reunite with the Catholic Church on September 20, 1930, together with Mar Theophilos, the Syro-Malankara Catholic hierarchy for the established OIC, the first Guru of Bethany Ashram. Pope Pius XI reunited the community on June 11, 1932, through the Apostolic Constitution Cristo Pastorum Principi. On July 15, 1953, the Archbishop offered his soul to the Heavenly Father.
Bethany Ashram initiated the Cause of Canonization of Mar Ivanios on July 15, 1997, and the Canonical Petition was submitted on July 15, 2005. On July 14, 2007, Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos proclaimed Mar Ivanios a Servant of God. On March 14, 2024, Pope Francis declared Archbishop Mar Ivanios as Venerable.
As the very name indicates, Bethany Ashram has been a house of consolation for all those who entered its threshold.
Bethany was instrumental in the spiritual revival of the Malankara Church at a time when it was plagued by tumultuous litigation and infighting for dominance within the church. Later, it became the cradle of the Reunion Movement™ when Mar Ivanios and others embraced the Catholic Church.