October 28. 2005: His Eminence Mor Julius Isa (Yeshu) Çiçek entered into eternal rest His Eminence was born in January 01. 1941 in Upper Kafro, in Turabdin (Turkey), to Qashisho Barsawmo and Bath-Qyomo Sayde. At the age of nine he went to seminary at Deyr-ul-Za'faran, where he studied Syriac, Turkish, Arabic and Theology.
He was ordained a deacon in 1958, and became a secretary to the late Metropolitan Mor Philoxenos Hanna Dolabani. Later he joined the monastery of Mor Kyriacus in the region Bsheriye (Batman) to administer pastoral service and engaged in a mission to seek Syriac and Armenian Christians, who survived the genocide of 1915 at the hands of the Turks.
In 1960 he was made a novice monk in the monastery of Mor Gabriel and embraced an ascetic life. He taught in the theological seminary at Mor Gabriel and copied many books with his excellent hand writing .
When Fr. Shabo Gunes, the abbot of the monastery retired in 1962, Fr. Yeshue Çiçek was chosen as abbot of the monastery.
In 1969, Mor Iwannis Ephrem Bilgic, the Bishop of Turabdin, ordained him a priest.
Between 1973 and 1974, Yeshue Çiçek lived in Damascus, in the Seminary of Mor Ephrem at Atshane in Lebanon and in the Holy land. Then he came to Germany, where he learned the German language and ministered to the Syrians of the diaspora.
At the request of the Metropolitan of America, Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, Dayroyo Yeshu` Çiçek was in the United States from 1975-77, learning English and ministering to the Syriac Orthodox faithful there.
In 1977, he returned to Europe and settled in Holland at Hengelo.
In the same year the Holy Synod chose him as the Patriarchal Vicar for the new diocese of Central Europe. He constructed a hall for a new Syriac Orthodox church of St. John the Evangelist, which was consecrated by the late Patriarch Mor Ignatius Ya`qub III.
In 1978, Dayroyo Yeshu` began publishing Kolo Suryoyo, the news magazine of Syriac Orthodox diocese of Central Europe.
In 1979, the Patriarch Ya`qub III consecrated Dayroyo Yeshue Çiçek in Hengelo as Archbishop of the Syrian orthodox diocese of Central Europe, with the name Mor Julius.
In 1984, Mor Julius acquired Dayro d-Mor Ephrem at Losser, Nederland, which became the seat of the archbishop. Under the able guidance of His Eminence, the Central Europe diocese has flourished.
Mor Julius Isa (Yeshue) Çiçek first Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Central Europe, (64) passed on Saturday early morning of October 29, while on a visit to Germany.
During the twenty-six years of his archbishopric, the Church in Europe achieved remarkable growth.
Due to his efforts, the archdiocese of central Europe now has three large monasteries in Europe: the first one is at Losser, near Enschede in the Netherlands, the second in Arth, Switzerland, and the third in Warburg, Germany. Several parishes were formed throughout Europe--nearly 50 in Germany and several others in the Netherlands, in Austria, Switzerland, and France, among others.
Mor Julius made very significant scholarly contributions to the Church through the Bar Hebraeus Publishing House at Losser which published about 100 books related to the Syriac Orthodox liturgy, Bible, history, etc., in Syriac and in European languages, as well as periodicals such as the "Kolo Suryoyo". His Eminence was also an eminent calligrapher who continued the ancient Syriac Orthodox tradition of liturgical manuscript production as a monastic vocation.
Mor Julius participated in Ecumenical dialogues with the Catholic Church at the Pro-Oriente, and accompanied HH the Patriarch of Antioch during his historic visit to Rome in 1984, where the Joint Declaration with Pope John Paul II was signed. The strong relationships with churches and governments in Europe came to be of much benefit for the Syriac Orthodox Church.
Mor Julius Çiçek is a Syriac father that Malankara can never forget. During times of hardship for the faithful in Malankara Mor Julius Çiçek visited them many many times to offer succor and strength. His Eminence could be considered the founding father of the Theological Seminary of the Church that now flourishes in Udayagiri. He contributed about Rs. 40 lakhs--the largest contribution that made the founding of the seminary possible in 1988. He continued to take much interest in the growth of this institution till the end. The Church in Malankara will be indebted to him forever.
On behalf of the Archdiocese of the Western USA with sorrow we offer heartfelt condolences to our beloved Syriac Orthodox Church in general and to the Central Europe Archdiocese in particular..
May God rest his soul in eternal peace with those who fulfilled His will , Amen
The Late Mor Julius Isa Çiçek
With deep sorrow and grief, His Eminence Mor Clemis Kaplan received from His Eminence Archbishop Mor Athanasius Elia Bahi on Saturday October 29, 2005, the painful news of the unexpected passing away of His Eminence Archbishop Julius Isa Çiçek of Central Europe, and on Saturday the news confirmed by the letter from His Holiness.
Archbishop Mor Julius Isa (Yeshu) Çiçek, the publisher-calligrapher and Archbishop of Central Europe, passed away unexpectedly. He was the church's Metropolitan for Central Europe since the position was created in 1979. He oversaw the establishment of 51 churches and three monasteries.
His Eminence Çiçek was found in a hotel room in Düsseldorf where he was spending the night before traveling to Switzerland for a conference. Thousands of followers were expected to attend his funeral at the Saint Aphrem Syriac Monastery in the Dutch town of Glane, near the German border.
His contribution to Syriac studies includes publishing a few hundred books through Bar Hebraeus Verlag. Funeral arrangement is being made to be on Saturday November 5, 2005, noon time, at the Mor Ephrem monastery in Glane/Losser, The Netherlands. The mortal remains will be interred in the tomb for bishops in the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Mary, below the sanctuary, where also rests the late Archbishop of North America of blessed memory, Mor Athanasius Samuel. .
"where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor" John 12: 26
"O Son of God, grant rest to the priests among the just : in that indestructible kingdom, with the holy ones." Sh,heemo
