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{{Use Indian English|date=April 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox clergy
| honorific_prefix = [[The Reverend]]
| name = Marathakavalli David, [[Church of South India|CSI]]
| honorific_suffix = ''Ammagaru''
| image = 
| image_size = 
| alt =
| caption = 
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1950<ref name="Femina">Nimmi Chakola, ''Kerala's First Woman Priest'' in ''[[Femina (India)|Femina]]'', July 23-August 7, 1989, p.41.</ref>
| birth_place = [[Neyyattinkara]],<ref name="Political">''Women can serve flock well: Kerala’s first female cleric'' in ''The Political and Business Daily'', Wednesday, 28 April 2010. [http://www.pbd.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5441:women-can-serve-flock-well-keralas-first-female-cleric&catid=9:edit&Itemid=13]</ref> [[Kerala]], [[India]]
| death_date = 2011<ref name="Malankara"/>
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| other_names =
| citizenship = [[India]]n
| education =
*[[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] (Kerala),
*[[Bachelor of Divinity|B.D.]] (Serampore)
| alma_mater =
*[[Kerala University]],<ref name="Political"/> [[Thiruvananthapuram]]
*[[Kerala United Theological Seminary]],<ref name="Political"/> Thiruvananthapuram
| occupation = [[Pastor]]
| years_active =
| religion = [[Christianity]]
| parents = [[Smt.]] Gnanakristi and [[Sri]] M. G. Davy<ref name="Femina"/>
| relations = 
| church = [[Church of South India]]<br /> ([[Diocese of South Kerala]])<ref name="Mandate">M. Ezra Sargunam, ''Mission Mandate: A Compendium on the Perspective of Missions in India'', Mission India 2000, Madras, 1992, p.538. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pyPkAAAAMAAJ&q=Marathakavalli+David]</ref>
| ordained = May 28, 1989<ref name="Bhattacherje">S. B. Bhattacherje, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates'', (Sixth revised edition), Sterling Paperbacks, New Delhi, 2008, p.A268.[https://books.google.com/books?id=oGVSvXuCsyUC&dq=Marathakavalli+David&pg=SL1-PA268]</ref><br /> by [[Bishop]] [[I. Jesudason]]<ref name="UCA">''[[Church of South India]] ordains Kerala's first Woman Priest'' in ''The Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN)'', June 06 1989. [http://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1989/06/06/church-of-south-india-ordains-keralas-first-woman-priest&post_id=38046]</ref> at the [[Church of South India|CSI]]-Mateer Memorial Church,<ref name="UCA"/> [[Trivandrum]]
| writings =
| congregations = In [[Kerala]]: Nediakala,<ref name="Today"/> [[Kollam]],<ref name="Rediff"/> Nannamkuzhy, Meppallikonam, Meenara, Poozhikkunnu, [[Jagathy]] and Aakkulam.<ref name="Malankara"/><br />
In [[Telangana]]: [[Bhainsa]]<ref name="Rediff"/>
| offices_held = [[Presbyter]], [[Diocese of South Kerala]]
| title = [[The Reverend]]
| website = 
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| footnotes =
}}
{{Portal|Christianity}}
'''Marathakavalli David''' (1950<ref name="Femina"/>-2011<ref name="Malankara">''Rev. Marathakavalli passes away'' in ''Malankara Nazrani'', October 2011.[https://web.archive.org/web/20160423172829/http://malankaranazrani.com/CSI%20Church/Rev%20Marathakavalli%20Passes%20away.htm]</ref>) was the first<ref name="Today">[https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/eyecatchers/story/19910630-reverend-marathakavalley-david-becomes-first-woman-priest-in-kerala-814485-1991-06-29 ''Holy Habit'' in ''India Today'', June 30, 1991]</ref> woman [[Priest]] in [[Kerala]]<ref name="Today"/> hailing from the [[South Kerala Diocese]]<ref name="Mandate"/> (headquartered in [[Trivandrum]]) of the [[Church of South India]] who was ordained in 1989.<ref name="Today"/>

Marathakavalli trod her path in difficult streams as the [[Ordination of women]] was still being debated in her [[Christian Church|Church]] Society. When the issue of [[Ordination of women]] came up in the [[Church of South India Synod]] in 1970, it was vehemently opposed leading a [[decade]] of debate and [[protracted]]<ref name="UCA"/> legal recourse initiated by the opponents but eventually the persistence of the [[Church of South India Synod]] led to a majority vote in 1982 favouring the [[ordination of women]] in the [[Church of South India]]. While [[Elizabeth Paul]] became the first ordained woman [[Priest]] in [[India]] in 1987,<ref name="Ralte">Lalrinawmi Ralte, [[Evangeline Anderson Rajkumar]] (Edited), ''Feminist Hermeneutics'', Indian Women in Theology / Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, New Delhi, 2002. pp.8–9. [https://books.google.com/books?id=jBuUAAAACAAJ]</ref> Marathakavalli David became the first woman [[priest]] in [[Kerala]] in 1989.<ref name="Today"/>

Since her school days,<ref name="Rediff">''Women priests better equipped to console grief-stricken'', in ''The Rediff News'', April 26, 2010. [http://www.rediff.com/news/report/what-kerala-first-female-cleric-says/20100426.htm]</ref> Marathakavalli nursed an ambition to become a [[Priest]] and was influenced<ref name="Rediff"/> by the lives of [[Florence Nightingale]] and [[William Carey (missionary)|William Carey]] who strove to serve mankind<ref name="Rediff"/> braving all odds. She also acknowledges the inspiration from one of the pioneer [[missionaries]], [[The Reverend|Rev.]] Harris.<ref name="Rediff"/>

==The issue of women's ordination in the Church==
It was during the 1970<ref name="Gill">Kenneth E. Gill, ''Count us Equal : The Ministry of Women in the Church of South India'', [[Association of Theologically Trained Women in India]], 1990. pp.48–49. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tCJrGwAACAAJ]</ref> [[Church of South India Synod]] that [[P. Solomon]], then [[Moderator of the General Assembly|moderator]], opened the process for the [[ordination of women]] as [[priests]] which finally got a two-thirds majority after nearly 12 years in 1982<ref name="Gill"/> during the period of [[I. Jesudason]], then [[Moderator of the General Assembly|moderator]]. After successive [[ordinations]] that followed beginning with [[Elizabeth Paul]] in 1987 and others, Marathakavalli was ordained in 1989 by [[I. Jesudason]],<ref name="Straits">''Housewife made Protestant priest'' in ''The Straits Times'', 11 April 1989, Page 4.[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/straitstimes19890411-1.1.4.aspx]</ref> then [[Bishop]] - in - [[Diocese of South Kerala|South Kerala]] (headquartered in [[Trivandrum]]). The year 1989 was eventful as the [[Church of South India Synod]] was led by [[Moderator of the General Assembly|Moderator]] [[Victor Premasagar]], who all along took the scriptural stance, also echoed by [[I. Jesudason]],<ref name="Straits"/> that there was nothing standing in the way of women's ordination. [[Victor Premasagar|Premasagar]], an [[Old Testament]] Scholar and a member of the Society for Biblical Studies in India comprising the [[Old Testament]] and [[New Testament]] Scholars hailing from the [[Protestant]], [[Catholic]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] and [[Charismatic]] was regarded for his Scholarship and some<ref>See list of members of the [[Pontifical Biblical Commission]] in Arlene Swidler and Leonard Swidler (Edited), ''Women Priests'', Paulist Press, 1977, pp. 338-346.[http://www.womenpriests.org/classic/appendix.asp]</ref> of his [[Catholic]] counterparts who were members of the [[Pontifical Biblical Commission]] that met in 1976 concluded with a majority of 12<ref name="Felix">Felix M. Podamattam, ''In Praise of Woman: Psychological, sociological, and pastoral considerations'', Volume II, Media House, New Delhi, p.232. [https://books.google.com/books?id=YSK53CSOQ3AC&dq=pontifical+biblical+commission+ordination+of+women+votes&pg=PA4]</ref> in favour and 5 against that the [[scripture]] did not bar<ref name="Felix"/> the [[ordination of women]]. However, [[Pope Benedict XVI|Cardinal Ratzinger]] subsequently ensured that a circulars were issued to the effect that anyone raising the issue of women's ordination ''(see [[Catholic Church doctrine on the ordination of women]])'' in the [[Catholic]] Church was liable for [[blasphemy]] and summarily [[excommunicated]]<ref>[[Roman Catholic Womenpriests]]</ref> with no grounds.<ref>[[Joseph Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]]</ref>
[[File:M.M.Church.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Church of South India|CSI]]-[[Mateer Memorial Church|Mateer Memorial CSI Church]], [[Trivandrum]] where Marathagavalli was [[ordained]] in 1989.<ref name="Bhattacherje"/>]]

==Studies==
After graduate studies from the [[Kerala University]],<ref name="Rediff"/> Marathakavalli had her ministerial formation at the [[Kerala United Theological Seminary]],<ref name="Straits"/> [[Trivandrum]], a [[seminary]] founded in 1943<ref>Leslie Brown, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=x5UcAAAAMAAJ&q=kerala+united+theological+seminary Three Worlds, One Word: Account of a Mission]'', Collings, 1981, p.64.</ref> and affiliated to the nation's first<ref name="UNESCO">[http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0017/001790/179035eb.pdf UNESCO Structures of University Education in India, 1952]</ref> University, the [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]]. Marathakavalli studied during the principalship of Jacob Varghese and other spiritual formators comprising [[J. W. Gladstone]] and others.

==Ecclesiastical ministry==
After Marathakavalli's spiritual formation at the [[Kerala United Theological Seminary]], [[Trivandrum]], she was assigned the role of a Bible woman at Christ Church, [[Kollam]],<ref name="Rediff"/> then Nediakala,<ref name="Today"/> Nannamkuzhy, Meppallikonam, Meenara, Poozhikkunnu, [[Jagathy]] and Aakkulam.<ref name="Malankara"/> Marathakavalli also went on missionary work to [[Bhainsa]]<ref name="Rediff"/> in [[Adilabad District]] in [[Telangana]], where the [[South Kerala Diocese]] has a few missionary stations.

==Retrospect==
Though women studying [[theology]] has become widely accepted over the [[decades]], their desire to become a [[priest]] was being met with widespread criticism and resentment till the late 20th century. [[Victor Premasagar]] wrote that [[B. V. Subbamma]], the first woman [[senator]] of the [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]] and a member of the [[Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church]] could have been ordained long ago, but Church leaders fearing her leadership kept the issue of [[Ordination of women]] aside in her Church Society.<ref>[[Victor Premasagar]], ''Indian Women in Evangelism and Theology'', Published by Dr. B. V. Subbamma, Guntur, October 2005. pp. 12–15.</ref> The [[Association of Theologically Trained Women in India]] took up the cause of [[ordination of women]], bringing up the issue with the [[Christian Church|Churches]] in [[India]]. However, skeptics considered [[priesthood]] to be the exclusive domain of [[men]], leading to widespread debate in the [[Christian Church|Church]]. Though the [[Second Vatican Council]] that concluded in 1965 could not initiate the debate on the [[ordination of women]], the [[Pontifical Biblical commission]] took up the debate in 1976. While this was so, the [[Anglican Communion]] began ordaining women since 1944,<ref>See [[Florence Li Tim-Oi]]</ref> but this was not reciprocated in other parts of the world where the [[Anglican Communion]] was present, including the [[Church of England]]. As for the other [[Christian Church|Churches]],<ref>See [[Ordination of women in Protestant churches]]</ref> the ground for ordination gained credence in a gradual manner. When Marathakavalli expressed her desire to become a [[priest]], the [[Church of South India Synod]] stood by her, whereas stereotypical menfolk<ref name="UCAN">''Woman's ordination by [[Church of South India]] sparks interdenominational debate'', in ''The Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN)'', 3 May 1989.[http://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1989/05/03/womans-ordination-by-church-of-si-sparks-interdenominational-debate&post_id=37910]</ref> stood firm in retaining their [[orthodoxy]] with unfounded claims that women were 'unclean' and 'unfit'.<ref name="Today"/>

In 2010, after more than two [[decades]] of pastoral ministry ever since her [[ordination]] in 1989, Marathakavalli proved her [[skeptics]]<ref name="UCAN"/> wrong and bore no ill will against them. Marathakavalli reminiscences,<ref name="Rediff"/>

{{blockquote|''Though all in the church were not happy with the ordination of a woman, I believe that in course of time I could reverse the opinion of the skeptics through my dedicated work. From by experience, I can say with confidence that women priests are better equipped to console the grief-stricken.''<ref name="Rediff"/>}}

==Eternity==
Marathakavalli died at the age of 60<ref name="Malankara"/> in October 2011,<ref name="Malankara"/> and the funeral mass was conducted by [[The Right Reverend]] Dharmaraj Rasalam<ref name="Malankara"/> the present [[bishop]] - in - [[South Kerala Diocese|South Kerala]].

==References==
{{reflist|2|colwidth=30em}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Marathakavalli}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:People from Thiruvananthapuram district]]
[[Category:Senate of Serampore College (University) alumni]]
[[Category:Scholars from Thiruvananthapuram]]
[[Category:Educators from Kerala]]
[[Category:Christian clergy from Kerala]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian Anglican priests]]
[[Category:Church of South India clergy]]
[[Category:Women Christian clergy]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women educational theorists]]
[[Category:Women educators from Kerala]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women educators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women educational theorists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian educational theorists]]

Marathakavalli David - Revision history

KINGRON at 12:09, 8 February 2026