Mar Narsai Toma was the late

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

of the

Ancient Church of the East The Ancient Church of the East is an Eastern Christian denomination. It branched from the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964, under the leadership of Mar Thoma Darmo (d. 1969). It is one of three Assyrian Churches that claim continuity with the ...

of the diocese of

Kirkuk Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. Mar Narsai served as Metropolitan for forty-six years before his death in 2014.

Early life

Mar Narsai Toma was born as Toma Soro Bobo in

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

. He studied at the

Church of the East The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...

School in

Nineveh Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ban ...

(Mosul) under the tutelage of Yousip DeKelaita. He studied both church history and the

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

language.

Service to the Church

Toma was ordained as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

at a young age in 1956. Not long after the arrival of Mar Thoma Darmo to

Baghdad, Iraq Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the list of largest cities in the Arab world, second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the ...

in September 1968, Toma was elevated to the rank of

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and assigned as a parish priest in

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...

. After the death of

Mar Thoma Darmo Mar, mar or MAR may refer to: Culture * Mar or Mor, an honorific in Syriac * Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland * MAA (singer) (born 1986), Japanese * Marathi language, by ISO 639-2 language code * March, as an abbreviation for the third month ...

in September 1969, Mar Narsai, alongside Mar Toma Gewargis, were elected to be ordained as metropolitans in the

. Both ordinations were conducted on 5 December 1969 by

Mar Addai II Mar, mar or MAR may refer to: Culture * Mar or Mor, an honorific in Syriac * Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland * MAA (singer) (born 1986), Japanese * Marathi language, by ISO 639-2 language code * March, as an abbreviation for the third month ...

, the Metropolitan of Iraq and

Locum tenens A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

of the

at the time. Mar Narsai, together with Metropolitan of Nineveh, Mar Toma Giwargis, consecrated Mar Addai II as Catholicos-Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East. The ordination took place on February 20, 1972 in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

. During his tenure, Mar Narsai placed an emphasis on education. He was committed to the advancement of the Assyrian people through education. As a result, dozens of students were taught under his supervision as Metropolitan.

Death

Mar Narsai Toma died unexpectedly, in the late hours of August 28, 2014 in the city of Kirkuk, Iraq. Though it has been determined that he died of natural causes, it was known that he was managing several medical conditions for several years prior to his death. On August 31, 2014, the Sunday following his death, commemorative services were held in every parish under the Ancient Church of the East in his honor.

Legacy

Mar Gewargis Younan, Bishop of Chicago, released a statement following the Metropolitan's passing in which he wrote, "Mar Narsai held an integrity and decency that spoke louder than words. The Ancient Church of the East is proud to be associated with his name, and it is an honor for us to carry on his legacy."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toma, Mar Narsai 1941 births 21st-century archbishops Ancient Church of the East People from Kirkuk People from Duhok 2014 deaths