Mar Ivanios was instrumental in founding the Bethany Ashram and played a vital role in the establishment of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Hierarchy, becoming the first bishop of the Archdiocese of Trivandrum in 1932.

He is a candidate for sainthood in the Catholic Church, having been declared a Servant of God by Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottungal in 2007 and Venerable by Pope Francis in 2024.

Geevarghese was a member of the Panickervettil family, an aristocratic lineage in Mavelikkara, which was part of the princely state of Travancore, now located in the Alappuzha district of Kerala.

He organized basic church communities and initiated Bible conventions, earning him the popular title "Koodhasa Shemmashan" (Deacon of Sacraments).

Additionally, visits to Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram and Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan provided him with a new perspective on Indian monasticism.

Gradually, his residence at Serampore, along with his followers, evolved into an Ashram (monastery), where they adopted a form of religious life based on the monastic rules of St.

A friend, E. John Vakeel, donated 100 acres (400,000 m²) of land at Mundanmala, Ranni-Perunadu, Kerala, at the confluence of the Pamba and Kakkatt rivers.

Geevarghese and his followers built a small thatched hut from tree branches and bamboo, marking the establishment of the first ashram in Malankara on 15 August 1919.

To advance this goal, he initiated the education and training of selected young girls with assistance from the Epiphany Sisters of England, who were working in Serampore.

[10] On 20 September 1930, Mar Theophilos, John Kuzhinapurath, Alexander Attupurath, and Chacko Kiliyileth made a Catholic profession of faith before Aloysius Maria Benziger, the Bishop of Kollam.

He also attended the thirty-second Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Ireland, where he met G. K. Chesterton, who remarked on Geevarghese's role in bringing his community into the Roman Communion.

[11][12] The dignified Indian gentleman, who represented this far off triumph in the Orient, had changed his neighbours by bringing them to the Roman Communion.Following his return from Rome, Geevarghese worked to establish the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church's infrastructure.

On 11 June 1932, Pope Pius XI formally established the Malankara Catholic hierarchy through the apostolic constitution Cristo pastorum principi.

Under Geevarghese's leadership, about 75 priests from different Malankara denominations joined the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, and approximately 150 parishes, including mission stations, were established.

[24] Geevarghese was declared a Servant of God (Daivadasan), the initial step in the process toward sainthood, on 14 July 2007, one day before the 54th anniversary of his death.

On 14 March 2024, Pope Francis recognized Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios' practice of heroic virtues and conferred upon him the title of Venerable.