Handwritten Bible and New Testament texts mark a special Christmas in Mavelikkara

Mavelikkara: While two individuals here are celebrating the remarkable achievement of having handwritten the entire Bible, twenty others are rejoicing in the festive season with the satisfaction of having transcribed the New Testament. The two who have completed the full manuscript are Roy Thomas of Puthiyakaavukalikkal Puthanveettil and Mini Roosevelt of Valiyaperumpuzha Mangalth House.

For Roy, this Christmas marks the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream, the result of over five-and-a-half years of dedicated effort. After nearly 25 years as an art director at a renowned publishing house in Dubai, he returned home in February 2020 and embarked on the painstaking task of creating a handwritten copy of the Bible.

As construction of his house progressed, Roy’s mission was temporarily put on hold. He, however, eventually completed the project in November. The handwritten Bible spans 1,675 pages and was crafted using 110 pens. The words of Jesus Christ are highlighted in red, while the remaining text is in black. Roy’s elegant handwriting is so precise that the manuscript could easily be mistaken for a printed Bible. Each section also notes the author’s name, period of writing, total chapters, verses and key locations.

The Bible additionally includes illustrations of both old and new sketches of ancient locations mentioned in the text, while the preface provides a detailed history of the holy scripture. Roy’s handwritten copy has been handed over to the World to World Bible Museum at Vembayam, Thiruvananthapuram, an institution functioning under the leadership of Brother Mathews Varghese. As an accomplished artist, Roy brought exceptional skill to the project and in completing this mission, he also received full support from his wife, Elizabeth Roy and their children, Febin and Reshma Roy.

A Gift to the manger this christmas
It took Mini Roosevelt, a special educator with SSABRC, a year-and-a-half of meticulous effort to transcribe the entire Bible by hand. She began the monumental task on October 1, 2023, completing it across 3,284 pages. Her dedication also inspired a group of 20 individuals to transcribe sections of the New Testament over six months, culminating in the creation of three beautifully handwritten Bibles.

The complete Bible, along with the three New Testament manuscripts, was supposed to be an offering at the manger set up inside St Sebastian’s Church in Valiyaperumpuzha during the Christmas celebrations.

Those who contributed to the New Testament manuscripts include Beatrice Joseph (Swapnam Vihar), Mary Joseph (Pavureth), Anita Jerome (Anson Villa), Jessy Basil (Kottakkattu Tharayil), Shiny Jayan (Tesy Villa), Jasmine Cruz (Snehatheeram), Elsamma Cleetus (Viruppattal), Aleena Roosevelt (Mangalth), Priya T. Joseph (Vizhalil Thekkethil), Susan Alex (Kandathil), Anju Cleetus (Viruppattal Thekkethil), Jinsh Jose (Idavanamadam), Jolly Vinod (Thattupurakkal), Nirmal Stephen (Lords Palace), Mary Thomas (Nirmalalayam), Seena Jose (Jesmi Villa), Sherry Johnson (Kadavil), Merin K. Jose (Karimpatt), and Sicily Jomon (Augustin Parambil).

The group, aged between 15 and 69, was coordinated via a WhatsApp group and each member was assigned a specific portion to transcribe. Using A4 sheets and black ink pens on both sides of the paper, they completed the New Testament across 1,100 pages. The effort received encouragement and support from Fr. Sajan Walter, former vicar of Valiyaperumpuzha Church, and Fr T Vipin, the current vicar of the parish.