Thoma I
After the Oath, Thoma was elected as a Bishop by the Malankara Yogam (Association) and was consecrated at St. Mary's Church, Alangad, by the laying on of hands by 12 priests on 22 May 1653.His episcopal consecration was formally recognized in 1665 by Mar Gregorios Abdal Jaleel, a delegate of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, though the exact date and location of this event remain unknown.In 1653, Thomas and his followers took the Coonan Cross Oath, declaring that they would no longer obey Archbishop Garcia or any other prelate from the Society of Jesus, and they vowed to exclude the Jesuits from Malabar and their churches.Four months after the Coonan Cross Oath, on 22 May 1653, twelve priests ordained Thomas as the first Bishop of the Malankara See through the act of laying hands on him collectively.Later, Bishop Sebastiani, who was ordained on 15 December 1659, convinced many priests and laypeople, including the three advisors who had initially supported Mar Thoma, that the consecration was irregular.Due to political and financial pressures exerted by the Carmelite fathers through the Portuguese and native kings, many churches and laypeople withdrew their allegiance to Mar Thoma.