Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America

The Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America is a non-profit religious organization in the United States, incorporated in the state of New York. It is considered part of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church under the Holy See of Antioch.

The Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church. This Archdiocese comprises the parishes all over the United States and Canada for the people predominantly from India who follow the Syriac tradition. The Church uses the Syriac language, a dialect of Aramaic spoken by Lord Jesus, as the Liturgical language along with English and Malayalam, a vernacular language of South India. Mor Titus Yeldho is the archbishop of the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America since 2004.

History

In the recent past, especially since the 1960s, a considerable number of people from India migrated and settled down in North America. Many of them were Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Christians. They followed the Syrian Orthodox faith, maintained their distinct identity and preserved the traditions of the Syrian Orthodox Church. With the approval and spiritual guidance of Archbishop Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, the first Malankara Syrian Orthodox Parish in North America was formed in 1975 as Mar Gregorios Syrian Orthodox Church in Staten Island, New York. Subsequently more parishes and spiritual organizations such as Sunday School for children, Youth Association for the young adults and St. Mary’s Women’s League were formed for the spiritual nourishment of the faithful.

For the smooth functioning of the parishes under the ecclesiastical hierarchy, a Malankara Council was constituted and became fully operational in 1987. From that time onwards the Malankara Parishes conducted annual conferences in different parts of North America. As the number of people professing the Syrian Orthodox faith and their spiritual needs increased, The Delegates’ Meeting held in 1992 in New York, presided over by the Archbishop Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, decided to request The Patriarch of Antioch and All The East for a Metropolitan from Malankara to assist Mor Athanasius in administering the affairs of the Malankara Parishes. The Delegates’ Meeting held on December 5, 1992 at the St. Mark’s Syrian Orthodox Cathedral, Hackensack, New Jersey, proposed the name Fr. P.G. Cherian and requested the Patriarch to consecrate him Metropolitan to assist Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel.

According to the decision of the Archdiocesan Council, an official delegation, consisting of three clergymen and one lay member from the Council had an audience with the Patriarch, in Damascus, Syria, in June 1993 to address the spiritual needs of the Malankara faithful. Thereafter, Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and the Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, established an independent Archdiocese directly under the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch and All the East comprising all the Malankara (India) parishes in North America and named it "Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America". He consecrated and appointed P.G. Cherian as Archbishop Mor Nicholovos Zachariah on August 15, 1993 and appointed him as Archbishop to administer the affairs of the Archdiocese.

In December 2001, Nicholovos Zachariah left the Holy Church and was excommunicated and stripped of his Priestly authorities by Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas the Patriarch of Antioch and All The East. Subsequently Mor Julius Kuriakose and Mor Ivanios Mathews Metropolitans were appointed to this Archdiocese. The present Archbishop Mor Titus Yeldho was consecrated as Archbishop and Patriarchal Vicar of the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America on January 4, 2004.

Archbishops

Organization of the Archdiocese

Churches

Church City, State
St. Ephrem Cathedral Whippany, New Jersey
St. Peter's Syrian Orthodox Church Phoenix, Arizona
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church Whittier, California
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church Denver, Colorado
Mar Gregorios Syrian Orthodox Church Tampa, Florida
St. Mary's Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church Plantation, Florida
St. Ignatius Elias III Syrian Orthodox Church Atlanta, Georgia
St. Mary's Syriac Orthodox Church Lilburn, Georgia
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church Winder, Georgia
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church Augusta, Georgia
St. George Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Chicago, Illinois
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church Des Plaines, Illinois
St. Peter’s Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Chicago, Illinois
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church College Park, Maryland
St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Church Uniontown, Maryland
St. Mary’s Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church Southfield, Michigan
St. George Syrian Orthodox Church Charlotte, North Carolina
St. George's Syrian Orthodox Church Carteret, New Jersey
St. James Syrian Orthodox Church Wanaque, New Jersey
St. Basil Syrian Orthodox Church Albuquerque, New Mexico
Mar Gregorios Syrian Orthodox Church Staten Island, New York
St. George Syrian Orthodox Church Spring Valley, New York
St. George Syrian Orthodox Church New City, New York
St. John's Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church Staten Island, New York
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church(Malankara) Lynbrook, New York
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church West Nyack, New York
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church White Plains, New York
St. Peter's & St. Paul's Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church Westbury, New York
St. George's Syrian Orthodox Church Bethany, Oklahoma
St. George Syriac Orthodox Church Brampton, Ontario
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church Mississauga, Ontario
St. Peter's Syriac Orthodox Church Mississauga, Ontario
St. Paul's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
St. Peter's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
St. Ignatius Malankara Jacobite Church Carrollton, Texas
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church Houston, Texas
St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church Carrollton, Texas
St. Peter's Syriac Orthodox Church Houston, Texas
St. Thomas Syriac Orthodox Church Austin, Texas
St. Mary's Syriac Orthodox Church San Francisco
Mar. Gregorios Syriac Orthodox Church Mesquite, Texas

Organizations

External links

Malankara Orthodox links
Syriac Orthodox links
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