The Malankara Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church in North America is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of the

Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church (JSCC), or the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in India also known as Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, the Jacobite Syrian Church, and the Syriac Orthodox Church in India, ...

for

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, incorporated in the state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is a part of the

Syriac Orthodox , native_name_lang = syc , image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg , imagewidth = 250 , alt = Cathedral of Saint George , caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...

Church under the

Holy See of Antioch The Church of Antioch ( ar, كنيسة أنطاكية, Romanization: kánīsa ʾanṭākiya, IPA: a.niː.sa ʔan.tˤaː.ki.ja was the first of the five major churches of the early pentarchy in Christianity, with its primary seat in the ancient ...

. The Malankara Archdiocese of the

Syriac Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg , imagewidth = 250 , alt = Cathedral of Saint George , caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...

in North America is under the direct ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the

Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...

, Moran Mor

Ignatius Aphrem II , ar, سعيد كريم) , birth_date = , birth_place = , death_date = , buried = , resting_place_coordinates = , nationality = Syrian; American , religion = Syriac Orthodox , residence = , parents = Issa and Khanema Karim , occup ...

, the Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church. This Archdiocese comprises the parishes all over the

and

for the people predominantly from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

who follow the Syriac tradition. The Church uses the

Syriac language The Syriac language (; syc, / '), also known as Syriac Aramaic (''Syrian Aramaic'', ''Syro-Aramaic'') and Classical Syriac ܠܫܢܐ ܥܬܝܩܐ (in its literary and liturgical form), is an Aramaic language, Aramaic dialect that emerged during ...

, a dialect of

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 ...

spoken by

Lord Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, as the

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

language along with English and Malayalam, a vernacular language of South India. Mor Titus Yeldho is the Archbishop & Patriarchal Vicar of the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church in North America since 2004.

History

In the recent past, especially since the 1960s, a considerable number of people from

migrated and settled down in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Many of them were Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Christians. They followed the Syriac Orthodox

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

, maintained their distinct identity and preserved the

traditions A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

of the

. With the approval and spiritual guidance of the late Archbishop Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, the first Malankara Syriac Orthodox Parish in

was formed in 1975 as Mar Gregorios Syriac Orthodox Church in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

. Subsequently more parishes and spiritual organizations such as Sunday School for children, Youth Association for the young adults and

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

’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 Syriac Orthodox faith and their spiritual needs increased, The Delegates’ Meeting held in 1992 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, 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 Syriac Orthodox Cathedral,

Hackensack, New Jersey Hackensack is a city in and the county seat of Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.New Jers ...

, 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 )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, in June 1993 to address the spiritual needs of the Malankara faithful. Thereafter, Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas,

and the Supreme Head of the Universal

, established an independent Archdiocese directly under the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch and All the East comprising all the Malankara (

) parishes in

and named it "Malankara Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church in North America". He consecrated and appointed P.G. Cherian as the then Mor Nicholovos Zachariah on August 15, 1993, and appointed him as Archbishop to administer the affairs of the

Archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. In December 2001, Nicholovos Zachariah was excommunicated by then Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. Subsequently Mor Julius Kuriakose and Mor Ivanios Mathews Metropolitans were appointed to this archdiocese. The present Archbishop Mor Titus Yeldho was consecrated as the archbishop and patriarchal vicar of the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America on January 4, 2004. His legacy can be seen in the rise of young men coming forward, through his example, to serve the church. He is a strong advocate for empowering the youth of this archdiocese in coming forward to accept leadership responsibilities to help thrust the church into the next millennium. The current administrative set-up of the archdiocese, the previous Archdiocesan headquarters at Pomona, New York and the present archdiocesan headquarters in Whippany, New Jersey, etc. are achievements among many others that procured during the immediate years of his tenure. A significant number of new parishes have also been initiated across the United States and Canada under his leadership.

Archbishops

* Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel- Until August 1993 *Mor Nicholovos Zachariah - August 1993 – December 2001 - EXCOMMUNICATED FROM HOLY CHURCH *Mor Julius Kuriakose - December 22, 2001 – March 1, 2002 *

Mor Ivanios Mathews Mor Ivanios Mathews (born 29 April 1954) is a Syriac Orthodox bishop, currently the Metropolitan of Kandanad Diocese. Education Mor Ivanios Mathews has obtained Master of Arts degree and has a Bachelor of Theology degree from Papal Seminary, Pun ...

- March 2, 2002 – January 3, 2004 * Mor Titus Yeldho

Organization of the Archdiocese

Churches

Organizations

*Antiochean True Faith *Archdiocesan Choir *Clergy Association *St. Paul's Fellowship *Women's League *MGSOSA - Mar Gregorios Syrian Orthodox Student Association * MGSOYA - Mar Gregorios Syrian Orthodox Young Adults *Sunday School

External link

Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America
- Official Website] Christianity in the United States Indian-American history Syriac Orthodox dioceses Members of the National Council of Churches Oriental Orthodoxy in North America Oriental Orthodox dioceses in the United States Oriental Orthodox dioceses in Canada {{Dioceses of the Syriac Orthodox Church