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About Us
History of ST.mary's jacobite syrian orthodox church
The St. Mary's JSOC is blessed to start build its own place of worship in January 2023, and the church was consecrated in December 2023 by the blessed hands of H.E Geevargis Mor Athanasius
The antiquity of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch can be tracked back to the very dawn of Christianity. In AD 37, the Church was established by St. Peter the Apostle in Antioch, where disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Amidst the 5th century, the Bishop of Antioch and his counterparts in Alexandria, Byzantium, and Rome would be called Patriarchs. The Holy Apostolic See of Antioch continues to flourish till our day with His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II being the 123rd in the line of the legitimate Patriarchs. The Church belongs to the Orintal Orthodox Church family and takes part in ecumenical and theological dialogues with the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. The Syriac Orthodox Church is quite unique for its sematic culture and most ancient liturgy in Syriac language, an Aramaic dialect akin to the Aramaic spoken by Christ and the Apostles.
Syriac Christianity has had a long history in India. According to tradition, Christianity in India was established by St. Thomas the Apostle, who arrived in Malankara (India) from Edessa in AD 52. It was spiritually and liturgically nurtured and continued under the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch. The Church in Malankara today is an integral part of the Syriac Orthodox Church with the Patriarch of Antioch as its supreme head. The regional head of the Church is the Maphriyono, who is consecrated by and accountable to the Patriarch of Antioch.
As part of the migration of the members from the parental community, JSC Church had established diaspora parishes and dioceses all over the world under the Patriarchate in Antioch and Catholicate of India. The Diocese of Australia and New Zealand is one of such dioceses, established in 2009 with 40 congregations/parishes in Australia and New Zealand. St. Mary’s Jacobite Syrian orthodox Church, Cranbourne West, Melbourne is one among them in this diocese.
The congregation of St. Mary’s started its spiritual journey in 2009 with a weekly prayer meeting consisting of 15 families. It was honoured to offer its first Holy Qurbana in 2011 and have been conducting Holy Qurbana every Sunday for its members of more than 50 families and other faithful people who live in SE suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria.
The St. Mary’s JSOC is blessed to start build its own place of worship in January 2023, and the church was consecrated in December 2023 by the blessed hands of H.E Geevargis Mor Athanasius This is the only church in Australia where the Holy Girdle (SOONORO) of Mother Mary is installed.
The church has been spiritually nurtured by the Reverend priests who were appointed by the hierarchy of the church from time to time. The members of the parish gladly remember the valuable priestly services rendered by 9 priests, including the current vicar who has taken the spiritual leadership to continue its faithful journey in this land.
The temporal life of the parish is managed by it’s General body, where the day to day affairs are served by the Managing committee of the parish which is the governed body of leaders selected from the General body time to time.
Now..
Presently, His Holiness Ignatius Aphrem II serves as the Patriarch of Universal Syriac orthodox church and His Beatitude Baselious Thomas I as the Maphriyono in India. The Malankara Archdiocese of Australia has been governed by His Eminence Athanasios Geevargis since 2020.