STATEN ISLAND, NY– A local church recently marked its golden anniversary with a two-day celebration featuring traditional masses and a community procession.
Mar Gregorios Orthodox Syrian Church of India, located at 175 Brielle Ave. in Sea View, has a past worthy of a long celebration.
According to the written history, the story began in 1968 when Syrian Christian families from Kerala, India settled on Staten Island and faced the challenge of establishing a place to worship. By 1974, 13 people gathered in an apartment and decided to begin services in a chapel of a Roman Catholic Church in Tompkinsville.
The group held its first worship service on Aug. 11, 1974, naming itself St. Thomas Orthodox Syrian Congregation. The following February, the congregation incorporated under the title of Mar Gregorios Orthodox Syrian Church of India.
In 1977, the church brought a priest from Kerala to serve the growing community. The congregation purchased its first property in 1979, converting a single-family house into a church. Growth continued, and a decade later, the church bought a Citibank building and transformed it into a worship space.
Administrative changes came in 1993 when the Patriarch of Antioch separated the Kerala parishes from the Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the U.S. and Canada, establishing the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America.
The church faced its most difficult period starting in 2001, when a split caused a legal battle that forced many families who supported the majority position to lose their church and assets.
The congregation regrouped, and on May 27, 2007, acquired a single-family house at the center of the Malankarese community. After renovating the house into a church, the congregation celebrated its first Holy Qurbana at the new location at 175 Brielle Avenue on April 18, 2010.
Mar Gregorios Orthodox Syrian Church of India marked its 50th year on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.Courtesy of Mar Gregorios Orthodox Syrian Church of India
This year’s grand celebration began on Friday, Oct. 31, with meetings led by Rev. Fr. Thomas Mathew, Rev. Fr. Mathew Thomas, Rev. Fr. Cherian Mundackal, Very Rev. Yesudasan Pappan Chor Episcopos, Rev. Fr. Sunny Joseph, Rev. Fr. Basil Mannathikulam and Rev. Fr. Dr. C. K. Rajan.
The Sunday school, Marth Mariam Vanitha Samajam women’s group, and the MGOSM youth association presented reports highlighting their activities from the past year. After that, churchgoers participated in an evening prayer and devotional message from Rev. Fr. Basil Mannathikulam.
Saturday, Nov. 1, served as the main celebration day, featuring multiple religious leaders conducting Holy Qurbana. The mass was celebrated by His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, who is the Metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese along with Very Rev. Paulose Adai Chor Episcopos, Rev. Fr. Sunny Joseph and Rev. Fr. Cherian Mundackal.
Mar Gregorios Orthodox Syrian Church of India marked its 50th year on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.Courtesy of Mar Gregorios Orthodox Syrian Church of India
The formal religious ceremonies were followed by a decadent, colorful street procession departing from the church grounds.
At the end of the route, the church revealed their 50th Anniversary publication, titled “The Golden Jubilee Souvenir,” a book to commemorate their history, and celebrate their future.
“It’s a book that shows things about our church. Who we are as a church. It’s a way for people to wish or congratulate the church,” said Linda John, the church’s secretary. “There’s also some stories and writings of people, a congratulatory message.”
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