Our Church

When one thinks of Indian religion, Christianity doesn't generally make it on the list. So it is surprising to many people to learn Christianity is as Indian as it is Middle Eastern or European. The Gospel was preached in India and churches were established by one of Jesus' own disciples. St. Thomas established the Malankara Church in India after his arrival in 52 A.D. Indian Christians were not merely converts, but had a role in the formation of Christian faith and culture. The early church, led by archdeacons, was represented at the three ecumenical councils. In communion with the Eastern Churches, the Malankara Church preserved the Orthodox faith passed down by our Savior; even worshipping in His earthly language, Aramaic or Syriac.

It continued so until the 16th century with the arrival of the Portuguese in India. They spread the Roman Catholic faith in parts of India. Under Archbishop Menesis, they took over the Malankara Church by force. They subdued the leadership and burned virtually all of the liturgical texts. A short time later in 1653, the Malankara Church revolted and overthrew Roman rule. Ties with the Catholicos of Persia and the Patriarch of Antioch, of the Oriental Orthodox Churches were reestablished to bring back apostolic succession and the traditional Syriac liturgy.

To state a few distinguishing facts about the Malankara Orthodox church, our core faith is stated in the Nicene Creed.

We believe God is a mystery, beyond our complete understanding. We believe that humanity was created in the image of God. Jesus Christ came to earth to guide us back to the perfection in which we were created.
Our main scripture is the Holy Bible, with 72 books. Sacred tradition and the writings of the Holy Fathers are weighed equally with the Holy Scripture.
The center of our lives is our worship.
We face the East in prayer.
We observe seven sacraments or mysteries.
Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days. There are also five other seasonal fasts.