Inauguration
of the St. Thomas Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church Austin, Texas
by Dn. Zacharia Varghese
The early part of 2007 has been delightfully productive for the Malayalee Jacobite community in Central Texas. By the Grace of God, we take pride in building another congregation for our North American Archdiocese.
On April 14th, 2007, after our customary Morning Prayer and Holy Qurbono, H.E. Yeldo
Mor Teethose, Archbishop of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church in North America,
publicly declared our existence and dedicated us to the patronage of St. Thomas the
Apostle. Fittingly, the service was held on New Sunday weekend, underlining a new
beginning for the area’s Orthodox Christians.
Our inauguration is the product of answered prayers and determination. A small group of
interested families and college students, led by the Holy Spirit and drawn close by a
mutually expectant faith, began seriously deliberating the creation of a church in mid
February. An interim managing committee was elected, and potential members acknowledged that despite the projected difficulties and expense, a commitment to secure
our traditions was worth any toil.
Seeking out other faithful became a chief goal. It seemed that God was bringing new
people to our attention on a weekly basis. By the time of inauguration, there were 15
families and students interested in participating in our services, with the majority seeking
membership. Additionally 6 other families, some from San Antonio, were considering
their support. We seek to find all Jacobites in this area and present them the opportunity
to join.
Getting off to a good start required extensive planning. Fortunately, God was with us,
as initially every question was pressing. Where will we meet, and how often? Who will
conduct the service and who will assist? Who will meet the needs of guests? Who will
find the various equipments to begin conduct the liturgy? How will we publicize the
proceedings? How will the expense be met?
First, we must thank H.E. Yeldo Mor Teethose for lending his leadership and paternal
support. He has been involved from the earliest discussions and has guided us to a bright
starting point. We look forward to his continued leadership.
Secondly, to properly prepare for our service, and to receive encouragement from our
Archbishop, a prayer meeting on April 13th 2007 was organized at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Vinu Kuiakose Elias. Approximately 25 people gathered to worship our Lord and
meet our Archbishop. A wonderful dinner prepared by our families was also enjoyed.
Our committee here met for the first time in the presence of our Archbishop to discuss the
future. We discussed the interim status of the congregation within the Archdiocese and
the need for a dedicated priest. We also received direction on conducting services and
publicizing our efforts.
For the April 14th inaugural Qurbono, the venue of St. George’s Episcopal Church (4301
N Hwy 35, Austin, Texas 78722) was indeed a blessing. This congregation has spawned
three other Christian communities, and now has assisted us as well. Rev. David Hoster
and staff have been a delight to work with, offering not only their parish sanctuary, but
also their parish hall for a post service get together.
All the Jacobite parishes in this region have been of invaluable help. Rev. Fr. Alias
Aramath, Vicar of St. Ignatious Church, Dallas, Rev. Fr. Shinoj Joseph, Vicar of St.
Peter’s Church, Houston, Rev. Fr. Baiju Chandy, Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Houston,
and Rev. Fr. M.S. Cherian of the Knanaya Church all encouraged us by their presence.
Rev. Dn. Martin Babu of St. Mary’s Houston also provided invaluable service in assisting
the bishop, priests, and in setting up the altar. Some members of these parishes also
attended, including Mr. Babu Vedakath and family, Mr. Shaji Markose, and Mr. Paulose,
all of St. Mary’s, Houston. Mr. P.C. Varghese and family from St. Ignatious, Dallas also
came, and Mr. Varghese helped serve in the altar. Most of the articles used in worship,
from altar drapings to prayer books, were loaned to us by St. Ignatious Church and St.
Mary’s Church.A small program was conducted after service led by Rev. Dn. Zacharia
Varghese in which each priest had an opportunity to felicitate and admonish the faithful.
We are thankful that Jacoby Thankachan, 12 yrs old, was ordained as an altar assistant
for this new parish by Teethose Thirumeni. We look forward to his service and development as a Christian leader.
Mr. Joy Mathew from San Antonio celebrated with us. We look forward to working with
him to find and encourage other believers in the San Antonio area.
Many other Christian communities were also present or sent notice of their well wishes.
Mr. Giby Parackal of the Malayalee Catholic Community joined us, and we received
prayers and support from the Marthoma community and from some who attend the local
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
Many of our members cooked savory South Indian dishes to serve the dignitaries visiting
us. Mrs. Mary Joseph, Mrs. Geena Thankachan, Mrs. Leena Kuriakose, Mrs. Jessie
Pattamady, and Mrs. Manju Varghese all contributed greatly. Also, Mr. Moni provided
general food services for which we are grateful.
Visiting us also were representatives of Asianet, the Malayalam language news and
entertainment channel. We thank them for their coverage.
So far, the core members (with their families) include:
Vicar/President: Rev. Fr. Baiju Chandy
Vice-President: Deacon (Quryoyo) Zacharia Varghese, M.D.
Secretary: Mr. Nammunari Thankachan
Treasurer: Mr. Regi P. Paulose
Committee Member: Mr. John Paul
Committee Member: Ms. Donna Eapen
Member: Mr. Jose Muthalathu
Member: Mr. Vinu Kuriakose
Member: Ms. Princy Onasseril
We are grateful for each family that attended our services and look to add many more to
our membership rolls.
Foremostly, we are indebted to God Almighty for granting us the opportunity to create a
space for this ancient tradition to flourish and be passed on to our coming generation. As
the weeks progress, we will add facilities such as Sunday School, Women’s League,
Youth League, etc. to make this a fully functional spiritual ministry.
We are fortunate to live in a growing community with abundant lifestyle
attributes. Our Archbishop is looking to appoint a very self-sufficient priest very soon. We expect that as
Austin grows so too will St. Thomas Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church.
Church website: www.stthomastexas.org
