Saturday 16 January 2010

Belfast MarThoma Congregation, Northern Ireland. UK

WELCOME

Worship & Holy Communion in Malayalam : Every 1st Sunday 3rd Saturday of the month at 10.30 am,

Place of worship : Belfast Bible College , Dunmurry ,Belfast

For details please contact

Secretary / Co-Ordinator : Dr.Binu Mathew K.Thomas,62, FinaghyRoad South, Belfast BT10 0DE,Phone :02890625452, 07760332048

E mail : belfastmarthoma@yahoo.co.uk


His Grace The Most Rev.Philipose Mar Chrysostom MarThoma Metropolitan Primate of All India , 20th MarThoma upon the holy Apostolic Throne of St.Thomas in Malabar established in AD 52

please visit the official web site of the church for more details about bishops & church at www.marthomasyrianchurch.org



HISTORY :

The Mar Thoma Church of India is an oriental church born out of the Reformation of the Ancient church in Malabar coast of South India ,( Malankara / presently known as Kerala ) ,established by the Apostle St.Thomas in AD 52. It is the product of Anglican influence on St. Thomas Christians of India during the 18th century .The church in India founded by St.Thomas the Apostle ,remained monolithic and was in close contact with the ancient church in Persia and Antioch till the advent of European missionaries in the 15th century.The christians in Malabar ( Malankara / Southern India / Kerala ) was known as '' Syrian christians '' due to the usage of Syriac / Aramaic language in liturgical worship and the head of the church was known with title Mar Thoma . The efforts of Portuguese Missionaries to Latinize the Church, led to dissension. One group adhered to the Pope while others declared allegiance to the Patriarch of Antioch. The latter group came into close contact with English Protestant missionaries during the period of Mar Thoma VI who was also known as Dionysius I (1765-1808).

In 1806-07 chaplains of East India Company visited Tranvancore and Cochin and later Bible was made available in native language Malayalam to the priests and laity , which led to a reformation movement within the Syrian christians during the period of 13th MarThoma Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan of blessed memory belonging to Palakkunnathu family in Maramon that led to further division within the ancient Malankara ( Malabar / Kerala ) Syrian church .The group that accepted the reformation in the light of the Bible under Metropolitan Mathews Mar Athanasius of Malabar ( 13th MarThoma ) was known as Malankara ( Malabar/ Kerala ) MarThoma Syrian Church and the other group that did not accept the protestant faith but adhered to the Patriarch Mar Ignatius Peter III of Antioch was known as the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church which further divided recently into two groups as Indian Orthodox Church and Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church .

The Mar Thoma Church is one of the historic Churches of Christendom and belongs to the family the Lesser Eastern Churches.The Mar Thoma Church retains its essential Character of the Eastern Church in its liturgy and mode of worship, its ceremonies, rituals and traditions. It also maintains friendly contacts with some of the Protestant Churches.
The Mar Thoma Church which began in Kerala is now grown into a church with Parishes all around the Globe. The Head Quarters of the Church is in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India and the Primate is known with the title '' Mar Thoma Metropolitan upon the Holy Apostolic Throne of St.Thomas in Malabar ''.
The Mar Thoma Church is an amicable blending of two characteristic tracts, namely, the Orthodox Church features and reformation (Protestant) ideals, or in other words, blending of Eastern and Western forms. This nature of the Church points to its uniqueness when compared to other Churches. The supreme authority of the Church is the General Assembly which is consisted of the bishops, the clergy and elected representatives of the local parishes.

The conventions convened time and again enriched the spiritual life of the people. Of all the conventions the Maramon convention which began in 1896 ranks first with respect to the large number of people attending it every year. There are around half a million members in this Church

The MarThoma church uses modified version of the Liturgy of St.James which is used in the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch and accepts the doctrines of the Three Ecumenical councils at Nicea,Constantinople and Ephesus. The church is in full communion with the Anglican church and church of South India & Church of North India and has priest hood communion in terms of Laying of Hands for the Apostolic Succession with the Independant Syrian Church of Malabar and ecumenical and social communion with Indian Orthodox church , Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church and the three Rites of the Roman Catholic church in India. The church has full membership in World Christian Council .

In Belfast there were very few members of the MarThoma church prior to the year 2000 and worship services were conducted few times by visiting Bishops & priests due to the efforts and intersts of the then members of the church who were living here . Members of all denominations from the Malankara (Kerala ) used to join for the worship . From year 2002 large number of Indian doctors and nurses came to UK and for higher training and jobs and many were from Kerala state which is the Malabar coast of South India.Thus members of the church gathered for regular prayer meeting & worship in Malayalam, the language of Kerala, India, and that led to the formation of a congregation of the MarThoma church .MarThoma congregational regular worship was started in Belfast, capital city Northern Ireland on 10th April 2005 at 62,Finaghy Road South,Belfast at the residence of Dr.Binu Mathew K.Thomas under the leadership of Rev.Thomas P.Koshy ,Vicar,St.James MarThoma Church London and the first official Episcopal Visit and General body meeting and appointment of office bearers were done on 27th January 2006 in the presence of the Diocesan Episcopa, Mar Coorilos Euyakim.



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