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
In 1806-07 chaplains of East India Company visited Tranvancore and Cochin
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment