Message from Our Secretary

The year 2012. We are celebrating the 40^th anniversary of our parish. Our parish has a rich history.

In A.D. 52 Christianity came to Kerala (some say it came as early in A.D. 38). Some of the descendants of those early Christians with Orthodox faith migrated to North America during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Some of them settled in New York and decided to continue the faith of their ancestors. A small group decided to have a place of their own, to worship God and celebrate traditional Church services. The fulfillment of their effort and dedication resulted in the establishment of our parish in 1972 – St. Mary’s Orthodox Church of India, Inc. Bronx, New York under the Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan.

Under the guidance and leadership of our vicar Rev.Fr. A.K. Cherian, the parish gradually flourished.  In an environment where justifying Cain or instigating controversies capture popular attention, our vicar led the parish in the right direction teaching our children spirituality and Orthodoxy. The most important assets of the parish are our families. Everything begins with the family. Teaching the importance of family values in the Orthodox faith laid the foundation for the spiritual development of our children. The children are able to differentiate between truth and facts, law and justice in a society that almost expelled truth from the world and contaminated it with lies, the worst kind of moral contamination. The introduction of the ‘kind of other truth’ by prominent personalities of the world did not affect our children’s faith. The attitude – ‘For mine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever, everybody else have to say amen’ – was not in their minds. God is not the problem, neither Religion nor Church. The inner development of the human mind is the real meaning of revolution. It starts with caring and sharing. That is the Kingdom of God.

Our Sunday school is the most effective factor in developing and raising our children in Orthodox faith. The Martha Mariam Samajam is one of the main spiritual organizations of our Church for women, which provides nurturing support to the parish. The Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement (MGOCSM) is a student organization of our Church. Its motto is WORSHIP, STUDY and SERVICE. The Couples and Young Adults Group is the spiritual organization of our parish that provides a role model to children and supports the parish in everyway. The Golden Club is an organization of our parish for men and women over fifty that provides spiritual leadership to the parish as a whole.

It takes all of the above organizations working together to develop young minds, an Orthodox Christian family and a great parish. Today we can proudly claim that we have a great parish. Let us enjoy the evolution of our little babies into great professionals. We have professionals in every branch of science and technology in our parish keeping the Orthodox faith intact. Forty years of hard work! Don’t you think this is something to celebrate? I do.

Now, let us grow through our children. Let us celebrate the fame of our children as our ancestors did for us. The pages in this book are for turning over. The pages in life are not.

Written by Mr. Jacob Malathu, Church Secretary