Services
Sunday
8:00 a.m. – Morning Prayer
Saint Mary’s (Malankara) Syrian Orthodox Church, Detroit came into existence in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Palm Sunday, 8th of April, 1979 with all the blessings and greetings from the Archbishop of the American Diocese Yeshue Samuel Mor Athanasius. The Catholicate of the Malankara Church His Eminence Mor Athanasius visited the parish on July 27, 1979, blessed it, and appointed Rev. Fr. Philips Gnanasikhamony Sankarathil who was invited from Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India as the vicar of the parish. On November 30, 1980, His Eminence Mor Athanasius granted permission to the Church to move to metropolitan Detroit area from Grand Rapids and the parish started functioning as 25566 Lasher Road, Southfield, MI sharing the premises of Sts Peter and Paul Church of American Diocese under the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch and all the East. On Sunday, October 26, 1980, Rev. Fr. Philips Sankarathil officiated the first Holy Qurbono in the Detroit area at the Sts Peter and Paul Church in Southfield.
The Church was incorporated as a non-profit religious corporation on February 22, 1982 under the ecclesiastical incorporation Act of State of Michigan. Slowly, out membership also grew from a mere seven families in 1980 to about 40 in the 1990s.We graciously acknowledge all the privileges, fatherly love, affection, care and guidance extended to us by the American Diocesan bishop Yeshue Samuel Mor Athanasius until his departure for heavenly abode on April 16, 1995. In these years, we were successful in publishing three major books to enrich the faithful: The Syrian Orthodox Church in India and its Apostolic Faith authored by Very Rev. Dr. Curien Kaniamparampil (English-1989).
The worship Service Text of Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christians (Malayalam – 1990) and Book of Worship (English – 1992).In 1994 the newly consecrated archbishop Zachariah Mor Nicholovos took charge of Malankara Parishes of the Diocese, and we became a member parish under H. E. Mor Nicholovos. The Indian Supreme Court’s verdicts on the Church cases in 1995 and November 28, 2001 were turning points in our parish history. This was a golden opportunity for the litigating factions -the Catholicose and the Patriarchal – to come together and thrive in Christian unity and peace.
Along with our Archbishop Mor Nicholovos, many other bishops, priests and parishes in India and abroad, we also stood for peace and unification of the divided Malankara Church.Thus, on Sunday,December23,2001,the parish general body in a meeting chaired by our diocesan bishop H. E. Zachariah Mor Nicholovos unanimously decided to join the meeting on March 20, 2002 at Parumala, India were out vicar Fr. Philips Sankarathil and the Secretary Paul P. Kuriakose. In this meeting, H. H.Baselios Marthoma Mathews II was chosen as the Catholicose with an overwhelming majority. And Saint Mary’s (Malankara) Syrian Orthodox Church Detroit became a member church belonging to the American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church headed by H. G. Mathews Mor Barnabas Metropolitan as the Diocesan Bishop and H. G. Zachariah Mor Nicholovos Metropolitan as the assistant Bishop. H. E.Ephrem Karim Mor Kyrillos, Metropolitan of the archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch for the Eastern United States insisted that our vicar Fr. Philips Sankarathil denounced Mor Nicholovos in writing.
As this demand could not be accepted, H. E. Mor Karim Kyrillos ordered us to move out of the church in Southfield immediately and we complied. Thus, the house in our property 34725 Ryan Road, Sterling Heights was remodeled to be used as our church and H. E. Mor Zachariah Nicholovos consecrated it on Sunday, January 20,2002.April 8, 2004 marked our 25th anniversary. We celebrated the silver jubilee on August 20, 21 and 22, 2004. On April 20, 2007, we purchased our current property at 13781 East Nine Mile Road, Warren 48089. It was consecrated by our Diocesan bishops H. G. Mor Barnabas and H. G. Mor Nicholovos on June 24, 2007. We have been blessed by the visitations of many bishops, priests and laities-the Patriarch H. H. Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwas I (in 1983 and 1988), and our Catholicose Baselios Mor Thoma Paulose II in June 2014.Currently, the parish with about 27 families,is a member of the South-West Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in America under the able leadership and guidance of His Grace Dr. Zacharias Mar Aprem.