Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch

Welcome to the Homepage of the Syrian/Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, Archdiocese of the Western USA. The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch was established by St. Peter, the Apostle, and the first patriarch in AD 37 at Antioch [now Hatay or Antakya in modern Turkey]

The Syriac Orthodox Church is one of the most ancient Christian Churches tracing its roots to the Church of Antioch. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts of the Apostles 11:26, 14:26). It is the first Church which was established in Jerusalem out of the Apostles, Preachers and other converted Jews, and was grafted in Antioch by those who were converted from among the Arameans and other gentile elements. It can justifiably claim the wealthiest liturgical and musical heritage, besides a proud theological and missionary record. It suffered untold hardships and tragedies including massacres and repeated transfer of the See of the Patriarchate from one area to another due to political and other developments. Historians declare that the survival of this Church was nothing but a miracle.

Even though the Church suffered all kinds of tortures and hardships through its history right from its establishment, but by the grace of God, today the church is spread around the globe spanning universe countries headed by a patriarch residing at Damascus in Syria. It produced a line of succession beginning with Apostle Peter which continues to this day in the Syriac Orthodox Church. The line of 123 Patriarchs spans twenty centuries, from St. Peter the Apostle to Moran Mor Ignatius Ephrem II, Karim the present Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, the Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church. See History

The Archdiocese of the Western USA comprises of all Churches and Institutions in its jurisdiction, The Archdiocese center in the Western US is in Burbank, California, and it embraces churches in southern California (Burbank, San Fernando, bakersfield, Orange County, Glendale, San Bernardino County, and San Diego), and in High Desert (Barstow, Victorville, Hesperia, and Apple Valley), and in Northern California (San Louis Obispo, San Jose, Sacramento, and Chico) as well as in Oregon (Portland), Washington (Seattle), Arizona (Phoenix and Scottsdale) and Texas (Huston, Dallas), Nevada (Las Vegas), and Colorado (Denver).

Archbishop Mor Clemis Eugene Kaplan is the Patriarchal Vicar of the Western Archdiocese, USA since April 1996.