Malankara Orthodox Diocese of Southwest America

The Malankara Orthodox Diocese of Southwest America, sometimes referred to as the Southwest Diocese or DS-WA is a diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. The diocesan headquarters are located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, with a postal address of Beasley, - Compare to the Beasley city limits (rotate the map until it points north, and compare with the location of the headquarters) - Also see map from the U.S. Census Bureau. Note that the city of Houston stated in 1996 that: "The U.S. Postal Service establishes ZIP codes and mailing addresses in order to maximize the efficiency of their system, not to recognize jurisdictional boundaries." a suburban city in Texas 40 miles from downtown Houston. The southwest diocese covers several churches in the U.S. states, and Canada."Parishes." Diocese of South-West America. Retrieved on 27 October 2011.

History

American diocese The American diocese was established in 1979 by Thomas Makarios. In 1991, after the transfer of Makarios to the newly formed Malankara Orthodox Diocese of UK, Europe & Africa, Mathews Barnabas was enthroned as metropolitan in 1993. In 2002, Zachariah Nicholovos was appointed as the assistant metropolitan.

Formation of the Southwest Diocese The Diocese was formed by order number 145/2009 signed by the Catholicos of the Apostolic Throne of St. Thomas and Malankara Metropolitan, Didymus I on 1 April 2009. Barnabas and Nicholovos were appointed to the Northeast American Diocese and Alexios Eusebius was appointed the Southwest Diocese.

According to order number 01/2017, Eusebius was transferred to the Diocese of Mavelikkara. Subsequently the Malankara Metropolitan assumed control over the diocese and Zacharias Aprem was appointed as the assistant metropolitan to the diocese. In October 2022, Thomas Ivanios was appointed as the permanent Diocesan Metropolitan bringing an end to the temporary administrative set up that lasted for over five years.

Today As of April 2020, there are 63 churches in the southwest diocese.

Diocesan metropolitan Assistant metropolitan

+List of Diocesan Metropolitan Name Start End NotesAmerican Diocese FormedThomas Makarios19791991 Founder and first Metropolitan of American DioceseMathews Barnabas19932011 Enthroned as the Second metropolitan of the American Diocese. The American Diocese split into the Northeast American Diocese and Southwest American Diocese in 2009Southwest Diocese FormedAlexios Eusebius20092017First Metropolitan of the current Southwest American Diocese. Relinquished duties in 2017.Zacharias Aprem20172022Assistant Metropolitan from 20 September 2017 - October 31, 2022Thomas Ivanios2022Present

Parishes

St Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Seattle, WA St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Spokane, WA St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Phoenix AZ St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, San Francisco CA St Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church, Los Angeles CA St. George Malankara Orthodox Church, Sacramento CA St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Valiyapally, Los Angeles CA St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Congregation Chapel San Diego St Mary Malankara Orthodox Congregation Las Vegas St Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Denver CO St Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Valiyapally, Dallas TX St Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church, Carrollton, Dallas TX St Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Dallas TX St. George Malankara Orthodox Church, Dallas TX St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Dallas TX St Paul’s Malankara Orthodox Church, Dallas TX St James Malankara Orthodox Church, Dallas TX St Ephrem Malankara Orthodox Congregation North Dallas, TX St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Cathedral, Houston TX St. Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church, Houston TX St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Houston TX St. Peter's & St. Paul's Malankara Orthodox Church, Houston TX St. Stephen's Malankara Orthodox Church, Houston TX St John The Baptist Malankara Orthodox Congregation North Houston, TX St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Austin TX St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Congregation, McAllen TX St. George Malankara Orthodox Church, San Antonio TX St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Church, San Antonio, TX St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Lufkin TX A&M College Station Orthodox Congregation, TX St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Oklahoma City OK St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Congregation, New Orleans LA St Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Pompano Beach, FL St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Miami FL St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Miami FL St. Gregorios Malankara Malankara Orthodox Church, Tampa FL St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Church, Tampa, FL St. Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church, Orlando FL St. Paul's Malankara Orthodox Church, Orlando FL St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Jacksonville FL St. Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Congregation, South West Florida FL St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Atlanta GA St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Church, Atlanta GA St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Atlanta GA St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Augusta GA St Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church Charlotte NC St. Barnabas Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Nashville TN St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Memphis TN St Paul’s Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Chattanooga TN St. George Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Louisville, KY St Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church, St. Louis MO St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Kansas City MO St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Minneapolis & St. Paul MN St Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Cathedral, Bellwood IL St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Elmhurst IL St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Chicago IL St Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church Oak Lawn. IL St. Thomas Malankara Orthodox Church, Detroit MI St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Detroit MI St. Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church, Detroit MI St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Cleveland OH St Ephrem Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Columbus OH St Joseph The Just Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Dayton-Cincinnati OH St. Antony The Abbot’s Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Pittsburg PA Christ The Good Shepherd Malankara Orthodox Congregation, Houston TX

References

Further reading

Shehimo: Book of Common Prayer. (n.d.). (n.p.): Liturgical Resource Development. Konat, J. A. (n.d.). Service Book of the Holy Qurbono: English with Commentary & Malayalam with Transliteration. (n.p.): Malankara Orthodox Church Publications. Y. M. A., Irenaios, Y. M. (2017). A Study of the Experience of the Unspeakable and Its Manifestations in Selected Mystic Saints and Holy Persons in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. India: SFS Publications. The Book of Common Prayer of the Syrian Church. (2005). United States: Gorgias Press. Krikorian, M. K. (2010). Christology of the Oriental Orthodox Churches: Christology in the Tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Austria: Peter Lang.

External links

Diocese of South-West America Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church