Beloved in Christ,Welcome to the St. Gregorios Indian Orthodox Church Melbourne’s website.
John 3.16 says God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son; those who will believe in him will not perish but will have an everlasting life. God has created entire universe and then humanity out of HIS love. The Son of God, Jesus Himself taught us God’s love. Jesus has taught us to treat everyone as our neighbour and brother or sister, including enemies. It is Gods’ plan about us that, as we all sinners, we have to turn from our own ways to the new life of God. Jesus Christ is the symbol of God’s love, forgiveness, salvation; healing, justice and He re-established the right relationship with God through His life, death, and resurrection. This knowledge is the real wisdom. Man’s ways lead to a hopeless end! God’s way leads to an endless hope!
We are a parish under the Madras Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of India and our present diocesan bishop is His Grace Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros. The Orthodox Church of India is an ancient Church, which was established in Kerala, India, in A.D.52 by the Apostle St. Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Orthodox Church of India is under the leadership of the Catholicose of the East with its headquarters at Devalokam, Kottayam, Kerala, India. The Church, though modern in its vision and outlook, keeps the traditional Oriental Orthodox faith and liturgy. It accepts the first three Ecumenical Synods. We are using Syrian liturgy with multilingual translation.
This parish started as a Chapel of St. Mary’s Indian Orthodox Cathedral, Melbourne on 3rd January 2010. On 21st November 2015 this parish got its own building consecrated by His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, the Catholicose of the East and the Malankara Metropolitan and in 1st July 2019 by the order of Diocesan Metropolitan H. G. Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros this Chapel was elevated to the status of a Church with independent administration. This is the second Indian orthodox parish in Melbourne.
We hope you will find this website to be a valuable resource when researching the Orthodox Church on the Internet for personal study, scholastic use, and/or perhaps from curiosity about the One Holy catholic and apostolic Church. We hope and pray that this website will be a blessing for all those who visit us.
With Prayers,
Fr. Sujin Varghese Mappila
Vicar,
SGIOC Melbourne