St. Mary's Orthodox Valiyapally
St. Mary's Orthodox Valiyapally (previously St. Mary's Orthodox Church) is a Syriac Orthodox Church located in Gangamma Circle in Bangalore city, India. It is one of the oldest Orthodox Churches in the city.
| St. Mary's Orthodox Valiyapally | |
|---|---|
 The Church as on July 2011 | |
| |
| Location | Gangamma Circle, Bangalore, Karnataka |
| Membership | 300 families |
| Website | www |
The Church belongs to Bangalore Diocese of Malankara Orthodox Church, which was founded by St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, who came to India in A.D. 52.
St. Mary's Orthodox Valiyapally is also the first Orthodox parish in Bangalore to have a Church of its own. The parish is made up of over 300 families till date.
Origins
The Church was started in January 1961 when a decision was taken to form an independent prayer group, under the leadership of Fr Thomas Moothedam. Later, the Asst. Vicar of the Trinity Church, Fr Kuriakose was rounded in to help. In 1964., a full-time vicar was appointed by name Fr. G. John (Fr. John Geevarghese), and the Sunday school was started. Initially Services were being conducted in CSI Holy Cross Church. On 15 August 1966, actual construction of the church was started, and completed by one year. On 5 March 1967, the new Church was consecrated by H.H. Moran Mar Baselios Augen I, Catholicos of the East.
In the year 1977. An English Medium Nursery school was established with the sole purpose of imparting knowledge and inculcating the right values in the tender minds of the children.
Over the years, to accommodate the growing congregation, the existing church was beautifully re-constructed and consecrated on 14 and 15 August 1993 by H.G. Philipose Mar Eusebius. Ever since it has remained the same building till date.
The chapel at Mathikere, which was a part of St Mary’s Orthodox Church, was declared as an independent church St. Gregorios Orthodox Church on 1 January 2001.
To facilitate the number of members from Dasarahalli, a new Church was built at Dasarahalli and was consecrated on 24 December 2006 in the name of Saint Dionysius of Vattasseril. The St. Dionysious Orthodox Church has been growing rapidly with close to 100 families with active membership.
Change of Title
On 25 January 2009, St. Mary's Orthodox Church was declared as St. Mary's Orthodox Valiyapally by the Kalpana of Bava Thirumeni by the then Diocese Bishop H. G Dr. Yakob Mar Irenaios
Vicars
| Sl No. | Vicar | Service Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rev. Fr. G. John | 1964–1967 |
| 2 | Rev. Fr. T.M. George | 1968–1969 |
| 3 | Rev. Fr. M.T. Easso | 1969–1976 |
| 4 | Rev. Fr. Joseph Kalapurayil | 1976–1977 |
| 5 | Rev. Fr. Stephen Viramon | 1977–1980 |
| 6 | Rev. Fr. A.C. Koshy | 1981–1982 |
| 7 | Rev. Fr. George Jacob | 1982–1984 |
| 8 | Rev. Fr. Abraham Marret | 1985–1988 |
| 9 | Rev. Fr. P.M. Kuriakose | 1989–1995 |
| 10 | Rev. Fr. George Joy | 1995–1997 |
| 11 | Rev. Fr. P.C. Philip | 1997–2000 |
| 12 | Rev. Fr. John Varghese | 2000–2003 |
| 13 | Rev. Fr. Jiju Varghese | 2003–2007 |
| 14 | Rev. Fr. K.M. Jacob | 2007–2010 |
| 15 | Rev. Fr. Iype P Alex | 2010–2013 |
| 16 | Rev. Fr. T.K. Thomas | 2013 - 2016 |
| 17 | Rev. Fr. James Kuttykandam and Rev. Fr. Bino Samuel | 2016 - 2019 |
| 18 | Rev. Fr. Skariah Mathew | 2019 - present |
Special Events
Harvest festival is celebrated every year on 15 August, which also happens to be the Indian Independence day. It involves regular morning Qurbana followed by breakfast and Bid function, and lunch in the later part of the day.
Good Friday, Easter, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year celebrations are also noteworthy.
Activities
The spiritual wing of the Church comprises
- The Sunday school
- Good Samaritan Project Aid
- MGOCSM and Youth League
- Martha Mariam Samajam
- Prayer groups
Present Vicar
At present the vicar of the church is Rev.Fr.Skariah Mathew, who has taken charge of the parish since 2019.
Latest developments
A new parsonage and Prayer tower/endowment have been constructed and are in use since the beginning of 2013.
Two morning Holy Qurbana services are occasionally conducted on Sundays.
References
- "St. Mary's Orthodox Valiyapally". www.stmarysjalahalli.in. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- "St. Mary's Orthodox Church (Bangalore) - Bengaluru". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- "Parumala Seminary, Malankara Orthodox Church, Parumala Thirumeni, Parumala Church, Parumala, Indian Orthodox Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Parumala, Parumala Pally, Parumala Palli, St.Peter's and St.Paul's Church Parumala, MOSC, IOC, MOC, Malankara". parumalachurch.com. Retrieved 6 June 2014.