Welcome to our Church

We belong to the Malankara Orthodox Church, the Church founded by St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, who came to India in A.D. 52. With its roots in Kerala, at the southern tip of India, we follow the principles of the Orthodox Christian faith, and are in communion with other Oriental Orthodox churches.

This San Francisco parish, with Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala as our patron saint, has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1980. We have grown exponentially in the last decade to become a thriving and active community. Our good tidings are evident, when late last year, we were blessed with a convenient Church facility in Union City, centrally located for the entire Bay Area. Sunday School classes are full of activity, for spiritual learning and fun for the kids. Our full-time Vicar, Joseph Achen, as he is lovingly called, leads the congregation energetically in Sunday Mass and prayers, and in executing the parish’s Vision.

Come and join us in prayer and fellowship.

Lenten Journey

THE GREAT LENT

Lent commemorates the forty days fast of our LORD, followed by the days of His passion. It is a season of renewal. Through the various experiences of the Great Lent, one should be refreshed by humility, purified by abstinence, and strengthened by prayer. Lent should bring religion into daily life like a bloodstream in the body of daily behavior. The Season of Lent is appointed by the Church as a time for change, prayer, penance and fasting, giving, forgiving and healing.

A Week By Week Meaning of Lent

The four weeks preceding Lent are known as:

  1. Sunday of the Tax Collector and Pharisee (from the Parable),
  2. Sunday of the Prodigal Son (from the Parable),
  3. Sunday of Meat (the Final Judgment),
  4. Sunday of Cheese (Adam's expulsion from Paradise);

The eight weeks of the Great Lent are:

What is a Liturgical Year?

Our liturgical year is expressed as a calendar, much like the secular calendar. From ancient times, man has been deeply tied to the seasonal cycles of the year. One year, is one revolution of earth in its orbit around sun, thus we have the monsoon rotation and various seasons. Orthodox worship proclaims the centrality of Christ. The starting point of the Christian system of feast was the commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Easter Sunday is thus the foundation of the Christian year.

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