{"id":63504,"date":"2018-09-14T05:18:14","date_gmt":"2018-09-14T05:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/?p=63504"},"modified":"2018-09-14T05:18:14","modified_gmt":"2018-09-14T05:18:14","slug":"orthodox-syrian-church-shines-for-90-years-in-kuala-lumpur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/?p=63504","title":{"rendered":"Orthodox Syrian Church shines for 90 years in Kuala Lumpur"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/fr-philip-Thomas.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-63505\" src=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/fr-philip-Thomas-300x183.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"183\" srcset=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/fr-philip-Thomas-300x183.jpg 300w, http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/fr-philip-Thomas-768x469.jpg 768w, http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/fr-philip-Thomas.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Rev Fr Philip Thomas of St Mary\u2019s Orthodox Syrian Church on Jalan Tun Sambanthan in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur: Above anything else, spirituality is stressed upon at his church to have maximum impact to the surrounding community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The agony of waking up early in the morning is dreaded even by the best of us. The comforts of a bed fare better than having to rouse from a deep slumber. So you can forgive the little five-year-old Phillip Thomas for finding it difficult to wake up on one Sunday morning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The drive to Kuala Lumpur was a long one then, so the day began early for young Thomas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">But there was an ounce of excitement for the little chap as well. It was his first time attending a church service at the St Mary\u2019s Orthodox Syrian Church along Jalan Tun Sambanthan in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Upon arriving and as the service began, young Thomas encountered a little snag. The service was in Malayalam. Why wouldn\u2019t it be since, like Thomas, the congregation was made up of Malayalee believers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">After all, Syrian Christians or Malayalee Syriac Christian are from Kerala, India. And this particular church, built in 1956, just a year after Thomas was born, was an offshoot of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala, making it the first church of its kind to be built outside of India.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">It would take years before the services were held in English. But even back then, little Thomas stayed riveted to the service, the ceremonial atmosphere and rituals keeping him engaged.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-63506\" src=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church-768x1149.jpg 768w, http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church-684x1024.jpg 684w, http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-63507\" src=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church1-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church1-768x1152.jpg 768w, http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church1-683x1024.jpg 683w, http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/St-Mary\u2019s-Orthodox-Syrian-Church1.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><\/p>\n<style type='text\/css'>\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;<br \/>\n\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;<br \/>\n\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;<br \/>\n\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;<br \/>\n\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/<br \/>\n\t\t<\/style>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"gallery-2\" class=\"gallery galleryid-420492 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-full\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<dl class=\"gallery-item\">\n<dt class=\"gallery-icon portrait\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.star2.com\/people\/2018\/09\/14\/orthodox-church-brickfields\/attachment\/str2_dkthomas_dineshk_churchin1950s_pic2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.star2.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/str2_dkThomas_dineshk_churchin1950s_pic2.jpg\" alt=\"Orthodox\" width=\"1170\" height=\"1751\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/dt>\n<dd id=\"gallery-2-420497\" class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The building of St Mary\u2019s Orthodox Syrian Church was completed in 1956. Photo: Cathedral of St Mary the Theotokos<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<dl class=\"gallery-item\">\n<dt class=\"gallery-icon portrait\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.star2.com\/people\/2018\/09\/14\/orthodox-church-brickfields\/attachment\/str2_dkthomas_dineshk_extofchurch2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.star2.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/str2_dkThomas_dineshk_extofchurch2.jpg\" alt=\"Orthodox\" width=\"1170\" height=\"1755\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/dt>\n<dd id=\"gallery-2-420494\" class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The church now consists of a membership of 200 families, predominantly Malayalees.<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Little did he know, decades later, he would preside over the altar himself, conducting the weekly Sunday services at this very same church, as its vicar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">On May 6 1984, when he was just 29 years old, Thomas was ordained as the first Malaysian orthodox priest, making him The Reverand Father Philip Thomas.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_420500\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px; text-align: justify;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-420500\" src=\"http:\/\/www1.star2.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/str2_dkThomas_dineshk_RevFrAlexios.jpg\" alt=\"Orthodox\" width=\"300\" height=\"421\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Rev Fr Alexios OIC from Kerala conducted the first Orthodox service in Malaya in 1928. Photo: Cathedral of St Mary the Theotokos<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Recalling this historic event, parishioner M.J. Marret, who was a young medical student at the time, says: \u201cOur hearts were bursting with joy and excitement. It was the answer to many prayers. Finally, God had granted us a priest who was one of us, who could relate to our struggles and communicate on the same wavelength.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Rev Thomas\u2019s outlook as the shepherd of the flock was heavily shaped by the church\u2019s social concern expressions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">In 1963, the church was renovated to include a parsonage and a hostel. This opened a new chapter for the church in starting a Community Service Centre (CSC) which, among other things, provides hostel services to poor students and physically challenged individuals at subsidised cost.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The centre also assists in medical treatment and helps support the education of the underprivileged. On top of that, monthly food provisions, medical supplies and monetary assistance is provided for refugees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cThis is what being a parish means,\u201d shares the stately Rev Thomas, now 63, bespectacled and wearing a black cassock with a maroon skufia, a large silver cross hanging from a chain across his neck.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cYou are anchored in a locality and then you become a light that benefits all those around you. It\u2019s not just about addressing the needs of your members alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_420495\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 310px; text-align: justify;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-420495\" src=\"http:\/\/www1.star2.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/str2_dkThomas_dineshk_intofchurch.jpg\" alt=\"Orthodox\" width=\"300\" height=\"436\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Nowadays, the Sunday services are held in English and Malayalam.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The predominantly Malayalee congregation, which consists of 200 families \u2013 although through marriage other ethnic groups are also part of the church now \u2013 is also involved in helping the marginalised.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cWe have some of our members teaching at a community centre in Puchong or helping out in homes and rehab centres,\u201d Rev Thomas points out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">This year, the church, which was renamed Cathedral of St Mary the Theotokos in 1996, celebrates the 90th year of the arrival of the first Orthodox priest, Rev Fr Alexios OIC to Malaya in 1928.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Rev Thomas says after World War I, people from Kerala went out in search of greener pastures. Among them were Syrian Christians.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Interestingly, Syrian Christians trace their roots to AD 52 when Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus, came to India and established Christianity in the southwestern part of the subcontinent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The Indian church eventually entered into a close relationship with the Persian or East Syrian Church, inheriting the language and liturgies and gradually came to be known as the Syrian Christian church.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">While many migrated to metropolitan cities in India such as Madras and Delhi (at they were known at the time), some travelled across the Indian Ocean to Malaya and Singapore, two prominent economic hubs, and settled here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">By the late 1920s, there was a substantial number of Orthodox Syrian Christians who gathered regularly on Sunday mornings at the YMCA hall in Brickfields under the leadership of P.K. Matthew. And by 1928, the community was sufficiently large to warrant a visit by Rev Alexios to conduct services in Malaya and Singapore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Besides commemorating the arrival of Rev Alexios to Malaysia, Rev Thomas says this year\u2019s celebration is also to \u201crecognise the contribution of the older generation who are now in their 80s and 90 and also to capture our own historical understanding of the community. This is something that is fast dissipating and we don\u2019t want to lose our sense of history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_420493\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1180px; text-align: justify;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-420493 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www1.star2.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/str2_dkThomas_dineshk_oldphotoofchurch.jpg\" alt=\"Orthodox\" width=\"1170\" height=\"675\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Rev Fr KA George with members outside the newly constructed church building in 1956. Photo: Cathedral of St Mary the Theotokos<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The commemoration culminates in a fundraising dinner at the HGH Convention Centre in Sentul, KL on Sept 16. The funds raised will play a pivotal role in the church\u2019s expansion plan of its community service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Part of the funds will be channelled to the Stepping Stones Living Centre, a home for the poor children and battered mothers in Taman Seputeh, KL and also to set up the church\u2019s own retreat house for its young people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">And for Rev Thomas, it is the spiritual health of the church that will eventually uplift and transform the community around it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cOne dimension of the church that we try to show is that spirituality is much more important than one\u2019s social and cultural upbringing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Thomas strongly believes that as a priest, he is not limited to his congregation. A priest is for everybody, he says. And if the 90-year history of the St Mary\u2019s Orthodox Syrian Church is anything to go by, so is the church.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><em>For more information about the fundraising dinner on Sept 16, contact 03-2273 2619 or email orthodox.office@gmail.com.<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n<footer>\n<aside class=\"post-navigation clearfix\">\n<div class=\"row\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/footer>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rev Fr Philip Thomas of St Mary\u2019s Orthodox Syrian Church on Jalan Tun Sambanthan in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur: Above anything else, spirituality is stressed upon at his church to have &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parish-history","category-parish-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63508,"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63504\/revisions\/63508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/malankaraorthodox.tv\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}