PASSING A QUARTER CENTURY

It has been with much delight and thankfulness to our Lord that I have
watched the establishment and growth of our church over the past 25 years.
Having been formed in 1977, St. Ignatius Church started with five families
and today has about one hundred families. Undoubtedly, this growth has been
the result of the untiring efforts and sacrifices of our own members, whose
devotion, unity and loyalty to the church have kept it dynamic and
flourishing. Today, we have a beautiful church (building), a great Sunday
School (the largest in the diocese, with grades kindergarten through 12),
and a wonderful choir. Our women's league and youth league continue to grow
spiritually and personally, with various charitable and community oriented
service activities, particularly for the poor and needy. Things were not
always this way. Looking back over a quarter of a century, I see how things
have changed, how far we have come, and what God Himself has enabled us to
do. Praise be to the Lord God Almighty for His grace and His blessings.

The story of our church in Dallas is one of humble beginnings. It plays out
against the backdrop of the migration of Malayalees into the Dallas area
during the early 70's. It was a time when there were hardly 25 Malayalee
families in the entire metroplex. In general, most everyone had managed to
settle down, having obtained employment and driver licenses. Yet, what was
lacking for many Malayalees during this time was a spiritual congregation
that practiced and upheld the traditional spiritual values and beliefs.
There was no single, solid congregation. Spiritual needs were met primarily
through prayer meetings held at someone's home, or through a common church
service combining different denominations. For the Malayalee Syrian Orthodox
Christians, it became imminent to establish a congregation of our own.

In 1973 this small group of Syrian Christians started a church under the
name St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church. All the founding members of the
present St. Ignatius Church were members of St. Mary's Church. When the
mother church in Kerala divided, the repercussions echoed in Dallas, too. In
1976 during a working committee meeting of St. Mary's Church, a big issue
arose about whether the church should recognize as its head the newly
ordained Syrian Orthodox Catholicose or the Catholicose of the Malankara
Orthodox Church who had been excommunicated by the Patriarch. Our commitment
to the Syrian Orthodox faith and our Patriarch created a need for a separate
church.

In February 1977, at the residence of Mr. P.C. Varghese, the "blue prints"
for our future church were laid out. On April 24th, although we did not have
a priest, Mr. P.C. Varghese, Mr. Chacko Thambi, Mr. Samuel Philipose, Mr.
Joseph C. Joseph (currently vicar of St. Mary's Church, Atlanta, Georgia),
and myself all met again at my home and elected office bearers and named our
parish: St. Ignatius Church.

We informed our Archbishop about this happy occasion, and he appointed Rev.
Fr. John Jacob (currently Metropolitan of Malabar) to give us the necessary
direction and guidance during this initial stage. On September 4th, Rev. Fr.
John Jacob came from New York and celebrated the first Holy Qurbana for St.
Ignatius Church at St. Alban's Collegiate Chapel. We had formally
established our Syrian Orthodox Church. (Rev. Fr. John Jacob's effort and
time will be thankfully remembered.) However, as the distance between Dallas
to New York made it difficult for both Rev. Fr. John Jacob and us to have
service every Sunday, shortly thereafter we began looking for a permanent
priest for our church. Fortunately, Mr. Joseph C. Joseph came forward to
become our priest. With the delight and support of H.E. Athanasius Y Samuel,
our Archbishop, we sent him (Joseph C. Joseph) to New York to be trained by
Rev. Fr. John Jacob. After the training was completed, on March 12th, Mr.
Joseph C. Joseph was ordained as a priest by H.E. Athanasius Y Samuel. Rev.
Fr. Joseph C. Joseph then became the first vicar of our parish and served
St. Ignatius Church until he left in 1983. We extend our deep gratitude and
appreciation to him and to Rev. Fr. John Jacob for their services.

In the years following the formation of St. Ignatius Church, we were graced
by the visits of our holy Fathers H.B. Baselius Paulose II and H.H. Moran
Mor Ignatius Zakka I to our parish in 1979 and in 1981, respectively. During
H.H. Patriarch's visit, we were able to hold a reception for him.
Congressman Jim Collins and Dallas City Mayor Jack Evans were the
distinguished guests during the reception, and H.H. Patriarch was honored
with a "key to the city. " We are grateful to Dr. P.P Philip (currently Rev.
Dr. P.P Philip) for his effort to make that reception a success. Also during
his visit, H.H. Patriarch baptized three babies of our church (Bobby Oommen,
Jaya Mathew and Sony Mathew), and the event was aired by local channels.

As membership began growing, it became necessary to find a larger place for
worship. On August 30, 1983 we bought a church in Dallas. Rev. Fr. Babu
Peringol celebrated the first Holy Qurbana in that building on December 11,
1983. Our dream of owning our own church had come true. In that same year,
our parish was also honored by a visit from Mr. Oommen Chandy, MLA. On Nov.
25, 1984, our church was consecrated by H.E. Athanasius Y. Samuel, who was
assisted by H.E. Geevarghese Mar Gregories (Metropolitan of Kottayam
Diocese) in the event. During the Holy Week of 1989 H.E. Thomas Mor
Dionysios conducted a one-day retreat and Kalkazhukal Sushrusha. Following,
we were fortunate to have H.E. Yuhanon Mar Philexenos (Malabar), H.E.
Abraham Mar Savarios (Angamali) Thomas Mar Osthathios (Cochin), and
Malankara Malpan Very Rev. Dr. Kaniamparampil Kurian Corepiscopa visit the
parish.

Since Rev. Fr. Joseph C. Joseph was no longer with us, Rev. Fr. Mathew
Thomas had been appointed as the vicar and served the parish between 1984
and 1985. Subsequently, Rev. Fr. V.M. Thomas was appointed as vicar and
continued his service until 1990. Between 1990 and 1991, we did not have a
permanent priest. Rev. Fr. Jose Pallathitta (currently H.G. Joseph Mor
Gregorious, Metropolitan of Cochin) also served as vicar in 1990, but only
for a short period of time. It was a difficult time and situation, but by
the Lord's grace, not one Sunday service was cancelled. Several Rev. Fathers
from New York, California, Oklahoma, and Houston officiated the Holy Qurbana
for us during this time, and to them we are indebted. We extend our special
thanks to Very Rev. Geevarghese Corepiscopa for his dedicated service in
1991, and to Very Rev. Dr. Thomas Itty Corepiscopa and Rev. Fr. Babu
Peringol who also conducted the Holy Qurbana several times that year.

On March 30, 1992, we bought our current church building. It was one of the
proudest days of our church. On November 28, 1992, H.E. Athanasius Y Samuel
(Archbishop), assisted by H.E. Yuhanon Mar Philexenos and H.E. Abraham Mar
Savarios, consecrated our new church. In 1993, we had the privilege and
opportunity to host the archdiocese convention in Dallas. Rev. Fr. Alias
Aramath was appointed as vicar in 1992 and continues his service to the
present time. His spiritual leadership ever since we bought the new church
has been invaluable. May God Almighty help him to continue his service.
Apart from our spiritual institution, God has enabled us to do charitable
programs such as sending money to the needy people in India every year.

It has been with pleasant memories that I have reflected upon our church
over the past quarter of a century. I am grateful to all those who have worked hard
for the growth of this parish. We are particularly thankful to the late Mr.
E.K. Korah, whose untimely death on April 13, 2002, marks a great loss to
our parish. He was a strong pillar of our church. With gratitude and
fondness, we remember his invaluable services over the years. We pray for
his soul and his eternal life. We extend our heartfelt condolences and
prayers to his family. Our growth was based on the unity and dedication of
its members and above all our God Almighty's blessing. Standing together,
may we continue the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ into the future.
Praise be to Him.

- Oommen Chandy, general convener