St. James Syrian Orthodox Church

Administration

The spiritual and ecclesiastical leadership of St. James Syrian Orthodox Church

H.H. Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II

Patriarch of Antioch and All the East

Supreme Head

H.H. Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II

Patriarch of Antioch and All the East

Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II is the 123rd successor to St. Peter in the Apostolic See of Antioch. The universal Syrian Orthodox Church perceives its strength and unity in His Holiness the Patriarch, the supreme head of the Church. As the successor of St. Peter, His Holiness is the embodiment and symbol of unity of the universal Syrian Orthodox Church. This embodiment signifies two types of representative characters. Firstly, as the successor of St. Peter, the Patriarch represents him. As St. Peter is the chief shepherd and supreme head, the Patriarch by virtue of his position upholds the unity of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church. Since the Patriarch's ordination and coronation are deemed to be through the grace of the Holy Ghost and by the will of God, the first representative character is bestowed from above and is divine. So the Patriarch as the high priest of the Universal Church, represents Jesus Christ when he celebrates the Holy Eucharist. Secondly, the Patriarch as the chief Shepherd of the Church, is the emissary of the entire body of believers.

H.B. Aboon Mor Baselios Joseph

Catholicos of India

Maphrian of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church

H.B. Aboon Mor Baselios Joseph

Catholicos of India

Mor Baselios Joseph, born Joseph on November 10, 1960, in Mulanthuruthy, Kerala, is the current Catholicos of India (Maphrian) of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church. Ordained as a deacon at 13 and as a priest in 1984, he pursued theological studies at Mor Julios Seminary and earned advanced degrees from Trinity College Dublin and institutions in the U.S. Consecrated as Metropolitan of the Kochi Diocese in 1994, he played a pivotal role in church administration and social initiatives. Following the passing of Baselios Thomas I in 2024, he was unanimously elected and enthroned as Catholicos on March 25, 2025, at St. Mary's Cathedral in Atchaneh, Lebanon, by Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II. As Catholicos, His Beatitude leads the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in India, upholding its traditions and spiritual leadership within the Syriac Orthodox community.

H.E. Mor Titus Yeldho

Archbishop

Diocesan Metropolitan

H.E. Mor Titus Yeldho

Archbishop

His Holiness the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas ordained Very Rev. Ramban Yeldho Pathickal as the Archbishop and Patriarchal Vicar of the Malankara Archdiocese in North America at the solemn function held at the St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral in the Monastery of St. Aphrem the Syrian, at Ma'arrat Seydnaya, Damascus, Syria. The new Metropolitan was entrusted with the title 'TITUS' during the consecration ceremony. His Grace will henceforth be known by the name 'Mor Titus Yeldho Pathickal'. The Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America is a non-profit religious organization in the United States, incorporated in the State of New York. The Archdiocese is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of His Holiness the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, the Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church.

Rev. Fr. Geevarghese Jacob

Vicar/President

Spiritual Leadership

Rev. Fr. Geevarghese Jacob

Vicar/President

H.E. Mor Titus Yeldho appointed Rev. Fr. Geevarghese Jacob as the Vicar and President from March 02, 2025.