Our Church

The St. James Syriac Orthodox Church in New Jersey, a Jacobite Church, mainly consists of the SOCA members from South India (Kerala) who speak the Malayalam language. We belong to the very ancient church called 'Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (SOCA)', one of the members of the Oriental Orthodox Church family.

The Syriac Orthodox Church is held to be the first church of Christianity established by the Apostle St. Peter.

Our Archdiocese, 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.

This Archdiocese comprises of the parishes all over the United States and Canada for the people predominantly from India who follow the Syriac tradition. The liturgy in this church is in the Malayalam language. Syriac and English languages are also used intermittently during the liturgy.

New Jersey is an attractive place for settlers from India because of its richness in education system, hospitals, biotech/IT companies, many elite universities and other institutions around the area. More importantly, the openness, helpfulness and welcoming nature of the great people of New Jersey make all of us feel at home.

The first Holy Eucharist at St. James Syrian Orthodox Church was celebrated by H. E. Mor Titus Yeldho on September 15, 2007. By the blessing of the Lord, this church has come far along since then, and now has more than twenty members.

The church is named after the saint of SOCA, St. James, by the Archbishop of the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church in North America, Mor Titus Eldho.