History

St. Thomas Orthodox Maha Edavaka over the years …

The church began its existence as a small congregational wing (Prayer group) of the parent church, St. Gregorios Cathedral, Hosur Road in the early seventies. The intention was to promote spiritual awareness and a feeling of fellowship among the Orthodox Christian families, numbering about 40-45, living in the Eastern part of Bengaluru.

At the outset, Holy Qurbana was celebrated in a chapel in Cooke Town, made available graciously by the Seva Nilayam Convent.  Late Rev. Fr. Dr. V.C. Samuel, a professor at the Orthodox Christian Theological Seminary, Kottayam, travelled on alternate Sundays and celebrated Holy Qurbana starting November 1976. This great gesture on the part of Rev Fr. V.C. Samuel elevates him to the noble position of the founding Father of the St. Thomas parish. The members of St Thomas Orthodox Church will always be grateful for his services.

Heartened by the amazing response and unprecedented enthusiasm evoked among the congregation, the idea of building a permanent church was conceived. The team under the leadership of Very Rev. Fr. A.C. Koshy Cor-Episcopa steered the efforts and a piece of land was purchased on 19th January, 1979. The foundation stone for the proposed church was laid by the Late Lamented H.G. Zachariah Mar Dionysius, Diocesan Metropolitan on 17th August, 1980. The first Holy Qurbana in the new church was celebrated jointly by Very Rev. Fr. A. C. Koshy Cor-Episcopa, Rev. Fr. Dr. V. C. Samuel, and Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Thekkekara on 3rd July, 1982. The church assumed the status of an independent parish on 15th August, 1982 with Rev. Fr. M.K. Kuriakose as the part time vicar, following an ecclesiastical decree issued by the Metropolitan of the Madras Diocese. The church was formally consecrated and dedicated to St. Thomas, the Patron Saint of India by Late Lamented H.G. Zachariah Mar Dionysius on 19th December, 1982.

The parish started with 104 members and as time progressed, infrastructure was further developed with sophisticated additions to suit the requirements of a modern church. Under the leadership of Rev. Fr. M.K. Kuriakose a Parish Hall and Parsonage was built. The Parish hall was financed entirely by late Mr. K.C. Abraham in memory of his wife Late Dr. Mrs. Mary Mathan Abraham. The Parish Hall was inaugurated on 22nd November, 1987. 

During the tenure of Rev. Fr. George Joy, the Church building was renovated. The asbestos roofing was replaced with R.C.C roofing and the frontage of the Sanctuary was redesigned. The Kurishum Thotti was built during the tenure of Rev. Fr. T.K. Thomas and it was consecrated by His Grace Dr. Yakob Mar Irenaios on 16th February, 2002.  In the year 2000, during the tenure of Rev Fr T.K. Thomas, half acre land was purchased in Doddagubbi. Rev. Fr. Skariah Mathew initiated the Mar Gregorius Makalamane, a shelter home for boys during his tenure. It is a matter of pride that to this date, Makalamane is run exclusively by the contributions made by the members of the parish. The church entered its 25th year in December 2006 and the Silver Jubilee celebrations were held under the leadership of Rev Fr. Skariah Mathew.

Bishop House and Diocesan Center

By the Grace of God the Bangalore Diocese was formed in 2009 and the Diocesan Metropolitan Dr. Abraham Mar Seraphim was keenly looking out for a parcel of land to establish the Bishop House and Diocesan Centre. The General Body of St Thomas Orthodox Church, during the tenure of Rev. Fr. Mani K. Varghese took a magnanimous decision  to hand over its land and building at Doddagubbi to the Diocese. This generous gesture from the church enabled the Diocese to setup up the Bishop House and Diocesan Center in quick time.

St Joseph Orthodox Church

By the Grace of the Almighty there was steady increase in membership from the year 1982 till 2016 and the number of members rose from 100 to 450.  Due to this increase, the space in the church premises became a constraint.  A chapel was initiated in the Hennur-Horamavu area in November 2012 and Holy Qurbana was conducted there on a regular basis.  A General Body meeting during the year 2014, took a decision to purchase a piece of land. During the same year, under the leadership of Rev. Fr. K.M. Jacob, 8200 Sq Ft of land was purchased in Horamavu for construction of a new church. The exemplary leadership of Rev Fr. K.M. Jacob and efforts of the parishioners resulted in a new magnificent church being constructed within two years of purchasing the land.  The church was consecrated as St Joseph's Orthodox Church and declared as an independent parish under the Bangalore diocese. This church has the distinction of being the the first church dedicated to St Joseph within the Malankara Orthodox Church. 

In the year 2014, in recognition of its contribution to the Malankara Orthodox Church and the community at large, the church was elevated to the status of Maha Edavaka by a decree from H.H. Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II and was renamed as St Thomas Orthodox Maha Edavaka.

During the period 2017-19, helmed by Rev Fr. K.M. Jacob, the church underwent another round of major renovation. The much needed upgrade of the church elevation was undertaken and this resulted in a spectacular visual culmination in the form of magnificent spires. The church altar was redone and the stained glass image of the Lord was replaced by a wonderful painting of the Resurrected Christ. The church now has a completely new and contemporary look.

Rev Fr. P. C. Philip took over as Vicar from Rev Fr. K.M. Jacob and shepherded the church during the difficult COVID period. Achen ensured that all services and events continued without any hindrance to the parishioners. On-line and Off-line modes were used to ensure maximum participation of the members in these services and events.

Rev Fr. Koshy Thomas is the current Vicar. He took over from May 2022. He has ensured the much needed continuity in the functioning of the church and all activities have been continuing smoothly.

All spiritual organizations are active in their respective areas and growing progressively under the guidance of the Vicar.

Sunday School

St Thomas Orthodox Maha Edavaka Sunday School with over 120 students has regular classes in its own Sunday School hall. Classes from Preparatory to 12th are conducted on all Sundays after the Holy Qurbana. OVBS and various Sunday School competitions are carried out every year.

MGOCSM & OCYM 

The Santhome Youth is possibly the most vibrant organization of the parish.  The youth play an active role in all the church events and provides the required support to ensure smooth execution of these events. There is a contemporary and well-maintained library maintained by the MGOCSM and OCYM. The library lounge also serves as the location for various audio visual presentations happening in the church. Various charitable activities are carried out by the talented youth of our Church from time to time. The youth of our parish have initiated a sports ministry to encourage more fellowship amongst the youth. The members of this ministry are very active and play football on a regular basis. They have also participated in multiple tournaments organized by the Diocese or other Orthodox churches in Bangalore.

Santhome Choir

The Santhome choir led by MGOCSM and OCYM members is one of the leading choirs in Bangalore.  The choir strives to add beauty and solemnity to the liturgy and also assists and encourages the congregation to sing and participate actively in the church service. They participate in a number of choral competitions during the Christmas season and have secured the top prize on multiple occasions during these competitions.

Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam and Chaithanya Samskarika Vedi

The MMVS and Chaithanya fellowship meets regularly every alternate Friday and on one Sunday every month. The Samajam is very active and provides the much needed spiritual fellowship for the women in the parish. The Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam members are active participants in the Akhila Malankara exams and competitions and win numerous accolades. The Chaithanya Samskarika Vedi is an active wing of the MMVS and it encourages fellowship amongst the younger women of the parish.

St. Thomas Senior Citizen Fellowship

The St Thomas Orthodox Church is one of the few churches with a Senior Citizen Fellowship amongst the Orthodox churches in Bangalore.  They meet regularly and have multiple activities that add to the charitable and humanitarian services of the parish.

Prayer Fellowship

The prayer fellowship was set up to increase the frequency and participation in the prayer meetings. Prayer meetings are conducted on the basis of wards and these meetings are held on Sundays and Wednesdays.

St. Thomas Charities

St Thomas Charities is an independent trust that works under the parish and spearheads the benevolent activities of the parish. They have been running the St. Gregorios Makkala Mane ever since its inception. They initiate  have multiple activities from time to time to help our lesser fortunate brethren in the society.

St Thomas Perunnal

Every year, the church celebrates the feast of our patron saint, St. Thomas on the first Sunday following 3'rd of July. A procession in the area around our church is now a regular feature of the feast. The week-long celebration begins with a flag hoisting ceremony and concludes with the Holy Qurbana on Sunday.

In conclusion, we place on record, our gratitude to all Vicars and office bearers who were at the helm of affairs, right from the beginning. We also solemnly declare our loyalty to His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, and His Grace Geevarghese Mar Philoxenos, Assistant Metropolitan of Bengaluru Diocese.

We praise and glorify God Almighty for the blessings showered upon us in abundance, to enable us to have a period of peaceful existence and remarkable progress.