Welcome to

St Kuriakose Indian Orthodox Church, Norwich

DIOCESE OF UK, EUROPE & AFRICA

About Us

HISTORY

Tradition and Leadership of St. Kuriakose Indian Orthodox Church

St. Kuriakose Indian Orthodox Church, Norwich is a part of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church, which has the great heritage and tradition based on the Holy Bible and the Church Fathers.The Orthodox Church of India has its own hierarchical head. His Holiness Baselius Marthoma Mathews III is the ruling head of the church. His Holiness is also known as the Catholicos, which name equal to the Patriarch and the Roman Pope. The word Catholicos means “the Universal Father”. His Holiness is also known as the “Malankara Metropolitan”, which shows the temporal authority over the church and its property. Malankara is the other name used for the word Malabar, which was once used for all the Malayalam speaking territory of Kerala. The Church has dioceses in India and abroad.

The St. Kuriakose Indian Orthodox Church is now under the direct ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of UK-Europe and Africa subject to the authority of the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Indian Orthodox Church. The powers vested in the office of the Diocesan Metropolitan H.G Abraham Mar Stephanos who is duly elected and appointed by the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Malankara Orthodox Church. All the spiritual organizations work in its real spirit with enthusiasm and established aim and target. We are constantly connected with the main stream of the Church and the diocese and in cooperation with the Orthodox sister parishes in U.K and in a decent and divine friendship with all the other denominations.

The general day-to-day administration of the Parish is to be conducted under the general supervision of the Vicar/President, by the General Body, the Managing Committee, the Secretary and the Treasurer.

MILESTONE

St. Kuriakose Indian Orthodox Church was formed by the desire of a handful of faithful Orthodox immigrants living in and around Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It started as a prayer group under the leadership of Fr. Liju Varghese, which was later officially declared as a congregation on November 1^st 2022 by H.G Dr. Mathews Mar Themothios, the former Metropolitan of UK, Europe Africa Diocese. The first Holy Qurbana was celebrated on November 19. The congregation was also blessed to start Sunday school, Martha Mariam Samajam and Youth League, all of which are run with great enthusiasm by their members.

Aim of the Parish

The object of the Parish shall be to promote the Orthodox Christian faith
To maintain places of regular common worship and prayer, and for instruction in the faith of the church, in its tradition, history, in accordance with the Apostolic and ancient traditions of the Indian Orthodox Church and subject to the authority of the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Malankara Orthodox church
To provide and promote religious education and cultural activities of special group like women, youth and children.
To promote and carry out service activities and charity for the benefit of the wider community and society.

OUR SPIRITUAL LEADERS

PATRON SAINT : ST. KURIAKOSE

A Tale of Courage and Faith Amidst Persecution

St. Kuriakose has been a saint, widely honoured among the early Syrian Christians. He, being a martyr, was also known as ‘Kuriakose Sahda’. St. Kuriakose was paid obeisance by both the Eastern and Western Syrian Churches and the description of his martyrdom is found in the history of martyrs written in syriac language. During the reign of the Roman Emperor, Diocletian in 4.AD, a Royal Decree was sent out for the brutal persecution of Christians. All the subjects were forced to adore the Roman gods. Juliet, a well-known aristocrat Christian widow, in order to escape from the religious persecution, fled from the Roman province of Icconia to Selucea of Persian region and then to Tarces, with her 3 year old son Kuriakose and two maid servants. Alexander, the provincial ruler, captured mother and son and imprisoned them. Mother Juliet was bound to the pillar, and beaten up on her refusal to worship the Roman gods. She repeatedly declared ‘I am a Christian’, without identifying her status and position. The boy Kuriakose also went to the King and shouted ‘I am also a Christian’. Aghast at his mother being brutally beaten, in his childlike characteristics reaction, Kuriakose kicked and scratched Alexander and tried to run to his mother. The ferocious ruler, holding Kuriakose legs upward dragged the boy through the steps downward and back to the court. As a result the head of Kuriakose, was ruptured and he died. Alexander ordered the boy’s body to be thrown along with the bodies of other convicts on to the outskirts of the city. His mother Juliet kept praying and praising God for giving her son a valiant death. On hearing this, the furious ruler, Alexander ordered the beheading of Juliet.

The maid servants who accompanied Juliet and Kuriakose buried the bodies in the nearby field. When the persecution of the Church came to an end, in AD 313 the maid servants showed the tombs of mother and son, to the faithful’s who came from various parts of the country and they paid respect to Juliet and Kuriakose. According to the old calender the feast in commemoration of their martyrdom is celebrated on July 15th.