Who We Are

 

We are a community of believers in Jesus Christ who rejoice in our salvation from the sin that leads to death and in His healing touch. We continually give thanks to God the Father that He sent His only Son to die on the Cross for our sins that we be set free from death, darkness and despair. We invite you to reach out to Him as we have done to receive His salvation and His healing. We are one part of His universal Church. We are a family of congregations who enjoy this deep relationship with God.

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We are a family of congregations known as the Syro-Chaldean Church of North America. 

Our liturgical and apostolic roots are in the Church of the East in the Middle East and India (an ancient tradition formally known as the Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East). We trace our family line (or, "Apostolic succession") back to Christ’s Apostles through this church. 

The Syro-Chaldean Church in the United States began from a charismatic home prayer group in Scarsdale, New York. In 1973, this prayer group became the Congregation of the Messiah, a parish of the self-governing Syro-Chaldean Archdiocese of the Eastern United States, its first pastor was ordained to the priesthood in the line of the Church of the East by the archbishop. In 1976, upon the archbishop’s retirement the archdiocese was reorganized and incorporated under the name of the Syro-Chaldean Church of North America. While our roots are Eastern, the the Syro-Chaldean Church functions as an independent self-governed body of believers. 

Our congregations or parishes are organized into dioceses, each of which is overseen by a senior pastor or bishop. Each congregation is cared for by ordained priests or the bishop who serve as local pastors.