Skip to content Skip to footer

ABOUT OUR PARISH

St. Peter’s & St. Paul’s Church of Houston

 

St. Peter’s & St. Paul’s Church of Houston is affiliated with the ‘South-West Diocese of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church’, under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of His Holiness Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II and His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebius.

          The church uses Syriac language, a dialect of Aramaic, spoken by Lord Jesus, as the liturgical language, along with Malayalam and English.

The main purpose of the church is to address the spiritual needs of the Malayalee community in the Houston metropolitan area, in the faith and traditions they have learned while growing up in India, and to instill those time-honored values and traditions in their second and future generations.  The church started with a humble beginning on 1 January 2005 and grew in size and spirituality under the leadership of various ordained priests and spiritual leaders.

.

At inception, the church had no permanent place to conduct the worship service, and at times of need, God almighty has abundantly blessed us by providing appropriate locations, for free or lease, to conduct uninterrupted service.  The continued blessings have enabled us to acquire an acre of land in Fresno, Texas in December 2007.  The cornerstone for the church was laid by Senior Priest Very Rev. Dr. Thomas Itty and Vicar Rev. Fr. Shinoj Joseph, along with parishioners and friends in August 2008. The construction was spearheaded by Jose Thottumkal, a contractor, who completed the construction activities at his cost, without any markups.  The managing committee, under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Shinoj Joseph, parishioners, and their friends facilitated the construction efforts through their generous contributions, time, and earnest prayers.  The dream of a permanent facility blossomed as a 5000-square-foot building, and the blessed consecration was performed with the presence and blessings of His Beatitude Baselios Thomas I, amidst the prayers of parishioners and their friends.  A pre-manufactured building was acquired to serve as the Sunday school building, and in February 2016, half an acre of neighboring property was also purchased for future expansion.  

 During the second half of the first decade of its growth, the faith and determination of the faithful was tested multiple times.  The church had to go through certain trials and tribulations due to the illicit intervention of a few outside forces, which decremented the peace and tranquility of the church during those times.  The relentless prayers of our patron saints have continued to protect and bless the congregation through good and bad times.  “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea”.  The Lord intervened to defeat the thorn of those forces and reinstated a peaceful environment to praise His name and Glory.