The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

The research was conducted by The University of Michigan-Dearborn Pluralism Project.

History

Individuals affiliated with the Malankara church began arriving in the United States in the 1970s. Initially they gathered in each other's homes for prayer and fellowship. In addition, they attended services at churches that were similar in belief and ritual. This included an Indian Orthodox church located not far from the building that St. Mary's currently uses. Once enough immigrants of the Malankara Syrian faith were in the Detroit area, they petitioned the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese, located in New Jersey, to appoint a priest. In 1979, Father Philips Sankarathil arrived from Kerala to serve the group. At the time of his appointment, the archbishop decided that the group should share a church building with the Sts. Peter and Paul Syrian Orthodox Church. Rather than forming a single congregation, having the two separate ones was a recognition of cultural differences between Indians and Middle Easterners.

Members and Activities

The congregation of St. Mary's consists of 35 families numbering about 70 people. This is a significant increase from the 8 families at the time the church organized in 1979. When the automotive layoffs hit the Detroit area in the early 1980s, the congregation fell to just one family. The size of the current membership is a reflection of the economic rebound of the area in general, and is the largest congregation to date for the church. All members are from the south Indian state of Kerala. Many of the current members hold advanced degrees, and are in the United States for employment opportunities.

Members are drawn not only from the entire tri-county Detroit metropolitan area, but from Ann Arbor (40 miles), Grand rapids (150 miles), and Windsor, Canada. Since members come from such a distance, there are no social activities during the week. Sunday serves as the time for religious, social, and cultural activities. The Sunday service begins at 7:00 a.m. with morning prayers. A celebration of the Eucharist begins immediately afterwards, at 8:00 a.m. The service is in Malayalam and Aramaic on most Sundays. On the third Sunday of each month the service is in English, but the hymns are still in Aramaic. Following the worship service, there is a social hour. During this time, the center provides a Sunday school for young people. Informal conversation is largely in Malayalam for older people and English for the younger ones. There are no language classes for young people.

Description

The congregation of St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church shares the building constructed by the Sts. Peter and Paul Syrian Orthodox church. The building is a blend of modern western architecture and some traditional Syrian elements. It is a modest building with no costly adornments. The first floor of the building serves as a worship center, and houses the sanctuary. There is also an office for the church's pastor. In the basement is one large room with a small stage, and an adjacent kitchen. This multi-purpose room functions as a gathering place after worship on Sundays, a Sunday school for children, meeting room for committees, social hall after weddings, and a place for cultural events for the community. The center sits in a transitional neighborhood of Southfield, a suburb north of Detroit in Oakland county. While there are many residential neighborhoods in the city, Southfield is one of the suburban commercial hubs of the metropolitan area. A few blocks from the church there are large corporate complexes, apartment buildings, a nursing home, and several small businesses.

Interfaith

There is a great deal of exclusivity associated with the congregation. Not only do members keep separate from the Middle Eastern congregation that worships in the building, but there is an attempt to remain distinct from the larger American culture also. St. Mary's is culturally conservative compared to the Middle Easterners. The Indian congregation restricts men and women to seats on different sides of the church during worship and all women cover their heads. There are no relations with other faith communities in the area, although there is a council consisting of the priest and two parishioners, to deal with ecumenical matters. The members of St Mary's have worked to support churches as well as social and political causes in India; locally they have supported the Pontiac Rescue Mission's soup kitchen.

Leadership

St. Mary's Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church is governed by a Board of Directors, consisting of a president, which is the priest, a treasurer, and a secretary. The treasurer and secretary are appointed by the congregation, which is in the process of buying land for its own church building in Sterling Heights, in suburban Oakland County.