The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, also known as the Indian Orthodox Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church centered in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the churches of India's Saint Thomas Christian community, which traces its origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.
Click here to see the lineage of the Catholicate extending from St. Thomas till the present Catholicos. The Church Administration is episcopal in character but is democratic in principle. The Malankara Association which is the representation of the entire Church is the largest democratic body in the world.It meets to deliberate on the administrations of the Church. For faith related matters, the Holy Synod is the ultimate authority. The Holy Synod is the body of the bishops in the Church.
In the Church, the "Bishop" is the visible presence of Christ Himself. Utmost reverence is reserved for the Bishop because of this. The local Church lives and grows under the Bishop. For practical reasons and to assist the bishop in his duties, "Vicars" or "Priests" are appointed as representatives of the Bishop. There are various "Dioceses" created in the Church based on geographical considerations and a Diocese is assigned to a Bishop. The local head of a Diocese is called a "Metropolitan" . "Deacons" serve the Church in various levels and assist the Priest and Bishop. There used to be Deaconesses in the Church who would assist with various matters in the Church, but that tradition has somehow died out with time and could be revived. This heirarchy of Bishop, Priest and Deacon is the same as seen in the early church right from the Biblical times. Dioceses are further divided into "Parishes" for administrative convenience. At the Parish level, there is a parish assembly which represents the parish and is in charge of the administrative affairs of the parish, under the leadership of the Vicar. The Church has adopted for itself a constitution in 1934 for its administrative functioning. Current Metropolitans 
I. North East American Diocese II. Diocesan Metropolitan
 Metropolitan His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos was born on August 13, 1959 in the famous Poothiyottu family at Mepral. His boyhood name was Cheriyachen. He has three brothers and one sister. He studied in different schools in Kerala until he finished his High school. The first two years of his college education was in Malabar Christian College. He received his BA (English) from the St. Joseph College, Devagiri (Calicut University). He continued his studies in Theology at United Theological College, Bangalore and received a Bachelors of Divinity and a Masters of Theology. His Grace Kuriakose Mar Coorilose ordained him Deacon on January 4th, 1986 and priest on May 16, 1990 at his home parish St. John's Church, Mepral. His Beatitude Mar Baselios Paulose II professed him as Ramban on August 5, 1993 at Moovattupuzha. His Holiness Moran Mar Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, consecrated him as Metropolitan on Aug15th, 1993.
Metropolitan Mar Nicholovos served as the Ecumenical Secretary of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church and taught as a
 professor at the Malankara Syrian Seminary at Mulanthuruthy. His ecumenical activities led him to serve as a member of the Syrian Orthodox - Roman Catholic Dialogue Commission. His Grace remains very active in the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious movements. Metropolitan Mar Nicholovos was appointed as the Assistant Metropolitan of the American (Northeast American) Diocese in 2002. On February 26th 2011, His Holiness Baselius Mar Thoma Paulose II appointed Metropolitan Mar Nicholovos as the Metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese. |
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