Archdiocese History

The Syriac Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom started in the early 1960s by a group of Syriac Orthodox Faithful who were served by visiting Syriac Orthodox bishops or priests.

During the early years, visiting Syriac Orthodox bishops and priests served the Syriac Orthodox Church community in the UK and their spiritual needs. Amongst those visiting clergy were:

• Fr. Abd-Al-Ahad Shabo (H.E. Mor Julius Abd Al-Ahad Shabo, Emeritus Metropolitan of Sweden and Scandinavia)

• The late H.E. Archbishop Mor Timothius Aphrem Aboodi+ of blessed memory (former Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Canada)

• Rev. Fr. Abd-Al-Ahad Zaytoun

• Rev. Fr. Aphrem Karim (currently H.H. Mor Ignatius Aphrem II Karim, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch)

• Rev. Fr. Toma Dawod, who became a permanent vicar for the Syriac Orthodox Church in the UK in 1994. He later became H.E. Mor Athanasius Toma Dawod, the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop in the United Kingdom.

Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawod was initially appointed as a priest to serve the Syriac community in the UK by H.H. the late Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas of blessed memory. He was promoted to be a Patriarchal Vicar to the UK in 2005.

On the 3rd of December 2006, he was consecrated as a Bishop and was given the name Athanasius in a large ceremony at the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in Ma'arat Sydnaya.

On 10th December 2006 he was installed as the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop in the UK in a large ceremony at St Dunstan Church in London, officiated by H.E. Mor Selwanus Butrus El-Nimah, the Archbishop of Homs and Hamah.

The Syriac Orthodox Church in the UK has its own cathedral church (St. Thomas Cathedral) in London.

It was consecrated in July 2010 by H.H. the late Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, assisted by H.E. Mor Athanasius Toma Dawod and many visiting Syriac Orthodox Archbishops and Bishops from the rest of the world, in a moving ceremony.

The ceremony was also attended by Archbishops, Bishops and priests representing various churches in the UK, and the Lord Mayor of Ealing and other dignitaries.

In the early days the Syriac Orthodox community used to meet for prayers at their homes. However, as the congregation started to grow, various churches were used to conduct our own Church Masses by permission. The churches are listed in historical order:

• The Armenian Orthodox Church, Kensington, London.

• St. Matthew's Church (Church of England), St. James' Park, London.

• St. Mark's Church (Coptic Orthodox Church), Kensington, London.

• St. Andrew's Church (Church of England), Star Road, Fulham, London (1991–2005).

• St. John Church (Church of England), Kingston Upon Thames (2006–2008).

• St. Dunstan Church (Church of England) in Acton, London (2005–2010).

• St. James Church (Church of England), Bodley Road, New Malden, Surrey.

The Syriac Orthodox Church community also used several other churches, and would like to express sincere appreciation and gratitude to those churches for their co-operation and support.