St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Church, Dallas stands firm as the first parish of the Indian Orthodox Church in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. The origin of this parish is such that a handful of faithful members of our Church gathered together in a Dallas apartment in 1973 and shared their hopes and ambitions, as well as their desire to have a church service in their tradition and order. Those faithful believers were Mr. John Mathew, Mr. E.M Jacob, Mr. Mathew Malil, Mr. Abraham Mathai, Mr. Chacko Thampi, Mr K.V. Thomas, Mr. Sunny Zachariah, and Mr. P.V. Varkey. They brainstormed on the possibilities and came to a realization that changes were very remote. Still they kept on with it, due to the spiritually kindled inner energy and dedication for their purpose. Their earnest search and supplication to the Lord brought them the answer eventually as they contacted the Rev. Fr. T.M. Zachariah in New York , who subsequently agreed to come and conduct a service for them. While they conducted the first service on the campus of Southern Methodist University, they certainly were laying down the foundation stone of a parish in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.

This small group worked diligently to gain momentum to establish a parish of the Indian Orthodox Church. They met repeatedly in 1973 to sketch out their plans. God guided them to name the congregation as St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Church, which eventually was registered in the State of Texas . This small parish grew stronger day by day and one step at a time in its journey through the years to its present status due to God's providence and Mother Mary's perpetual intercession.

During the early years of its growth, the parish underwent ample struggles and difficulties. Finding a place to worship itself was a major difficulty, and the parish had to move from place to place to find accommodating hosts, and always had to depend on their mercy and magnanimity. Rev. Fr. Dr. C.O. Vargis who is currently residing in Houston (St. Stephen's Orthodox Church, Houston), served the parish as its first vicar in the early 70's. Then, Rev. Fr. Koshy P. John, who is currently residing in New Orleans , served as the vicar for over 5 years. In the mid-seventies, Rev Dn. John Kunnathusseril (1984- 2004), who was then a student at the Perkins School of Theology at SMU, joined hands with the activities of the parish. The parish took a decisive step of affirming its allegiance to the Catholicos of the East in 1977, and as a result, a new parish in the Patriarchal side happened to evolve from it. The Diocesan Metropolitan, H.G. Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios vistied the parish in 1978, and that encouraged the parish to get well organized to meet the needs of the growing community. The visit of H.H. Moran Basellus Mar Thoma Mathews I, along with H.G. Thomas Mar Thimothios and H.G. Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios, in 1979, was engraved with golden letters in the history of this parish. The grand reception given to the chief guests, the memorable celebrations that follwoed, and the public meeting, with the participation of local religious and secular leaders were exuberant and remarkable. They left lasting impressions on the parish in the succeeding years.

The late Rev. Fr. Zachariah Venattukalathil was appointed as vicar of the parish in 1980, and he led the parish with a new vision and a new light. At this time, let us pay special homage to that great leader who was called into eternal rest in 1995. In 1981, another parish continued its growth steadily, and in 1982, the faithful members made it possible to own a place of worship of its own at 5528 Forney Rd. in Dallas , and they worshipped there until 1989. Rev. Dn. John Kunnathusseril received his prist ordination in November of 1983 from H.G. Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios, and the following year, he was appointed as vicar of the parish.

As the membership grew steadily, the need for a larger facility became imminent and subsequently, the present facility in Farmers Branch was bought in the year 1989. The Christmas celebration of 1989 marked this commencement of worship in this new facility, and the parish found a safe haven in thier new location. St. George Orthodox Church was formed out of the mother parish around this time. St. Mary's Church stands conveniently located fir the entire parish members and stands on a piece of property that includes approximately four acres of land and a sanctuary, as well as additional buildings to house its needs. This energetically growing parish is one of the largest parishes in the Southwest, and a dynamic parish of the Diocese. One hundred and six faithful families are currently worshipping in this parish, and are lokking into its future growth. They are also praying together that God Almighty will continue to strengthen them and their parish to meet its future potentials and challenges that await them for the next century. Thus, God will bless us to continue a legacy. That legacy is St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Church of Dallas.

First Vicar : Rev. Fr. Dr. C.O. Vargis

Second Vicar : Rev. Fr. Koshy P. John

Third Vicar: Rev. Fr. Zachariah Venattukalathil

Fourth Vicar: Rev. Fr. John Kunnathusseril

Current Vicar : Rev. Fr. Thampan Varghese