About Our Church
Faithful to the apostolic tradition, growing together in Bedford.
Our Parish
A spiritual home in Bedford
St. John’s Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Bedford was established in January 2025 to serve the spiritual needs of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox faithful living in Bedford and the surrounding areas. Our parish is a place where families gather to participate in the Holy Qurbana, receive the Holy Sacraments, strengthen their faith, and preserve the rich spiritual heritage of the Syriac Orthodox Church.
Under the spiritual leadership of our Vicar, Rev. Fr. Geevarghese Thandayathu, we seek to foster faith, fellowship and Christian values among every generation through worship, Sunday School, youth activities, family fellowship and community service.
Whether you are a long-time member, new to the area, or simply seeking to learn more about the Orthodox Christian faith, you are warmly welcome to worship with us and become part of our parish family.
Our Apostolic Heritage
An ancient faith, lived today
Our parish belongs to the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church and, through it, to the universal Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch—an Oriental Orthodox communion shaped by apostolic witness, the Syriac spiritual tradition and the ancient liturgy of the Church.
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The Apostolic See of Antioch
The Syriac Orthodox Church traces the Apostolic See of Antioch to St. Peter. Antioch was one of the earliest centres of Christian life, and its apostolic ministry remains at the heart of the Church’s identity under the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.
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The Syriac spiritual tradition
The Church preserves a rich theological, musical and liturgical inheritance expressed through Syriac, a form of Aramaic closely related to the language spoken by Christ and the Apostles. The Holy Qurbana and sacramental life carry this tradition from one generation to the next.
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The Malankara heritage
According to the ancient tradition of the St. Thomas Christians, the Apostle St. Thomas brought the Gospel to the Malankara coast in the first century. The Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church lives this Indian apostolic heritage in communion with the Holy See of Antioch and in the West Syriac liturgical tradition.
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A parish for Bedford
Established in January 2025, St. John’s carries this living inheritance into Bedford. Here, ancient worship and tradition nurture a welcoming parish community committed to prayer, formation, fellowship and service.
Our Spiritual Leadership
Church Hierarchy
His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church
His Beatitude Baselios Joseph I
Catholicos of India
His Grace Mor Osthatheos Issac
Patriarchal Vicar for the United Kingdom
Our Faith Today
Tradition expressed in parish life
Worship & Sacraments
Holy Qurbana, prayer and the sacramental life form the centre of our parish.
Faith Formation
Sunday School and youth activities help younger generations grow in faith and tradition.
Fellowship & Service
Family fellowship and community service allow us to live the love of Christ together.
Join our parish family
Whether you are new to the area or have been walking with Christ for years, there is a place for you at St. John’s.