St. PeterFounder of the Syriac Orthodox Church The foundation of the Syriac Orthodox Church can be traced directly back to the early Christian community at Antioch in the ancient Roman province of Syria, where the converts were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Thus, the Church in Antioch was the first established Church for all the…

Founders of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Churches The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest and most traditional Christian denominations, as its history is deeply intertwined with the missionaries of both St. Matthew the Evangelist and St. Philip the Apostle. These apostles first introduced Christianity to the region, converting many from worshipping idols to…

St. MarkFounder of the Church of Alexandria St. Mark was born in the city of Cyrene in Pentapolis, the western part of Libya. He was born of Jewish parents, Aristopolus and Mary, many years after the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His parents educated him with Greek and Hebrew and he was…

The Apostles FeastSt. ThomasFounder of the Indian Orthodox Church St. Thomas is the apostle who brought Christianity to India and is known as the founder of the Malankara Syrian (Indian Orthodox) Church. St. Thomas is listed as one of the 12 disciples in the Gospel according to our teachers St. Matthew (10:3), St. Mark (3:18),…

The Apostles FastSaints Thaddeus and Bartholomew St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew are credited with establishing the Armenian Orthodox Church. St. Matthew and St. Luke both indicate that they were apostles in their respective gospels (Matthew 10:2-5, Mark 3:16-19, and Luke 6:14-16). Interactions between both St. Thaddeus and Christ and St. Bartholomew and Christ are recorded…