SCOOCH Hierarchs Participate in the Consecration of St. Mark’s Syriac Orthodox Cathedral


Paramus, NJ – At the kind invitation of the former president of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCH) – His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East – several bishops of SCOOCH were blessed to participate in the consecration of St. Mark’s Syriac Orthodox Cathedral last Friday, May 17, 2019. In addition to His Holiness’ own bishops – among them SCOOCH members H.E. Mor Dionysios John Kawak, H.E. Mor Titus Yeldho, and H.E. Mor Silvanos Ayoub – H.G. Anba David, Coptic Orthodox Bishop of the Diocese of New York & New England, and H.G. Abune Makarios, Bishop of the Eritrean Orthodox Diocese of America, took part in the prayers. Also participating in the consecration was another former SCOOCH president, H.E. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, formerly the Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church and presently the Armenian Church’s legate to Rome.

On Sunday, May 19, 2019, Abune Makarios returned to St. Mark’s along with Archbishop Khajag’s successor as the Primate of the Armenian Eastern Diocese, the newly appointed H.G. Bishop Daniel, to join His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II in a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy during which subdeacons and readers were ordained for the Syriac Archdiocese.