"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

(1 Corinthians 12:27)

   The Holy Church is the sanctuary where the Lord dwells. It is the one place we can turn to when we are faced with tribulations, the one place we can seek refuge. The Orthodox faith is the 'One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic faith. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, also known as the Indian Orthodox Church, was founded by St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, in the first century (A.D. 52). The Church has today grown to over 3.5 million faithful.

   Beginning in the early 1970s, several Keralites migrated to Australia in search of better lives for themselves and their families. With the growing number of Orthodox families, the need was felt to establish a Church following Indian Orthodox tradition. The St. Mary's Indian Orthodox Church (SMIOC) was established on 30th August 1980 at Coburg, Victoria and is the mother parish of all churches in the Oceania region. The Cathedral has grown immensely over the years. Starting with five families, the St Marys Indian Orthodox Cathedral Melbourne has today grown to over 240 families.