Our Hierarchy

Early Life and Education

Ignatius Aphrem II was born as Saʿid Karim on May 3, 1965, in Qamishli, northeastern Syria. He was the youngest child of Issa and Khanema Karim, a devout Syriac Orthodox family with roots in the Tur Abdin region of southeastern Turkey. After completing primary school in Qamishli, he pursued religious studies at St. Ephrem’s Theological Seminary in Atchaneh, Lebanon, starting in 1977. He showed a strong calling to the church from an early age. In 1984, he continued his education at the Coptic Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Divinity by 1988. This solid academic foundation in theology prepared him for a life of dedicated church service.

Journey in Church Service

In 1985, at the age of 20, Saʿid Karim took monastic vows and adopted the name Aphrem (honoring St. Ephrem the Syrian and Patriarch Aphrem I Barsoum). That same year, he was ordained as a deacon and then as a priest, marking the start of his official ministry. He served from 1988 to 1989 as secretary to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch, Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, and taught at St. Ephrem’s Seminary in Damascus. In 1989, Fr. Aphrem Karim went on to pursue higher theological studies at St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland, where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1991 and a Doctor of Divinity in 1994. During this period abroad, he also ministered to the Syriac Orthodox community in the United Kingdom , gaining international pastoral experience. In 1995, the Syriac Orthodox Church, recognizing his dedication, appointed him to lead the newly formed Archdiocese of the Eastern United States. He was consecrated as a Metropolitan Archbishop on January 28, 1996, in his hometown of Qamishli by Patriarch Zakka I. Upon his consecration, he took the episcopal name Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim and soon relocated to New Jersey to shepherd the Syriac Orthodox faithful in North America.

Leadership and Service

As Archbishop of the Eastern United States from 1996 to 2014, Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim was known for his dynamic leadership and community-building efforts. He oversaw the establishment of 11 new parishes, expanding the church’s presence and bringing the total number of parishes in his archdiocese to twenty. He placed a strong emphasis on youth and education, founding a Syriac Orthodox Youth Organization to engage young people and organizing regular youth conferences and special liturgies for students. Under his guidance, the archdiocese also developed programs for Sunday School education and pastoral initiatives for families, including pre-marital counseling and events honoring elder members of the community. Mor Cyril was active in promoting inter-church unity, representing his church in ecumenical bodies like the World Council of Churches. His compassionate approach and forward-looking vision earned him respect both within the Syriac Orthodox community and among other Christian denominations. He served the U.S. diocese for 18 years, during which time he nurtured a generation of faithful and strengthened ties between the diaspora and the ancient church traditions. This period of dedicated service prepared him for even greater responsibilities in global church leadership.

Election and Enthronement

In March 2014, following the passing of Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, a Holy Synod was convened to choose a new patriarch. On March 31, 2014, Archbishop Cyril Aphrem Karim was elected to become the Patriarch of Antioch, the supreme head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, as the 122nd successor to St. Peter in the Apostolic See of Antioch. He was formally enthroned as Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II on May 29, 2014, at St. Ephrem’s Monastery near Damascus, Syria. The enthronement ceremony in Damascus—conducted despite the ongoing civil conflict in Syria—was led by senior church leaders, including Catholicos Baselios Thomas I of India. Upon his elevation, he assumed the name Ignatius (as is tradition for Syriac patriarchs) and became the second patriarch in the church’s history to bear the name Aphrem. As Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Ignatius Aphrem II also became the spiritual leader of Syriac Orthodox faithful worldwide, notably including the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in India. His election was significant as he brought extensive diaspora experience to the patriarchate, reflecting the global nature of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Since his enthronement, Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II has worked to guide his church through challenging times, emphasizing unity, peace, and compassionate service. He continues to travel worldwide to visit congregations and to support communities in need, upholding the ancient heritage of his church while engaging with the modern world.

His Beatitude Mor Baselios Joseph, newly enthroned Catholicos (Maphrian) of the Syriac Orthodox Church in India, 2025. His Beatitude Mor Baselios Joseph is the current Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in India (Maphrian of India). He assumed this high office in 2025 following the passing of his predecessor, Mor Baselios Thomas I, on 31 October 2024. Renowned for his steadfast leadership and dedication, Mor Baselios Joseph has devoted decades of service to the Church .

Early Life and Education

Mor Baselios Joseph was born on 10 November 1960 in Perumpilly, Kerala, as the youngest of four children in a devout Syrian Christian family. He received his early schooling in Perumpilly and Mulanthuruthy. Demonstrating a calling from a young age, he was ordained as a deacon at just 13 years old in 1974. He later pursued higher studies, earning a master’s degree in philosophy from Trinity College Dublin and undertaking advanced theological training at Mor Julios Seminary in India and in the United States. During his time in the U.S., he also served as vicar to several Syriac Orthodox congregations.

Journey in Church Service

On 25 March 1984, Joseph was ordained a priest by Catholicos Baselios Paulose II . Embracing monastic life, he prepared for greater responsibilities and was consecrated as a bishop on 16 January 1994 by Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I, taking the ecclesiastical name Mor Gregorios Joseph as Metropolitan of the Kochi Diocese. He formally assumed charge of the Kochi Diocese in 1994 and has shepherded that community ever since. His episcopal ministry was marked by pastoral care, administrative skill, and a focus on faith education and charity.

Leadership and Service

Mor Gregorios Joseph took on numerous leadership roles within the Jacobite Syrian Church. He served as President of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Sunday School Association (MJSSA) from 1996 to 2002, strengthening the Church’s youth education programs. He was instrumental in establishing orphanages and educational projects to support the needy, reflecting his commitment to social outreach. In 2019, he was elected Metropolitan Trustee of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Association, the chief administrative role in the church’s laity-metropolitan council, following Catholicos Baselios Thomas I’s resignation from administrative duties. To honor his seniority and service, Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II conferred on him the title Malankara Metropolitan in early 2024. He also served as Catholicos-Assistant to Baselios Thomas I, effectively acting as a deputy and advisor to the Catholicos until the latter’s passing in 2024.

Election and Enthronement as Maphrian

After the demise of Mor Baselios Thomas I in October 2024, Mor Gregorios Joseph was unanimously elected by the Holy Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church in India as the new Catholicos (Maphrian of India). This choice was endorsed by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate, ensuring continuity in church leadership during the transition. On 25 March 2025, he was officially ordained and installed under the name Aboon Mor Baselios Joseph I at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Atchaneh, Lebanon, in a solemn ceremony led by Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II . The enthronement was attended by bishops, dignitaries, and faithful from around the world, underscoring the significance of his leadership. As Maphrian of India, His Beatitude Mor Baselios Joseph is expected to guide the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church into a new era of unity, growth, and spiritual vitality, building upon his long legacy of devoted service.

Early Life and Education

His Eminence Mor Titus Yeldho was born on July 22, 1970, in Ernakulam, Kerala, India. He completed his early education at Ashramam High School in Perumbavoor and went on to earn undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Mathematics from Union Christian College in Aluva, followed by a Bachelor of Education from Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam. Yeldho then pursued theological studies at the Syriac Orthodox Seminary in Damascus and at the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary in Udayagiri, India, ultimately obtaining a Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York.

Journey in Church Service

Mor Titus Yeldho entered clerical life at an early age. He was ordained as a deacon at just 12 years old, on October 28, 1982. He later embraced monastic life, being tonsured as a monk (Raban) on September 26, 1998, and was ordained a priest (Kassisso) on September 5, 1999, both by His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. Yeldho served as the administrator of St. George’s Church in Perumpally following the passing of its abbot in 1999, and was subsequently deputed to New York to minister in various Malankara parishes across North America. Notably, he is the only Malankara Syriac Orthodox prelate to have received all his major ordinations – from deacon to bishop – directly from the Patriarch of Antioch.

Leadership and Service

As Archbishop and Patriarchal Vicar since 2004, Mor Titus Yeldho has been shepherding the Malankara Syriac Orthodox community across the United States and Canada. His leadership has fostered a new generation of clergy: he actively encourages American-born faithful to enter the priesthood and emphasizes empowering youth to take on church leadership roles. During his tenure, the archdiocese strengthened its administrative structure – including establishing a central diocesan headquarters – and saw the founding of numerous new parishes to serve the growing diaspora community across North America. Through these efforts, Archbishop Yeldho’s tenure has been marked by spiritual growth and community development within the Syriac Orthodox faithful in the region.

Election and Enthronement

In late 2003, following the brief tenure of Mor Ivanios Mathews as archbishop, Fr. Titus Yeldho was selected to assume the leadership of the Malankara Archdiocese in North America. He was consecrated as Archbishop on January 4, 2004, by Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, in a ceremony held at St. Peter and St. Paul’s Cathedral in Ma’arrat Seydnaya, Damascus, Syria. Shortly thereafter, Mor Titus Yeldho was officially enthroned as the Patriarchal Vicar of the archdiocese, becoming the fourth Archbishop to lead the Malankara Syriac Orthodox faithful in North America. The inauguration of his archiepiscopal ministry marked a new chapter for the archdiocese under his guidance.