New York: On May 7, the doors of The Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary’s Malankara Catholic Church in Yonkers were unlocked for Mass, a sign of both birth and resurrection.

For the Syro-Malankara Catholic parish of St. Mary, it was the first time it had a place to call its own.

The official founding of St. Mary’s Syro-Malankara Catholic parish in New York was on Aug. 25, 1984 at a meeting held at Fordham University led by Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregorios of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and Cardinal John O’Connor, then Archbishop of New York.

The parishioners formerly met at locations in Manhattan and the Bronx, and since 1999, in the chapel at Salesian High School in New Rochelle.

“Because it was a school, we couldn’t use it on the weekdays,” said Father Sunny Mathew, pastor of St. Mary’s Syro-Malankara parish, which has 300 parishioners. The location made it difficult to hold catechism classes and youth events, he explained. “We hope we can cater to the needs of our youth and children now,” he said.

“The people are enthusiastic and thankful for the former Holy Trinity parishioners for their beautiful church,” the pastor added.

“It’s a great blessing for us in the Year of Mercy,” Father Mathew said, smiling.

Cardinal Dolan “was so gracious to us,” the pastor said. “I think he didn’t want the church to be closed down forever. He wanted to see it as a house of worship. It’s serving the purpose for which it was built.”

The Romanesque-revival church was built in 1910 with a Gothic-style spire. It sits on the cobblestones of Trinity Plaza, which it shares with the Russian Orthodox and Lutheran Holy Trinity churches. The inside is bright and inviting, with a colorful mosaic of the Resurrected Christ behind the altar.

Looking to the future, Father Mathew said, “Because we have a unique liturgy, I hope our church will continue to flourish here. That is the mind of the Holy Father when he established an eparchy (the Eastern terminology for diocese) for us here.”

Alan Gerard Hartman, a parishioner at St. Barnabas in the Bronx, was present at the opening Mass at Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary. He formerly had participated in other Masses there and admired the beauty of the church and the uniqueness of Trinity Plaza. “I hope it will stay open for a long time to come,” he said of the new church.

“I was upset they closed such a beautiful church,” he said. “So when they reopened it, I found it a tremendous testament to faith. I’m very pleased.”

Edward Sabol, a lifelong parishioner who attended the opening Mass, spoke to CNY. “For me, one of the saddest things was passing by this historic church and seeing the doors chained and padlocked after the closing,” he said.

“Seeing the doors open and unlocked was a re-assurance that the building would once again be hosting an eager and vibrant community, much like the Slovaks of the late 19th century.”

As a visitor to the new parish, albeit in a familiar home, Sabol said that he and about 30 other former Most Holy Trinity parishioners were welcomed with open arms. “Every priest, nun, religious and layperson made it clear they were happy to have us there and that we were their guests,” he said.

“The new pastor, Father Sunny, greeted us all and made it clear that this was a church open to all.”

Another longtime parishioner, Raymond Barone, said, “Walking in felt like a dream to me. We never expected to be there, we never knew if anyone would ever be inside the building again.

“I was very aware of the new congregants going out of their way to make us feel welcome, and the pastor even pointed us out in his welcoming remarks, which was great. It was both a homecoming and an entrance into a new and different place if that makes sense,” he said. Most Holy Trinity parish merged with St. John the Baptist in Yonkers, and the church closed last July.

He said honestly, “At the same time just a little of the sadness about our closing was present, that will never go away, but it was overwhelmed by everyone’s happiness that our beautiful church was alive and functioning as a house of God again.”

Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius presided at the inaugural Mass May 7 at Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary’s Malankara Church in Yonkers. It was the first time the Syro-Malankara parish had a church to call its own. Bishop Eusebius is the first bishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy in the United States.

(This first appeared in cny.org on May 25, 2016)