Part 3: St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish Today

 Episcopal Information

Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II

The Patriarchate of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch resides in Damascus, Syria. The current Patriarch, Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II will be enthroned on May 29, 2014. The predecessor of our patriarch was recognized in the first council of Nicea in 325 as the head of the see in Antioch. The Church has eleven patriarchal vicars, and twenty six archdiocese, one of which is the Archdiocese of the Western United States, headed by Archbishop Mor Clemis Eugene Kaplan, who oversees the St. Ignatius parish in Portland, Oregon.

 

Archbishop Eugene Kaplan of
the Western United States

Clergy

Fr. George during the Washing of the Disciple's feet on Holy Thursday

Fr. George Albanna was ordained to the priesthood by Patriarch Ignatius Zakka Iwas I in Aman, Jordan in 1994. He served as a priest in Jordan for five years before being assigned to St. Ignatius parish in December of 1998, replacing Fr. Jacob Shukri, who fell asleep in the Lord earlier that year. Fr. George is fluent in the Syriac, Arabic, and English languages, which have been indispensable in his ministry in Portland. Matti Totonchy serves as full deacon at St. Ignatius parish, along with fifteen sub deacons, and forty alter servers who rotate for each liturgy.

The deacons on Easter Sunday, with Deacon Matti (my father) giving a reading

Membership

Officially, there are 100 families who are currently members at St. Ignatius parish. This translates to an attendance of approximately 150 parishioners on major feast days and 70 parishioners on most Sundays.

Demographics and Language

Parishioners on Easter Sunday

Over the past three years, the congregational demographic has undergone a dramatic shift. Prior to 2010, the parish was comprised of immigrants from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine who had been in the U.S. for many years. As such, the parents of the families in the church were fluent in both Arabic and English, while many of the youth were fluent in only English. However, beginning in 2010, St. Ignatius received a rapid influx of new members from Iraq who immigrated to the U.S. as refugees. Many new members also immigrated from Syria during this time. In 2014, the new members totaled 20 families from Iraq and 8 families from Syria. Both the parents and the children of these families are fluent only in Arabic, and have a strong desire for the liturgy to be conducted in Arabic. This has created a point of disagreement concerning language in the parish, where the newer families desire Arabic while the youth who have been in the U.S. for a longer period of time wish to worship in English. The solution has been one of compromise, with a liturgy sung in Syriac, Arabic, and English. The influx of Arabic speaking immigrants is not likely to abate in the near future, as Syriac Orthodox Christians from Syria are beginning to receive refugee status in the U.S. Therefore, language is an issue that will likely persist for the foreseeable future at St. Ignatius.

Parish Council

The parish council is voted on every two years. In 2014, a new council was voted in, comprised of 8 men and 3 women, two of which are members of the youth group.

Programs

St. Ignatius Youth Group

Church programs include youth and adult education, as well as fund raising. Sunday School and Youth bible group provide Christian education to the children and young adults. Fr. George leads a family night on Saturdays once every month to provide scripture and church history education to adults and children. Every year, the parish council organizes a bake sale and a Mother’s Day party to raise funds for the church.

Part 2: Establishment of the St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish in Portland, OR

Beginnings

By the late 1960s, three Syriac Orthodox families had immigrated to Portland. Deacon Jacob Shukri, his wife Wadia, and their children moved to Portland from Bethlehem, Palestine.  Ilian Trad, his wife Imojin, and their children immigrated from Homs, Syria. Matti Totonchy arrived from Mosul, Iraq. These families befriended each other and met for evening house prayers.

Society in Portland

In 1973, Bishop Barnaba of Homs, Syria visited Portland and met with the Syriac faithful, which had grown to 8 families. Following his suggestion, the faithful established a society in Portland for the Syriac community. The society met once a month in a rental hall of a local bank for prayers, and raised money by conducting bake sales and collecting monthly dues and donations.

Finances

St. Ignatius Parish is Located in SE Portland, OR, near Reed College

By 1983 the society began to search for a church to purchase, with the blessing of Archbishop Yeshue Samuel of North America and Canada. The search ended in 1988, when they found a church in South East Portland on sale for $175,00. At this point the society had raised $100,000, but could not get a bank loan for the remaining amount. They sought donations from the Syriac communities in California and New Jersey, which generously gave $50,000. The last $25,000 was covered by personal donations from within the Portland community, which had grown to 12 families. Deacon Jacob Shukri retired from his work, spent time in New Jersey learning the Syriac language, and agreed to accept ordination to the priesthood, serving the church without a salary. Each family pledged to pay monthly dues to support the church.

St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish

Letter of Invitation to the Syriac Orthodox faithful in North America for the consecration of St. Ignatius Parish and the Ordination of Fr. Shukri, as well as a request for donations to help pay off the remaining balance on the church.

Consecration and Ordination

On August 28, 1988 Archbishop Samuel, together with Archbishop Yohanna Brahim of Aleppo, Syria consecrated the St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Portland and ordained Fr. Jacob Shukri. In his sermon, Archbishop Brahim called the community in Portland the little flock, citing Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” and pointing out that the 12 families in Portland mimicked by their number the 12 disciples of Christ.

Archbishops Yohanna Brahim (front left) and Yeshue Samuel (front right) with the original St. Ignatius Parish council following consecration

 

Archbishop Yeshue Samuel ordains Fr. Jacob Shukri, first priest of St. Ignatius Parish.

  

Syriac Orthodox Convention in Portland, OR

Convention

In 1990, the the Syriac Orthodox Convention of North America was held in Portland. The Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas attended, drawing visitors from all over the world.

A Personal Note

One of the original founders of the parish, Matti Totonchy, is my father. He can be seen in the final picture, second from the right, wearing a stylish light blue suit and donning his signature mustache. He has expended much effort and time out of love for his Church, serving on the parish council and as a deacon for nearly 25 years. I count it as a great blessing to have a father who has worked so hard to promote the Orthodox Christian faith.