The History of Our Church
St. Mark’s was first established on October 31, 1953 by His Eminence Archbishop Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, with mass hosted in the living room of the Archdiocesan home. By 1957, His Eminence Archbishop Samuel, began the search for either a property to build a church or to purchase a preexisting church.
In May 1958, an existing church with a parish house in Hackensack, NJ was purchased for $37,500. Twenty five dedicated families diligently worked daily to get the cathedral ready and our first mass was held on Sunday, September 7, 1958. Later that year, the first Cathedral choir was created and in 1959 the first Cathedral Sunday program and youth organizations were established.
On June 18, 1975, Rev. Father John Meno, who had been elevated to the rank of deacon in 1971, and ordained to the priesthood at St. Mark’s Cathedral on October 1, 1972, was officially appointed Pastor of St. Mark’s Syrian Orthodox cathedral by His Eminence Archbishop Samuel.
Over the decades, the parish continued to grow, and by 1992 it became apparent that a larger cathedral is needed. After much hard work and studying a number of options, the St. Mark’s Building Committee was able to locate an ideal piece of property in Teaneck, NJ. The Teaneck property was officially purchased on October 16, 1992.
In 2007, His Eminence Archbishop Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim, created a Building Committee with the sole purpose of championing the continued growth of St. Mark’s. During the course of 2007, a piece of property was brought to the attention of the Eastern Archdiocese as well as St. Mark’s Cathedral as a potential site for a new Cathedral complex and Archdiocesan center in Paramus, NJ.
On July 2007 a contract was entered between the Archdiocese and St. Mark’s Cathedral to purchase the five and a quarter acre in the heart of Bergen County. The plans for the property were to include a new, larger cathedral, activity center, and repurposing the existing building into a monastery, clergy living quarters, meeting rooms, and Sunday school rooms.
On September 17, 2017, St. Mark’s Cathedral officially moved into the Mor Aphrem Center (MAC), leaving behind our Teaneck home of almost twenty hours. Currently, liturgy will be hosted in the MAC as the new cathedral continues to be constructed. With continued blessing and support from St. Mark’s parishioners, the cathedral will be completed in early 2018.
St. Mark The Evangelist:
Tradition states that St. Mark was born in Cyrene, North Africa, the son of Aristopolus and Mary, three years after the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We first meet John Mark in the New Testament, living in the Jerusalem home of Mary his mother.
Traditionally the site of both our Lord’s Last Supper and the event of Pentecost, upon which St. Mark’s Syrian Orthodox Monastery was eventually built. It is generally believed that St. Mark wrote his Gospel in Italy about A.D. 65, the first of the four Gospels to be composed.
As St. Mark’s Gospel is placed second in the order of the Gospels, the author is often symbolized by a lion, the second animal at the throne of God.
St. Mark is said to have brought Christianity to Egypt, establishing the Holy See
of Alexandria. Tradition states that St. Mark was martyred for his Christian faith in A.D. 68. His feast is celebrated by the Holy Church on April 25th.