ST. MARY'S MALANKARA ORTHODOX CHURCH, CHICAGO

The Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement (MGOCSM) was formed in 1907. It is the oldest Christian Student Movement in India. It is the student wing of the Indian Orthodox Church, officially known as the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church with Headquarters at Devalokam, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
 
 
The Movement has three main objectives:
to deepen the spiritual life of its members.
to prepare them to be responsible citizens in the Church and Society
to encourage them to commit themselves for sacrificial service in the Church and Society
 
 
The students and senior leaders of the Church who were residing in Madras in the early part of the last century felt the need for an organization to bring together Christian students in various colleges and high schools with a view to deepening their spiritual life and to create in them a lively sense of fellowship. The Syrian Student Conference, the parent organization was formed in 1907 and the first conference was convened on 1-3 January 1908 at Balikamadom School, Tiruvalla, Kerala. Annual Conferences have been a regular feature since 1908. The Movement assumed the present name MGOCSM in 1960 and its motto is Worship-Study-Service.