About St. Ephrem Catholic Mission [Syro Malankara] · Austin, Texas
St. Ephrem Syro-Malankara Catholic Mission is an Eastern Catholic mission parish serving the Syro-Malankara faithful scattered across the greater Austin, Texas area. Established on January 15, 2023, it belongs to the Eparchy of Saint Mary, Queen of Peace (the U.S. Syro-Malankara eparchy) and gathers for Holy Qurbono — the Syro-Malankara Mass — every third Sunday of the month in the chapel of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church in Pflugerville. The mission's handful of founding families have grown with the help of Father Saji Lukose, a bi-ritual priest who also serves as Parochial Vicar of St. Elizabeth and celebrates the liturgy in Syriac (a dialect of Aramaic) and Malayalam.
- Established
- 2023
- Patron
- St. Ephrem the Syrian (Ephrem the Syrian, Doctor of the Church)
- Rector
- Father Saji Lukose (Priest-in-charge / celebrant of the Holy Qurbono; also serves as Parochial Vicar of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, Pflugerville)
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Saint Mary, Queen of Peace (Syro-Malankara Catholic); hosted within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin, meeting at the chapel of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, Pflugerville
Why belong here
St. Ephrem is the only Syro-Malankara Catholic mission between Central Texas and the next established community, making it the spiritual home for Kerala-origin Syriac Christians across the Austin metro. Worshippers get to experience the ancient Syro-Malankara Qurbana — celebrated in Syriac (a dialect of Aramaic) and Malayalam — within the familiar setting of St. Elizabeth of Hungary's chapel in Pflugerville. It's a small, family-size community where the seven founding families, Father Saji Lukose, and newer arrivals pray, eat, and grow together, with the aspiration of becoming a full parish in communion with both the Diocese of Austin and the Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace.
Mass times at St. Ephrem Catholic Mission [Syro Malankara]
Weekly Mass schedule
Identity & Heritage
St. Ephrem Syro-Malankara Catholic Mission is an Eastern Catholic mission of the Eparchy of Saint Mary, Queen of Peace, which oversees Syro-Malankara faithful across the United States and Canada. Although it operates under that eparchy, the mission physically gathers within the Diocese of Austin and depends on the hospitality of the Latin-rite parish St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Pflugerville, a model of ecumenical cooperation typical of Eastern Catholic missions in the West. The community preserves the ancient Syriac liturgical tradition that traces back to St. Thomas the Apostle, while remaining fully in communion with the Pope of Rome.
- Eparchy of Saint Mary, Queen of Peace (Syro-Malankara Catholic, USA & Canada)
- Hosted physically at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, Diocese of Austin
- Syro-Malankara Catholic Church — one of the largest Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris in full communion with Rome
- Ancient Syriac (Aramaic) liturgical heritage, rooted in the St. Thomas Christian tradition of Kerala
Founding Story & Growth
The mission is among the newest Catholic communities in Central Texas. In September 2022, a small group of Syro-Malankara families in the Austin area celebrated the very first Catholic Syro-Malankara Mass in the Diocese of Austin at St. Alphonsa Catholic Church in Manor. Their persistence paid off: on January 15, 2023, the Eparchy formally erected St. Ephrem Syro-Malankara Catholic Mission of Austin. The community started as a core of seven families and has slowly added members as word spread.
- First Syro-Malankara Mass in Diocese of Austin — September 2022 at St. Alphonsa, Manor
- Mission formally established — January 15, 2023
- Original nucleus — seven families scattered across Austin/Round Rock
- Monthly Qurbono hosted successively by St. Alphonsa (Manor), St. Theresa, and St. Louis parishes before settling at St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Pflugerville)
Priests & Pastoral Care
The mission is shepherded by Father Saji Lukose, a Syro-Malankara priest of the Diocese of Puttur, Karnataka, India, ordained in January 2015 after studies at Sacred Heart College (Mangalore), Salesian Philosophate (Aluva), the University of Gulbarga, St. Peter's Pontifical Seminary (Bangalore), and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, where he completed a licentiate in Canon Law. He is bi-ritual, fluent in English, Malayalam, Kannada, Italian, Tulu, and Hindi, and is currently learning Spanish. Father Saji was assigned as Parochial Vicar (Associate Pastor) of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish effective July 1, 2024, with an explicit mandate to care for the St. Ephrem Syro-Malankara faithful. The wider U.S. Syro-Malankara mission effort is coordinated by Very Rev. Dr. Saji Mukkoot, Mission Coordinator of the Malankara Catholic Missions in the USA.
- Father Saji Lukose — celebrant of the monthly Holy Qurbono and Associate Pastor at St. Elizabeth of Hungary, since July 1, 2024
- Very Rev. Dr. Saji Mukkoot — Mission Coordinator of the Malankara Catholic Missions in the USA
- Parish contact for the mission: Ajith Varghese — 512-810-1983
Liturgy & Schedule
Because the community is small and dispersed, the mission gathers for one Holy Qurbono each month rather than weekly. Father Lukose celebrates the Syriac-Malankara Qurbana in the chapel of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, 1520 N Railroad Ave, Pflugerville, TX 78660, every third Sunday of the month at 3:30 p.m. The liturgy is celebrated in Syriac — a dialect of Aramaic, the language Jesus prayed in — and Malayalam, with English used where helpful. On non-Qurbono Sundays, St. Ephrem parishioners attend Mass at the Syro-Malabar church of St. Alphonsa and at various Latin-rite parishes around Austin and Round Rock.
- Holy Qurbono: every 3rd Sunday of the month, 3:30 p.m., at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Chapel, Pflugerville
- Liturgical languages: Syriac (Aramaic) and Malayalam
- Wider weekly Mass life supplied by Latin-rite and Syro-Malabar parishes across the Austin area
Community Life & Outreach
St. Ephrem is, in Father Lukose's own words, 'a mission parish made up of Catholics spread across the Austin area.' That geography — with families driving in from across the metro — makes the monthly gathering an unusually intentional event: the Syriac Qurbana, shared hospitality, and the bonds that hold the small flock together. The mission's communications with its members run largely through the contact person Ajith Varghese and an Instagram presence (@st_ephrem_austin), through which the community shares devotions such as Good Friday reflections and other liturgical-season posts. The explicit long-term aspiration, expressed by the priest, is to grow into a full parish in communion with both the Diocese of Austin and the Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace.
- Monthly fellowship around the Holy Qurbono in the St. Elizabeth of Hungary chapel
- Contact person for community: Ajith Vargvese, 512-810-1983
- Social media: Instagram @st_ephrem_austin; Facebook community searchable as "austinmalankaracatholic"
- Long-term goal: grow into a full parish under the Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace