About Us
While a few Orthodox families have resided in the Kansas City area since the 1970s, it was in the year 2002 the initial seed for our parish was planted. It all began when our senior-most member and long-time Kansas resident, Mr. Abraham Mathew, came across Rev. Fr. Mathew Zachariah at an engagement ceremony in Denver, Colorado. Though it was the first time they had met, the conversation concluded with beloved Achen offering to come to Kansas City to celebrate the liturgy.
November 16, 2002
• Rev. Fr. Mathew Zachariah (Vicar of St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Denver) celebrated the first Holy Qurbana in Kansas City.
June 2007 to June 2008
• Rev. Fr. Chacko V. Isaac (Vicar of St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, St. Louis) extended support to our community and traveled to Kansas City on a few occasions to lead prayer fellowship meetings and celebrate the liturgy.
August 24, 2008
• During the summer of 2008, Rev. Fr. Cherian (Sunny) M. Kunnel (Vicar of St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Oklahoma) relocated to the Kansas City area for employment. With the blessing of the then Metropolitans of the American Diocese, Late Lamented His Grace Mathews Mar Barnabas & His Grace Zacharias Mar Nicholovos, Achen offered to celebrate the liturgy on a monthly basis on Saturdays.
November 1, 2008
• We were blessed to have Sunny Achen celebrate the liturgy commemorating the memorial feast of St. Gregorios. Achen had collected suggested names for a congregation prior to the Qurbana. Following the liturgy that day, a meeting was held with all who had gathered for worship. A historic decision was made that a congregation should be formed, and Achen hand-picked out the name St. Gregorios from the collected names. We truly believe it was the will of God and the prayers and intercessions of St. Gregorios of Parumala that led us to this great milestone.
September 9, 2009
• His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebius formally recognized and declared St. Gregorios Orthodox Congregation of Kansas City as a congregation under the Diocese of South-West America and appointed Rev. Fr. Cherian (Sunny) M. Kunnel as the priest-in-charge. Under the sacrificial and able leadership of Sunny Achen, we were able to continue to celebrate the liturgy on a monthly basis on Saturday mornings, and the foundation was laid for a future parish community.
• We are thankful to the St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church (Olathe), St. James Anglican Church (Kansas City), and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (Shawnee), for their timely support, hospitality, and services rendered, especially in permitting the use of their facilities to conduct worship services.
August 2011 – October 2011
• In August 2011, Dn. Diju (Zachariah) Skariah and his wife moved to Kansas City for their graduate studies.
• Recognizing the need and potential in Kansas City, His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebius ordained Dn. Zachariah to the Holy Order of Priesthood on October 29, 2011 at his home parish in Chicago.
November 2, 2011
• His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebius through his written order elevated our congregation and declared St. Gregorios Orthodox Church of Kansas City as a parish under the Diocese of South-West America. Rev. Fr. Diju (Zachariah) Skariah was appointed as the first resident Vicar of our parish.
November 2011 – February 2015
• For nearly 3 ½ years, we were able to rent and use the facilities at New Haven Hispanic Church in Olathe, Kansas to conduct regular worship services on Sundays, celebrate major feast days, conduct monthly prayer fellowships, organize Sunday School classes for our children, and host events such as annual picnic, parish outing, Christmas carol rounding, etc.
March 10, 2015
• Through the prayerful and financial support of our families and well-wishers, by the grace of God, our parish community closed on the purchase of a new church property located at 940 West Santa Fe Trail, Kansas City, Missouri 64145. The journey over the years led us to a property that is beyond what we ever anticipated or could have imagined with 2.63 acres of land along with a 4,000 plus square foot building previously occupied and used as a church.
Since the inception of our parish, the parish has continued to stride forward and build on its foundation. Though we are a small worshiping community, we are forever thankful to the priests who served our parish and the several families and individuals who have supported the growth of our community. At present, we have grown to about 20 families who reside in the area and attend services at our church. We are excited to see what God has in store for us, and we seek your continuous prayers for our parish as we strive to setup more ministries and activities and work towards renovating our altar to reflect our Church architecture and style.
