Syrian Church Looks to Renovate Former Sisters of Charity Building
The Syriac Orthodox Church’s plans to construct a garage edition, renovate the interior and build a new cathedral, classrooms and assembly hall at the former Sisters of Charity Building will come before the Board of Adjustment Thursday night.
The property at W. 55 Midland Ave. will be the headquarters for the church’s eastern Archdiocese. The current offices of the Archdiocese are located in Teaneck.
The church purchased the property in 2007, from the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth.
The jurisdiction of the Archdiocese stretches up and down much of the eastern seaboard, but includes churches in Illinois, Michigan, Texas and Indiana. The Church of the Virgin Mary also falls under the purview of the Archdiocese.
The Syriac Orthodox Church has a long history in New Jersey, dating back to the 19th century, when Turkish silk weavers settled in the state, which then had a strong silk industry. The Church of the Virgin Mary, which moved to Paramus in the 1960s, was among the first Syriac Orthodox churches built in America when it opened in West New York in 1927.