It serves as the cathedral and headquarters of the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem.

The exarchate moved several times and is now at the House of Abraham (French: Maison d'Abraham) at Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem.

It had shares the Liturgy of Saint James and the Syriac language spoken by Jesus and the apostles.

Saint Thomas was the apostle who preached in Mesopotamia (now Iraq and north of Syria and south of Turkey).

In 1986, the Church of Saint Thomas was built at Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem, along with other facilities, including a building for pilgrims and a youth center.