All Saints Church, Vithura
8°40′16″N 77°04′41″E / 8.67111°N 77.07806°E / 8.67111; 77.07806
All Saints Syro Malabar Church is an Eastern Catholic church belonging to Syro Malabar rite, one of the twenty two Sui iuris eastern rites of the Roman Catholic church. It is located in Koppam Vithura, India. Administratively it comes under the Archdiocese of Changanassery.
History
Syrian Christians in Vithura
The presence of Syrian Christians in Vithura started when a Jacobite family bought property in 1925. With the establishment of Lakshmi Estate Plantation belonging to the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla, Syrian Christians started arriving as the plantation management staff in Vithura. In the years that followed Syro Malabar Syrian Christian families like Thevarkad, Aayiravelil, Kalappurakkal, Vachaparambil bought land in and around Vithura and started rubber plantations. Members of these families used to attend mass at a makeshift church en route to Peppara where missionary priests from Belgium working in Trivandrum conducted mass for laity belonging to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon. In 1928 the Divine Provindence Latin Catholic church was established in Theviod near Vithura and it became the spiritual center of all catholic families in Vithura. Today this church comes under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Neyyattinkara. In 1980 the Kottayam Diocese of Knanaya Christians established a church in Thottumukku (Ponpara Estate), near Vithura and all Syro Malabar families joined that parish.
C.M.I. Leadership
A wealthy landlady Kalappurakkal Thressiyama donated 100 acres of land near Vithura to the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (C.M.I.) for the upkeep of her hospital in Payippad near Changanassery. The C.M.I. priests who thus came to Vithura persuaded the Syro Malabar families to buy land for building a church. A committee was formed under the leadership of George Valiyaveettil, Neelikatt Varkey, Joychan Vazhakkad, Jacob Cherupushpam and Joseph Mannampallil resulting in the purchase of land in Koppam in 1985. A makeshift church was built here and the holy mass was conducted by the C.M.I. priest every Sunday.
Present church
The present church was built by the C.M.I. order St Joseph province Trivandrum and was consecrated by Arch Bishop Mar Joseph Powathil on March – 28-1987. A cellular cemetery was built in 1988 and the parish hall in 1995. The Friday following Easter is the feast day of all saints and is hence celebrated as the feast day of the church.
Parish vicars
Year | Head | Order |
---|---|---|
1985–1987 | Fr. Titus Chempunthara | C.M.I. |
1987–1989 | Fr. Valerius Thazhathil | C.M.I. |
1989–1991 | Fr. Alexander Koolippurakkal | C.M.I. |
1991–1998 | Fr. Joseph Poovathussery | |
1998–2001 | Fr Demenius Kocheril | |
2001–2002 | Fr. Roy Kalayil | |
2002–2004 | Fr. Thomas Paulos Parakkal (Tejas) | |
2004–2007 | Fr. James Kalayamkandamattom | |
2007–2009 | Fr. Thomas Plathottam | |
2009–2012 | Fr. Philip Kanjikkal | |
2012–2013 | Fr. Sebastian Kurinjipparambil |
References
- v
- t
- e
- Assemblies of God in India
- Chaldean Syrian Church
- Church of God (Full Gospel) in India
- Church of South India
- Indian Pentecostal Church of God
- Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
- Kerala Brethren
- Latin Catholic Church
- Malabar Independent Syrian Church
- Mar Thoma Syrian Church
- Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
- The Salvation Army
- St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India
- Syro-Malabar Church
- Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
- The Pentecostal Mission
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organisations
- All India Catholic Union
- Angamaly police firing
- Arnos Pathiri
- Benjamin Bailey (missionary)
- Bible translations into Malayalam
- Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
- Christianity in India
- Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
- Hermann Gundert
- Malankara-Persian ecclesiastical relations
- Maramon Convention
- Pentecostalism in Kerala
- Saint Thomas Christians
- Sister Abhaya murder case
- Sisters of the Destitute
- Synod of Diamper
- Syrian churches of Kerala
- Syrian Malabar Nasrani
- Varthamanappusthakam
- Niranam Grandhavari
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