| St Antony's Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 8°58′13″N76°40′11″E / 8.97028°N 76.66972°E | |
| Location | Kanjiracode, Kundara, Kollam-691 501 [1] |
| Country | India |
| Denomination | Latin Catholic |
| Clergy | |
| Priest(s) | Very Rev.Mary John [1] |
St Antony's Church, Kanjiracode is a Latin Catholic Church located in Kollam district in the Indian state of Kerala. [2] [3] The Parish Priest is Very Rev. Fr Tomy Kamans. The Assistant Parish priest is Rev. Fr. Lenin Darwin Leon.
St. Antony's Latin Catholic Forane Church, Kanjiracode is listed among the first churches of Quilon diocese and of Kerala. The church occupies three acres on the northern side of old ceramics road (Sir C.P. Road) in an area dominated by a fishing community.
St. Thomas Christians migrated arrived near Kundara in the ninth century. The parish was officially established in 1502. St Antony's was originally built and blessed in the name of St. Lucia by the administrator of Cochin diocese.
The foundation stone was laid on 27 October 1609 and the church was blessed on 30 April 1609. The church was reconstructed and named after St. Antony of Padua in 1633. After the diocese of Quilon was officially established, Kanjiracode remained under the jurisdiction of Cochin diocese under Padravado and remained there until 1893. In 1975 reconstruction was begun to accommodate more believers. The church was finally blessed on 26 January 1986 by the Bishop of Kollam, his Excellence Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph G. Fernandez, in the presence of Rev. Fr. A. Solomen, Parish Priest and dedicated to the Papal visit of Pope John Paul II in Kerala.
Patron saint St. Antony of Padua is celebrated on the Sunday preceding Ash Wednesday. The feast starts with the unfurling of the flag on the prior Sunday. The unfurling is a colourful function with religious pageantry that is attended by thousands of devotees. Besides liturgical functions, a religious discourse is held at St. Antony's shrine in Mukkada, in the evenings. People of all religious faiths attend these functions. On Saturday the day before the festival a procession is taken from the Church along with colorful floats of saints. The procession proceeds to Perayam, the northern boundary of the Parish and touches the southern boundary at Elampalloor and Mukkada. The Procession is attended by thousands of devotees from across the Diocese and beyond.
On the feast day High mass is celebrated in the morning by a senior church functionary. This is followed by Snehavirunnu (agape), a community Lunch partaken by ten thousand and more devotees, distribution of clothing to the poor, etc. The closing ceremony is the lowering of the flag in the evening with a procession around the church. One important feature is the participation of non-Catholics in the celebrations.
Average church attendance numbers two thousand. Bible study groups, Charismatic movements, Little way association, Legion of Mary, Sodality, Franciscan 3rd order, Jesus youth movement and KCYM active. St. Antony's Novena is conducted Tuesday evenings.
The Parish council consists of 25 members. The Parish Priest is the President of the council. The members are elected from the 8 Parish wards. A four-member finance committee is selected from the council. This four-member committee assists the Priest in other financial activities. B.C.C.:- 54 B.C.C. group are actively participating in all church activities.
Women of Kanjiracode Parish are independent and employed. Catechism classes are conducted by sisters of St. Margaret's Convent for children aged 5–17. A Bible festival is conducted every year and Parish children won prizes in Forane, Diocese and State level.
Financial assistance is offered to poor families for education and also to help with illness. Parishioners help solve family and neighborhood disputes.
The names of the Parish Priests up to 1888 were not recorded.
| Rev. Fr. Antony Disusa |
| Rev. Fr. John |
| Rev. Fr. Mathew Cathanar |
| Rev. Fr. Simon Netto |
| Rev. Fr. Joseph Rodrigues |
| Rev. Fr. Francis Pulickal |
| Rev. Fr. Joseph Fernandez |
| Rev. Fr. Joseph Cruz |
| Rev. Fr. Antony Fernandez |
| Rev. Fr. Stephen Netto |
| Rev. Fr. Francis Fernandez |
| Rev. Fr. K.J. Yesudas |
| Rev. Fr. Charly Consekha |
| Rev. Fr. A. Solomon |
| Rev. Fr. Sebastian Conception |
| Rev. Fr. Peter Jose |
| Rev. Fr. GrigaryJohn Aravijo |
| Very Rev. Msgr. Albert Parisavila |
| Rev. Fr. Yacoob Cathanar |
| Rev. Fr. Silvy Antony |
| Rev. Fr. Martin Fernandez |
| Rev. Fr. Paul Cruz |
| Rev. Fr. J.P.Renaira |
| Very Rev. Msgr. James Puthenpura |
| Rev. Fr. Bernad Decrues |
| Rev. Fr. Xavier Laser |
| Rev. Fr. Michel Netto |
| Rev. Fr. Mary John |
| Rev. Fr. Dominic |
| Rev. Fr. Tomy Kamans |
| Rev. Fr. K.J. Kameyonce |
| ! Shrine | Festival |
|---|---|
| St. Antony's shrine | June |
| Little flower, Perayam Jn. | October |
| Shrine of St. Patric, Kanjiracode | |
| Shrine of St. Jude, Kanjiracode | |
| Shrine of St.Alphonsa, Edakkara | July |
| Shrine of Christ the king and lord, Kanjiracode | November |
The Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly is the major archeparchy and the See of the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church. Mar Cardinal George Alencherry is the present Major Archbishop, and until July 2022 Archbishop Mar Antony Kariyil CMI was the Vicar of Major Archbishop, responsible for the administration of the major archeparchy. Currently Mar Andrews Thazath, Archbishop of Thrissur Archeparchy, was appointed by the Holy Father Pope Francis as the apostolic administrator of the same, replacing Mar Antony Kariyil. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church was elevated to the status of a major archiepiscopal church in 1992 with Ernakulam-Angamaly as the primatal see.
The Diocese of Quilon is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church based in the southern Indian city of Kollam. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Trivandrum. The Diocese of Quilon covers an area of 1,950 km2 that contains a population of some 4.8 million. At least 4.8% of the people in the area are Catholic.
Cherpunkal is a small town in the Kottayam district of Kerala State in India on the Kottayam-Palai Road, seven kilometers from Palai city.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Kalyan is an Eastern Catholic eparchy in India within the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, based in Kalyan, India. The eparchy was established to cater the spiritual needs of the Syro Malabar Christians based in the Indian State of Maharashtra including the metropolitan cities of Mumbai, Pune and Nasik. Its first bishop was Mar Paul Chittilapilly. The current bishop is Mar Thomas Elavanal. The Eparchy celebrated its silver jubilee in the year 2013.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Trivandrum is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church. Its episcopal see is Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India. It shares its see with the major archeparchy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, the Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum. The archdiocese a metropolitan see of an ecclesiastical province with four suffragan dioceses.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alappuzha is a diocese centered on the city of Alleppey in the Ecclesiastical province of Trivandrum in India. It lies along the Arabian Sea between the dioceses of Cochin and Quilon, covering an area of 333 square kilometers. The Diocese of Alappuzha is headed by the archbishop, Bishop James Raphel Anamparambil. The Episcopal see is the Bishop's House which is located near the Alappuzha Beach. The cathedral church of Alleppey is the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral located at Convent Square, Alappuzha.
Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are the prominent religions in Kollam district. As per the Census 2011, out of the total population of 2,635,375 persons, 64.42% follow Hinduism, 19.30% follow Islam and 16.00% follow Christianity. Other religions comprise 0.04%, while 0.25% did not state any religion.
St Mary's Church is a Syro-Malabar parish church in Cheloor/Edathirinji, Kerala, India. The church follows leadership by Syro-Malabar Catholic Church under Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda.
St. Thomas Cathedral is the Syro Malabar Catholic cathedral of the eparchy of Irinjalakuda in India. It presently exists under the nomenclature and the Canonical Status as Cathedral in the Wake of the Origin of the New Eparchy, effected by the amalgamation of the two independent and important parishes of the locality, namely, St. George’s Forane Church and St. Mary’s church, which were amicably situated side by side for about a century.
Champakulam Kalloorkadu St. Mary's Basilica is an ancient Christian Church in Kerala. It belongs to the Syro-Malabar Church under the Archeparchy of Changanacherry. It is a Forane church, with several parishes under it.
Stanley Roman is an Indian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Bishop of Quilon, India, from 2001 to 2018. He also chaired the education committee of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council.
St Andrew's Church, Kovilthottam is a historic colonial-era Roman Catholic church that is located in the Panmana–Chavara panchayat, Karunagappalli taluk, Kollam district, Kerala, India.
The Mother of God Church, also known as the Madre De Deus Church, is a church located in Vettukad in Kerala, India's Thiruvananthapuram district. The current church building was constructed in 1934 and finished in 1937 and has since grown into a small township with a Christian population of 6,770. There is evidence that Christians have existed in Vettukad since the 15th century. Madre De Deus is known for its Feast of Christ the King celebration, which it has been celebrating for more than 500 years. Organisations such as the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM), Legion of Mary, Sodality, Vincent De Paul, and TSSS actively work with the church.
St. Mary's Forane Church, Chalakudy, is one of the 10 Foranes or deaneries under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Irinjalakuda, which was established in 1978 by the bifurcation of Thrissur Diocese. Prior to that, Chalakudy was part of Thrissur diocese, the most ancient Diocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Thrissur diocese has since been elevated to an archdiocese, Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur, within which comes the Irinjalakuda diocese. There are 16 parishes under the Chalakudy Forane. The people of Chalakudy, mainly in business or service sectors, belong to middle or upper-middle-class families. Chalakudy is one of those areas in Kerala with a high concentration of Christian population, most belonging to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
The Infant Jesus Cathedral is a historic Roman Catholic church established by Portuguese during 1614, situated at Tangasseri in the city of Quilon (Kollam), India. It is now the cathedral i.e the Seat of the Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon, the ancient and first catholic diocese of India. The Church remains as a memento of the Portuguese rule of old Quilon city.
St. George Forane Church Kallody is situated in Mananthavady taluk of Wayanad district. It is one of the important churches and pilgrim centers in the region, in communion with the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
St. Antony's Church is a Catholic place of worship in the village of Kuninji in Idukki district of Kerala.
Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Church located in Maywood, Illinois in the United States is the first Knanaya Catholic Church established outside the juridical boundary of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam. This church is also the first church of the Knanaya Region under the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago. The migrants from the Archdiocese of Kottayam living in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin were members of this parish at the time of its establishment on 24 September 2006. The parishioners were formerly members of the Knanaya Catholic Mission established by the Archdiocese of Chicago since 28 October 1983. Later another church was established in Morton Grove on 18 July 2010 for the parishioners living in the north side of 90 Expressway. The church was elevated as a forane church by Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath on 22 March 2015. The parish servers around 400 Knanaya Catholic families.
Our Lady of Purification Church also known as the Port Kollam Church is a historic Roman Catholic church near Kollam Port in Kollam district of Kerala. According to ecclesiastical tradition the church was established by Thomas the Apostle in 52 CE along with six other churches in Kerala and these churches together are called Ēḻarappaḷḷikaḷ. The church follows Latin Rite and is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon.