Our Lady Of Velankanni Church, Shoolagiri

Our Lady of Velankanni Church is a Roman Catholic church located on the service road between Bangalore and Chennai Highway NH 44 at Shoolagiri. Highway travellers refer to this church as the Guardian of our Journey Velankanni Church.[2] Nearly 70 catholic families are the members of this parish church. St. Antony's Church, which was the original Catholic church of Schoolgiri became a sub-station of this church.

Our Lady Of Velankanni Church
Guardian of our Journey
Annai Velankanni Church
வழித்துணை வேளாங்கண்ணி மாதா ஆலயம்
Front View of this church
12.66391288°N 78.0051694°E / 12.66391288; 78.0051694
LocationNH 44,[1] Shoolagiri, Krishnagiri Dt, Tamil Nadu
CountryIndia
DenominationCatholic
Religious orderJesuit
Membership73 Families
History
Former name(s)St. Antony's Church
StatusParish church
Founded1972
Founder(s)Fr. Heny Bonal & Fr. Issac
DedicationSt. Mary
Cult(s) presentCatholic devotions
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch
StyleModern Architecture
Groundbreaking2004
Completed2005
Administration
ArchdiocesePondicherry and Cuddalore
DioceseDharmapuri
Episcopal areaTNBC
DeaneryHosur
ParishShoolagiri
Clergy
ArchbishopAntony Anandarayar
Bishop(s)Lawrence Pius Dorairaj

History

Around the 1930s, Catholics from Thiruvannamalai settled near the foot of Shoolagiri fort mountain. Later decades, Catholics from the nearby villages settled in Shoolagiri; a chapel was built, and the priest from Krishnagiri occasionally conducted mass there.[3]

St. Antony's Church

Later, around the 1970s, Krishnagiri Parish Priest Fr. Isaac built a church dedicated to St. Antony in Kamaraj Nagar.[4] Till 1998, this church was the sub-station for Krishnagiri Parish.

On June 26, 1997, the Dharmapuri Diocese decided to assign Royakotta Parish Priest Fr. Heny Bonal MEP as the in-charge of St. Antony's Church. In 2002, the Diocese acquired two acres of land in Marudhandapalli village,[5] where the historic Velankanni church was built. Initially, in 2004, Fr. Heny Bonal[6] built a parish house and a grotto for Velankanni.

Present church

The diocese decided to build a new church for Shoolagiri due to space issues in St. Antony's church. In late 2004, the ground breaking for the present church was started. It was completed on June 11, 2005.[7] On the same day, by order of Bishop Joseph Anthony Irudayaraj, Shoolagiri Parish was created from Krishnagiri Parish, and this church became the parish church of Shoolagiri, and the old St. Antony's became a sub-station of this church.

Convents and schools

In 2003, Sisters from Servants of Mary, started their church service with nursery schools serving in the memorial of John Marie. Later in 2014, the same congregation's sister started St. Mary's High School in Shoolagiri.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Rreference to the location of this church". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  2. "This church mentioned in". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  3. Fr. A Susairaj (12 June 2020). "History of Shoolagiri Parish". Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri (in Tamil). Dharmapuri: Dharmapuri Pastorial. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. "This church mentioned in Indian Roman Catholic website". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  5. "village in Krishnagiri Dstrct Goverment ledgger". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  6. "List of priest in this Fr. Heny Bonal in mentioned this list". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  7. "this church is mention when St. Don Bosco relic placed in this church". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  8. "about convent sisters of this parish". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
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