About this Blog

St. Agustine's Church is one of the parish churches under Catholic Arch Diocese of Trivandrum (Latin). It is located on the bank of Kadinam Kulam Kayal in Managalapuram Panchayat. This spot is created to serve as a host to facilitate postings related to Saint Augustine's parish.

Church

Church

History

In AD 1800 following an insurrection in the then British ruled Anjengo (Anchuthengu, or Anchingal in older Malayalam version), some Christians from that area were sent away as a precautionary measure. Some of these Christians migrated to Murukumpuzha area. They made small houses (huts) in Kochu thoppu near Murukumpuzha Ferry (Kadavu). Most of them were engaged in fishing.
Later on Christians from Puthen Kurichy (Puthukurichy Forane) and Mampally parishes also migrated to Edanjummoola near Kottrakari. They were under the parish of Puthen Kurichy.
In due course (circa 1850) as the number of believers increased, they started demanding for a separate parish in Murukumpuzha. Subsequently a small church thatched with coconut leaves were constructed in a place between Kochu Thope and Edanjummoola (were the current Church is located). In 1878 when Fr. Manuel de Piedado was the parish priest in Puthukurichy, Murukumpuzha was recognised as a sub station. Then on Baptism, Marriage, Funeral, Burial etc. were being concecrated and celebrated in Murukumpuza.
In 1890 the construction of a concreate (pucca) building for the church was started and was completed in 1894. (M.E. 1096 Dhanu 23 Friday) by Puthukurichy Parish Priest Fr. Fernandez.


In 1933 Murukumpuzha was recognised as an independent Parish. Fr. R.M. Silva became the first Parish Priest. In 1934 a shrine for St. Anthony was also constructed.
In 1957 a Parish Community Hall was constructed under the supervision of Fr. Mark P. Fernandez. It was the first parish hall in the entire Puthukurichy Forane.
In 1980 the current Vicar's House was completed by Fr. Simon John.
Murukumpuzha is proud of its contribution to Trivandrum Diocese in the form of the first native Bishop of Trivandrum Diocese Peter Bernard Pereira. He became the coadjutor Bishop of Trivandrum in 1961 and became the Bishop of Trivandrum in 1966 following the retirement of Bishop Vincent Dereira (who left to his native place - Belgium). He remained as Bishop till June 1978.


The parish was also keen in social and educational sector.
The current Government LP School in Murukumpuzha (Maniyan Vilakom LPS) was started by one of the prominent member of this parish (Manuvel Vadhyar) in 1907 to educate the under previlaged classes. Later he found it difficult to run the school and handed over to the then rulers of Travancore.
The Holy Cross Hospital was started in the year 1969 and was one of the first hospitals in the vicinity of Murukumpuzha.
Infant Jesus Convent ISC school was opened in the year 1990. It is run by Congregation of Carmelite Religious sisters and is serving the students upto Higher Secondary (+2) Level.

Santa Beatris Convent was started in the year 2009.
Today Murukumpuzha has around 3000 Catholics in about 12 BCC units. Most of the male members of the community are working abroad (mainly in the middle east).

St. Augustine

St. Augustine
St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Augustine

Augustine, a Latin church father, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. He "established anew the ancient faith" (conditor antiquae rursum fidei), according to his contemporary, Jerome.

Augustine was born in the city of Thagaste, the present day Souk Ahras, Algeria, to a pagan father named Patricius and a Catholic mother named Monica. He was educated in North Africa and resisted his mother's pleas to become Christian. Living as a pagan intellectual, he took a concubine, with whom he had a son, Adeodatus, and became a Manichean. Later he converted to Catholicism, became a bishop, and opposed heresies, such as the belief that people can have the ability to choose to be good to such a degree as to merit salvation without divine aid (Pelagianism).

In the Catholic Church he is a saint and pre-eminent Doctor of the Church, and the patron of the Augustinian religious order; his memorial is celebrated 28 August.

Rt. Rev. Dr. PETER BERNARD PEREIRA

Rt. Rev. Dr. PETER BERNARD PEREIRA

Rt. Rev. Dr. PETER BERNARD PEREIRA (1917-1978)

Rt. Rev. Dr. PETER BERNARD PEREIRA (1917-1978)

(Second Bishop & First Indian Bishop of Trivandrum) (1966-1978)

Rt.Rev.Dr. Peter Bernard Pereira, was born on 21st June 1917 in an ancient and noble catholic family in Murukkunpuzha (Kottarakkari) in the northern part of the Trivandrum District, Late Bishop’s immediate relative his sister - is now in Malaysia, Mr. F.I. Pereira, Sunnyside, Trivandrum – 4

He was ordained as a priest on 24th March 1944, he was first attached as an Assistant to the parish priest, Scared Heart Church, Chullimanoor- as mission area in the Nedumangad taluk. Later on, he became the parish priest there, and continued as such till 5th May 1945, when he was elevated as Titular Bishop of Ursi and Auxiliary Bishop of Trivandrum. He was Co-adjutor cum jure successions of Trivandrum from July 4th 1961. On October 24,1966, when the then Bishop Rt. Rev, Vincent D Dereire, OCD, resigned from the see of Trivandrum the Diocese of Trivandrum passed on into the hands of Bishop Peter Bernard Pereira, who has had the unique privilege of being the first Indian Bishop to guide the destinies of the Trivandrum diocese. He continued as such for nearly twelve years, until his sad demise on 13th June 1978 after a short spell of illness.

In the reign of Bishop Pereira, the Trivandrum dioceses has had the benefit of acquiring financial stability besides immense progress in the pastoral and mission field. When Bishop Pereira took charge the Trivandrum diocese was lacking in adequate finance, even for its day today activities. His foreign tours in 1957 and 1961 mainly to collect donations for augmenting the slender resources of the diocese were fruitful as it eased a great deal the financial stringency of the diocese. The acquiring of a number of additional landed properties for the diocese was entirely due to the meritorious and selfless work of the late Bishop in this respect.

One of the remarkable events that occurred during the stewardship of the late Bishop was the fearless and active leadership he gave for the successful termination of the “Vimochana Samaram” which occured in 1959 and which has had tremendous and far reaching effect on the educational and political spheres in the state. His staunch leadership in this respect in this part of the state was one of the contributory factors for the successful culmination of that historical event.

In the social field, he achieved a lot for the uplift of the poor and down- trodden. The Trivandrun Social Society started by his was a new field of enterprise at that time in this respect. It was the late Bishop who initiated and implemented the Marianad Project. At Pallithura when hundreds of poor traditional fishermen were evicted to give way for ISRO establishments, Bishop Pereira constructed 220 pucca houses for the victims of eviction in the 18 acres of land, which the late Bishop bought earlier.

The late Bishop served the Trivandrum dioceses with a selfless dedicated spirit. He was born leader, and able administrator, and above all a disciplinarian.

Light Shines through the Roman Rite (Latin) Catholic Church in Kerala

Acknowledgement:- This Article on the History of Latin Catholics in Kerala appeared in the Souvenir of Indian Mission Congress 2009

1. Birth of Christianity in Kerala (52 AD)

Tradition ascribes the dawn of Christian faith in India to the ministry and martyrdom of Apostle St. Thomas. Mention must also be made of a tradition linking another Apostle to India, St. Barthalameo. There is however no dispute regarding the antiquity of Christianity in India. Cosmas Indicoplesthus in the fourth century testifies the existence of a well established Christian community in Malabar (Kerala) and its Persian connection. 
            
But Catholicism as we understand and cherish it now was a much late entrant. It was introduced to this land by Roman Rite Catholic missionaries who started visiting Kerala from the 13th century onwards. Dominicans and Franciscans had started their evangelization in India through the missionary society of societas peregrinantium pro Christo.

2. Diocese of Quilon (09 August 1329)

In the process of missionary endeavors Quilon, Cochin and Verapoli stand out as three corner stones in the history of Catholic Church in Kerala. Quilon has the distinction of being the very first diocese established by Rome in India. Pope John XXII from Avignon issued the apostolic bull Romanus Pontifex on 9th August 1329 establishing canonically the diocese of Quilon (Columbum). By a separate bull Venerabli Fratri Jordano on 21st August 1329 he appointed Jordanus Catalani of Severac, a French Dominican as the first bishop of Quilon. 
            
Bishop Catalani laboured in Quilon, which was a major port and a Christian bastion, as a zealous missionary. His magnum opus, Mirabilia Descripta written around 1334 is considered a landmark chronicle of its time. Bishop Jordanus was martyred by Muslim fanatics in 1336 while on a pastoral visit to Thane in Maharashtra. 

Quilon reemerged as a vicariate when vicariate of Verapoly was divided and the vicariates of Mangalore and vicariate of Quilon were erected. When Pope Leo XIII established the Indian Hierarchy on September 1, 1886 Quilon was again reconstituted a diocese. Doctrina Christiana, the first book printed in Kerala came out from San Salvadore press in Quilon on 20th October 1578. The place where this Padruado press situated is very near to the Bishop’s house in Tangassery. It is still called ‘Achukoodam Parambu’, meaning the land where the press was.           

3. Diocese of Cochin (4 February 1557)

Cochin was the headquarters of Portuguese establishments in India for many years from 1500. During this period it was the headquarters of the Padruado mission also. Because of its achievements in the field of evangelization Pope Leo X made special mention of Cochin in the decree erecting the diocese of Funchal in 1514. The Franciscans, Domincans, Jesuits, and the Augustinians labored tirelessly both among the early Christians and the non Christian population. Many thousands were brought to the liberative light of the Good News and not fewer than 30000 early Christians were restored to the union of Holy See.

In recognition of all these, Pope Paul IV established the diocese of Cochin in 4th February 1557 by the decree of Pro Excellenti Praeeminentia. By the decree Pastorales Offici dated 15th December1572 of Pope Gregory XIII, the bishops of Cochin were required to take possession of the Patriarchal See of Goa when it became vacant. All the Catholic works of charity known today had their origin in Cochin – orphanages, leper asylums, hospitals, jail ministry etc. Padruado mission established India’s first printing presses in Quilon, Cochin, Palliport, Sanpaulur (Ambazhakkad), Vypeekota etc., thus launching Catholic Church’s social communication ministry in India. This was vigorously persuaded by the propaganda mission with Verapoly as its head quarters.

           

Cochin was one of the largest dioceses in the world. Its jurisdiction extended to the whole of south and east of India (including present Bangladesh), Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Srilanka). Cochin was annexed to the Vicariate of Verapoly in 1838. Pope Leo XIII in 1886 restored the diocese of Cochin and placed it as suffragan to Verapoly which he had raised to the status of an Archdiocese in the same year.

4. Synod of Diamper and the Renaissance in Kerala (1559)

The Synod of Diamper was the starting point of the Renaissance movement in Kerala. The Synod of Diamper held in 1599, under the chairmanship of Archbishop Alexis de Mnezes condemned, through it decrees, social evils like child marriage, polygamy, slavery, untouchability, belief in magic and witchcraft,  concubinage etc in a ‘static society rampant with superstitions, dissoluteness and deprivation.' The decrees on social customs enacted at the Synod laid the foundations  of a new society in the middle ages in Kerala. 

It was in the Synod of Diamper (1559) that the early Christians of Kerala pledged their fidelity to the Holy See of Rome in unequivocal terms. The synod effected a thorough restructuring in the Church. Several errors in Faith and Practices were diligently corrected. The synod which was in fact a Catholicization effort was wrongly pictured as Latinisation and foreign domination, by vested interests that were adversely affected by these measures. The prevailing socio-communal atmosphere was conducive to turn this into a general resentment and open antagonism against the Jesuits who then formed the frontline of the Padruado mission.

This resulted in a historic rebellion - the oath at the slanting cross in Mattanchery (Cochin) in 1653. Good majority of the churches of the early Christians seceded from their Archbishop Francis Garcia S.J. forsaking his authority by taking an oath at the foot of a cross. Their Archdeacon was illegally made their ‘Archbishop’ through a farcial ceremony led by some of their priests. Though the revolt is often diplomatically described as one against the Jesuits and the Jesuit Archbishop, in essence it was against the Holy See of Rome. Rome seized this news and acted right in earnest.

Pope Alexander VII bestowed the reconciliation mission to the Carmelite missionaries in 1655. Two delegations were dispatched one by land and another by sea, led by the Apostolic Commisaries Fr. Hycinth and Fr. Joseph Sebastiani respectively. Through the dedicated and relentless efforts of Carmelite missionaries could win back dissident churches one after another in spite of stiff opposition.

5. Diocese of Verapoly


Vicariate Malabar, the forerunner of the Archdiocese of Verapoly was established by Pope Alexander VII on 15th December 1659 and Joseph Sebastiani was made the vicar apostolic and administrator of the Archdiocese of Cranganore. The new vicariate eventually established its headquarters in the island of Varapuzha (Verapoly-Vera Polis-City of Truth).

Verapoly was entrusted with the pastoral care of early Christians of Syro Chaldic Rite, the neo Christians – all belonging to the Roman (Latin) Rite and those early Christians who embraced the Roman Rite. The situation continued till Pope Leo established two separate vicariates for the Syrians in 1887. 

The Carmelite mission rendered meritorious services in the field of evangelization, clerical formation, spiritual revival, press apostolate and education. Pope Clement XVI on 24th April 1709 renamed the Vicariate of Malabar as the Vicariate of Verapoly, with Bishop Angelo Francis as the Vicar Apostolic. This Italian Carmelite wrote the very first book on Malayalam Grammer. His Grammatica Lingua Vulgaris Malabarica showed the path to many later grammarians.

When by the famous Apostolic letter Humane Salutis Auctor, Pope Leo XIII established the Hierarchy of India on 1st September 1886, the vicariate of Verapoly was raised to the status of an Archdiocese. When Syrian Christians were exempted from its jurisdiction on 20th May 1887 Verapoly became the Archdiocese for the Latin Catholics. 

If today Kerala is the most literate state of India it is largely due to the bold and prophetic initiative of the great Carmelite missioner Archbishop Bernardin Bacccinelli. He issued a pastoral letter in 1860 ordering all parishes to establish a school, open to all, alongside the Church. Blessed Chavara Kuriakose Elias who was the Vicar General of the Syr-Malabar Christians in the Vicariate of Verapoly literally carried out this order among his people, spreading the light of education.

6. Reunion of Jacobites with the Catholic Church at Quilon (20 September 1930)

The great reunion movement of Jacobite Christians with the Catholic Church was a significant contribution of Quilon to the Universal Church. It was Archbishop Aloysius Maria Benzigar OCD who arranged the formal acceptance of Mar Ivanios along with his clergy and laity to the Catholic Church in 1930, paving way for the emergence of Syro-Malankara Church. This historic event took place on 20th September 1930 in the Episcopal chapel of Quilon. The very first holy mass in the Catholic Syro-Antiochian (Malanakara) Rite was officiated by Archbishop Mar Ivanios on September 21, 1930 in this chapel.

7. The Light Shines through the Roma Rite Church in Kerala

The Latin Catholic Church which has a profound tradition of missionary works continues to proclaim and testify the mission of Jesus in Kerala. This Church accepts all faithful without distinctions of caste, color, creed or culture in Kerala. Today the Roman Rite (Latin) Catholic Church consists of two Archdioceses such as Verapoli and Trivandrum and nine dioceses such as Calicut, Cochin, Kannur, Kottapuram, Vijayapuram, Alleppy, Neyyatinkara, Punalur and Quilon. 

The Archdiocese of Verapoly with its new project ‘Navadarsan’ has launched in to a revolution in the field of Education. The Archdiocese of Trivandrum focuses on the empowerment of the fisher folk on the coast through Basic Christian Communities (BCC). The Diocese of Neyyattinkara has a special thrust on the integral development of people and collaboration with people of different faith communities. The Diocese of Punalur delves deep in to the liberative mission of the poor and downtrodden. The Diocese of Quilon is toiling tirelessly on the field of Education. The Diocese of Alleppey could organize thousands of fisher folk to demand their rights before the Government. The Diocese of Vijayapuram is striving to enhance the workers especially workers in the rubber plantations. The Diocese of Kottappuram through its various Social Service Activities collaborate with the government to materialize the human development projects. The Diocese of Cochin takes initiatives to empower human resources through various projects and programmes. The Diocese of Calicut has a liberative mission among Adivasis. Kannur focuses on the integral development of people irrespective of caste, creed or religion.

8. The Church Shines as a Participatory Church

The Latin Catholic Church in Kerala consists of twenty lakh people. Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Bishops Council (KRLCBC) is the regional Episcopal body in Kerala. It functions with the cooperation of Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC), which is the apex body of the Latin Catholics in Kerala. It was in May 2002 the Latin Catholic Bishops’ Council after wide consultation inaugurated Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council – KRLCC a larger complimentary body to make the functioning of the Latin Church in Kerala broad based and functionally participatory. This body ensures the cooperation and participation of all sections of the Latin Church.

9. Some of the main objectives of KRLCC
  1. To plan, coordinate and monitor collective pastoral action within the region for preservation, propagation and enrichment of the Catholic faith.
  2. To promote lay leadership in the Church and in the society.
  3. To strive for the modulation of the socio cultural life of the community in tune with the moral principle of the universal Church.
  4. To conduct scientific studies on the various problems affecting the community and to coordinate and guide the movements for the emancipation of the Latin Catholic Community. 
  5. To impart training and formation to the priests and laity in view of a common venture for the total and integral development of the Latin Catholic community.
  6. To evolve a common ecclesiastical discipline within the region.
 

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