| Our Lady Of Velankanni Church | |
|---|---|
| Guardian of our Journey | |
| Annai Velankanni Church | |
வழித்துணை வேளாங்கண்ணி மாதா ஆலயம் | |
 Front View of this church | |
| 12°39′50″N 78°00′19″E / 12.66391288°N 78.0051694°E | |
| Location | NH 44[1], Shoolagiri, Krishnagiri Dt, Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Religious order | Jesuit |
| Membership | 73 Families |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St. Antony's Church |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder(s) | Fr. Heny Bonal and Fr. Issac |
| Dedication | St. Mary |
| Cult(s) present | Catholic devotions |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Modern Architecture |
| Groundbreaking | 2004 |
| Completed | 2005 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Shoolagiri |
| Deanery | Hosur |
| Episcopal area | TNBC |
| Archdiocese | Pondicherry and Cuddalore |
| Diocese | Dharmapuri |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Antony Anandarayar |
| Bishop(s) | Lawrence Pius Dorairaj |
Our Lady of Velankanni Church is a Roman Catholic church located on the service road between Bangalore and Chennai Highway NH 44 at Schoolgirl, 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 origin Catholic church of Schoolgirl; now became a sub-station of this church.
History[edit | edit source]
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 priests from Krishnagiri will occasionally conduct mass there.[3]
St. Antony's Church[edit | edit source]
Later, around the 1970s, Krishnagiri Parish priest Fr. Issac built a church dedicated to St. Antony in Kamaraj Nagar.[4] Till 1998, this church was the sub-station for Krishnagiri Parish.
Later, 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, where the historic Velankanni church was built.[5] Initially, in 2004, Fr. Heny Bonal built a parish house and a grotto for Velankanni.[6]
Present Church[edit | edit source]
The diocese decided to build a new church for Shoolagiri due to space issues in the present St. Antony's church. In late 2004, the groundbreaking for the present church was started and 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[edit | edit source]
In 2003, Sisters from Servants of Mary, started with nursery schools serving in the memorial of John Marie.[8] Later in 2014, the same congregation's sister started St. Mary's High School in Shoolagiri.
See Also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Rreference to the location of this church". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ↑ "This church mentioned in". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ↑ Fr. Susairaj (12 June 2020). "History of Shoolagiri Parish". Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri (in தமிழ்). Dharmapuri: Dharmapuri Pastorial. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ↑ "This church mentioned in indian roman catholic website". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ↑ "village in Krishnagiri District Government ledger". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ↑ "List of priest in this Fr. Heny Bonal in mentioned this list". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ↑ "this church is mentioned when St. Don Bosco relic placed in this church". Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ↑ "about convent sisters of this parish". Retrieved 10 April 2023.