PARISH HISTORY

 St.Thomas Church, Koorachund. 

koorachundu is about 40 kilometers northeast of Kozhikkode. It is the central region of the Athyodi- Kallanode hill. St Thomas Church Koorachundu is by the side of the market. It stands there as a beacon of hope to all the people of Koorachundu. The beginning of the church lay in an oral promise made by Rev Fr Thomas Ayallur that a new church would be built at Koorachundu if a priest’s home was built there. The first priest home was built in no time with the co-operation of all the people. The roofing tile for the building was brought from Muliangal through the kavu. Then a new parish was sanctioned at Koorachundu in 1950. The first vicar had been Rev Fr Varghese Thayyil. The school building which is built with granite was constructed during his tenure. All the granite necessary for the construction was brought to the site by the people on their heads. Each one was expected to bring a few head loads of granite before the mass on every Sunday. Every Sunday enough granite was brought for the next week’s construction. At the same time roads were made to various parts of the parish. With the co-operation of the people the Perampra-Koorachundu-Kariathumpara-Thalayad road and the Koorachundu –Koottalida road were built. Buses started coming from Kozhikkode to Koottalida in those days. During those days the Holy Mass was celebrated in the priest home on week days and in the school building on Sundays. The church then bought four acres of land from Kanayamplakkal Thomas. The first to be buried in the new cemetery was Eazhakkunnel Augusthy. Until then the parishioners had to go to Kulathuvayal church for burying their dear ones. Dead bodies used to be carried on hearses made of bamboo. It was Rev Fr Ayallur who named the church after St Thomas. The first major festival of the parish was celebrated during the time of Rev Fr Thayyil. The first statue of St Thomas was donated to the church by Koottumkal Kurian. The statue was carried in a colourful procession to the church and placed in a prominent position. That was the beginning of the first festival.

Rev Fr Thayyil was a strong support to the migrant Catholic community of Koorachundu. At last he was transferred in June 1954. Now he is taking rest in the priest home at Marykkunnu. It was in 1954 that a new diocese came into existence at Thalasserry. The Papal order for that came out on 31 December 1953. Mar Sebastian Valloppilly took charge as the first administrator of the Thalasserry diocese in March 1954. In 1955, Mysore and Shimoga from Karnataka state were attached to Thalasserry diocese. Mar Valloppilly was anointed the first bishop of Thalasserry in Rome on 1 August 1956. He worked tirelessly for the welfare and the upliftment of the migrant community. God’s boundless blessings were with him to work continuously for his people. He retired after a very long and fruitful service in 1989. Rev Fr Pious Tom took charge as the vicar of Koorachundu on 7 July 1954. He constructed a small chapel in the place of the temporary shed where Holy Mass was said. He also took the leadership for the construction of the cemetery. After four years of meritorious service he went away in October 1958. He passed away after some time. Rev Fr Andrews Vengathanam had come to Koorachundu during the time of Rev Fr Pious. He came first to see his relatives in this area. Unfortunately, he died on his way from his house to the church. His body was buried at Koorachundu. After the inauguration of the Thalasserry diocese, trustees were appointed in this parish as well. Thekkayil Ouseppachan Master, Vettukallel Devasia, Kootumkal Mathew, and Cheriampurathu Thomas were the first trustees. Thekkayil Ouseppachan Master had been the first pastoral council member of Thalasserry diocese from Kulathuvayal forane. He had an important role in all the developmental drives organized at Koorachundu. The next vicar was Rev Fr Joseph Mulavarikkal. He noticed that the compounds of both the school and the church were muddy as a result of the heavy flow of water from the hills during the monsoon. He solved it by building stone walls around the chapel and the school. It was during his tenure that a branch of the sacred heart convent was inaugurated at Koorachundu. He was here till May 1962. Rev Fr Thomas Moolakkunnel took charge as the vicar on 6 May 1962. It was during his period that the new church was built. For the new church building Devasia Vettukallel had donated 5 cents of land. Another one and a half acres of land was purchased from him. The foundation stone for the church building was laid on 18 December 1963 by Mar Sebastian Valloppilly, the bishop of Thalasserry. The work was carried out in a hurry. In only four months both the basement and the foundation were finished. The work on the walls started on 9 April 1964. Behind the new church there was the determination, dedication and solid hard work of all the people. Every Sunday, immediately before the holy mass, the believers carried the granite from the quarry to the church site. It was a painful sight to see the people, particularly the women carrying heavy loads of granite pieces. The service didn’t begin until three loads of granite were brought by everyone. This practice was continued until the building was completed. The granite for the school was also brought in the same manner. The beautiful new church in the shape of a cross was consecrated on 25 March 1969 by Mar Sebastian Valloppilly, the bishop of Thalasserry. The beautiful big church stands there even there as a place of shelter to the people. The wonderful statue of St Thomas placed on the façade had been donated by Antony Kalavanal. click on the link to our facebook page kcym.koorachunduunit