Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church is a
Roman Catholic parish church in
Thenkaraikottai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It comes under the administration of
Dharmapuri Diocese.
History
The church is situated in the hamlet of Fatima Nagar, adjacent to the village of Thenkaraikottai.
There are no official records or evidence regarding the origin of
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in Thenkaraikottai, however, a book written by Fr. M.S. Joseph in 1840 mentions this place. Fr. Mariyan Franc MEP, a priest from
Kovilur parish, also made note of Catholic families residing in the area. In the 1920s, Fr. Sievek MEP, a priest from Kovilur, constructed a Priest House in Thenkaraikottai. In 1930, Thenkaraikottai became a sub-parish of
B.Pallipatti parish church, when Fr. Charles Devin MEP, the parish priest of
B. Pallipatti, established a church here.
On June 5, 1949, this church became a parish church, with Fr. Reval MEP serving as its first parish priest. During his tenure, the St. Joseph Elementary School was founded to provide education for the local children. In 2004, St. Joseph Primary School was upgraded to a high school. Since 1965, the Gonzaga Sisters of Pondicherry have served in this church.
In 1973, Fr. Jegaraj constructed the current Parish House.
Under the guidance of Parish Priest Fr. Arulsamy the current church building was built, and blessed by
Salem Diocese Bishop
Michael Bosco Duraisamy
Michael Bosco Duraisamy (born 29 April, 1929 in Aachen) was an Indian prelate and third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salem
The Diocese of Salem ( la, Salemen(sis)) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the ...
on January 21, 1992. Subsequently, during Fr. George's tenure in 2010, a bell tower was erected next to the church.
See also
*
B Pallipatti
B. Pallipatti is a village in the Dharmapuri district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The village code is 643526, and it is under the jurisdiction of B. Pallipatti Gram panchayat, Grama panchayath.
Location
The town is located 38 km f ...
*
St. Francis Xavier Church, Kovilur
The Saint Francis Xavier Church in Kovilur, Dharamapuri is the oldest parish church in the diocese. It is called the mother church and the first Parish in the entire diocese. This church has been in service over 100 years, but over 300 years cat ...
*
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, B Pallipatti
References
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri
Roman Catholic churches in Tamil Nadu
Churches in Dharmapuri district
Roman Catholic churches in Dharmapuri Diocese