The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sathankulam

Parish Name : Church of Immaculate Heart of Mary
Address : Sattankulam, Tuticorin Dt. 628 704
Patron Saint : The Immaculate Heart of Mary
Telephone No : 04639 – 266888 / 291920

A Brief History:
The Satankulam Mission was the combination of the older Christian settlement at Somanathaperi and Peikulam and the new settlement of Christians in and around Satankulam. The Jesuit priest Rev. Fr. Dionysius Guchen was the first one to have settled down at Satankulam in 1861. A quarrel between Chettiyars and Nadars at Satankulam was the occasion for the Nadars to adopt the Catholic faith. In 1887, Rev. Fr. Dionysius Guchen prepared a report according to which in 1863 there were about 7,000 Catholics in the parish of Satankulam. In the same report it is indicated that in 1882, the parish of Sokkankudiyiruppu was carved out of the Satankulam parish; in 1887 Satankulam was again bifurcated and as a result Pudur Pragasapuram (Nazareth) became an independent parish.

Consequent upon the trifurcation, the parish of Satankulam was left with only 3584 Catholics, eleven churches, seven chapels and more than eighty villages. There were twelve Catechists who lent their helping hands to the parish priest to cater to the spiritual needs of the people belonging to the parish of Satankulam. In 1890 the parish of Pudur Pragasapuram was suppressed and again in 1909, it was revived and reorganized. In the process, a few villages attached to the Satankulam parish were added to the Pragasapuram parish.

Some of the people of this locality continued to be converted to Christianity thanks to the untiring and relentless efforts of stalwarts like Rev. Fr. Castanier, Rev. Fr. Louis Verdier, Rev. Fr. Gregoire and Rev. Fr. Dionysius Guchen. Christianity continued to thrive well in this part of the country owing to the hard work of the Jesuits.

When Satankulam became an independent parish in 1861, Rev. Fr. Dionysius Guchen was appointed the first parish priest. He took care of the parish without being assisted by any priest. It was in 1886 when Rev. Fr. Nicolas was appointed as his assistant in the Satankulam parish. In 1890, Rev. Fr. Nicolas took charge of the parish. His old age and age-related physical ailments notwithstanding, Rev. Fr. Guchen continued to work hard in the villages converted by him until his death on the 30th of October 1895 at Srivaikundam. His mortal remains were interred in the new church of Satankulam. Rev. Fr. Nicolas continued to be in charge of the Satankulam parish until August 1907. He had a succession of priests to assist him in the parish.

It was Rev. Fr. Nicolas who built the parochial church at Satankulam. The foundation stone for a new church was laid by Rev. Fr. Barbier on the 29th of April in 1888. In 1896, Msgr. Barthe blessed the newly built church, very spacious and convenient. The construction of the parochial church cost more than Rs. 10,000/-. A part of that amount was donated by Marchioness de Traemecourt de Traemecourt with the condition that fifty-two masses be annually celebrated in the new church for the intentions of the donor. The plastering and whitewashing of the exterior and the construction of the towers were yet to be completed. A sum of Rs 1,500/- was still required to complete the entire work. A new presbytery comprising three rooms, spacious and beautiful, was also built by Rev. Fr. Nicolas at a cost of over Rs. 5,000/-. The presbytery had two large verandahs, one in the front and the other at the rear of the presbytery.

The mortal remains of Rev. Fr. Dionysius Guchen who died on the 30h of October 1895 and of Rev. Fr. Casimir Saldanha who died on the 12th of April 1913 were buried inside the parochial church.

When the Diocese of Tuticorin was carved out of the Diocese of Tiruchirappalli in June 1923, Rev. Fr. F. X. Singarayer became the first parish priest of the Satankulam parish. In 1936, a new vicariate headquartered at Satankulam was created with Rev. Fr. K. Arulsamy appointed as its first Vicar Forane.

Succession of Parish Priests (Since the erection of Tuticorin as a Diocese):
1. Rev. Fr. F. X. Singarayer - (1923-1929)
2. Rev. Fr. Payapalli – (1929 - 1936)
3. Rev. Fr. K. Arulsamy (1936-1947) - The First Vicar Forane of Satankulam
4. Rev. Fr. Maria Gnanam (1947 - 1959)
5. Rev. Fr. Stephen Dass (1959 - 1963)
6. Rev. Fr. P.L. Ephrem (1964 - 1974)
7. Rev. Fr. A. Augustine (1974 - 1982)
8. Rev. Fr. T. M. Ambrose (1982 - 1988)
9. Rev. Fr. F. Devasagayam (1988 - 1993)
10. Rev. Fr. Mariadas (1993 - 1995)
11. Rev. Fr. Arthur James (1995 – 2000)
12. Rev. Fr. Joseph S. Leon (2000 – 2005)
13. Rev. Fr. Barnabas (2005 - 2010)
14. Rev. Fr. J. Edward (2010-2015)
15. Rev. Fr. Remigius S. Leon (2015-2019)
16. Rev. Fr. R. Joseph Ravi Balan (2019 - 2024)
17. Rev.Fr. Selva George 2024 -

The Servite Convent
Rev. Fr. Dionysius Guchen gathered some young women aspiring to religious life which implied the promise to keep chastity and formed them as a group known as Beates. The main task of the Beates was to visit villages, teach catechism and baptize the adults and children who were at the point of death. In course of time they started focussing upon the ministry of imparting education to the young girls in the villages of the locality. Numbering only fourteen, they ran schools at Uvari, Sokkankudiyiruppu and Kizhavaneri. They were employed as assistants at Satankulam and Kallikulam.

The Bishop authorized and encouraged the members of the Beates to receive the formation of a religious congregation exactly as it was done by the Sisters of our Lady of Dolours in Tiruchirappalli. Some of the best girls from the Beates group were chosen and sent to the Novitiate in Tiruchirappalli for religious formation. Having been trained by the Novitiate belonging to the Congregation of our Lady of Dolours in Tiruchirappalli, the Beates girls managed to take their name, rule and habits. They made their First Commitment in 1900. The Beates Sisters swore allegiance to the Congregation of our Lady of Dolours. It was decreed that the three sections of the Congregation, namely, the Vellalas of Tiruchirappalli, the Paravas of Tuticorin and the Nadars of Satankulam should be merged into a single congregation and that the congregation would be headquartered in Tiruchirappalli with its Generalate and Novitiate.

The Servite Sisters of Satankulam who were nine in number with four assistants set up a primary school (lower secondary school) with sixty-two boarders and 184 day-scholars. The Sisters with the school were accommodated in the old residence of Rev. Fr. Dionysius Guchen which was eventually extended by Rev. Fr. Nicolas in 1903. A sum of Rs. 12,000/- was spent for putting up a building with a chapel dedicated to St. Joseph, classrooms for the students (girls) and dormitories for the boarders.

Grottos in the Parish: Our Lady of Lourdes at Satankulam
Catholic Population: 2,093
Number of Families: 544 (Satankulam: 456; Amuthunnakudi North: 45; Amuthunnakudi South: 43)

Substations:
1. St. Francis Xavier's Chapel at Amuthunnakudi South
2. St. Antony's Chapel at Amuthunnakudi North

Liturgical Celebrations - Timings:
1. Holy Mass

1.1. Satankulam: On week days : 06.00 a.m.
On Saturdays :07.00 p.m. (Grotto of Lourdes)
On First Wednesdays : 07.00 p.m. (Parochial Church)
On Sundays : 7:30 a.m

1.2. Amuthunnakudi South:
On Sundays : 10:00 / 10:30 a.m
On Thursdays : 07.30 p.m.

1.3. Amuthunnakudi North:
On Sundays : 07:30 p.m.
On Tuesdays : 07.30 p.m.

2. Benediction:

At Satankulam: On Sundays : 05.30 p.m.

3. Eucharistic Adoration (Holy Hour):

At Satankulam: On First Fridays : 07.00 p.m.

4. Special Devotion:

1. Devotion to St. Joseph: The entire Month of March - Holy Mass in the
Morning and Benediction in the evening inside the Parochial Church
2. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary: The entire month of May - Holy Mass
in the morning in the Parochial Church and Vespers and Benediction in the evening at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Participatory Structures:
Anbiyams :
1. There are twelve anbiyams at Satankulam the names of which are found here below:
Punitha Irudaya Matha Anbiyam, Punitha Poondi Matha Anbiyam, Punitha Fatima Matha Anbiyam, Punitha jebamalai Matha Anbiyam, Punitha Saleth Matha Anbiyam, Punitha Paraloka Matha Anbiyam, Punitha Panimaya Matha Anbiyam, Punitha Sagaya Matha Anbiyam, Punitha Carmel Matha Anbiyam, PunithaVailankanni Matha Anbiyam, Punitha Lourdu Matha Anbiyam and Punitha Othasai Matha Anbiyam.

2. There are two anbiyams at Amuthunnakudi - South, namely, Punitha Saveriyar Anbiyam and Punitha Pethuru Anbiyam

3. There are three anbiyams at Amuthunnakudi - North, namely, Punitha Arockia Matha Anbiyam, Kuzhandai Yesu Anbiyam and Punitha Soosayappar Anbiyam.

Christian Life Societies (Pious Associations)
1. Holy Childhood
2. The Eucharistic Crusaders
3. The Sodality of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception
4. The Sodality of the Holy Family
5. The Legion of Mary

Educational Institutions
1. Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School for Boys, Satankulam
2. St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School for Girls, Satankulam
3. Sacred Heart Primary School for Boys, Satankulam
4. St. Joseph's Primary School for Girls, Satankulam
5. R. C. Primary School, Amuthunnakudi - South

Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Servants of Mary (Our Lady of Dolours) - OSM Servite Convent, Satankulam

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New Info provided by : Fr. R.J. Ravi Balan
Scanned pages 11 - 17, Previous file name : parish-sathankulam-immaulate0.htm
Updated on 13th Oct. 2022, Final correction done on May 18th, 2023

Updated on 12 Jully, 2024