St. Thomas
Thommaiarpuram

Parish Name              :   St. Thomas
Address                     :  Thommaiyarpuram - 627104, Vijayapathi (Via), Tirunelveli (Dt.)
Patron Saints            :  St. Thomas
Telephone No           : 

A Brief History :
Thomaiyarpuram’s history began with the migration of fishermen from Kannyakumari District’s coastal villages. Mr. Joseph Vaathiyar’s family from Kadiyapattanam lived in Idindakarai in 1978. Mr. Joseph was an ‘Odavi’ (One who builds the Catamaran) and a great Silambattam teacher. Because he taught Silambattam, he was known as ‘Vaathiyar.’ Mr. Joseph’s family is known as ‘Vaathiyar family’ even today. The people of Idindakarai require a man like him to construct Catamaran. As a result, they encouraged Mr. Joseph to remain in Idindakarai. Over time, Mr. Joseph’s family’s kin moved from Kadiyapattanam to Idindakarai. The inhabitants of Idindakarai started to have problems because of these people’s enhanced strength. The family of Mr. Vaathiyar was forced to move their relatives to the outskirts of Idindakarai as a result. The Aruvikarai landmark is located halfway between Idindakarai and Vijayapathi. This place was known as ‘Muttukuli’ by many.

For their use as a place of worship, Fr. Theophilus Fernando, the parish priest of Idindakarai, constructed a modest church at Aruvikarai in 1980. They began to live on a progressive scale and had seven to twelve residences in Muttukuli. They constructed their homes quite close to Vijayapathi’s riverbed. Heavy rains in this area in 1990 caused the Vijayapathi flood, which wiped out the whole village. Fortunately, no harm came to the folks. In the aftermath, the location is still desolate. The settlement’s ruins can be observed on the side wall of the church and four homes.

After losing everything, they chose to relocate to Avudaiyalpuram. They bought four and a half acres of property from the residents of Avudaiyalpuram in 1990. ‘Thomaiyarpuram’ was the name given to the captured territory. The parish priest, Fr. Rajareegam, built a chapel with a thatched roof. The Fisheries Department stepped forward to build free dwellings for these families. Many fishermen from Kadiyapattam, Manakudi, Culachel, Alikkal, and Pallam moved to Thomaiyarpuram around 1990. Fr. Rajareegam laid the foundation stone for St. Thomas’ Church on 7.7.1993. On 19.6.1996, Fr. Job Derose completed the church work, and Most Rev. Dr. S.T. Amalanathar blessed the Church at Thomaiyarpuram.

The Church was refurbished by the people of Thomaiyarpuram and blessed by Most. Rev. Dr. Yuvon Ambroise on 20.05.2015 during the reign of Rev. Fr. Jayakumar, and on that day Thomaiyarpuram was created as a new parish split off from Idindakarai parish. Thomaiyarpuram parishioners contributed to the construction of the Bell Tower during Fr. Prathiban Liphonse’s parish ministry, and it was finished during Fr. Stephen Mariadas’ parish ministry.

Succession of parish priests:
1. Rev.Fr.  Visenthi Sahaya Ubertus 2015 - 2018
2. Rev.Fr. Viniston 2018 - 2019
3. Rev.Fr. Prathiban Liphonse 2019 - 2021
4. Rev.Fr. Stephen Mariyadas A. 2021 - 2022
5. Rev.Fr. Rajan S. - 2022 - 2023
6. Rev.Fr. Antony Irudaya Thomas 2023 -

Catholic Population : 368

No. of Catholic Families: 98
Sunday Mass Timings: 7:00 a.m.
Weekdays: 6:00 a.m;
Friday ( St. Thoma Novena) -6:00 p.m.

Participatory Structures
1. Five Anbiyams
2. Parish Pastoral Council

Christian Life Societies (Pious Associations)
1. Holy Childhood
2. Congregation of the Eucharistic Warrior
3. Amalorpava Matha Yound Girls Sodality
4. Thoma Youth
5. Holy Family Sodality
6. Annai Teresa Sodality
7. Legion of Mary
8. Panimaya Matha Mathuvilakku Sodality

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New content given by : Rev. Fr.Rajan S.
Previous file name : parish-thommaiyarpuram-st-thomas0.htm
Updated on 4rd May 2023. Final correction done on May 24th 2023

Updated on 12 Jully, 2024