Roman Catholic Diocese of Alleppey
Encyclopedia
The Latin Catholic Diocese of Alleppey/Alappuzha is a diocese
centred on the city of Alleppey in the Ecclesiastical province
of Trivandrum in India. It lies along the Arabian Sea between the dioceses of Cochin and Quilon
, covering an area of 333 square kilometers.
The boundaries are: on the north, the Kuthiathodu CanalLine; on the south, a straight line from the curve of the Pampa River at Viyapuram to the Arabian Sea through Thottappally; on the east, a line along the middle of the Vembanadu Lake continued to the south by the Pallathuruthy
Canal, one of the main branches of the Pampa River, to Viyapuram; on the west, the Arabian sea
The area assigned to the Diocsese comprises roughly the area of the Jesuit Mission of St.Andre of muteret . The Jesuit started mission work among the St Thomas Christian in this area about 1570. The greatest among the Jesuit missionaries who worked in this area was Fr.Giacomo Fenicio, an Italian, who was Vicar of St Andrew’s Church, Arthunkal, from 1584 to 1602 and again from 1619 till his death in 1632. He was a pioneer in Indology.
A century of intense mission work of the Jesuits, left the Christian community from Cochin to Purakad considerably increased and provided with several churches ,the more important among them being St Andrew’s Aruthukal (1581).St Michael’s Kattor(1590),St Thomas Thumpoly(1600) and St George’s Manakodam (1640). A few other churches built during this period were destroyed either by wars or by sea erosion.
After the Schism of the Coonan Cross , the St Thomas Christians of the Mission of St Andre were reconciled to Rome by Msgr. Guiseppe Sebastiani during his second tour of Malabar in 1662.
Even after the capture of Cochin by the Dutch, the Jesuits continued to look after the Christians of this area till about the middle of the 18th Century. Then the Mission was taken over by the Carmelite Missionaries and remained under the Vicariate of Verapoly till the restoration of the old cochin diocese in 1886.
In 1570 Jesuit missionaries started to work in the area. Five churches were built:
On June 19, 1952 the Diocese of Alleppey was created by a division of the Diocese of Cochin. The "community of Five Hundreds" (Anjoottikkar) was a prominent group.
s of Alleppey:
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
centred on the city of Alleppey in the Ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Trivandrum in India. It lies along the Arabian Sea between the dioceses of Cochin and Quilon
Diocese of Quilon
The Diocese of Quilon or Kollam is the first Catholic diocese in India in the state of Kerala. First erected on August 9, 1329 and re-erected on September 1, 1886, it covers an area of 1,950 km². , and contains a population of 4,879,553 - 235,922 of which are Catholic.It belongs to the...
, covering an area of 333 square kilometers.
History
The Diocese of Alleppey was erected by the Papal Bull “ Ea Redemptoris Verba” of Pope Pius XII, dated June 19, 1952 which divided the northern territory of the old Cochin Diocese at the Kuthiathodu Canal Line. The territory to the north of that line belongs to the Cochin Diocese and that to the south of it,to the Diocese of Alleppey.The executorial Decree of September 8 ,1952 assigned to each of the Diocese of Alleppey and Cochin a supplementary personal jurisdiction over certain parishes in the territory of the other. This Decree was approved by the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith on September 24,1952 and become effective on October 11,1952.The boundaries are: on the north, the Kuthiathodu CanalLine; on the south, a straight line from the curve of the Pampa River at Viyapuram to the Arabian Sea through Thottappally; on the east, a line along the middle of the Vembanadu Lake continued to the south by the Pallathuruthy
Pallathuruthy
Pallathuruthy is a village in the Kuttanad region, in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. Pallathuruthy is a water bound region surrounded by the Vembanad lake. Also, the Pallathuruthy Canal passed through the region...
Canal, one of the main branches of the Pampa River, to Viyapuram; on the west, the Arabian sea
The area assigned to the Diocsese comprises roughly the area of the Jesuit Mission of St.Andre of muteret . The Jesuit started mission work among the St Thomas Christian in this area about 1570. The greatest among the Jesuit missionaries who worked in this area was Fr.Giacomo Fenicio, an Italian, who was Vicar of St Andrew’s Church, Arthunkal, from 1584 to 1602 and again from 1619 till his death in 1632. He was a pioneer in Indology.
A century of intense mission work of the Jesuits, left the Christian community from Cochin to Purakad considerably increased and provided with several churches ,the more important among them being St Andrew’s Aruthukal (1581).St Michael’s Kattor(1590),St Thomas Thumpoly(1600) and St George’s Manakodam (1640). A few other churches built during this period were destroyed either by wars or by sea erosion.
After the Schism of the Coonan Cross , the St Thomas Christians of the Mission of St Andre were reconciled to Rome by Msgr. Guiseppe Sebastiani during his second tour of Malabar in 1662.
Even after the capture of Cochin by the Dutch, the Jesuits continued to look after the Christians of this area till about the middle of the 18th Century. Then the Mission was taken over by the Carmelite Missionaries and remained under the Vicariate of Verapoly till the restoration of the old cochin diocese in 1886.
In 1570 Jesuit missionaries started to work in the area. Five churches were built:
- Holy Cross PurakkadPurakkad-History:The literal meaning of Purakkad is "out of forest". The village of Purakkad was the scene of battle between Travancore and Kochin forces in 1754 AD ad between Travancore and the forces of Zamorin in 1756 AD. There was an ancient port at Purakkad. The Dutch East India Company had a factory...
(1570) - St. Andrew's church ArthunkalArthunkalArthunkal is a small seaside village, about 8 kilometre west of Cherthala and 22 kilometre north of the sleepy Alappuzha town, in the Alappuzha district of Kerala state, South India...
(1581) - St. Michael's church Kattor (1590)
- Holy Cross KadakkarappallyKadakkarappallyKadakkarappally is a village in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. This is a panchayat which come under the Aroor Assembly constituency.-Demographics: India census, Kadakkarappally had a population of 20010 with 9813 males and 10197 females....
(1620) - St. George Manakodam (1640 - rebuilt).
On June 19, 1952 the Diocese of Alleppey was created by a division of the Diocese of Cochin. The "community of Five Hundreds" (Anjoottikkar) was a prominent group.
Bishops
There have been three Latin Rite bishopBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s of Alleppey:
- Bishop Michael ArattukulamMichael ArattukulamBishop Dr.Michael Arattukulam was the first bishop of the Diocese of Alleppey and an Advocate of the Rotae Romanae....
(1952 – 1984) - Bishop Peter Michael Chenaparampil (1984 – 2001)
- Bishop Stephen Athipozhiyil (2001 – present)