Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Our Lady of Good Health Church, Rajakkamangalam Thurai, Kanyakumari

Our Lady of Good Health Church, Rajakkamangalam Thurai, Kanyakumari
Our Lady of Good Health Church is located at Rajakamangalam Thurai, a village in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. There once used to be a long pathway in the past running from the West to the East in the North of the village. This pathway was mainly used by the Kings and the Courtiers of Travancore. They used to visit their subjects as they walk along this way. Hence this pathway was blessed by the Kings by their Majesty. As it was running across our village, it was called Rajakal-Mangalm. Later it became Rajakamangalam and then it became Rajakamangalam Thurai, where Thurai refers to coastal village.

There were Christians in the village even before St. Francis Xavier arrived there. There were about 640 Catholics in 1616 and 584 in 1716. In the late 1704 or the beginning of 1705, the Jesuit Provincial House at Tope was destroyed. The provincial who, then, shifted the House to Colachel feeling its inadequacy, migrated to Rajakamangalam. There was already a well-built church at Rajakamangalam Thurai, believed to have been put up in 1570. A Jesuit priest was probably residing at Rajakamangalam Thurai during the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773.
As the conflagration of love for 'Our Lady of Good Health' was so profound that the elders carried huge stones and other materials on their shoulders from miles away to extend the small church about 150 years ago. Hence it was first extended in 1852. The foundation stone for the present church was laid by Rt. Rev. Bishop T. Roach Agnisswamy S.J on 20 March 1955. It took about 20 years to complete the whole construction work. Rt. Rev. Fr. Leon Dharmaraj and Rev. Fr. A Selvaraj were instrumental in this effort. On 8 September 1976, the new church was blessed and dedicated to 'Our Lady of Good Health' by Rt. Rev. Bishop Marianus Arockiasamy.

The church tower is one of the tallest towers in South India. The present Periyakadu parish was a substation of Rajakamangalam Thurai. Karavilai, is another substation of Rajakamangalam Thurai, was initiated by Fr. Eugene Kulandai in 1964. The church in Karavilai was blessed by Rt. Rev. Bishop Marianus Arockiasamy in 1975.
The Church is located at about 10 Kms from Nagercoil, 22 Kms from Kanyakumari, 13 Kms from Suchindram, 21 Kms from Boothapandi, 8 Kms from Kattuvilai, 10 Kms from Muttom, 13 Kms from Mandaikadu, 17 Kms from Colachel, 18 Kms from Thuckalay, 14 Kms from Eraniel, 18 Kms from Kumaracoil, 18 Kms from Padmanabhapuram and 76 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Nearest Railway Station is located at Nagercoil and Nearest Airport is located at Thiruvananthapuram.