Roman Catholic Diocese of Alleppey

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alleppey (Latin: Alleppeyen(sis)) is a diocese centered 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.

Diocese of Alleppey

Dioecesis Alleppeyensis

ആലപ്പുഴ രൂപത
Location
Country India
Ecclesiastical provinceTrivandrum
MetropolitanTrivandrum
HeadquartersAlappuzha
Statistics
Area333 km2 (129 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2015)
805,000
163,076 (20.3%)
Parishes66
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established19 June 1952 (1952-06-19)
CathedralCathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Alappuzha
Patron saintOur Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Joseph the Worker
Secular priests133
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopJames Raphel Anamparambil
Metropolitan ArchbishopMaria Callist Soosa Pakiam

History

The Diocese of Alleppey was erected by the 1952 Papal Bull "Ea Redemptoris Verba" of Pope Pius XII that divided the northern territory of the old Cochin Diocese at the Kuthiathodu Canal Line. The territory to the north of that line now belongs to the Cochin Diocese and the territory to the south to the Diocese of Alleppey. The executorial Decree of 8 September 1952 assigned to the Diocese of Alleppey and Cochin respectively 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 24 September 1952 and became effective on 11 October 1952.

The boundaries are defined as: to the north, the Kuthiathodu Canal Line; to the south, a straight line from the curve of the Pampa River at Viyapuram to the Arabian Sea through Thottappally; to the east, a line along the middle of the Vembanadu Lake continued to the south of the Pallathuruthy Canal to Viyapuram; to the west, the Arabian Sea.

The area assigned to the Diocese 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. One of the most influential Jesuit missionaries who worked in this area was Fr. Giacomo Fenicio, an Italian who was Vicar of St Andrew’s Church at Arthunkal, from 1584 to 1602 and again from 1619 until his death in 1632. He was a pioneer in Indology.

A century of intense mission work of the Jesuits increased the size of Christian community from Cochin to Purakkad and built several churches, notable among them being St. Andrew’s Arthukal (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 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. Giuseppe 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 until the middle of the 18th century. The Mission was then taken over by the Carmelite Missionaries and remained under the Vicariate of Verapoly until 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 Purakkad (1570)
  • St. Andrew's church Arthunkal (1581)
  • St. Michael's church Kattor (1590)
  • Holy Cross Kadakkarappally (1620)
  • St. George Manakodam (1640 - rebuilt).

On 19 June 1952 the Diocese of Alleppey was created by a division of the Diocese of Cochin, a prominent group being the "Community of Five Hundreds" (Anjoottikkar).

Bishops

There have been four Latin Rite bishops of Alleppey:

Institutions

St Antony’s Orphanage, founded by the Diocese of Alappuzha, is located opposite the Mount Carmel Cathedral, Alappuzha.[2] More than ten thousands of alumni's are working in different parts of the world from this organization which was firmly established by Servant of God Mgr. Reynolds Purackal and Former Bishop Michael Arattukulam.[3][4]

Saints and causes for canonisation
  • Ven. Fernanda Riva[5]
  • Servant of God Sebastian Lawrence Casimir Presentation Valiyathayil[5]
  • Servant of God Reynolds Purackal[5]

References
  1. "ആലപ്പുഴ രൂപതയ്ക്ക് പുതിയ മെത്രാൻ; ഡോ.ജയിംസ് ആനാപറമ്പിൽ ചുമതലയേറ്റു". www.manoramanews.com. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  2. "St Antonys Orphanage".
  3. https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/A-boost-for-industrial-sector-in-Alappuzha/article15294185.ece
  4. http://wikimapia.org/178650/St-Antonys-Orphanage
  5. "Saints & Blessed – CCBI". Retrieved 17 October 2019.

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