Cherpunkal

Cherpunkal ചേർപ്പുങ്കൽ
town
Cherpunkal Holy Cross Church
Cherpunkal Location in Kerala, India Cherpunkal Cherpunkal (India)
Coordinates: 9°41′23″N 76°38′6″E
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Kottayam
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	686 584
Vehicle registration	KL- 35
Nearest city	pala
Lok Sabha constituency	kottayam
Climate	good (Köppen)
Website	Holy Cross Church Mutholath Auditorium A/c

Cherpunkal (Malayalam ചേർപ്പുങ്കൽ) is a small town in the Kottayam district of Kerala State in India on the Kottayam-Palai Road, seven kilometers from Palai city.

Cherpunkal is famous for Holy Cross Forane Catholic Church, believed to have been established by Thomas the Apostle himself. It is also believed that St.Thomas left his sandals there while taking a bath in a nearby Meenachil River.

HOLY CROSS FORANE CHURCH, CHERPUNKAL

On the southern banks of the [[Meenachil River[[ is perched the fabled and renowned Holy Cross Forane Church of Cherpunkal. The church premises sprawl along the river side and include the old and new churches, the presbytery, the old and new parish halls and the swanky buildings housing the High School, the Higher Secondary School and the Bishop Vayalil Memorial Holy Cross College with the terraced church cemetery in the background right across the Kezhuvamkulam road. The open yard in front of the church can accommodate thousands of people during festivals. The church is visited by thousands of people from far and wide during festivals and on first Fridays.

Relics

The relics of St. Sebastian, St. George, St. Alphonsa, Blessed Thevarparampil Kunjachan and of the Holy Cross are kept in the church and are taken out in a procession on feast days to help the devotees in their worship. The Holy Cross Church has four chapels at Cherpunkal town, the western junction of the town, Kezhuvamkulam and Neyyoor in addition to a Grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Chempilavu.

Parishes

The Holy Cross Forane Church Cherpunkal is under the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Palai and it has 13 parishes under its jurisdiction. It has become a renowned pilgrim centre not only because of its association with St.Thomas but also because of the deep faith of the devotees in Infant Jesus’ divine presence. In the spiritual map of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church this church occupies a pride of place showering all blessings on the devotees that throng to the church in their thousands.

History

Tradition has it that the stone laid by St.Thomas ultimately led to the founding of the Holy Cross Church at Cherpunkal. In the course of his Gospel preaching he landed at the Moonnupeedikayil ferry and interacted with the people there. As a result of this contact members of five families received the Christian Faith and were baptized. A cross was believed to have been set up at a place chosen by the apostle for these people to assemble and pray. The place where the cross stood, with the passage of time, came to be called Cherpunkal. It is believed that this cross had been instrumental in working numerous miracles. In response to several requests sent abroad a crucifix embossed on a single piece of wood arrived. In accordance with an order issued by the king of Poonjar, the church built on the northern bank of the Meenachil River was shifted to the southern bank. The foundation stone for the new church was laid on 14 September 1096 and the construction work started forthwith. The land for the construction of the church was donated by Kallampally Namboothiri, a landlord of great social standing. The old church, which is still preserved, was built in the 15th century to accommodate the increasing number of believers. The routine of offering the Holy Mass on the main altar for the Kallampally family on 14 September every year still continues. The old church and the presbytery were constructed under the supervision of Rev. Philipose Vattamattathil. The new church was blessed in 1911 by the vicar general Msgr. Cyriac Kannamkary during the tenure of the then Vicar Apostolic Mar Thomas Kurialacherry.

Relevance of the Church

Cherpunkal Holy Cross Forane Church is one of the big churches in the Palai Diocese. The church was built in the Gothic fashion. The façade of the church has three arches with a tall belfry behind them; the altar is decorated with gold-coloured patterns; the chancel is beautified with unfading pictures. The church instigates an indescribable spiritual obsession. In 1958 during the vicariate of Rev. Fr. Thomas Plakkat the ceiling work for the roof of the church was done. The portico of the church was built during the time of office of Rev.Fr. Francis Mailadoor.

Festivals

Every year there is a celebration in commemoration of the stone-laying of the church on the southern bank of the Meenachil River on 14 September, which happens to be the feast of the glorification of the Holy Cross. The most important celebration of the Holy Cross Church is in commemoration of the circumcision of Jesus. The long celebrations commence with the hoisting of the flag and the subsequent nativity celebrations on December 25th. During the eight days that follow there will be devotional services, processions with due ceremonials from all the four corners of the parish, pyrotechnics and numerous artistic performances which make the occasion spectacular. The church and its premises are filled to capacity by devotees during the prayers that ring out the old year and ring in the New Year as well as during the ceremonial Holy Mass. A beautiful memorial was erected, though after many centuries, in commemoration of the place where the apostle marked the site of the church with a sandal. A plot of land which was in the possession of Mathew Kurian Valepeedikayil was handed over to the church in 1927 on the condition of a yearly High Holy Mass for the members of his family and on this land Rev. Dr. Augustine Kachiramattam built the memorial in 1988. It was blessed by the then Bishop of Palai Mar Joseph Pallickaparampil.

Pilgrim Center

The Holy Cross Church at Cherpunkal is now a renowned pilgrim centre. This church, which was started by St.Thomas by erecting a cross, is a church of the cross. The ‘Mar Sleeva Muthappan’ of the Holy Cross Church of Cherpunkal is veritably Christ Himself. For the devotees the Jesus of this church is the Infant Jesus, the ‘Kudathelunni’, as they lovingly call him, reigning supreme on the throne that is the earth, with his golden frock, golden crown, golden flag, wearing golden bangles and showering his blessings on all. The devotion to Infant Jesus, the Novena associated with it and the offering of gingelly oil and gold made this church a famous pilgrim destination. The long tradition of offering oil at the Holy Cross Church is based on a bible-centered Jewish observance. The worshipful novena done before the Holy Sacrament immediately after the Holy Mass on every Friday is one of the pious observances that bring special favours to the devotees. The services on the first Friday of every month is very famous. The most important offering at the Holy Cross Church Cherpunkal is the participation in the Holy Mass and the special novena on nine consecutive first Fridays and the offering of oil for the ever burning unfading lamp. On the first Friday of the month the services at the church commence at 4.15 in the morning. On first Fridays the queue for offering oil continues from midnight to midnight. There will be Holy Masses and novena till seven in the evening. The number of people coming to the church on other Fridays also is on the increase. The novena prayers, which give solace and hope to many, were prepared by the assistant vicar Rev. Fr. Jose Eanthanal in 1977. It is customary for devotees to offer gold chains, gold rings, gold bangles and gold crown to Infant Jesus for special favours received. The statue of Infant Jesus at Cherpunkal has miraculous powers. On December 31st, the day commemorating the purification of Our Lady, the devotees themselves can put gold ornaments on the statue of Infant Jesus after the vespers.

Evening Prayers

The evening prayers on Sundays are another observance that offers the fullness of spiritual celebration. It was Rev.Fr.Jacob Mannalal serving as vicar during 1969-70 who divided the parish into 30 wards. The representatives from these 30 wards who assemble once every month with the vicar in the chair, take decisions about the administration of the church. In order to overcome the difficulties caused by the bifurcation of the parish into two parts by the Meenachil River a bridge was built under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Francis Mailadoor with the help of contributions from the church and the parishioners. A three storied building was constructed in 1988 for the High School that started functioning with the 8th standard in 1982. In 1984 the church was elevated to the status of a Forane church. In 1991 Bishop Mar Joseph Pallickaparampil blessed the chapel built by Rev. Fr. Cyriac Kunnel in the Cherpunkal town. When the number of devotees offering oil increased the present portico was built and the statue of Infant Jesus was placed in the portico in front of the main door of the church and a new lamp was erected for devotees to pour oil. The Bishop Vayalil memorial Holy Cross College was started in 1995 with the concurrence of the government and the Mahatma Gandhi University. In 2002 the St. Sebastian church was completed at Kidangoor on a plot of one acre and eight cents of land donated by Rev. Fr. Sebastian Chempakassery who belonged to the Cherpunkal parish. A new block was built in 1998 to house the newly introduced higher secondary course. The blessing of the Mar Sleeva Parish Hall took place in 2001. As an extension of the old presbytery, a two-storied block was constructed under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Abraham Kaniyampadikal to house the vicar’s office on the first floor and the Infant Jesus stall on the ground floor for the sale of religious books and other articles. Though the stall was started in 2005 the administrative block had been completed in 2002. In 2006 the nursery school which had been functioning in the old parish hall was shifted to the new school building. In 2006 a new three storied building was constructed for the BVM Holy Cross College under the able guidance of Rev. Fr. Abraham Kaniyampadikal. Its inauguration took place in April 2006. Though the feast of the purification of Our Lady on the first of January is the chief celebration, there are other celebrations also including the feast commemorating the foundation day of the church on 14 September, the feast of St. Alphonsa in July and the feast of St. Joseph in March. In addition to these celebrations the feasts of St. Sebastian, St. George and Our Lady of Sorrows are also observed.

MUTHOLATH NAGAR, CHERPUNKAL

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Mutholath Nagar Sign Board

Mutholath Nagar is a designated area for social service at Cherpunkal village in Kottayam district between Ettumanoor and Palai. The location is at Cherpunkal on the bypass roadside of Ettumanoor–Palai road.

Main social service institutions at Mutholath Nagar are Good Samaritan Resource Centre, Agape Bhavan and Mutholath Auditorium that are owned and operated by Kottayam Social Service Society (KSSS). KSSS is the official social service department of the Archdiocese of Kottayam.

KSSS is a registered non-profit organization of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kottayam established in 1964 to organize social service activities for all people that are below poverty line. KSSS organizes self-help groups of the marginalized sections such as women, farmers, widows, and disabled. The society aims at empowering the people for development. Kottayam Social Service Society is a pioneer in the Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) for persons with disability in Kerala.

The land for the Mutholath Nagar was donated by M.C. Chacko and Achamma Mutholath and the buildings were sponsored in their memory by Fr. Abraham Mutholath who is from St. Peter and Paul Church, Cherpunkal and is a priest of the Archdiocese of Kottayam. Fr. Abraham Mutholath is the former vicar general of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago.

Good Samaritan Resource Centre

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Good Samaritan Resource Centre, Cherpunkal

Good Samaritan Resource Centre is located at Mutholath Nagar in Cherpunkal is an Ability Development Centre inaugurated on August 21, 2011 by Minister of Kerala Mr. K.M. Mani and presided by Archbishop Mar Mathew Moolakkatt. This center functions as the State Learning Centre for the Rehabilitation of Deafblind Persons with all types of disabilities. Its services focus on the integral development of persons with disabilities so that they develop their available talents, become self-reliant as much as possible, and generate income for their living if possible. The centre also educate the family of the disabled for a positive attitude towards the disabled member in their family. Good Samaritan Resource Centre is unique in its services, offering holistic care and rehabilitation services for the Persons with Deafblindness and Persons with Multiple Sensory Impairment (MSI).

Agape Bahvan

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Agape Bhavan at Agape Junction, Cherpunkal

Agape Bhavan is situated Agape Junction half kilometer north of Cherpunkal Junction on the side of Cherpunkal-Palayam road. This institution serves the physically and mentally disabled persons and their families. It also has a notebook making unit and paper bag production unit for nearby hospitals that support the disabled and members of the self-help groups in the area. The institution started functioning in a newly constructed classroom on August 16, 2014. The fully constructed building was blessed by Archbishop Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry in the presence of Mar Mathew Moolakkatt and inaugurated by the then Finance Minister of Kerala Mr. K.M. Mani on January 2, 2006. The land and building were donated by Fr. Abraham Mutholath on the 25th anniversary of his priestly ordination.

Mutholath Auditorium

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Exterior View of Mutholath Auditorium

File:Interior view of Mutholath Auditorium at Cherpunkal.jpg

Interior view of Mutholath Auditorium at Cherpunkal.

Mutholath Auditorium is constructed at Mutholath Nagar for the training and gathering of social workers in the state or local level. This air-conditioned auditorium is also available for service to the public at reasonable facility usage fee. Its revenue is fully used for the maintenance of Good Samaritan Centre and Agape Bhavan at Cherpunkal. This auditorium was blessed and inaugurated by Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church Mar George Cardinal Alencherry 14th February 2017. His Grace Mar Mathew Moolakkattu presided over the meeting. On this day, His Eminence Cardinal Alancherry requested Archbishop Mar Mathew Moolakkattu to name the campus, Mutholath Nagar.

References

Holy Cross Forane Church, Cherpunkal Mutholath Auditorium A/c