Our Lady of Lourdes Church
தூய லூர்து அன்னை ஆலயம்
Front View of this church
12°19′03″N 78°35′01″E / 12.3174°N 78.5836°E / 12.3174; 78.5836
LocationVisuvasampatti, Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu
CountryIndia
DenominationCatholic
History
StatusParish
Founded1969
Founder(s)Fr. J.Martin MEP
Fr. Fidalis SDB
DedicationSaint Mary
Cult(s) presentLatin Rite
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch
StyleModern Architecture
Groundbreaking1992
Completed1993
Administration
ArchdiocesePondicherry and Cuddalore
DioceseDharmapuri
Episcopal areaTNBC
DeaneryHarur
ParishVisuvasampatti
Clergy
ArchbishopFrancis Kalist
Bishop(s)Lawrence Pius Dorairaj
Priest(s)Fr. I. Robert

Our Lady of Lourdes Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Visuvasampatti village in Krishnagiri district, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It comes under the administration of Dharmapuri Diocese.[1]

History

Although the Catholic settlement in Visuvasampatti occurred in 1935, records suggest that Catholic MEP missionary activities took place in this village during the 1800s. According to Fr. Debian, the parish priest of Elathagiri, as documented in his records, people from Kaanampatti and Malliyampatti, presently located to the northern side of Uthangarai, migrated to Elathagiri around the 1820s. In 1853, Fr. Moury Amedee, an MEP priest of Kovilur parish, mentioned the presence of Catholics in Reddivaasal and Krishnapatti, which were located near present-day Visuvasapatti. Unfortunately, their further history remains unknown.[2]

According to local accounts, in 1930, the government decided to distribute common lands in Maganoorpatti to poor farmers. During this time, the Madras sub-registrar, J.C. Raayan, shared this information with Salem Diocesan priests and assisted many Christians in acquiring farmland in this village.[3] Additionally, a child from this village was baptized in 1938, as recorded in the Elathagiri Parish baptismal records. According to the Salem Diocese Jubilee magazine, Catholic settlements were established in this village in 1936. Subsequently, many Catholic settlements were established here from villages around Salem. Locals also mention that around 1936, Dharmapuri sub-registrar Rayappan helped by registering land for the newly settled people.[4]

During the famine of 1935, Fr. Fidalis SDB, the first missionary who stayed in this village, preached and helped people overcome the disease. During this time, he placed a cross in the village, which aided in alleviating the disease. Today, a St. Sebastian grotto stands where the cross was originally placed. Fr.Fidalis named this place Visuvasampatti. In its early days, this church was under the administration of Tirupattur Salesian priests. Later, between 1942 and 1960, this church became a substation of Elathagiri parish, B. Pallipatti parish, and Thenkaraikottai parish. Between 1948 and 1955, Father J. Martin MEP permanently resided in this village as a missionary priest and assisted in the spiritual and social development of the people. Subsequently, from 1962 to 1968, this church once again came under the administration of Tirupattur Salesian congregation priests as a mission parish church. During these years, thanks to the preaching of Father Abraham SDB, nearly 24 people converted to Catholicism and were baptized. In 1969, this church once again came under the administration of the Salem Diocese and was elevated to the status of a Parish Church with the substations of Uthangarai and Mittapalli. Later, in 1982, Uthangarai became an independent parish from Visuvasapatti, while the Mittapalli church was closed.[5]

In 1986, the Missionary Sisters of the Queen of the Apostles, India (SRA) congregation, established a convent in Visuvasampatti. Subsequently, they started hospital in the village, and in 2009, they established a school in this village. These dedicated sisters continue to provide valuable service to this church and actively contribute to the betterment of the local villages socially.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://dharmapuridiocese.org/parishes/lists.html
  2. ↑ Staff writer(s). Saritha Surukkam. Salem, India: Salem Diocese. p. 87.
  3. ↑ Staff writer(s). Saritha Surukkam. Salem, India: Salem Diocese. p. 111.
  4. ↑ https://dharmapuri.nic.in/directory/registrar/
  5. ↑ Staff writer(s). Salem Diocese Jublee Magazene. Salem, India: Salem Diocese. p. 33.
  6. ↑ https://www.srasisters.org/sou/php/home.php
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