St. Thomas Church Mallikassery

Going Down in History

St. Thomas Church Mallikassery belonging to the Syro- Malabar Rite in the Diocese of Pala is situated in Mallikassery of Elikulam Village and Panchayat, Kanjirappally Taluk, Kottayam District. It stands on Paika- Pinnakanad Road, 4 kilometres east of Paika and 4 kilometres west of Pinnakanad. It was on the neighbouring parishes like Vilakkumadam, Elikulam, Paika, Thidanad and Chemmalamattam that the faithful of the locality depended for their spiritual needs and liturgical services. Mallikassery Church is, actually, the materialization of the dream of Shri. Kochuthommen Kuruvinakunnel(Mylickakunnel). But his efforts did not bear fruits consequent on his untimely death.

In the month of December 1953, while Rev. Fr. Sebastian Kunnathupurayidom, the then vicar of Vilakkumadam and Rev. Fr. Zacharias Poovathumgal, the then Head master of Vilakkumadam High School, were travelling across the area, they became convinced that it was a prime need of the locality to have at least a filial church. When they expressed the view, the dream of a church for the faithful of Mallikassery took wings.

The Kuruvinakunnel (Mylickakunnel) Family and other local people extended unstinted support and full cooperation. Thus, it was decided to construct a filial church. Then, Smt Annamma Thomas Kuruvinakunnel, wife of late Kochuthommen Kuruvinakunnel (Mylickakunnel) proposed to donate the land and construct the church. The local people undertook willingly the task of building the presbytery. A committee was constituted at the General Body Meeting, convened at Mylikakunnel House on February 8, 1954. Shri Abraham J. Kallivayalil, husband of Smt Annamma Thomas's daughter Smt Rosamma Mylickakkunel, was chosen as the convener of the committee.