Rev. Fr. Lourdu Irudayaraj  - The Parish Priest, St. Mary's Church, Sirumugai P.o, Coimbatore- 641 302.

HISTORY

Sirumugai was one of those millons of small villages, dotting the whole country - side of India, unknown to out-siders and without any special importance to merit historical mentioning. That was so, till the Italians came on the scene, with their South India Viscose Company, with Indian collaboration in 1960. A plot of land was bought in August 1964, and a small chapel was built by Fr. S. Saveriar and blessed by Bishop Savarimuthu. It was separated from Mettupalayam parish and erected as a new Parish on 25.02.1974 by Bishop Visuvasam. The Parish Priest was Fr. Joe Adaikalam. A new presbytery was built by Fr. Joe Adaikalm and was blessed by Bishop Visuvasam on 12.9.1974. A new church was constructed by Fr. K. P. Vincent and blessed by Bishop Ambrose on 26.1 . 1991. The foundation was blessed by the same Bishop on 24.12.1989. A new bell for the church was blessed on 9.9.2001. A belfry and Grotto was constructed by Fr. M. Jesudass and blessed by Bishop Ambrose on 17.2.2002.Fr. M. Pancras, Fr. Patrick D’ Rosario, Fr. Vincent Paul Raj, were also Parish Priests of this Parish.

But a surprising historical factor of this recent parish, is that most of its sub-station are of the greatest antiquity of Christianity of our Diocese : Peria Komarapalayam, where there is an Elementary School under the management of the Diocese, with just 4 families, Goundampalayam also xvith 4 families, Peria Kallipatty with 3 families and Alapalayam with 2 families - all belong to the Missionary period of the Jesuits of Madura Mission. Infact these villages are situated around Kannuvakkarai, which was thc residence of Missionaries till 1735 atleast. All these villages had considerable number of Christians of the Weavers’s Caste (but Kaikola Mudaliars) conerted by Fr. Martinez and (Fr. Arcolini S.j., between 1650 - 60) so much so, Kannuvakarai was the Residence of the Missionary. Till the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773, thes villagees were flourishing Catholic centers, having their small chapels, only Kannuvakarai is mentioned in the letters of these first missionaries. But Fr. Bechu, following Fr. Luney MEg mentions: that by 1666, the Christians had spread from Kanuvakarai to Kallipattai and Muduthurai. These early Christians had to suffer persecutions from their co-caste people, due the instigations of the yogis, but it is a great tribute that none of them apostatized. Kannuvakarai was the main center for these Christian villages and hence they were the beneficiaries of the care of the early missionaries, Fr. Emmanuel Martinez and Fr. Arcolini who had their residence there. But the Catholics were quarrelling among themselves and with the local non-christians and thus had to settle Kallipatti and Muduthurai (Cfr. Bechu : op:cit p.23).

However when Fr. Dubois, the first priest of the French Foreign Mission Society came in 1803, to search for the remanents of the Christians after the dreadful persecution of Tippu Sultan till 1799, he was able to discover a few and he must have found the church and presbytery at Kannuvakarai, though destroyed by Tippu’s soldiers, but still the remains existing. So to establish the right over those property and he built a compound wall around the property with the contribution of the Catholics of the area (Cfr. Luney: Vol I. p.l97) Many must have apostatized but he brought back some to the Christian faith. Anyhow, though Kanuvakarai itself had disappeared as a Christian center, the other neighboring Christianities were existing when Coimbatore became a Vicariate Apostolic with Bishop de Bresillac as the first Pro-vicar Apostolic in 1846. In the first official statistics of our diocese in 1855, we find mentioned under the district (parish) of Kodiveli, as its substations : Goundempallayam : 110 Christians and a chapel; Callipetty: 63 Christians and a chapel; Mududorei 80 Christians and a chapel and a house, Goundempallayam; 25 Christians, but no chapel; Kumarapalayam with 1 20 Christians, no chapel; Allampalayam with 29 Christians. Fr. Lefeure was the Priest in charge (Cfr. Bechu:p.42). These villages were looked after by the Missionary from Kodiveri and some of them had managed to put up a chapel. Though few in number all of them had persevered and some of them were even holding lands, till the middle of the last century. Due to frequent failure of monsoons, many of them migrated to Coimbatore mainly and settled down in Swamiar Street of the Cathedral parish and then slowly migrated tc Gandhipuram and from there to Rathinapuri, where most of their are to be found. Many of them have prospered and have their owr workshop etc. Though they had left their original villages long ago, they still retain their umbilical relationship with their viflage - where they have still their houses and the chapels, by going dowr in groups to celebrate the Annual festival of their Patrons!

Karanoor, once a flourishing conversion center in 1930s, witl the missionary work of Fr. Audiou and Fr. Shervier, unfortunatel) did not persevere and some of the faithful ones had settled dowr else-where. Sirumugai, the parish center, is now on the decline as the Rayon Factory had closed down, which was the life-givin source and the Christians mostly settled down here from elsewhen are slowly migrating since they can not find any suitable job here.

Main Staion

Distance from the Cathedral Church : 45 K.Ms.

Total No. of Catholic Families both in the Main & Sub Station : 116

Total No. of Catholic Families in the Main Station : 103

No. of Cathohcs in the Main station : 500

Mass Timings

Weekdays : 6.00 p.m

Tuesdays : 6.00 p.m Mass & Novena to St. Antony

Saturdays: 6.00 p.m Mass & Novena to our lady of Vailankanni

Sundays : 8.00 a.m

Lay Association :

1. Altar Boys’ Association

Patronal Feast : Second sunday after Sep 8th

SUB - STATIONS

1.Peria Komarapalayam

Distance - 16 K.Ms

Families - 5

No. of Catholics - 15

Mass Timings - 10.30 a.m 4th Sunday

Diocesan Institutions - 1 R.C. Aided Primary School

2. Peria Kallipatty

Distance - 14 K.Ms

Families - 4

No. of Catholics - 15

Mass Timings - Occasionally

3. Goundampalayam

Distance - 20 K.Ms

Families - 4

No. of Catholics - 15

Mass Timings - 3rd Sunday 10.30 a.m