Church Inauguration at Thidumal of Kunnamalai Parish
It’s an unforgettable event for the people at Thidumal village, a substation of Kunnamalai Parish, Salem Diocese for having constructed a new Church for their Spiritual and Social upliftment. On 3rd July 2024 it was opened and Blessed by Most Rev. Bishop Singarayan, Bishop Emeritus of Salem Diocese and Rev. Fr. S. Jesu Doss CMF, the Provincial Superior of the Claretian Province of Chennai. The people are very happy to have a new Church for them for their spiritual needs. With lot of financial support from the Province, Diocese and the friends, well wishes of Fr Selvaraj CMF the Church is constructed so elegantly.
1.Inauguration of the Church
After the solemn procession of the Bishop, Provincial, Priests and the other guests, the ribbon was cut by Most Rev. Bishop Singaroyan and Very Rev. Fr. S. Jesu Doss CMF. The church is blessed by Most Rev. Bishop Singarayan, Bishop Emeritus, Salem Diocese. The stone (கல்வெட்டு) was unveiled by both the Bishop and the Provincial.
2.Holy Mass
The Holy mass began at 10:00 a.m. the ceremony was led by Most Rev Bishop Singarayan, who delivered an inspiring sermon on Faith and importance of the usage of the Church. Around 15 priests, 3 nuns and 250 Parishners attended the Mass. Special blessings were given to the new Church building and its Congregation.
3.Cultural Program
The children from Thidumal village presented their talents before the invitees by dancing and telling stories from the Bible. They were dressed so elegantly and were looking like Angels who were sent from above as the representatives of the Almighty.
4.Honouring the Guests and Contributors
At the end of the Mass Fr Selvaraj CMF the Parish Priest thanked all who were directly and indirectly involved for the construction of the Church. At First, he thanked the Almighty for His abundant blessings over the Church. Then he thanked the Bishop Singaroyan for the acceptance of our invitation to come and bless the Church. He also thanked Bishop Arulselvam Rayappan, the Bishop of Salem for his encouragement and support to complete the building. He gave a special thanks to Very Rev. Fr. S. Jesu Doss CMF, the Provincial Superior of the Claretian Province of Chennai for his enormous contribution for the Church at Thidumal. He also thanked all his friends and well-wishers who donated for the different needs of the church like lights, fans, statues, mic systems, paints etc. All those donors, who were presented were honoured with shawl. Parish Priest also thanked the Engineer Mr. George Michael from Kanyakumari who generously worked for the construction of the church without expecting any profit for him. He also thanked the people of the village who worked hard for the completion of the church.
Overall, the opening of the New Church was memorable in history of the Kunnamalai Parish.
Reported By: Fr. Sebastin Jayaraj CMF
