Maria Bhavan, Thadikarankonam

In 1971, Holy Family Mission, Ettamadai was bifurcated from Mathal Parish. Rt. Rev. Marianus Arockiasamy, Bishop of Kottar, entrusted the Parish at Ettamadai on 19th July 1987 to the care of Claretians with Fr. S. Anselmus CMF, as the Parish Priest. Ettamadai is the largest Parish area-wise in the Diocese of Kottar with nine sub-stations. In 2003, ‘Thadikarankonam’ the biggest sub-station of Ettamadai was bifurcated and was erected as a new Parish.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Leon Dharmaraj, the Bishop of Kottar handed over the Parish to the Claretians on 19th October 2003 and the mother Parish ‘Ettamadai’ was taken over by the Diocese. Thadikarankonam Parish has five sub-stations namely Valayathuvayal, Paraliyar, Keeriparai, Veerapuli and Surulacode. At present, it has 375 Catholic families. Fr. A. Devadoss CMF was appointed as the first Parish Priest. In the initial stage, the community was staying at Assisi Health Centre, the House of the Daughters of Mary Sisters. In 2005, the community moved to the newly constructed ‘Maria Bhavan’. In 2016, Surulacode, one of the sub-stations of Thadikarankonam was bifurcated and erected as a new parish having Veerapuli as its only substation that was handed over to the Pallotines on 25th May, 2016. The Claretians have also taken up the Parishes in Kuzhithurai Diocese at Cheruvallur and in Trivandram Diocese at Poothurai (LATIN RITE) which are attached ministries of Maria Bhavan.