Parish History
Urakam is a calm place that has always been generously blessed by God. It is a rural place very close to Irinjalakkuda.
Community prayers with one’s relatives and friends have always been a source of great pleasure and peace to human beings. This strong desire burned the minds of our forefathers too. This matter was discussed in their evening gatherings. As a result of such discussions, about 140 years ago, 43 families of a neighborhood, keen about hard work, sacrifices and unshakeable Catholic belief, came together and formed a prayer group. There had been some who gave effective leadership to that endeavour—Pozholipparampil Anthony Pailappan, Koola Varappan Devassy and Varikkasserry Pavu Umpavu. The 43 families used to assemble in one of the houses by turn and conducted joint prayers. Along with that they made small collection campaigns. Little did they realize then that they had been sowing the seeds of a great pilgrimage centre that would, in course of time, give shelter and peace to thousands and shower blessings to tens of thousands belonging to different religions. The prayers and collections continued without any break. They did not have to wait long. Our forefathers came to own in the name of the prayer group the land which had been called Mullankuzhy Parambu, measuring about one-fourth of an acre where the new church stands today.
140 years ago, in the Mullankuzhy Parambu, a thatched shed was erected, marking the humble beginning of all the glory and progress of today. The thatched shed at Mullankuzhy Parambu became an elementary school. A man called Sanakaran was selected as the teacher and there began the first school that would provide education to the villagers.
The 43 families had no other place to conduct the evening prayers and so they selected the school shed for that purpose as well. For some time the shed remained the school during daytime and the prayer hall in the evenings.In those days, the celebration of Vanakkamasam was very popular. The month of March has been dedicated to St Joseph and May to Virgim Mary.
In those days the endings of the two months were observed as days of celebration. The 43 families celebrated the ending of the first Vanakkamasam at Mullankuzhy Parambu with joy and satisfaction. In the coming years the families began to sponsor the celebration one by one. One family would take the responsibility of the celebration one year and all the members of the community co-operated fully in order to make the celebration successful. As part of the celebrations there might have been fireworks and the distribution of light refreshments. The subsequent habit of sponsoring the feast of St Joseph might have been inspired by that old practice.
The dedicated activities were continued under the leadership of Pozholipparampil Anthony Pailappan and others. They at last submitted an application to the Kochi Divan for the sanction to build a church at Mullankuzhy Parambu on 22 Thulam of the Malayalam era. There were positive steps from the Divan at the end of which, 20 May 1905, sanction was accorded to the people to build a church where the school stood, at Mullankuzhy Parambu, a part of the 54th number Pandikasala Parambu in Oorakam area. Until a hundred years ago, the people of Avittathur and Urakam had to reach their parish at Veliyanadu on Sundays and other important days to take part in the holy mass. Church authorities understood the difficulty experienced by the people and sanctioned holy mass at Avittathur church on Sundays and other important days. The responsibility was given to the vicar of Veliyanadu.
It was in those days that the dark clouds of divisive tendencies and strong differences of opinion maligned the atmosphere of the Veliyanadu parish. When the chances of a settlement seemed far away, the church authorities had to close the church indefinitely.
At last, the church authorities sent Rev Fr Paulose Chittilappally of Urakam as the messenger of peace to Veliyanadu. He carried out his duty very effectively. The church was reopened. Services were resumed. The people attended the services with unprecedented fervour.As the vicar of Veliyanadu, Rev Fr Chittilappally got the opportunity to pay close attention to the religious activities at Oorakam, having been keenly interested in the functioning of the prayer group there for a long time.
The wheel of time turned slowly. The prayers of the 43 families of Urakam continued unhindered. God paid heed to their prayers. It was the answer to their prolonged prayers. God decided to elevate the prayer group at Mullankuzhy Parambu one step up. When Rev Fr Paulose Chittilappally was the vicar of Veliyanadu, he submitted a request for the Urakam prayer group before Bishop Yohannan Menacherry on 19 April 1910. As per order number 2372 of 22 April 1910, sanction was accorded to say holy mass andladeenj at Urakam at the end of both Vanakkamasams. This was an incident which had a profound influence on the onward march of the prayer group of Urakam.
The hardworking and unselfish forefathers didn’t sit idle. They went on working to fulfill their dreams about their own parish church at Mullankuzhy Parambu. They went on collecting money for that. The leadership and support of Rev Fr Paulose Chittilappally were of immense help to the community.
Rev Fr Paulose Chittilappally was transferred to Chelur church. That was the time when the construction of the church at Oorakam started. Under the guidance of Fr Chittilappally, strong coconut palms were identified in Chelur, cut down, sawn into pieces, cured in water, and brought to Urakam. At the same time the work on the bungalow for him at Urakam was also started.
Under the initiative of Rev Fr Chittilappally, a request was placed before the church authorities on 15 March 1915, for elevating the prayer house to the status of a church in the name of St Joseph, for placing the statue of him in the church, and for celebrating the feast of St Joseph in a grand manner every year. Quite surprisingly, the sanction was granted by the Vicar Apostolic Mar Yohannan Menacherry within two days, that is, On 17 March 1915. After the holy mass, it is the viasacra that helps to sustain the spiritual well being of the soul and grant expiation from sins. In order to get the specified dandavimochanas, the church had to place fourteen crosses according to the written permission of the bishop. The request for that was also sanctioned as another order on the same day. Accordingly, viasacra was also established in the church as per norms.
Fr Chittilappally and the community at Urakam continued to be right earnest. The work on a small church in the place of the prayer house progressed quickly. The work was given to the renowned Moozhikkulam carpenters who were very famous in those days for building churches. Thus, in no time the work on the beautiful small church was completed as a result of the hard work of Fr Chittilappally and the community. He donated a statue of St Joseph and it was placed in the church with prayers and devotion. It is the same statue that we still find in the Urakam church of today.
In the morning of 8 July 1919, Rev Fr Paulose Chittilappally died making the community around Oorakam chapel very sad as he had for long been their mentor and benefactor. However, the fond memories of that illustrious son of Urakam continued to inspire them.
Because of the patronage of St Joseph, several blessings and favours were received and this had already made Urakam a pilgrimage centre. That increased the daily income considerably. In order to raise money some shodathies were conducted. The chapel also started some kuries after getting the sanction for it from Mar Pramsiskos, the Bishop of Thrissur as per order number 230 of 9 July 1928.
When the bungalow of Fr Chittilappally was sold, Pozholipparampil Anthony Pailappan donated 1000 Rupees from that amount to the chapel. With that and the money so far collected, the financial problems were almost over. Granting the request made by the vicar of Avittathur, Rev Fr Ookken Varghese, and the community, Bishop Vazhappally permitted holy mass at Urakam chapel every Sunday and on other important days, on 12 March 1929.
All the first family heads of Orakam prayer fraternity had withdrawn due to death or ill health. The second generation took charge of the administration of the church and began acting enthusiastically. New sources of money were started. Through various means like kuries, dharmapirivu and lelam, they succeeded in making the chapel financially strong. Gradually the property of the church started increasing gradually. The northern part of the Mullankuzhy Parambu where the present priest home stands, the land to the north of that, and the Thalothiparambu on the side of Aambipadam were purchased during that period.
The number of pilgrims increased day by day. In addition to the community members and the nearby people, a lot of people from neighboring areas flocked to the place to get the blessings of St Joseph. Quite naturally, the existing facilities became inadequate. In order to enable the pilgrims to attend the mass conveniently and to conduct their prayers, a side hall was constructed on either side of the church and a huge arch was provided on the front wall so that people standing outside even unto the nadappura could see the services in the church. With those modifications, Urakam St Joseph’s became a beautiful small church providing better facilities to the worshippers.
In the southeastern side of Mullankuzhy Parambu, a small chapel was also constructed keeping traditional architectural design. It was dedicated to St George and a statue of the saint was placed in that chapel.
According to available sources the various activities and constructions carried out at this time were led by the following people: Koola Devassy Varunny, Pozholipparampil Thoman Kochuvareethu, Koola Anthappan Ouseph, Varikkasserry Thoman Kochuvarkey, Pozholipparampil Pailappan Devassy, Koola Kunjuvareeth Ouseph, Valappan Kunjuvareeth Ouseph, and Pozholipparampil Anthony Varu who had been the main sacristan of the church for a very long period.
Though the parish didn’t have its own permanent vicar, in the hope of getting one in the long run, the church decided to build a bungalow for the priest and office rooms by its side. A four-member committee was elected to oversee the work. The committee consisted of the following: Koola Ouseph Varunny, Pozholipparampil Anthony Devassy, Pozholipparampil Kochuvareeth Thomankutty and Koola Paily Kochappu. Under their leadership a priest bungalow suitable for the status of the church was constructed and it still stands there conspicuous among the modern buildings around. In the ground floor there are office rooms. It was blessed on 2 June 1958.
Rev Fr Sebastian Thermadham, the vicar of Avittathur church began the practice of having holy mass and novena every Wednesday.
The hardworking and sincere forefathers had toiled incessantly for the development of the church. Agricultural income went on increasing day by day. The number of pilgrims increased and the offerings shot up proportionately. By the time it was the centenary of the Mullankuzhy Parambu prayer hall, the church had attained substantial financial progress.
The roof of the church had decayed and the church meeting of 25 March 1965 decided to demolish the present roof and to provide a new roof made of wood. The work was soon completed using quality thampakam wood.
Rev Fr Joseph Paranilam took charge as the vicar of Avittathur church. He was interested in cultural activities, literature and sports. He was also keen on history. In a short while he realized the full potential of the chapel at Oorakam. As the centenary was approaching, he suggested that they should celebrate it in a grand manner. The parishioners gave wholehearted support to him. Mookkanamparampil Kunjuvaru Vareethu and Pozholipparampil Devassy Pailappan were the trustees in those days. The centenary and the feast of St Joseph were celebrated with much fanfare and several activities over a period of ten days. The flag was hoisted on Friday, 7 April 1967. The celebrations came to an end on 17 April 1967 with a requiem mass and Rasa for the departed of the parish.
The centenary meeting organized on 14 April was presided over by Mar George Alappattu, the bishop of Thrissur. Centenary speeches were delivered by renowned speakers Rev Fr Joseph Vadakkan, Mon. Paul Chittilappally and Sri K P John.
Although, as part of the centenary celebrations, an oil painting of Rev Fr Paulose Chittilappally was unveiled, there was the demand for a more fitting and permanent memorial for him. In the parish meeting held on 8 June 1969, it was decided to build a new chapel in his fond memory, dedicated to St Paul, immediately as it was the fiftieth anniversary of his death. It was to be built in the in front of the church which had been donated by Pozholiparambil Kochvareeth Thomankutty. Sanction was accorded by the Thrissur diocese as per order number 69/645. The foundation stone was laid on 8 July 1969, the exact day of the fiftieth anniversary of Fr Chittilappally’s death. The work on the chapel was completed very soon.
In course of time the church started showing signs of decay. As the pilgrims increased, there was scarcity of space. The community felt the dire need for a more spacious church built in the new style. Parish meetings were convened to discuss it and as per the decision of the meetings and as per the sanction from the diocese through order number 915/77, the Thalothiparambu measuring 2.68 acres was sold for Rs. 81,570/- The parish meeting held on 13 November 1977 gave the final order to the engineer to prepare the plan, the sketch and the estimate of the new church and the cemetery. On 16 November an application was submitted before the civil authorities to permit the construction of the cemetery. The parish meeting convened on 14 August 1977 decided that the carpet area of the proposed church would not exceed 4000 square feet and that the total cost was to be limited to one lakh fifty thousand Rupees and submitted the proposal to the diocese for the final sanction. The meeting also elected a fifteen-member committee to oversee the construction work. The members were: 1. The vicar, Rev Fr Lazar Porathur, 2. Pozholipparampil Kochuvareeth Thomankutty, Trustee, 3. Koola Paily Kochappu, Trustee, 4. Pozholipparampil Eanasu Devassy, 5. Koola Ouseph Kochappu, 6. Pozholipparampil Lona Eanasu, 7. Pozholipparampil Thoman Anthony, 8. Pozholipparampil Anthony Thoman, 9. Mookkanamparampil Ouseph Anthony, 10. Koola Ouseph Lonappan, 11. Mookkanamparampil Kunjuvaru Vareeth, 12. Koola Ouseph George, 13. Varikkasserry Kochuvarkey Kochappan, 14. Pazhunkaran Lonappan Rappai, and 15. Pottakkaran Lewis Devassikkutty. The old church was completely demolished. The foundation stone for the new church was laid on 18 June 1978 by Mar Joseph Kundukulam, the Bishop of Thrissur.
The big festival of 1978 has a prominent position in the history of the church as it was the beginning of the oottu. When Thommana Ouseph Varghese expressed the desire to have an oottu as part of the festival, the entire community welcomed the offer gladly. The oottu was held admirably on the feast day with the co-operation of all the people. From that day onwards, the feast of St Joseph became the famousoottuthirunal.
The work on the proposed church went on smoothly. Along with that there was the work on the new cemetery which had been the long-cherished dream of the community. There had been a lot of objections to the cemetery and it was extremely difficult to get the official sanction for it. One person who helped particularly to overcome the objections was Chittilappally Thommana Kunjippalu Anthonykutty, the then Panchayat president and a member of this parish. Finally, overruling all the objections the Thrissur Collector gave the sanction for the cemetery as per order number C.10605/78. The cemetery was blessed on 16 December 1978. Koola Paily Devassy was the first to be buried there. One speciality of Urakam cemetery is that there are only temporary tombs, accessible to both the rich and the poor.
During the last phase of the construction of the church, the decaying chapel of St George in the southeastern corner of the church was demolished on 24 February 1980 according to the decision of the parish meeting.
27 April 1980 was a red letter day for Oorakam. It was also the day of the big festival. It was on that day that the beautiful, round church in the name of St Joseph, which was the fructification of the 113-year long dream of the entire community, was consecrated by Mar James Pazhayattil, the Bishop of Irinjalakkuda. God showered His blessings one after the other upon the church. On 20 December, the bishop of Irinjalakkuda declared Oorakam as an independent parish with 161 families, the 90th parish in the diocese. Rev Fr Jose U Vazhappally, the vicar of Avittathur church, was appointed as the first vicar of Urakam.
During the construction of the church, all the people, especially the construction committee members, rendered valuable support and co-operation. However, the selfless and meritorious services of the trustees Pozholipparampil Kochuvareeth Thomankutty and Koola Paily Kochappu are to be remembered forever. And the valuable guidance and leadership provided by Rev Fr Lazar Porathur has been too valuable to forget.
