Misplaced Pages

Little Flower Church, Kaprassery

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
The topic of this article may not meet Misplaced Pages's notability guidelines for companies and organizations. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted.
Find sources: "Little Flower Church, Kaprassery" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Little Flower Church, Kaprassery" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Misplaced Pages editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Misplaced Pages's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
(Learn how and when to remove this message)
Little Flower Church, Kaprassery
Exterior View
Religion
AffiliationSyro-Malabar Catholic Church
DistrictErnakulam
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusFilial Church
Year consecrated1976
Location
LocationIndia Kaprassery, India
StateKerala
Architecture
TypePresent Day
Completed1976
Capacity990 Persons
Website
http://www.lfck.in/

Little Flower Church, Kaprassery is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, in the village of Kaprassery, India. It is dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. It is located close to the Cochin International Airport.

Parish

About the Parish

The Little Flower Church, Kaprassery is under the Ernakulam Angamaly Arch Diocese and Rev. Fr. Paul Kottackal (Sr.) is the present vicar of the parish. He belongs to OSH congregation and previously worked as assistant vicar at Angamaly Basilica. There are about 230 families under the parish.

History

Before this church, Kaprasserians depended on Akaparambu Catholic Church for their religious practices. Later as directed by the vicar of Agaparambu Church, a tutor started visiting Kaprassery for teaching catechism. Then a chapel was built for Sunday school teaching. Gradually it became a Christian religious center with a small group of people from the areas of Kaprassery, and many surrounding areas. With the arrival of Fr. James Chaveli, a new church has been constructed at the center of Kaprassery village. With the donations and effort of many people, they constructed a new church.

Syro-Malabar Religious Houses In the Parish

CMC Udhayabhavan

This is the only religious house that comes in the Little Flower Church boundary. It is run by CMC sisters. The house is known as CMC Udhayabhavan convent. There are about ten regular sisters and many often visits the house. This house is under the Andhra Province of CMC sisters and it is considered as a transit house due to the closeness to the International airport, railway stations and bus terminals.

Organisations/Activities

Catechism

Since Catechism is considered as the primary and integral part of the parish, it is given a prominent role in the church. The Catechism classes are conducted for all students from first standard and 12th standard and it is affiliated to Department of Catechises and Moral Education of Ernakulam Angamaly Archdiocese. These students are divided into six sections. They are: Pre communion, Communion, Post communion, Pre confirmation, Confirmation and Youth. Further they are divided into different classes. Presently there are more than 250 students in the church who undergo their faith formation through Catechism. Under the guidance of parish priests, head master and animator around ten teachers act as faith formers during these Sunday classes.

K.C.Y.M

This is a chapter of state level youth organization which focuses on empowerment of catholic youth from Kerala. Being a youth led movement it aims at creating a synergy between youth culture and spiritual values. It is important during this time as the society seeks to empower the youth to be able to integrate spiritual values such as love, service and compassion into the modern lifestyle of today's youth. The organization takes an active part in all parish activities and cultural programs conducted by the Church.

L.F. Conference (Vincent De Paul)

This is the Kaprassery Chapter of international Roman Catholic voluntary organization dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need; addressing social and material needs in all its many forms.

Major Festivals

Little Flower Parish fiesta

Parish fiesta days in Kaprassery brings a hundred and one memories; some happy and some sad. It reminds of the well decorated and illuminated face of parish church, old and familiar faces of parishioners and people in the distant beyond, some lost and half forgotten. Parish was established in the year 1976. It is named Little Flower Church after the Saint Therese of Lisieux (LittleFlower). Kaprassery celebrates its parish fiesta every first weekend of February in honour of her patroness Saint Therese of Lisieux (Little Flower) and of Saint Sebastian. This most awaited weekend is preceded by nine days evening novena and holy mass. These days, you will find the pious and devoted Kaprasserians offering their prayers, thanks giving for the blessings granted upon their family and nation by the loving God with the intercession of our Lady. The celebration is doubly blessed and become more significant in the parish church which has been the center of the life of a Kaprasserian. By the end of ninth day, folks decorate their frontage of house and village roads with tender coconut leaves and with the plantain trunk. Soon the much awaited weekend arrives and celebration begins by hosting papal flag in front of the church and holy mass follows. Later in the evening parishioners comes up with a bunch of beautiful cultural programs and the real celebration begins as each and every devotee and guest is welcomed in the heart and homes of village folks in the unique charm and Kaprassery hospitality. Saturday procession, after celebrating the holy mass, is something everyone participates with lot of devotion and pride. The sharing of laughters, all the eating and the drinking! What a weekend! But by Sunday evening, the host smiles with pride and joy for another merry making that had soon come to pass. Once again memories are made in the hearts of each Kaprasserians. The activities are set through the leadership of parish priest and parish fest committee.

Onanilavu

It is an annual cultural show organised by Kerala Catholic Youth Movement Kaprassery Chapter (K.C.Y.M.), as a part of Onam celebrations. It is a platform for all the Kaprasserians to showcase their talents and also to be a part of delicious cultural fiesta. It is organised at Little Flower Church Parish Hall.

The Holy Rosary Month

Kaprasserians are popular for their devotion towards Mother Mary. Just like all the Catholics around the world, they spent October as the month of the Holy Rosary. They start the month with daily family unit level Rosary meetings at various homes in the evening. Towards the end of the month, exactly, for the last ten days, they all come together at the parish in the evening for the Holy Mass and the Holy Rosary thereafter. On the last day youth of the parish, under the leadership of K.C.Y.M., leads the holy rosary and everyone part after a love treat arranged by youth at parish hall. During these ten days K.C.Y.M. organizes a Marian Quiz competition for the parish families, with the objective to enable the devotees to know more and stay close to Mother Mary.

Gallery

  • Little Flower Church, Kaprassery Little Flower Church, Kaprassery
  • Old Cemetery Chapel Old Cemetery Chapel
  • Parish Cemetery Parish Cemetery
  • Reconstructed Cemetery Chapel Reconstructed Cemetery Chapel
  • Dance Performance, Onanilavu 2010 Dance Performance, Onanilavu 2010

References

  1. "Syro Malabar Church::Syro-Malabar Catholic Church India::Second largest Eastern Catholic Church::Apostolic Church India". www.syromalabarchurch.in. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  2. "Little Flower Church Neumbassery::Ernakulam - Angamaly Archeparchy:: Syro Malabar Church Parish". www.syromalabarchurch.in. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  3. "Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese". www.ernakulamarchdiocese.org. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  4. "Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese". www.ernakulamarchdiocese.org. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  5. "OSH Congregation". kottayamad.org. December 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  6. "St. Gervasis & Prothasis Church, Akaparambu, Akaparambu Church, angamaly church, angamaly Akaparambu church". www.agprcchurch.com. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  7. "St. Gervasis & Prothasis Church, Akaparambu, Akaparambu Church, angamaly church, angamaly Akaparambu church". www.agprcchurch.com. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  8. "Congregation of the Mother of Carmel". www.cmcsisters.org. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  9. "Angamaly | Catechism Ernakulam | Department of Catechesis and Moral Education". catechismernakulam.com. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  10. "KCYM | Kerala Catholic Youth Movement". kcym.in. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.

External links

Christianity in Kerala
Denominations
Religious
organisations
Related
Church buildings in Kerala, India
Kasaragod
Kannur
Wayanad
Kozhikode
Malappuram
Palakkad
Thrissur
Ernakulam
Idukki
Kottayam
Alappuzha
Pathanamthitta
Kollam
Thiruvananthapuram
Categories: