St. Stephen's Church, Kombuthurai

St. Stephen's Church
Location	kombuthurai, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu
Country	India
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	15th century
Founder(s)	St.Francis Xavier
Dedication	Saint Stephen
Dedicated	1542
Consecrated	1544
Architecture
Status	shrine
Functional status	Active
Administration
Diocese	tuticorin
District	tuticorin

St. Stephen's Church is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Stephen, located in the village of Kombuthurai in the Thoothukudi district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The church was built by St. Francis Xavier in May 1544.^[1] It was abandoned by the Jesuits until 1983. The church was taken care of by a people called the "katesar/kadaiyar pattamkattiyars", according to the wished of St. Francis Xavier, who believed that they could take care of the work of Christianity in Thoothukudi as written in his letters.

Contents 1 Miracles in Kombuthurai(KADAIYAKUDI) 2 Other facts on this church 3 Footnotes 4 References 5 External links

Miracles in Kombuthurai(KADAIYAKUDI)

The first miracle in Kombuthurai occurred in 1542, when St. Francis Xavier first visited the village. A lady was suffering from labour for nearly three days. He bapatised her and her family and within a short time, she delivered a child. Due to this miracle, the whole of this village converted into Christianity. Since then he visited the village numerous times^[1] The second miracle is believed to be the greatest miracle that Francis Xavier ever performed. A boy named Matthew drowned, and was brought into the church just before mass, and through the prayer of the saint, he was revived from death^[2]

Other facts on this church

• this is the first church to be built by a saint in honor of another saint

• this church was supposed to be dearer to St.Francis Xavier, as he mentions of the building of this church in many of his letters^[1]

• this church celebrate its feast twice a year,

1. the older being in the middle tuesday of february which is celebrated by the pattamkattiyars, old inhibitants of kadaiyakudi from whom the name is derived, in memory of their conversion and the dedication of a smaller church that was rebuilt in 1544, on the last tuesday in the tamil month of thai in the year 1542 which is the spring season that finds mention in letters of St.Francis Xavier to St.Ignatius of Loyolain 1542.

1. the other being on 2nd of january, which is followed from 1980's by people of nearby villages.

• this church was abandoned after the inhabitants moved out of this place,^[3] the mass were conducted on the feast days and on special occasions,until 1980's. but the church, the altar on which the saint offered mass and the statues were taken care of by the pattamkattiyars.

• this church and another church in punnakayal were funded by MANUEL DA CRUZ, the chief of seven fisery coast.^[1]

• this church might have been patronized by the pattamkattiyars, the chief of coastal villages and they consider this church to be their chief church just like the paravars consider Our Lady of Snows Basilica, tuticorin.

Footnotes

References

• The life and letters of St. Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Saint, 1506-1552 Coleridge, Henry James, 1822-1893 London: Burns and Oates, (1872)
• "St. Francis Xavier, Apostle of the Indies, Confessor", Butler's Lives of the Saints
• The Life and Miracles of St. Francis Xavier, Apostle and Missionary of the Indies
• Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa The Shrine of Saint Francis Xavier
• Saint Francis Xavier University Antigonish, Nova Scotia
• The Life of St. Francis Xavier
• The Diocese of Tuticorin

External links

• The Diocese of Tuticorin