All Saints Christianity in Thiruvetriur is traced back to 1901. Frs. Maria Selvam SDB, Vengola, John Kottaram, Mathew and Joseph Katoor proclaimed the Gospel and administered the sacraments for the people in this territory. Christianity reached R. S. Nagar in 1980 with 12 families and later it became a substation of Thiruvetriur in 1990. Fr. Philip Manathara, the founding father of this area brought together the scattered flock and began to organize them into a strong believing community. The Catholic population here began to increase steadily and so considering the pastoral and social need of 300 local catholic families, Most Rev. Dr. Aruldas James, the archbishop of Madras-Mylapore decided to bifurcate R.S. Nagar from Thiruvottriur and erect it as a separate parish.
As our MSFS missionaries already worked in the archdiocese and won the goodwill of the archbishop and the diocesan clergy, the archbishop wished to entrust the new parish to the MSFS missionaries. Fr. Thomas Perumalil, MSFS, the provincial of Visakhapatnam, gladly responded to the invitation of the archbishop and designated Fr. S. Edward Xavier, MSFS to the archbishop, who appointed him as the first parish priest. He took charge of the parish on June 20, 2004. There are 3 substations scattered in 7 Nagars in a radius of 3 to 5 km.
Developments undertaken at various times
Fr. S. Edward Xavier, MSFS, as the pioneer, was very actively involved in planning and animating the parish. He took lots of initiatives with enthusiasm and dedication in organizing various pastoral activities, maintaining the parish sacramental records, and forming different groups like youth group, children’s group and different committees for better planning and administration of the parish. He worked with the people to bring the families together, strengthened the BCC, formed pastoral council, the workers’ movement, and systematized the family card system with annual subscription. He formed the people to be united, motivating them to be involved in the parish activities as a vibrant faith community. He is gratefully remembered, and his ministries are appreciated by people even today.
Fr. M. Victor, MSFS succeeded Fr. Edward, MSFS as the second parish priest. As there was no presbytery in the parish, the ITI hall was renovated and remodelled as marriage reception hall and a portion of the hall was converted as the residence for the parish priest with three living rooms. That became the priests’ residence until a separate house was built 2029. He also took the initiative to build a small chapel at Kargilnagar where there are around 20 families. This substation was one of the ambiyams. As the parish church was very old and in a dilapidated condition, he organized the people to mobilize the funds needed for building a new church. The foundation stone for a new church was laid on 24 January 2009, and he tirelessly worked hard with greater commitment and built a beautiful church with the support of the people, the province and projects through the diocese. Fr. S. Edward Xavier, MSFS was already doing pastoral ministry in Germany, and he made a substantial contribution for the construction of the new church through his parishioners. The new church was inaugurated by Fr. A. Dharmaraj, MSFS the provincial and blessed by Most Rev. Dr. A. M. Chinnappa, sdb, the bishop of the archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore on 24 October 2010. Fr. Victor also took the initiative to build an Eucharistic adoration chapel to promote people’s devotion and the chapel was inaugurated and blessed by Fr. A. Dharmaraj, MSFS the provincial on 08 January 2012.
Fr. S. Soosai Raj, MSFS was appointed as the parish priest succeeding Fr. M. Victor, MSFS and he took charge of the parish on 10 June 2012. He served the parish for only one year. Within this short period, he worked with selfless dedication to strengthen the spiritual activities in the parish, and he took the initiative to buy a generator for the parish with the help of the parishioners and solved the electricity problem in the parish.
Fr. I. S. Jesuraj, MSFS took charge as the parish priest in June 2013, succeeding Fr. S. Soosai Raj, MSFS. He strengthened the anbiyams, and he made efforts to organize the people and renovated the community hall in 2016 for better use of the people, which really supports the parish development activities. He served the parish with greater commitment and dedication, always available to the people in providing spiritual help and economic support. He also initiated to construct a new house for the priest’s residence and mobilized the needed funds through support from the people, writing projects to different agencies through the diocese and help from the province. He successfully completed the construction of a beautiful house for the priests. Fr. G. David, MSFS helped Fr. Jesusraj, MSFS in writing projects and raising funds from different sources. The new presbytery was inaugurated by Fr. K. Ignacimuthu, MSFS the provincial and blessed by Most Rev. Dr. George Anthonysamy, the archbishop of Madras-Mylapore on June 09, 2019.
Fr. A. Selvaraj, MSFS took charge as the parish priest succeeding Fr. I. S. Jesuraj, MSFS on 04 August 2020 during the time of covid. During this challenging situation, spiritual activities in the parish were carried out through online social media like YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp. The church was renovated and painted in 2022. He made efforts to construct three shops on the parish property for the economic support of the parish, and they were blessed Fr. Rock Chinnappa, the former parish priest of Thiruvottriyur in 2013. Understanding the need to promote people’s devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary, he organized the people to raise funds and built a small grotto dedicated to our lady of Lourdes, and he also built a catechetical hall for spiritual animation of the people, and they were blessed by Fr. K. Ignaci Muthu, MSFS the provincial on September 30, 2023. As there were no benches or kneelers for the people’s use in the church, he made efforts to raise funds and erected 40 kneelers (benches) in the church for the faithful in December 2023. He coordinated with the people to beautify the church campus by laying interlock stones in the month of March 2024. Realizing people’s spiritual needs, he started a special healing prayer service on the first day of every month from the year 2020 onwards, which fosters and strengthens people’s spiritual life. This devotion attracts a lot of people from outside of the parishes too. As there was standardized flagpole to conduct novenas and celebrate the parish feast, he installed a flagpole in the church premises with the support of the parishioners, and it was blessed by Fr. A. Patrick Jayaraj, MSFS on November 1, 2024.
Participatory Structures: Parish Council, Finance Council, BCC
Associations in the Parish: Youth Group, Alter Servers, Legion of Mary
Religious working in the Parish: Sisters of the Congregation of SMA who organize social and pastoral ministry in the parish.
Succession of Parish Priests
Fr. S. Edward Xavier, MSFS 2004 – 2007
Fr. M. Victor, MSFS 2007 – 2012
Fr. S. Soosai Raj, MSFS 2012 – 2013
Fr. I. S. Jesuraj, MSFS 2013 – 2020
Fr. A. Selvaraj, MSFS 2020
Succession of the Assistant Parish Priest / Deacons
Dn. S. Eldin Bernard, MSFS 2005 – 2006
Dn. Maria Selvam, MSFS 2006 – 2007
Dn. D. Arockiyaraj, MSFS 2011 – 2012
Fr. D. Sagaya Anthony Tharsius, MSFS 2012 – 2013
MSFS Fr. G. David, MSFS 2013 – 2017
Dn. A. Nelson, MSFS 2017 – 2018
Fr. Anandhaprabu, MSFS 2018 – 2020
Fr. I. S. Jesusraj, MSFS 2020 – 2021
Dcn. Infant, MSFS 2020 – 2021
Fr. Chinnasamy Yesuraj, MSFS 2021 – 2022
Fr. Deasus, MSFS 2021 – 2022
Fr. V. Jesuraja, MSFS 2023 – 2024
Fr. Nagaya Seelan, MSFS 2024 – 2025
Fr. A. Michael Raja, MSFS 2025