Kullarayanpalaiyam is a small remote village near Palaniyarpalayam village under Chittur Block in the district of Palakkad, and it comes under Kozhinjampara Panchayath in the state of Kerala. The presence of Catholic population at Kullarayanpalaiyam is about three hundred years old when different groups of people from various places like Dindigul, Pallavaram in Chennai and Madurantagam in Chingleput area came in search of job and settled down here. They kept their faith alive by going to the nearby churches and following their faith traditions in their own simple ways. Moreover, the village of Kullarayanpalayam was the mission station of St. Francis Xavier parish, Saveriyarpalayam for a long time. In the course of time, the Catholics at this small village joined together and raised the needed funds and bought a piece of 24 cents of land in the name of the Diocese in 1992 with the purpose of building a church for them in the future. In the later years, the parish priest of Saveriyarpalaym in collaboration with the diocese and the people of Kullarayanpalaiyam mobilized the funds needed and built a new church and compound wall in 1994. The Nagpur province of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales already had a few vocations from this area. Therefore, when Most Rev. Antonysamy Peter Abir, the bishop of Sultanpet decided to bifurcate Kullarayanpalayam from Saveriyarpalayam parish and create a new parish, he wanted to entrust the new parish to the care of the MSFS missionaries from Nagpur province. The provincial Fr. Muthusamy John Britto, MSFS also gladly responded to the bishop’s invitation and accepted the offer but since he did not have experienced Tamil priests in his province, he asked Fr. K. Ignacimuthu, MSFS the provincial of South-East India province to collaborate with the Nagpur province by sharing personal. Fr. Ignacimuthu in consultation with his administration designated Fr. S. Arockiya Christu Raj, MSFS to the bishop who appointed him as the first parish priest of Kullarayanpalaiyam.
Thus, the new parish was erected and the new parish priest Fr. S. Arockiya Christu Raj, MSFS along with Fr. Joseph, MSFS as the assistant parish priest had taken charge of the parish on 4 May 2017. There are 210 Catholic families and there is no other village under this new parish as its substations. Fr. Christuraj, MSFS and Fr. Joseph, MSFS were actively involved in organizing the pastoral activities of the parish with greater enthusiasm and dedication. They planned meticulously and diligently all the activities of the parish, encouraging the different age groups of people to get involved in developing the parish. The Nagpur Province always supported the parish with assistant parish priests each year as needed to form a religious community. Due to practical and pastoral reasons, the provincial of the Nagpur province in collaboration with the SEIP province agreed to entrust the pastoral care of the parish to SE province in January 2024, and from then the parish administered by the MSFS missionaries of SE province.
Developments undertaken at various times
Fr. S. Christu Raj, MSFS along with Fr. Joseph, MSFS from Nagpur province worked very hard to organize the pastoral ministries in the new parish. As there was no presbytery in the parish, they initiated to mobilize the funds needed to construct the presbytery in view of the Silver Jubilee of the Church and completed the new house with the support of the Nagpur province and the diocese and it was blessed by Most Rev. Peter Abir, the bishop of Sulthanpet and inaugurated by Fr. Jacob Karandakuzhil, MSFS the provincial of Nagpur province on September 15, 2017. They also initiated organizing the people and built a new church extending the length and width of the church with the help of the people, the diocese and Nagpur province. The new church was blessed by Most Rev. Peter Abir, the bishop of Sultanpet and inaugurated by Fr. Muthusamy John Britto, MSFS the provincial of Nagpur province on July 10, 2018.
Fr. X. Vincent, MSFS succeeded Fr. S. Christu Raj, MSFS as the parish priest who served the parish for two years.
Fr. Nayaga Seelan, MSFS was appointed as the parish priest succeeding Fr. X. Vincent, MSFS. He was actively involved and very committed in his ministry. He completed three important projects with the help of the people and the province within a short period of three years. He took the initiative to organize the people in raising the needed funds and installed the Church Bell, the Church Flagpole and paved the interlock Stones around the Church in the year 2022.
Fr. D. Sheen Prisal Singh, MSFS took charge of the parish succeeding Fr. Nayaga Seelan, MSFS. He was actively involved in organizing the pastoral ministry in the parish and Fr. A. Michael Raja, MSFS joined him to develop this mission.
Participatory Structures in the parish: Pastoral Council, Basic Christian Communities
Associations in the parish: Fransalian youth group, Legion of Mary, Fr. Mermier altar servers, Fransalian Children group, and family prayer team.
Succession of Parish Priests
Fr. S. Christhu Raj, MSFS 2017 – 2018
Fr. X. Vincent, MSFS 2018 – 2020
Fr. A. Nayaga Seelan, MSFS 2020 – 2023
Fr. D. Sheen Prisal Singh, MSFS 2023
Succession of Assistant Parish Priests
Fr. Joseph, MSFS 2016 – 2018 NG Province
Fr. Gnanamani, MSFS 2018 – 2020 NG Province
Fr. V. Anto Deepak, MSFS 2020 – 2023 NG Province
Fr. A. Michael Raja, MSFS 2023 – 2024 SE Province
Fr. D. Arockiaraj, MSFS 2024