St. Ignatius

St. Ignatius

Address:

St. Ignatius Church
Inigo Nagar
Xaveriana,
Tuticorin Dt
Pin : 628 001.
Ph.No : 0461-2333412 (P.P)

Brief History:

For a long time, fishermen in search of work from various coastal villages settled in the old port of Thoothukudi and went fishing in their kattamaran. In view of building a port for engine boats, in 1970 the Fisheries Department transferred their dwelling place to the 5.5 acres of land between the present Roche Park and Government Residence. So, the people built huts here and began to live permanently. This village which started as only 12 families has now grown to 210 families. The new Port Trust from time to time had been threatening these people once again to move from this area. But, people got more united and they went to the High Court of Chennai got this problem solved once for all. For the past 30 years they have been without the basic provisions such as electricity, water, school and roads. Electric connection was given only a few years ago. The people themselves have solved the water problem by making a connection to the pipeline going through their village. Children go to the school near the Basilica of Our Lady of Snows. Through the efforts of the people, a Mid-day meal building and a building by the Government Fisheries Department for reparing nets and to sell fish came into existence. They built a small church and placed the statue of St. Ignatius for worship. With the efforts of the Southern Fisheries society the church was renewed, and on the 15th of June 1971, Fr. Dalmeida said the first mass. Since then it became a substation of the Basilica and monthly mass began to be celebrated. Feast of St. Ignatius was celebrated every July. Fr. Robiston Raj enlarged the church as the parish priest of Our Lady of Snows and on the 8th of June 1997, Bishop Amalnather consecrated the church. Fr. Ratnaraj in 2001 built the Sacristy and entrusted the church to the care of the Jesuits of Saveriana, who celebrated mass every Thursdays and Sundays. This village known as Pudukadarkarai until then began to the called as Inigo Nager. Bishop Peter Fernando in view of making it a parish built a big thatched church in 2002. In 2003 he bifurcated this from the Basilica and made it an independent parish, with Fr. Stanislaus S.J., as its first parish priest. He works as a teacher as well as the parish priest. He stays at the sacristy and uses a small room given by the Southern Fisheries Society as the parish office. Daily mass takes place in the small church while Sunday mass is celebrated at the big thatched church. Sacred Heart devotion on first Fridays and Saturdays, procession of Our Lady and benediction take place. Mass is celebrated in the nearby church of St. James every last Tuesday. Sisters of Our Lady of Refugee come every Sunday to attend mass and teach catechism to children.

Parish Priests:

Fr. Stanislaus S.J. 2003

Patron Saint : St. Ignatius