St. James Church – Mela Menjanupur Tirunelveli

Contact Details:

St. James ChurchMela Menjanupur, TenkasiUpper Menjanupur, Gunnaramnal Post – 627814, Tenkasi District, Tamil Nadu.
Parish Priest – Rev. Fr. S. Alphonse.

Brief History:

The village was administratively a branch parish of St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Tenkasi until 2012. Originally a small tiled chapel served the community’s worship needs. Under Fr. T.A. Bergman’s tenure as Tenkasi’s parish priest, land was purchased near the Tenkasi-Tirunelveli highway and construction commenced on a new sanctuary, consecrated and inaugurated on December 20, 1989 by Bishop Iruthayaraj. An 85-foot bell tower was consecrated on July 24, 2005 by Bishop Judeo Palraj. The community achieved independent parish status on June 12, 2012. Subsidiary churches include Holy Fatima Church (Pulichikulum) and Christ the King Church (Madathur). The church serves 176 families and the feast is on the Sunday following July 25th.