History of Punalur Diocese
Kollam was the first diocese of ancient India. Its verdant eastern border lying next to Sahya mountain is a land rich in resources. Kallada, Pampa and Achankovil also intertwine and flow together here. Punalur flourishes as a gift of nature with the kindness and care of the Creator. Verdant Punalur was Kollam’s spice warehouse and manufacturing center years ago. Kollam Chenkota Road and Railway raised the development dreams of this state. (The Punalur Paper Mill, established in 1850, paved the way for a revolutionary change in Kerala’s manufacturing industry. Thenmala Dam and Palaruvi are popular scenic tourist destinations. Aranmulakannadi, Pandalam Palace and Aranmula Vallam Kali stand as symbols of faith, cultural heritage and royalty. The diocese is spread over the Lok Sabha constituencies of Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Mavelikara and the assembly constituencies of Punalur, Kottarakkara, Kunnathur, Mavelikara, Adoor, Konni, Pathanapuram, Pathanamthitta and Chengannur.)
Bishop Ozzie and Bishop Benziger also shaped the church’s propaganda system after the late 19th-century model of Travancore’s administrative structures. Missionary Peshkars were appointed instead of Dewan Peshkars. The Belgian Carmelite missionaries who spread the gospel here for more than half a century returned home after handing over their mission to local priests during the Second World War, the chief of whom was Punalur’s first Vicar, Fr. John Marie OCD. This brown-robed foreigner, who won the hearts of the people with his simple demeanor, was Bishop Benziger’s right-hand man.
In 1922, Kottarakkara with 108 members, Meenkulam with 304 members, Ayur with 45 members and Kadaikkall with 8 members became parishes. Pandithitta also became parish in 1928. Mission centers grew as a result of the self-sacrificing work of the missionaries of that time. Katanam Tiruhridaya Mission and Punalur Mission were the main areas of activity of the Carmelite missionaries. Fr. When Lawrence Pereira became the first Bishop of Cottar, fervor was also ignited among the local priests. (Benziger and Jerome Bishops led the mission activities of the diocese and established churches and schools in the diocese.)
The saying that goes like, ‘I planted and Apollos watered, But it was God who raised it’ came true for Punalur Through Pope John Paul II’s ‘Verba Christi’. On December 21, 1985, the Pope declared Punalur a diocese and appointed Mathias Kapil, who was vicar there for a term, as its bishop. The first Bishop of Punalur, who grew up under the shadow and care of Father Benziger in the vast Kollam Diocese, retired after completing 19 golden years of development. On March 12, 2006, Bishop Joseph Kariyil took over after Bishop Mathias stepped down after providing basic facilities for the Diocese of Punalur. On May 8, 2009, when Bishop Joseph Kariyil, was appointed Bishop of Kochi Diocese, Rev. Dr. Selvester Ponnumuthan, a member of Neyyatinkara Diocese and Rector of Karmalagiri Seminary, took over as Tertiary Bishop of Punalur.