When the government of India thought of establishing a southern naval command in Kochi after Independence and was looking for land, the then Varapuzha Archbishop Dr Joseph Attipetty took a stand that parishioners should go by national interest.

The archbishop’s stand led to the easy takeover of land by the government for the naval command. (The Katharibag wing of the naval command still has a small church inside it).

The church took the same stand when land was needed to build the Cochin Shipyard as well. An entire cemetery was transferred to another place to make way for the shipyard.

As the Varapuzha Archdiocese, the first Catholic archdiocese in the state is celebrating its 125th anniversary, a group of historians assembled in the city on Saturday to recollect the contributions made by the archdiocese towards building Kerala society as we see it today.

These two incidents give us a glimpse into the role of the church in paving the way for the establishment of national-level institutions in Kochi and also into four centuries of its glorious existence.

(The archdiocese had its origin in 1657 as vicariate of Malabar. When it was given the status of an archdiocese in 1886 by a papal decree, all Catholics in Kerala, irrespective of their denominations, came under it.).

According to Ignatius Gonsalvas, writer and media personality, right from starting the first private hospital in the state to pioneering women’s education and even contributing one of the first grammar texts to Malayalam _ the early missionaries of the Varapuzha diocese were torchbearers of social engineering from whom the state benefited immensely.

“The church had a pioneering role in areas like printing, education and medical care. St Joseph’s Hospital at Manjummel, the first private hospital in the state which may be about 150 years old, still serves the people.

After seeing the dedicated service of the nuns in the hospital, the Kochi royal family sought their services when it started a hospital (the present government general hospital),” he recalled.

Dr Nicholas Verovan, who started the St Joseph’s Hospital, had opened it to people of all religions and castes. He stayed at Manjummal ashram as a sanyasi till his death.

So was the case of St Teresa’s College, which was opened as a girls’ school 125 years ago by Grace D’lima, the founder of the Teresian Mission.

The exclusive girls’ school triggered a social revolution, heralding the opening of more girls only institutions later.

The story of Vallarpadam Church, built in 1524, is also a case of religious harmony the state was known for in the past.

According to historians, a Hindu mother and her son were saved from drowning during a flood centuries ago, after their whereabouts were shown in a dream by Vallarpadathamma (Mother Mary) to their relatives.

After they were saved, the mother (Meenakshi) and her child refused to go back to their home and stayed on the church premises.

This mother and son enjoy prime of place in the church as their pictures (drawings) are placed next to that of Virgin Mary in the church.

Latin historians also claimed that it was Virundhareeyam Orienthalle written by Fr Matheus, a missionary with the church over 300 years ago, that later came to be known as Hortus Malabaricus, the first book on plants found in the state.

‘Synod of 1599 took bold initiatives’

The Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor Sunnahadose), held in 1599, with the purpose of uniting the ancient Christian Church in Kerala with that of the Roman Catholic Church, was also an early attempt at social renaissance, according to Dr Abraham Arackal, former principal of Maharaja’s College, who presented a paper at the national history seminar, held in connection with the 125th centenary of Varapuzha Archdiocese.

“The Synod made attempts to get rid of caste system in Christian society and sought equal rights for women in hereditary property”, he said, adding that some of the controversies surrounding the Synod swept these bold initiatives under the carpet in later years.

“Many of us think that it was the Mary Roy case that brought the issue of Christian women’s right to property onto the national scene. But the canons formed by the Synod of Diamper had addressed the issue,” he pointed out.

He said the Synod had been the largest religious meet in the Christian Church till then and it was also held in two languages (Portuguese and Malayalam).

“Archbishop Menezes was particular that all participants should have the freedom to air their views. It also formed canons against child marriage and perhaps sought the establishment of the first orphanages in Malabar by making it mandatory for the church to take care of abandoned children”, Mr Arackal noted.