Air Conditioned Syro Malankara Catholic Church in Kerala

[ninan]

PATHANAMTHITTA: The first-ever centrally air-conditioned church coming under the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church will be consecrated at Pulikeezhu, near Thiruvalla, on Friday.

Talking to The Hindu here on Wednesday, Fr. Santhosh Azhakath, parish priest, said the 70-year-old St. George’s Church had been reconstructed incorporating the Gothic style and traditional Keralite architectural principles. He said it took 31 months to complete the church at a cost of Rs.1 crore. Architect John Kochery had designed the church.

As many as 68 stained-glass paintings depicting important episodes from the Old and the New Testaments which are displayed on the church walls are a major attraction of the church.

Fr. Azhakath said Metropolitan Archbishop of Thiruvalla Dr.Thomas Mar Coorilos would lead the consecration service on Friday afternoon. Dr.Geevarghese Mar Themotheos, senior Bishop; Dr.Philipose Mar Stephanos, Auxiliary Bishop of Thiruvalla; and Dr.Abraham Mar Julios, Muvattupuzha Bishop; would be the co-celebrants.

A public meeting in connection with the consecration ceremony will be held on the church premises in the afternoon. Philipose Mar Chrysostum, Senior Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church, will inaugurate the meeting, to be presided over by Archbishop Dr.Thomas Mar Coorilos. G. Sudhakaran, Cooperation Minister, will deliver the keynote address. Youhanon Mar Chrysostomos, Metropolitan of the Niranom diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church, will deliver the benedictory address.

Anto Antony, MP; Mathew T. Thomas, MLA; and Kurien John Melamparambil, industrialist; will address the meeting.

hindu.com/2011/04/28/stories/2011042850370200.htm

 

[Dale_M]

Congratulations on the newly reconstructed church! I think the air conditioning will be very much appreciated given the climate in Kerala.

 

[devoutCatholic]

Since my university year abroad in 1986-87, I have been opposed to heating and air-conditioning in churches. I lived in Strasbourg, France and attended church (sometimes a protestant service, but mostly a Catholic mass, as I was protestant back then) weekly. The temperature was -18 C (about 0 F) the whole 9 months I was there. I sat in church with long underwear under my clothes, a 2.5 cm- (1 inch-) thick coat, wearing gloves and a heavy wool scarf. I Froze.

But that got me to thinking about the a/c/heating in churches. For the same floor area, the average church in Europe is 3 or 4 times taller than one here (USA). Here, we build a low ceiling so we can afford the heat and a/c. But that severe limits the possibility of visual beauty for the church-buildings here.

When I moved back to the USA and joined the Catholic church, I attended a small-town rural church which was a mission of another church. One priest was responsible for 4 congregations: one of native anglophones, and one of native Spanish-speakers, at each parish, 30 miles apart. Our church had a part-time secretary, and no paid DRE (Director of Religious Ed.). The church-building was heated/air-conditioned 24/7/365. I believe that with a ceiling 3 times higher, high temperatures in the summer would not have been a problem.

The bone-chilling temperatures in the winter might have been a problem–for wimps who are not real Christians anyway. Do Americans sit through a 4-hour sports event outdoors in bone-chilling weather? Of course! We preach carrying one’s cross, but we preach it to people in air-contitioned or heated pews! I think having church in an unheated or un-air-conditioned environment would at first drive away the faint-hearted, but ultimately strengthen the fold. We would at least know who was serious about Christianity.

How many of us have attended regularly or just visited a very ugly church with low ceilings? I would think about 99.99% of us. Would the same building have been beautiful if everything else had remained the same, but the ceiling had been 3 or 4 times higher? Probably in 99% of cases, yes. How would we finance a ceiling 4 times higher than what we have now? Does one realize what it costs to heat and/or a/c a building 24/7/365?

Eliminating the heating/cooling cost would be where churches would be able to afford a beautiful building. Not to mention, it would probably also finance a full-time DRE in such a small church as I was talking about. Large churches with 33 people on staff might have 100 on staff if they didn’t heat and air-condition.

In short, I could not be sadder than the first Malankara Syrian Catholic church has air-conditioning.

 

[syrian_catholic]

This indeed is an excellent idea !!

I congragulate all those who are behind this. It would increase church attendence and devotion.People will spend quality time with the Lord !.
Yes, here we have a living Church who changes with the times and need but still upholding all the basic principles of the Holy Catholic Church.

JESUS IS LORD !!