About Shrine

St. Antony’s Shrine at Kallidaikurichi which is situated on the bank of river Thamirabarani at its very sources seems to be more than a hundred years old. The inscriptions on the cemeteries within the church campus show that the Christians had been living and buried already in the year 1919. But Kallidaikurichi had always been a substation to Veeravanallur parish till 29th May 2007 when it was bifurcated and made a separate parish. Fr. I. Lourdu Raj was canonically installed to be its first parish priest and he took possession of the parish on the same day. The then quasi-parish of Kallidaikurichi was constituted into a full pledged parish with effect from 25th May 2008. The substations with chapels attached to the new parish are 3 on the plain viz., Pottal, Manimuthar and Sengulam, and 5 on the hills viz., Manjolai, Kakkachi, Nalumukku, Oothu and Kuthiraivetti – the last station being more than 50 km away from the centre. The devotion to St. Antony of Kallidaikurichi is very prevalent among people of all communities and religions in this area. On Tuesdays both at noon and in the evening we have special masses for the pilgrims along with novena prayers, prayer over the sick, benediction etc., The annual feast of the shrine is celebrated on the last Tuesday of Tamil month Avani. The J.M.J. sisters are conducting a Matric school at Kallidaikurichi and the Sacred Heart Brothers are managing a farm at Mukkuvar.