THIRUVARANGAM  (1888)

Patron                                                  :           Sacred Heart of Jesus

Parish Priest                                         :           Fr.

Asst                                                     :            Fr.

Address                                               :           Sacred Heart Church 

                                                                        Thiruvarangam - 623 712

                                                                        Ramnad (Dt)

Cellphone                                            :          

Catholics                                              :           00000

Non-Catholics                                      :           00000

Vocation          : Priests                                    :            30

                        : Sisters                                    :            90

Institutions                                           :           1. Sisters of Immaculate Conception, Thiruvarangam

                                                                        2. Sacred Heart Hr.Sec. School, Thiruvarangam

                                                                        3. Sacred Heart Primary School, Thiruvarangam

                                                                        4. St. Theres's Primary School, Thiruvarangam

                                                                        5. R.C. Primary School, Muthuvijayapuram

                                                                        6. R.C. Primary School, Muthuchellapuram

                                                                        7. R.C. Middle School, Kodarendal

                                                                        8. R.C. Primary School, Pushpavanam

                                                                        9. Mudiyappar Home for Boys, Thiruvarangam

                                                                        10. St. Joseph's Home for Girls, Thiruvarangam

History

            In 1875, the Madurai Mission acquired 65 Kurukkams from the Brahmins, who were the original owners of this village. With difficulties in ministering to the people from Ramnad, Fr. Stephen Laporte began administering this area, using Thiruvarangam as the central hub. He oversaw the care of villages spanning from Suranam in the North to Vembar in the South, Ramnad in the East, and Kamuthi in the West, for 23 years. Being a devout follower of the Sacred Heart, he completed the construction of a church dedicated to it in 1888, coinciding with the parish's formal establishment. The village streets even bore the names of Saints devoted to the Sacred Heart, earning the area the name "Irudayakoil" for many years.

This founding parish later gave rise to Marandai-Savariarpattanam, Paramakudi, and Mahindi Michaelpattanam parishes. Local conversions also occurred during the significant famine of 1877-79, alongside the migration of Christians from north of Coleroon.

Since 1968, schools were upgraded and provided separate homes for boys and girls. Thiruvarangam now offers robust educational facilities not only to its immediate surroundings but also to neighboring areas. The Catholic parish community of Weiler in Allagu, Germany, notably contributed to the construction of Mudiappar Boys' Home and the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, thanks to Fr. K.M. Sengol's connections from his European studies.

Centenary celebrations were held under Fr. S.R. Ignatius's tenure, during which the old church tower was renovated, and the new church's flooring was redone with mosaic. Additionally, a dispensary was established in 1990. In 1995, the entire Higher Secondary Section transitioned to a new campus adjacent to the old one, a project completed with all necessary amenities under Fr. M. Rajasekaran's leadership.