St. Antony’s Shrine – Palavakkam

St. Antony’s Shrine – Palavakkam 

Contact Details  
St. Antony’s Shrine
Palavakkam


Rector. Rev. Fr. Yesu Anthony
Parish Priest
Seashore St. Anthony's Shrine
38, M.G.R. Road, Palavakkam,
Chennai - 600 041,
INDIA.
Tel : +91 (44) 2449 3684
Fax : +91 94431 47130
Website:http://www.seashorestanthony.org/
Email : fryesuantony@yahoo.com



History:
The Seashore Anthony’s Shrine, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, is an embodiment of divinity and spiritual splendour. Nestled between the waters of the Bay of Bengal and the busy East Coast Road at MGR Road in Palavakkam, this Shrine, known for its many miracles, attracts devouts from various parts of Tamil Nadu and other States. The church’s elevation to the status of Shrine within a short span of nine years is a miracle in itself.

The St. Anne and Joachim’s church in Vettuvankeni is our Shrine’s mother parish. The then Vettuvankeni parish came under the archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore, one of the oldest diocese in India started on Jan 19, 1606, by his holiness Pope Paul V. As the parish was spread out over a vast area from Thiruvalluvar Nagar to Injambakkam, it was difficult for the parishioners to meet their spiritual needs. The nuns of St. Anne’s convent, Vettuvankeni, also found it hard to pay routine visits to the parishioners. Hence, the need to start a sub-station at Kottivakkam or Palavakkam was felt by one and all.
In 1985, the efforts of Rev Fr. C.V. Thomas, the then parish priest of Vettuvankeni, bore fruit by bringing forth the Seva Missionary Sisters, on a piece of land in Kottivakkam, donated by one Mr. Swaminathan.Fr. It acted as a substation to Vettuvankeni (presently St. Antony’s Matriculation School). Thomas and priests from Sathyanilayam celebrated mass there regularly. The next Parish priest of Vettuvankeni Rev Fr. Chacko and his successor Rev Fr George Palakattu Kunnel continued to cater to the spiritual needs of the people of that locality. They also eagerly scouted for a land in Palavakkam/Kottivakkam to build a church. Many faithful too made a representation to the archbishop in this regard.

In 1997, 12 Catholic families resided in Palkalai Nagar (Madras University Staff Quarters). Following a varsity syndicate resolution to allot a piece of land for all religious groups and encouraged by the construction of a temple in the area, these families decided to build a place of worship in the campus. A thatched shed was put up for worship in St. Anthony’s name, with the blessings of Fr. George on Feb 27, 1997. Though a tiny place, it drew people from the neighbouring areas within a short period of three weeks. Every Tuesday seemed like a festival day, with people making offerings like buns and garlands made of currency notes. As this place was situated near the seashore, the patron saint was affectionately called “Punitha Kadarkarai Anthoniyar“ - Seashore St. Anthony.
However, the joy of erecting a new place of worship did not last long as some miscreants demolished the chapel within a month. The Statues and Crucifix that had been bought with the contribution of the people had to be removed and secured to prevent further desecration. Undeterred by this incident, the faithful continued to assemble every Tuesday and pray for a miracle that would enable them to have a permanent place of worship.
Faithful of Palkalai Nagar along with the then Archbishop and the minority commission Chairman appealed to civil authorities and the Honourable Chief Minister but it was in vain. In the meantime a delegation from Palkalai Nagar and the Palavakkam area made representations to the Archdiocese separately.