Koorthamala Church stands tall as a symbol of Christian unity and fellowship among different denominations. This Church was started in 1885. MarThoma Church and Orthodox Church shares the same church building, baptismal font, office and cemetery. Services are conducted every other Sunday for each denomination. A combined working Committee manages the administration. The expansion of the Church building was managed by the combined Committee. We congratulate the visionary leadership of the parish and the members as the parish celebrates its 125th Anniversary of Christian witness.

Manoramaonline Article about Korrthamala Church

Koorthamala St. Mary's Church celebrates 125 years of Prayer, Fellowship

by Alexander Cherian Assariath, Chennai

St. Mary's Church Koorthamala, Chengannur Diocese is celebrating 125 years of service. Koorthamala church is on a deflection midway on the Arattupuzha -Kumbanadu road; Arattupuzha on Chegannur Kozhenchery Road and Kumbanadu, on Thiruvalla Kozhenchery road. The church is jointly owned by the Marthoma and Orthodox Churches. Appropriately on the 26th of December H.H. Didymos Valia Bava Thirumeni, H.H. Paulose Bava Thirumeni, Mar Chrisostum Valia Thirumeni and Mar Joseph Marthoma Valia Metopolitan of Marthoma Church shall Grace the Occasion of 125th Year celebration.

A century and a quarter thereof have passed since the foundation of the church and Koorthamala Palli has grown into an institution much revered and respected. In the course of years, Orthodox Church has added two more Chapels and Marthomites a third while the main Church continues to be used by both. A few facts stand out and is worthy of emulation.

The first and foremost is the harmonious religious traditions of the village. The Hindus take a lead role in church festivities and more particularly in the reception to newly ordained bishops and Primates, the initiative and enthusiasm of the Hindu community is to be seen to be believed. Equally worthy of mention is the harmony that exists between the Marthomite and the Orthodox Churches. In its 125 years there was hardly any occasion of strife or remonstrances between the two.

A third fact is that while the 30s of the last century saw the majority of the community driven to poverty and penury it is the generation born in the thirties and fourties that earned laurels for the community nationally and internationally.

Today Hundreds of Professionals from our church, (Doctors, Engineers, Management Graduates, lawyers and other professionals ) serve in various parts of the Globe from Australia to American Continents.

In poverty and distress, peril and danger what has stood us in steadfast courage is faith and prayer; that of our parish community both the dead and living, intercession of St. Mary, of St. George, of St. John the Baptist, of Parumala Thirumeni and of all the saints and martyrs and the Divine love that of our Father who sent His Only Son Our Lord and God Jesus Christ amongst us.

Koorthamala Orthodox/Marthoma Church - A Model to Emulate

by Jacob Kuruvilla Ambrayil, Newsprint Nagar

I felt very happy reading the news about the Koorthamala Orthodox/ Marthoma Church. In an era when there were lot of people who understood the difference in faith between the two churches and people have time to spend fighting over the differences, at least in a few churches / parishes our fathers decided to go the way of sharing and set a model, though there were not many to follow the example.

There are churches in Malankara Sabha also where the Orthodox/ Jacobite factions share the church peacefully and maintain the church together. Good examples are that of St. Mary's church of Cherai and near by St. John Church at Ayyampally both in Kochi Diocese not far of from Alwaye and Trikkunnathu Seminary.