Currents
(from ONE July 2012)
A Mason Priest (India)
Posted: 10 Aug 2012
Rev. Joseph Thachukunnel cut and polished 10,000 pieces of stone for the reconstruction of St. Mary’s Church. A poor parish of 320 families — including 102 tribal families — in the hill station at Perinchankutty in the Idukki diocese, the parishioners have been volunteering their time and labor to the reconstruction efforts since 2007. Father Thachukunnel took on the role of stonemason, cutting and polishing all of the stones used for the building’s facade. Given the mountainous region, they opted to use materials readily available, such as outcroppings and loose rocks from on and around the church premises.
Although the parish has been working relentlessly over the past five years, there remains much to be done before the church is finished. Even still, the efforts of Father Thachukunnel and his parishioners have already placed the structure and façade on a firm foundation.