| St. Mary's Forane Church Edoor | |
| Location: | Edoor, Iritty, Kerala |
| Country: | India |
| Pushpin Map: | India Kerala |
| Coordinates: | 11.998°N 75.7262°W |
| Denomination: | Syro-Malabar Catholic Church |
| Tradition: | East Syriac Rite |
| Architectural Type: | Modern |
| Parish: | St. Mary's Forane Church, Edoor |
| Dedication: | Saint Mary |
| Archdiocese: | Thalassery |
| Founded Date: | 1946 |
| District: | Kannur |
| Archbishop: | Joseph Pamplany |
| Vicar: | Thomas Vadakkemuriyil |
| Asstpriest: | Thomas Pookamala |
St. Mary's Forane Church Edoor is one of the oldest churches and a notable Marian pilgrim centre in Kannur district of Kerala. It is near Iritty, the eastern town of Kannur district. This church is the first church in the name of St. Mary under the archdiocese of Thalassery. It is also the largest parish in the archdiocese. It is situated about 6.5 kilometres from the town of Iritty, which is also known as 'The Coorg valley in the God's own country'.
Edoor town is a small marketplace for the farmer communities of the surrounding regions. This place is well-connected to any part of Kannur and other parts of Kerala by road.[1]
This parish was established in 1946. In its initial times, it was under the Latin Catholic Diocese of Kozhikode. Later, it came under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thalassery.[2] In those times, the members of the parish were the Christian people who had migrated from Travancore. In 1970, the new church was built.
The church is in a circular shape and it has a dome in the centre. As it is circular, it has a large area and a wide angle of viewing the altar. It is also one of the largest churches in Malabar. The altar of this church was renovated in 2012, which creates a heavenly feeling in our mind. The altarpieces include the sculptures of various saints. The church has entrances from three directions; viz. West, South and North. Above the main entrance which is from the south, we can see a Latin text: "VENITE ADOREMUS", meaning Come, Let us worship. Above the entrance from the south, we can see the text: "AVE MARIA", and above the northern entrance we can see the text: "MY LORD, MY GOD", which is a declaration by St. Thomas, who is the apostle of India and the father of the Syro-Malabar Church.
The presence of St. Mary is the reason for its popularity. The statue of Mother Mary or Edooramma which may not be seen anywhere else is the most beautiful thing in this church.
This statue was made in foreign country and brought here by the European Missionaries who were working in this region. Actually it was decided to place it in a nearby church and not in St. Mary's Church. It is said that while it was transported to another church via Edoor, the vehicle had a breakdown when it reached Edoor. As the defect could not be solved soon, they placed the statue in the Edoor Church. This is the story how Edooramma reached here.
This church has played a role in the educational landscape of the region. St. Mary's LP School, established in 1946, holds the distinction of being the oldest school in the area. Following this, St. Mary's UP School was founded in 1949, providing primary education. Subsequently, St. Mary's High School was established in 1957, and in 1998, St. Mary's Higher Secondary School expanded opportunities for higher education in the region. Today, St. Mary's Higher Secondary School integrates primary, secondary, and higher secondary education under one roof. Additionally, the church, through its leadership at CMC Convent, facilitated the establishment of St. Treesa’s Nursery School in 1972 and Vikas Bhavan Special School for differently abled children in 1984. Vikas Bhavan Special School is among the few specialized schools in Kerala.
1. St. Thomas Church Karikottakkari
2. St. Sebastian's Church Velimanam
3. St. Mary's Church Mangode
4. St. Mary's Church Uruppumkutty
5. St. Sebastian's Church Chedikulam
6. Bl. Chavara Kuriakose Elias Church Keezhpally
7. St. Sebastian's Church Vattiyara
8. St. Joseph Church Edappuzha
1.Fr.Kudakkachira Kuriakose(1945–47)
2.Fr.Kuzhikkalathil C.J.Varkey(1947–49)[3]
3.Fr.Kattakkayam Joseph(1949–54)
4.Fr.Elamthuruthiyil Sebastian(1954–59)
5.Fr.Moongammackal Abraham(1959–65)
6.Fr.Kollamparambil Joseph(1965–72)
7.Fr.Koottiyani Peter(1972–77)
8.Fr.Kadukummackal John(1977–80)
9.Fr.Kattackal Zacharias(1980–84)
10.Fr.Kunnapallil Varkey(1984–90)
11.Fr.Kollakombil George(1990–93)
12.Fr.Kavalakkattu Kuriakose(1993–99)
13.Fr.Purayidam Antony(1999-2005)
14.Fr.Emmanuel Poovathinkal(2005-2010)
15. Fr. Andrews Thekkel (2010-2016)
16. Fr. Antony Muthukunnel from 2016-