I still vividly remember the early stages of our church. Let me take you down memory lane and give you an account of those early years. Please note that this is my personal recollection and not the official historical account of SMCB. You can access the history of the church at our website (www.malayalamchurchboston.org/index.php/history). My involvement with the formation of this church started with the visit of my cousin Fr.Tomy Kariyilakulam to Massachusetts. Though there were many families from Kerala settled in New England, only a few were interested in forming a church. Some of them were interested in having a get-together once or twice in a year while others wanted to meet regularly. We ended up with 10 – 15 families meeting on a regular basis. As a result, we formed an organization called Kerala Catholics of New England (KCNE) and I was selected as the first president to coordinate the activities.

I have to recognize the contribution of Fr.Jos Kandathikudy, vicar of Bronx church, in the formation of our church. My cousin, Fr.Tomy Kariyilakulam had introduced me to him and he agreed to celebrate Holy Mass with us once a month. Until we found alternate arrangements, he used to drive from Bronx, NY to Massachusetts to celebrate Holy Mass with us. His services and messages of encouragement were instrumental in driving us to move forward. I have to appreciate the fact that he came all the way to Boston without even taking gas money for his long drives! Finding a place to celebrate Holy Mass was the first major hurdle we faced. I remember contacting various local churches to get a venue for our Holy Mass. We ended up celebrating our Holy Qurbana at various churches based on their availability. One of my regular tasks during that time was to email/call the members and remind them about the upcoming Holy Mass and communicate the venue of the mass celebration. With the arrival of Fr.Varghese Pereppadan in December 2003, we felt a sense of renewal. He was instrumental in connecting us with the Boston Diocese, especially with the office of the Ethnic Apostolates of Boston Archdiocese and Sr. Mary Corripio. Our mission was inaugurated by Bishop Jacob Angadiath on June 12, 2004. Bishop Jacob Angadiath appointed Fr.Pereppadan as the first mission director and we started to celebrate Holy Mass once a week. I used to visit many members' houses with Fr.Pereppadan to encourage them to participate in church activities. We used to meet at least once in a month at a member's home for planning and partying. I remember meeting at the houses of James and Alice Kuttichery, Reji and Lucy, Scaria Mathew and Omana; and late Michael Mathew and Molly amongst others. (Sorry if I missed anyone). My recollection will not be complete without mentioning the name of Mathewchayan (Mathew Thomas). He was one of the driving forces keeping us focused on the church mission which he still continues to do.

We also faced a lot of challenges during the early years. One of the challenges that we faced was in July 2004 when our priest was accused by a member of the youth at his regular parish. Many of our members thought that it was the end of our mission. But, God has his ways. We received the service of Fr.Tom Chillikulam who was completing his studies. During the week before he left, he introduced us to a new priest, Fr.Paul Puthussery, who had just arrived to pursue his higher studies. I believe it was God’s plan for us to continue with his service in New England. We just missed one week of service because of that unfortunate incident. Subsequently, we initiated all foundational services like CCD program, family units, and committees for various activities, and the rest is history. I thank God for all the blessings we have received in all these years until now.

Jose Puthanpurackal