About us

His Holiness Pope John Paul II by the Bull “Ad Aptius Provehendum” dated June 14, 1996 erected the Latin Diocese of Neyyattinkara. The origin of Christianity in this area dates back to 1600 A.D. The people who received baptism from St. Francis Xavier came and settled in Neyyattinkara, Vlathankara, Amaravila and Parassala. In 1698, attempts were made to start a mission at Nemom. In 1707, the Jesuit Missionary Fr. Severia Borgis started Nemom Mission. The first converts were from the Nair Community. The first Church in this Diocese was erected in 1775 at Amaravila.

Widespread missionary activities in the Diocese began at the dawn of the present century. It was the saintly Archbishop Aloysius Maria Benziger OCD the Co-adjutor Bishop of Quilon in 1900 and Bishop in 1905, who propagated Christian faith in the Diocese. His saintly life, powerful leadership, missionary zeal and generous assistance to missionary priests paved the way to the formation of several ecclesial communities and erection of many churches.

The Diocese of Neyyattinkara was bifurcated from the Diocese of Trivandrum in 1996. The erection of the new Diocese of Neyyattinkara and the appointment of Rt. Rev. Dr. Vincent Samuel as its first Bishop were announced by Archbishop Soosa Pakiam at the Animation Centre, Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram, on 16th of July 1996. Rt. Rev. Dr. Vincent Samuel was Ordained as the First Bishop of new Diocese by Cardinal Joseph Tomko on 1st of November, 1996. And he took Ecclesiastical Possession of the Diocese on 5 November, 1996. The Diocese of Neyyattinkara consists of two taluks of Neyyattinkara and Nedumangad except the area that was erstwhile under the Padroado.