CHRIST THE KING CHURCH KUTELA

CHRIST THE KING CHURCH KUTELA

KUTELA (ARCHD. RAIPUR)

Fr. Oscar Toppos Parish Priest,

Manager & Principal,

Hunold Memorial Higher Secondary School

Fr. Basil Kujur Asst. Parish Priest,

Principal – St. Vincent Pallotti School

Rev. Bro. Francis Tirkey Hostel Incharge

Kutela Ashram

Saraipalli – 493 558

Mahasamund Dist., C. G.

Hunold Memorial Hr. Sec. School Tel: 07725/226575

St. Vincent Pallotti Eng. Med. School

KUTELA MISSION:

On February 2, 1952, Fr. Hunold was entrusted with the Kutela Mission. The Kutela mission consisted at that time of a vast area with a radius of more than 50 kilometers. On October 1, 1952, Fr. Hunold was received additional help in the person of Fr. Joseph Strittmatter. He was the third Pallottine missionary to set foot on Indian soil. He was an architect, an engineer, a mason and a carpenter. He came to Kutela during the Holy Week of March 1953. In 1966, Fr. Robert Abele replaced Fr. Hunold as the Parish Priest of Kutela. He was missionary with deep love and concern for his flock. He spent 12 long years in this mission and left lasting impressions. By 1971 there were 12 catechists along with priests looking after 3400 Catholics in 68 different villages and subsequently this mission was made into several independent mission parishes like Basna, Chuhipalli, Pithora and Baloda.

Kutela mission is one of the first missions of the Pallottines in India. It was started in 1952. It is 165 kilometers away from the state capital Raipur. But it is connected to the main road therefore communication is easier nowadays.

The Kutela area is dominated by the people of Scheduled Caste (SC). Since the SCs are lowest in the caste stratification of Indian society, they have very less privileges from the government unlike the Scheduled Tribes (ST). The villages spread far and wide in the interior villages. Some villages are connected by road and others on foot path.