The people of Mattakara, before the formation of the Mattakara Parish, were associated with Cherpunkal, Kozhuvanal, Kuruvinal and Palai Parishes. They had to start very early in the morning to reach the church in time for Holy Mass, trekking through hilly, wild terrains and swollen water bodies, using torches made by igniting dried coconut fronds to ward off the darkness and wild animals. It was a nightmare to reach the church in time for ceremonies such as marriage, funeral, baptism etc To overcome such difficulties faced by the people of Mattakara, a group of 176 families living in and around the village came together to discuss the possibility of building a chapel here. Mannanal Kannumkuzhyil Punnan Ouseph, Pazhempalliyil Mathai Devasia, Thundiyilkarottu Cheriyathu Thomman and few others took the leading role. It took more than four years of relentless and dedicated effort by the above leaders to get the required permission from His Highness Shri Moolamthirunal-I, the then Maharaja of Travancore, and His Excellency Rt. Rev. Fr. Mathai Makil, Bishop of Changanacherry, to establish a chapel at Mattakara.

Although many locations were proposed for the setting up of the chapel, the location of the present church, which is at a higher elevation than the rest, was finally agreed upon. The two owners of the land—Kongapuzha Keecheril Mani Augusty and Arakal Thekummattathil Thommy and his wife Eley—gladly donated the required plot. The Kovoor Family, the title owners of the land, gladly accepted the transaction.

As soon as the requisite permissions were in place, the enthusiastic and jubilant believers started the construction of the pandal pally (thatched-shed chapel) using local construction materials such as areca nut tree , bamboo, palm leaves etc. The sacristy was demarcated, and a temporary dwelling place for the priest was also built. And thus initial preparations were completed for the new church, the Holy Family Church, Mattakara.

Rev. Fr. Thomas Nechikattil of Cherpunkal Parish was appointed as the first Assistant Vicar of the new chapel. On 23 October 1898, the First Holy Mass was celebrated in the new pandal pally, followed by the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony. All the sacred articles for the new church were provided by the Holy Cross Church of Cherpunkal. Thereafter The Foundation Day of the Holy Family Church, Mattakara , is celebrated every year on October 23.

Rev. Fr. Thomas Nechikattil, the first Parish Priest (Assistant Vicar), is regarded as the Founding Father of the Holy Family Parish. He stayed there with very limited facilities, toiled along with the people, gave them a sense of direction and inspiration for the development of the parish .

The First General Body, was called in June 1899, and presided over by Rev. Fr. Thomas Nechikattil . A prayer signed by the head of 176 families , for permission to conduct all regular sacraments at the chapel, was made to the Archbishop of Changanacherry.

All efforts were on to get the chapel elevated to the status of an independent parish. And finally, in the year 1902, the chapel was accorded the status of independent parish by the Archbishop of Changanacherry, vide decree no. 191.

In the General Body Meeting of January 1919, a decision was taken to request the Bishop of Changanacherry to grant permission to establish a convent at Mattakara so as to provide education to girls. Consequently, the Seventh House of Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) was established on 7th April 1919. It was built on the land provided by Joseph Mannanal. Appreciating the difficulty faced by nuns in travelling to the church, the convent was shifted to a more convenient location near the church. Rev.Fr.Mathai Koorkamattathil donated a piece of land lying adjacent to the Holy Family Church, for this purpose. On 20 October 1919, the convent was moved to the new location.

As the number of families increased to more than 500 , the general Body of September 2 , 1919 made a proposal to build bigger church and find the resources by collecting donations from the faithful . But it was turned down by the dioceses.

The Moozhoor Chapel whose foundation was laid on 2nd February 1919 was elevated to the status of Independent Parish on 6th November 1920 and 50 families joined Moozhoor Parish

Similarly , foundation stone was laid for Padua Chapel on 21st February 1921 and about 150 members joined that parish.

On January 16, 1927 a chapel was constructed on a plot given by Mannanal Kurian Vinasantious. It was ceded to the Chepumpara church during the formation of Palai Diocese

The chapel and shed built for the purpose of catechism classes at Karimpani was handed over to MCBS Missionaries during 1949, after documentation. On 1st May 1998 Karimpani chapel became an Independent Parish.

On 3rd July 1958, during the time of Rev. Fr. Alexander Cherukarakunnel, the foundation stone was laid for a chapel at Manjamattam, On 16 February 1962, the altar was consecrated by Mar Sebastian Vayalil, Bishop of Palai. And later on elevated to the status of Independent Parish.

During 1987 , Manalumkal Chapel became an Independent Parish and 11 families joined that parish.

On September 14 1993 , Alphonsagiri chapel became an Independent Parish

The Grand Catholic Meeting held in the Holy Family Church Mattakara on 13–15 March 1934, was a historic event. and the participation of intellectuals and nobles of that time enriched the occasion and their oratory skill motivated the entire gathering. Mgr.John Jacob Vellaringat, Malpan Rev.Fr.Placid Podipara CMI, Rev.Fr.Romeo Thomas Mannanal CMI, Rev. Fr. William Neriamparampil CMI, Rev. Fr. Dominic Thotassery, Rev. Fr. Matahai Chennattu, K.E.Jose, V.C.George and M.O.Joseph Anchery were some of the dignitaries who spoke on these days. Through their eloquent speeches, they could uplift the audience to a high level of spirituality, confidence, self-esteem and a sense of belonging. During the meeting, Rev. Fr. Abraham Kudakassery depicted the importance of the meeting and the history of Mattakara in a theatrical fashion (ottamtullal).

In January 1936, Rev. Fr. Thomas Purakariyil joined as the new Vicar. He laid the foundation stone for the new church on19 January .It was a long-cherished dream come true and a decisive moment to be marked in golden letters in the history of this church. It was decided to start the construction of the church soon and that the funds would be met by various modes ,such as different types of donations, levis etc. from the parishioners. Permission was granted by the Changanacherry Diocese.

Dimensions of the church and other details:
• Length 145 ft; width 50 ft; height 25 ft. floor height of 2 ft.
• Front main steeple: Height 55 ft, with two smaller ones on both sides
• Six doors and five windows each on both sides.
• One main door and two small doors in front.

Rear side for sacristy, 50 ft by 14 ft.

By the end of 1936,Rev. Fr. Augusine Nallary took charge as the Vicar. At a meeting on 9 June 1938,the plan and sketch for the new church was discussed and approved. Rev. Fr.Cyriac Mannanal, Rev. Fr. Mathai Kodikulath and Assistant Vicar Rev. Fr. Joseph Mannanal were also present. All the three were members of the Holy Family Parish.

Kurian Mathai Thekanady was entrusted with the responsibility of supervising and executing the construction of the church. The chief mason was Njanakannu from Nagarcovil, a well-known expert in the construction of churches. His talented assistants from Nagarcovil were also engaged in the job. Door and window frames were precast in cement concrete and placed in position once the foundation work was done.

The foundation, walls and pillars were all done in granite with lime mortar. Most of the granite was sourced from lands belonging to the parishners . On Sundays,before and after the Holy Mass, the granite blocks were carried on head from the quarry to the church site. Shell for the preparation of lime was brought to Chuvannaplavu by country boats via Pannagamthodu and carried to the work site by buffalo-drawn carts. Sand was collected from Pannagamthodu. Lime, sand and some additives were mixed together to give good binding property to the mortar. The lime mortar mixing was done using a rotating concrete wheel fixed on an axle running in a circular pit and driven by a buffalo. Before application, the mortar mixture was remixed everyday for seven days for maturing. The people responsible for the construction of the new church were very well aware that the strength of the structure was mainly dependent on the quality of the mortar. As a result, even today, after almost 80 years, there are no cracks, peeling of plaster, chipping or other damages on the walls or pillars.

Always the financial requirements were much in excess of the original estimates. Hence many novel methods had to be adopted to gather more fund.

Starting in1938, it took 14 years to complete the building of the church, and seven priests served as Vicars during this period. They were Rev.Fr.Devasiachan Purakaryil, Rev. Fr. Augusty Nallaryil, Rev. Fr. Kuriakose Mannanal, Rev. Fr. Jacob Pazhempallil, Rev. Fr.Geevarghese Pulinilkunnathil, Rev. Fr. Devasiachan Kalapurakal and Rev. Fr. George Kalekattil. Rev. Fr. George Kalekattil was the Vicar for eight years from 1947 onwards and saw the successful completion of the church and its consecration. Thus, the long-cherished dream of the parishioners to build a new church was finally fulfilled.

Overcoming all hurdles, financial and otherwise , the roofing work was finished in November 1949.

In the year 1950, the Diocese of Palai was formed, and Mar Sebastian Vayalil was made the first Bishop of the new diocese. During this bifurcation, Chepumpara Parish came under Changanacherry Diocese and Mattakara under Palai.

On Saturday,the 9th of February 1952, the consecration of the newly built church was done by His Excellency Rt. Rev. Fr. Sebastian Vayalil, the Bishop of Palai. There was the ceremonial Eucharistic Procession from the old church to the new, followed by the Holy Mass in the new church. Members of CYMA worked selflessly day and night to clean and decorate the surroundings and the church to make the event a grand one.

The perunaal (the main feast) was celebrated on 10 February with due reverence and gaiety. Iype Verkey Kulakatuvayalil was the Prasudenthy, and Chacko Chacko Kuppapuzhakal and Iype Abraham Kalladayil were the trustees.

During 1964, whileRev. Fr. Sebastian Puthusserithotiyil was the Vicar, the church and parsonage were electrified. (22/12/1964) Thus the Christmas celebration was done in the glare of electric light.

Holy Family Church, Mattakara, completed 75 years of existence on 23rd October 1973. The period from 1st January–31st December 1973 was declared as the Platinum Jubilee Year. Major spiritual events and celebrations were held during 21–23 December.

Rev. Fr.Jacob Pazhempallil died on 18th Jan 1974 and Rev. Fr. Mathew Kodikulam died on 23rd July 1974. Both were buried inside the church on the left side .

The Christuraja Chapel at Vadakedam was constructed in 1958 and modified in 1978

The St.George Chapel at Manal was constructed in 1977 and modified in 1987.

Main Centenary celebrations were done from October 13th to 25th of 1998 . Various spiritual and cultural events, befitting the period were organized during the Centenary Year. The sloppy and uneven courtyard in front of the church was leveled and convenient steps were made . A centenary memorial stage suitable for various cultural events was constructed on the southern side of the maidan The road leading to the church courtyard was tarred. Church committee decided to build a beautiful mondlam in front of the Church at the designated place. Decided to construct a Centenary Memorial Shopping complex at Manal Jn. and completed in February 2006.

The General Body meeting of 29th April 2007 decided to construct a new Parish Hall in place of the old one and was completed in 18 months. The fund was sourced by donations and interest free loan from parishners.

A s per the Special Committee held on 6th November 2021, a decision was taken to construct a new parsonage in place of the old one, as it was unfit for healthy dwelling. It was completed in a period of seven months and Blessed by H.E. Rt. Fr, Joseph Kallaragattu, Bishop of Palai.

H.E. Rt. Rev. Fr. Joseph Kallaragat declared that starting from 15th January 2022 as the Jubilee Year. Various spiritual and cultural events were organised in addition to many benevolent schemes like constructing houses for those who cannot afford a decent dwelling place , revamping old houses etc. The closing days were enriched and blessed by the presence of H.E.Rt. Rev. Fr.Thomas Arumachadath , the Bishop of Bhadravati Diocese , H.E. Rt. Rev. Fr. Joseph Pamplani, the Arch Bishop of Thalassery, H.E. Rt.Rev. Fr. Joseph Kallarangat, Bishop of Palai.

The Souvenir “Quinonya”, depicting the eventful history of 125 years of Holy Family Church Mattakara, was released by H.E. Rt.Rev.Fr. Joseph Kallarangat .

Rev. Fr. Thomas Paruthiparayil was our beloved Parish Priest during these past eventful five years. His period saw the completion of many memorable activities such as the construction of parsonage, the Grand Jubilee celebration, the successful release of the Souvenir “Quinonya” and many other spiritual and socio-cultural activates.