ANNOUNCEMENTS
️ New Year Tamil Mass – Dec 31, 2025 | ⛪ St. Paul Parish Hall | 900 St. Paul Drive, Richardson, TX 75080 | ✨ Welcome 2026 with Faith & Blessings ✨ New Year Schedule: 07:30 PM - Fellowship - Dinner | 09:00 PM - Clean-up Parish Center | 09:30 PM - Adoration | 10:45 PM - Tamil Mass - Celebrations.
Sunday Mass: 10:00 AM & 1:00 PM (Tamil)
(469) 803-0163 info@dallastamilcatholics.org

Church Overview-donation

Church & Community Master Plan

phase 1: Purchase of land 10 acre

phase 2: Building a Sanctuary

For reference only

For reference only

For reference only

Building a Sanctuary for Our Heritage

The Journey of the Vailankanni Arockia Matha Catholic Community

Archbishop George Antonysamy,
Chennai 
Bishop Anthonisamy Neethinathan, Chengalpet
Bishop Arulappan Amalraj,
Ooty

For nearly two decades, faith, language, and devotion have united our families in a shared journey, one that now calls us to build a home of our own.

Our journey began on August 15th, 2006, when twelve families stepped out in faith under Fr. Peter Chinnappan to celebrate the Eucharist in the beauty of the Tamil language. Driven by devotion, the initial leadership team under Philip Maria sought to host a Novena for Vailankanni Arockia Matha. When no church space was available for those nine days, our community didn't falter, instead, we opened our doors and began hosting the Novena in our own homes. What started as a nine-day prayer in the living room has grown into a lifelong mission. From humble beginnings in borrowed spaces, we eventually found a home at Holy Cross and later Holy Family of Nazareth, where we were recognized as a Multicultural Ministry in 2017. Under the intercession of Our Lady of Vailankanni, those original twelve families have flourished into a vibrant community of 200 families and more. This year, we reached a historic milestone: the Diocese of Dallas has officially recognized us as the Vailankanni Arockia Matha Catholic Community (VAMCC).

Our growth has brought us to a moment of great necessity. We find ourselves as 'guest-dwellers,' without the flexibility to hold our traditional celebrations or community functions. Currently, our spiritual life is constrained by our surroundings; we lack the space for our youth ministries, housing for our priests, and the ability to celebrate daily Tamil Masses at hours that truly serve our people.

A Moment of Need

To ensure the Vailankanni Arockia Matha Catholic Community can flourish, we must secure our own VAMCC Sanctuary & Community Center. This sanctuary will be more than just a building; it will be a dedicated center for spiritual renewal. Our vision is to provide a permanent space for retreats and spiritual growth—a home where our children, youth, and our men’s and women’s ministries can gather for formation, discipleship, and prayer without limits.

As we embark on this sacred mission, we are reminded of the words of scripture:

“For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.”
— 1 Chronicles 29:14

It is time to move from being a guest to being a host.

Our Vision

Our vision is to introduce the healing grace of Vailankanni Arockia Madha to North America. strengthening families and future generations through the Holy Eucharist, a commitment to faith, hope, and love, and the vibrant celebration of Tamil cultural heritage.

By partnering with our Heritage & Faith Campaign, you are helping us build a home where our language, traditions, and faith can take root for generations to come.

Your Gift. Our Home. His Glory.

OUR ROADMAP TO A PERMANENT HOME

With faith as our foundation, we now present a clear and prayerful roadmap to make this vision a reality:

“The God of heaven will give us success. We His servants will start rebuilding.”
— Nehemiah 2:20

Phase 1: Laying the Foundation

Goal: $2 Million

To move from guests to hosts, our first priority is securing the ground upon which our community will stand. Phase 1 focuses on two critical pillars:

Property Acquisition & Priestly Residence:

The purchase of a permanent property that includes a residence for our priests. This ensures that spiritual leadership remains at the heart of our community while providing the physical foundation for our future.

Site Preparation & Interim VAMCC Sanctuary:

Transforming our newly acquired property into a functional spiritual home. This involves repurposing existing structures to create a temporary sanctuary for our Tamil Masses, along with dedicated spaces for community gatherings and fellowship. We will also develop essential site infrastructure, including expanded parking and safe access to ensure our growing community of 200+ families can gather in comfort and security from day one.

Phase 2: Anchoring Our Devotion

A Global Marian Shrine

This shrine will be a place of pilgrimage, prayer, and teaching for future generations

In gratitude for Our Lady’s intercession in our journey, we will establish a beautiful Shrine to Our Lady of Vailankanni. This sacred space will be uniquely designed to honor her various apparitions from around the world, uniting our specific cultural heritage with the universal Church. It will serve as a spiritual anchor where our families can gather in prayer, preserving our traditions while celebrating Mary’s presence in every corner of the earth.

Phase 3: Fulfilling the Vision

Our Permanent Sanctuary

The final phase of our journey marks the transition from 'guests' to 'owners.' We will construct a fully established, permanent Church—a sacred architectural home for the Vailankanni Arockia Matha Catholic Community. Upon completion, our initial worship space will be thoughtfully repurposed into a vibrant Parish Center. This hub will provide a dedicated home for Catechism classes, ministry meetings, and community gatherings, ensuring our faith is passed down to our children in a space of their own.

VAMCC Capital Campaign – FAQ

Answers to common questions about the Vailankanni Arockia Madha Catholic Community (VAMCC), our vision, capital campaign, and the future spiritual home for the Dallas Tamil Catholic community.

The community began on August 15, 2006, with twelve families celebrating the Holy Eucharist in the Tamil language. Since then, it has flourished into a vibrant community of over 200 families and was officially recognized this year as the VAMCC by the Diocese of Dallas.

The goal is to acquire property within the Diocese of Dallas and erect a permanent structure to support parish and community activities. This will provide a stable, long-term home for faith formation, fellowship, and community-centered ministries for the Dallas Tamil Catholic community.

For nearly two decades, the community has relied on borrowed spaces at other churches (such as Holy Cross Church and Holy Family of Nazareth). Establishing a VAMCC Sanctuary allows the community to transition from being guests to hosts, preserving their heritage and building a legacy of faith.

Phase 1 – “Laying the Foundation” focuses on two pillars:
  • Property Acquisition & Priestly Residence: Purchasing permanent property that includes a residence for priests.
  • Site Preparation & Interim Sanctuary: Repurposing existing structures or building new ones to create an interim sanctuary for Tamil Masses, along with parking and site infrastructure.

  • Phase 2 (Global Marian Shrine): Construction of a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Vailankanni to serve as a pilgrimage center for Indian Catholics across the U.S.
  • Phase 3 (Permanent Sanctuary): Construction of a fully established permanent church. Once completed, the interim worship space will be repurposed into a Parish Center for catechism and meetings.

The leadership is actively engaging with municipalities north of Dallas within the Dallas Diocesan jurisdiction to identify a location with suitable zoning. Demographic data suggests a focus on areas like Frisco, Plano, McKinney, and Prosper.

The estimated fundraising goal for Phase 1 is approximately $2 Million.

The objective is to secure 50% of the project budget through donations and community pledges by November 30, 2026.

Over the past year, the community has successfully raised 20% of the goal in cash and pledges.

The campaign will utilize several methods:
  • A structured pledge program for families
  • Outreach to high-net-worth individuals and businesses
  • Outreach to other Indian and Catholic communities across the U.S.
  • Fundraising activities such as fun runs, couples' dinners, and raffles

While rooted in the Tamil cultural heritage, the VAMCC aims to serve the broader Catholic community and the growing Indian population in North Dallas. Demographic projections estimate over 10,000 Indian Catholics and 15,000 total Indian Christians in the target cities.

In the event that VAMCC closes its doors, all belongings and resources will be gifted to the Dallas Diocese to continue serving the Catholic community.

The vision is to move into the new spiritual home and be fully functional within a year of the property’s closing date, depending on site readiness.

We are targeting to have the church consecrated within a year from the purchase of a property.

We will continue operating as the Multi-Cultural Ministry within Holy Family of Nazareth (HFN) until the inauguration day of the new Vailankanni Arockia Annai Parish.

The end goal is to have Daily and Weekly Masses, with services offered in both Tamil and English.

A parish priest will be assigned by the Diocese, along with the support of Fr. Peter post-retirement.

Yes. We view our youth as the future of the Church. There is a comprehensive, all-year plan specifically designed for youth and children.

Yes.

It will operate as a standard Parish Office.

No. The Diocese will not provide financial support.

While we have not set a mandatory price per family, we have approximately 100 families. The success of this church depends entirely on the generous contributions of these families to meet the total budget.

Yes. Building fund contributions are separate from operational costs. Families are expected to contribute separately for:
  • Food
  • Novena
  • Christmas / New Year
  • Special GiveAway projects
  • Savings toward the reserve fund

Yes, we need everyone’s help!

Our immediate objective is to secure a property within a $1M budget that can accommodate both a parish rectory and an intermediate sanctuary. We are committed to a fiscally responsible approach, prioritizing land with existing structures that can be modified or innovative cost-effective building models.

We welcome your input. Please send your ideas and feedback to:
Email: communications@vamcp.org
Have More Questions?

We value transparency and community involvement. If you have additional questions or ideas, please reach out to us at communications@vamcp.org.