DOUBLE IMPACT: The 151 twins at the church in Kothanallur on the occasion of a feast for the saints — Ss. Gervasis and Prothasis

The Kothanalloor Forane parish in the Diocese of Palai, dedicated to twin brothers Saints Gervasis and Prothasis is paying tributes to them in a unique way by inviting twins to pray at the altar.

In the year 2009 June 19 feast day Mass at Ss. Gervasis and Prothasis Forane Church at Kothanalloor in Kerala, in Southern India, was no different. It was attended by 151 twins and two sets of triplets. The annual festivities spread over 10 days in June from 10th to 19th are to invoke the blessings of the twin saints.

Saints Gravasis and Prothasis grew up at a time when Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire. They were martyred for refusing to give up their faith in Jesus Christ and worshiping the pagan gods of the Roman emperors.

There is a touch of twins to every ritual. Twin Priests Rev. Frs. Joseph and Antony Kollamparambil, and Rev. Frs. Jose and Thomas Choolaparambil, led the June 19 celebration of Mass while twin Priests Rev. Frs. Roy and Roby Kannanchira led the procession that followed the Mass.
Fr. Roy Kannanchira CMI, said, "It was amazing. Even Hindus attended the feast and Mass and offered their prayers."

He said he learned the parish was planning to celebrate the feast "in a mega way" from next year onwards.

The oldest to attend the event this year were 82-year old twins with the same name as the patron saints from the parish itself and also 79-year-old Alexander and Cheriyan Kattakayam who traveled 47 kilometers to attend the feast. "If God permits, I will come next year also," Cheriyan said. There was also a female pair by the name Gervasia and Prothasia, both students,” the vicar, Rev. Fr. Joseph Puthenpura said. The youngest were twins born on June 19 this year. Since they were born during the festival, their parents named them after the patron saints—Gervasia and Prothasia.

The church began organizing the annual celebration with the speciality of twin’s get-together in 2007, after several twins started attending feast day celebrations earlier, according to parish priest Fr. Joseph Puthenpura.

They believe that praying to the Twin Saints will help them to progress in life and overcome difficulties, he said.

Only 35 pairs of twins attended the feast in 2007 but that number increased to 95 pairs last year. "It has further gone up this year to 151 twins, including six pairs of Hindus and two sets of triplets," said the 72-year-old priest.

Fr. Puthenpura said his parish has seen the birth of a total of 55 twins over recent years, an unusually large number for a parish with 702 families. He said many parishioners believe twins are a blessing of their patron saints.

The church, whose history dates back to 826 AD, was originally named after Sapor and Prot, he said. These men are variedly projected as Chaldean bishops, or as saintly men or merchants from Syria, who helped Christians establish themselves on the Kerala coast in the ninth or 10th Century.

In the 16th Century, when Portuguese missioners began to evangelize Kerala, they attempted to "Latinize" the church here and renamed it after the martyr-saints Gervasis and Prothasis of Milan.
There will be continuing growth in the number of twins attending the feast and visiting the church in the coming years.