Gracefully overlooking Kalanja, St. Sebastian’s church hardly goes unnoticed by anyone who passes by the village. The walls of the church have seen Kalanja grow from its small gathering of three families back in 1962 when the church was first established, to a huge and growing community of more than 150 families (2020).
Kalanja was established as an independent parish in 24th June 1962, under the first parish priest Rev. Fr. Mathew Vilamthanathu. From then it has witnessed an exponential growth trajectory with enthusiastic parish members. There are numerous active groups that work together for the growth of the community. This include Thirubalasakhyam, Mission League, SMYM, Mathruvedi, Pithruvedi and Vincent de Paul.
On 13th June 1992, the parish was blessed with the service of S H Convent sisters. S H Convent also runs the Kanaja’s pride, Divya Jyothi English Medium School.
Every year in the month of January the entire village of Kalanja comes together to celebrate the most anticipated event of the church, the feast of St. Sebastian. With the intercession of St. Sebastian, the parish continues to grow spiritually, as a living example of true Christian values.