Tilaya, the sub-station of Maheshmunda was raised to the status of parish in 1972. Fr. Joseph Cheruvil volunteered to be the first parish priest. He wanted to live a solitary life in the new parish. After making the boundary wall he made a mud house and stayed all by himself. Looking at his life style his friends nick named him “Muni”. He enjoyed rearing chicken, rabbits, goats and cows. He filled the compound with vegetable garden and fruit trees. He even had rubber plants, brought from Kerala in his compound, perhaps to experiment if these trees could be grown for income generation. After 7 years of solitary life, he constructed the Church and presbytery. He also made a convent building and welcomed Notre Dame Sisters (SND).