Founder And Patron
Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara Our Founder And Leader
Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born on 10th February, 1805 at Kainakary , Kerala. At the age of five he began his studies in a village school, called Kalari. when he was 13, he joined the seminary at Pallipuram for his priestly training. While he was in the seminary, his parents and his eldest brother died in an epidemic. On 29th November 1829, he became a priest. Saint chavara was instrumental in founding two Catholic Religious Congregation – one for men, i.e Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) and the other for women, Congregation of Mother of Carmel, (CMC). For spiritual renewal and all round development of the society.
Starting seven ashrams and a convent in different parts of Kerala, Chavara initiated a spiritual movement among the people of Kerala. He established the first Catholic Sanskrit School, a major seminary and a printing & publishing house at Mannanam. He directed that every church should start a school attached to it and encouraged children even poorer sections to attend the schools by supplying midday meal and dress for them. He founded a “Home of Charity” to take care of the destitute, the beggars, the uncared sick and the old. He also organized the first voluntary charitable association in Kerala for self-help among the needy.
Even in the midst of such manifold activities, he found time to write several literacy and spiritual books in prose as well as verse. Among them “ Anastasyude Rakthasakshyam” the first narrative poem and “Nalagamnagal”, the first chronicle of History in Malayalam, Tamil, Sanskrit,Syrian, Latin, Italian and Portuguese.
Essentially, however, Saint Chavara was a man of prayer and great charity. He lived for 65 years and died on 3rd January 1871. His sanctity was officially recognized by the church, when Pope John Paul II declared him “Blessed on 08 February 1986. He was canonized on 23rd November,2014 by Pope Francis. Saint Chavara is the heavenly patron of all CMI institutions. Let us pray to him intercede before God for all our needs, especially for success in our studies.
St.francis Xavier Our Patron
Saint Francis Xavier, S.J (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta, 7 April 1506 – 3rd December,1552) was a Navarrese- Basque Roman Catholic missionary born in Javier (Xavier in Navarro – Aragonese or Xabier is Basque) Kingdom of Navarre (present day Spain) and a co-founder of the society of Jesus. He was a companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesults who took vows of poverty and chastity at Montmarte, Paris in 1534.
He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time and was influential in evangelization work most notably in India. He also was the first Christian missionary to venture into Japan, Borneo, the Maluku Islands and other areas. In those areas, struggling to learn the local languages and in the face of opposition, he had less success than he had enjoyed in India. It was a goal of Xavier to one day to reach India.