Chapter IV - Shodhgangashodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/587/9/10_chapter4.pdf · Chapter IV filSE AND P'RO(;HESS OF THE CARMELITES OF MAKY IMMACULATE I-11e Lbi-rnation of

Chapter IV

f i lSE AND P'RO(;HESS OF THE CARMELITES OF

MAKY IMMACULATE

I-11e Lbi-rnation of ('armelites of Mar); Immaculate (CMI) on

the I-);isis ot't111: doctrines and dogmas of the Papacy and its control

~no\ t i \ . h\ . the indigenous prelates marked the beginning of a new

epoch i11 the prolonged struggle of S>ro- ~ a l a b a r i a n s to safeguard

their faith anti belief?. l'he Syrian Christians who traced a hoary

pabt hecame the \ ict in~s of both internal and external

!?~anipulatiol-is and machinations at different periods of its history.

I h e Sy ian Christians being "Great or Noble: or Adopted Sons, the

l'oll(~\\.ers of the i\razcireiie" after\\-ards underwent the spiritual

s\\rl> o l the prelates both from the East and the West. The

h/letl.opolitans, Catliolicos and the Patriarchs who came from

tbreisn land's at times failed to realize the antiquity o f the Syrians

in its right sense. l+owever, the lack of prcl'per liaison between the

tireign pre.lates and the local clergy at times led to confusion and

confi.ontat~on. The inability of the foreign prelates to appreciatc

the ;>otentialities of the local clergy and laity further compounded

[he cont'tlslon and made the confrontation beyond co~npromise.

I lie lbrmatio~i olCM1 took place at a time when the Syro-

Malaha~.i'I~urch was at the vortex of internal feud coupled with the

~nachinations of the toreign forces. The Syrians who had

\I itnessed and underwent a saga of trials and tribulations in the

COLII-se ol'tlie last several centuries were called upon to face a very

scl.ious challi:n!;e, which rather threatened to jeopardize its very

existence. The Syrians used to gather vigor and vitality from each

01 the cha1leng;es. The greatest legacy of its growth was the

~~uccessf'ul confrontaticr, of such challenges. It made thein to keep

e\\.ake and bi: vigilant against the dangers. 'They realized that the

lxolonged strife and struggles could be ended only through the

establishment of an indigenous congregation, which would be

embedded in spirituality and social uplift. i-\ sinall group of local

~x.lests led by Fr. Thonlas Porukara fulfilled the long felt historical

~nced.

I r . I'l~omas l'orukar-a,' the Secretary to the Vicar Apostolic

01' VcrapoI\ ' laid the li~undation stone o f the congregation at

Mannana~n on r 1 Ma! IS3 1 and named it after St. Joseph with the

acceptance of one and al l . ' Hence Porukara was the thunder o f

the congregation. I he dedication cerelllony was attended by

enlinen! dignitaries l ike Bishop Maurelius St.abili~ii, Fr. Thomas

l'alakkal.' I-;. t iur~al \ose Elias ~havara , ' Brother Jacob

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I<a~iianthai-a and several others." I t is interesting to note that the

C'MI \{as tilt. first indigeno~~s religious congregation in the history

of the ( ;rriiol~c ('hurcli in India

I I \ <iler~an, the h~ographer of Fr. Cliavara stated that "Fr.

Cha\ ara \ \as t l ~ fbunder and Fr. Palaltltal and Fr. Porukara w-ere

- the io-toilncleri of the congregation."' This has been severely

criticized h! the Curia members who substantiated with the help

of documei~ts ).hat Fr. C'havara was only a young priest at that

time and \\as very ~iiuch associated with the formation of the

coi~grepatlon "iowever, his association with the other priests in

the co~istructional activities cannot be delimited." The nucleus of

the (C'Ml) is at Mannanam, a beautiful and panoramic hillock at

ail .1111tt1dt. ot 1 :iO feet trom the sea level. The scenery all around

hlannanain i:, enchanting. 1-ooking to the west, one can see the

vnsl padd? fields and coconut groves extending up to the

hack\\aters ot'l'enibanad. The setting sun at the Arabian see is a

maznilicent scene in the evening. The western side of the hillock

i, \ + : t s l ~ ~ ~ l I>! the w;ltess extending fsom the backwaters of

iiembanad on the eastern side of Kuttanad. On the south of

Manl-ianam lies the Icottayam Medical College and on the north

the Mahatma C.rartdhi University Campus. The M.C road passes

somc 4 1,ms east of Mannanam and it is 12 kms north west of

Kottayani. the district head quarters.

t roni tht: beginning the hillock of Mannanam was called

1 1 , B e . o . the abode above, the hea\renl>i Jerusalem, by the

founding t'rlthers. With the dawn of the 19"' century, the history of

St. Iliomas Christians ot'Malabas took a new shape and a gigantic

stride. I n addit~on to its first position as the birth place of the first

indigenous seminary of the Malabar Church, ( 1 833), Mannananl

also shares many othel- distinctions like the abode of the first

Catholic Sanskrit school and first Catholic printing press, both

founded in ( 1840), first Catholic English School in Icerala ( 1 874),

the h'n;,.r,17( L)eepika, the first Malayala~n daily(1887), and

Ku~ . , l i e l uk~ i . ~~~ / l l ( r ~n , first Catholic monthly in [(erala founded

1903. ' '

,?,ithough the founding fathers were nourished by different

ideologies. they had only one religious identity . While Fr.

I'alakkal ti)llo\ved the Dominican ideal, Fr. Porukkara drew freely

from the C'armelite stream. They decided to keep away co~npletely

from their relations with the family and to keep their accounts in

common. I ' Alier the death of Fr. Thomas Porukkara in 1846, the

responsibilities of maintaining the congregation fell on the

shoulders of Fr. Chavara. Besides being the superior of the

monastery. he beca~ne the rector of the seminary. There after he

~-i.ntle~.ed ~nirac:ulous service in the fornlati,on of the first native

cc~ngregation at its classical style.

The c~angregation is founded on the hasis of the Carmelite

ideal 01' contemplative prayer, silence and solitude, ~nortification

of exterior anti interior senses, penance and meditation of the Holy

I Bible. I t is a f i l l1 Christian life in which one gives up one's

desire to marry. one's right to own property arid one's inherent

d e c ~ s ~ o n to 111al\e decisions. Vatrcan Council I1 describes religious

l i l t 'IS '1 U ~ I I to the world at large within the church, a sign and

point of attraction to the Christians in fulfilling the duties of their

C'hristian t cation.'^ It is grounded on the triple vows of chastity,

po\ert! nnd obedience. It is the triple expression of the single

..ye5' ro t i ~ c one relationship of total consecration."

I I ~ L . \ t o \ \ ol'chdbt~t) is the dedicatro~~ of onesell'to God with

I I I a t I . I-eopold the spirrtual advisor of Fr.

i l ~ ~ t \ : n - : i \[l-i.i~t:d (;.II \:irginal chastity thzit i t i: :I complete

i l l \ , ) I \ ~~11ii.1-11 and prc ~iccupatiun ~ ~ i t l i God and his aftairs and an

1 1 , c , \ . i t l L i ' , I: I t > \ i. 1'or tlic. I > i \ ine Being. I-le ilisisted on the love of

~ I I I L . 5 11~1;1)i-)our as a sure sign of one's love of' God. He laid

I >cress on cliiir~ty than on chastity. Sufficien~ solitude of

IIC: I I . I 1 4 i.\sci~liill fat- owing the counsel ofchastity. By taking this

L ~ ~ . I I O U I I C C c . ~ n s ~ i o u s I \ and fixel:$ rnal.~.iagc and all its

i~ l i~ \ s i~ igs and I . I I C ~ S U I . C \ ;i~id tal~c upon LIS lie ohli~aLion to keep

..I- . I ~ r i I i i I i t . I'he senses should also be

t i ~ o l l l I I I I . ~ ~ I ; ~ J 111c I ~ ~ I C I . I I ; I I P O \ V C ~ S relateti l o pcrcel?tior~s.

I I I I I I I C I I J ~ I . \ ;)lid iiiiagination. C:c!~~ii~iienting on (he

~ I ~ I ~ X N - I ; ~ I K C <)I' modest\, 1-r. I-copold instiucted " walk with

nlotic.sl\. iiol touchins tach other, even riot to touch others clothes

I>cc ; i~~~ i ' \ OII lia\re tiic I I I I C of touch and therefore try not to violate

( 1 , ~ . I I I . I I I C c~l'ilias~it! i n any \va?".'%e concluded thus .'in all your

actions I - r ~ ~ i e ~ n b e r t h a ~ God sees your modesty in walk, nloderate

ill Iauyi~tcr. iind talk. and in lteeping the position of liead, while

gi\ii:y ilie c1i1.1rch ant! even when others !oolc at you . let it be the

I o o h of'1)iviiie lo\;? that 1iell:)s them make an act of Divine love".'"

Poverty means total detachment from all things created; and

it proclai~ns that God is man's only real t rea~ure.~ ' It is the

renunciation. of possessions and that implies removal of all

abundance of worldly goods in individual and group life.2' The

vow (11' poverty torbade them from possessing even the slnallest

thing as their own. It was an experience of the true joy of

possessing Ciod !,nore fitll\. evert in the midst of deprivation and a

time to identify with Jesus when the superior denies them the

2 7 simplest of things:-

Obedience denotes full sursender of one's will as a sacrifice

ot'o~ieselfto God and thereby to the will of the superiors who hold

the place ot' Ciod~.~' Greater imposta~~ce was given to obedience

than reciting prayers or reading spiritual books or doing all that

was appealing to one's own will and pleasure. "Pursue acts of

obedience with utmost diligence and help others as much as you

can if you care to be obedient and reli,gious."2J Blind and

uncluestioned obedience was the norin for the early Carmelites.

. Kuriakose in the chronicles of Coonaninavu recorded

that the Catholic faith had enlightened Kerala from very early

times. But these were neither monasteries nor convents in which

nien and women could practice the evangelical virtues. Men had

the privilege of becoming priests or getting married as they

wished but the only way of life open to wornen was to marry and

no other. 'l'ho:;e who did not wish to marry had to drag on a

painful existence at home in order to re~nain virgins. Matters

continuing as such in the year 1831, the very Rev. Fr. ~a lakka l , by

the grace of God and through the gracious help of Rt. Rev.

Bernadine, the Archbishop and the Vicar Apostolic of Malabar,

the house at Mannanam was raised to the status of a monastery in

1855 and was given a constitution to be observed. Later he

founded two more monasteries, one at Coonarnmavu and the other

at Elthuruth. T h e Bishop having decided to open a convent for

women, acquired a plot of land on the eastern side of the church in

Varapuzha in 1860 and spending an enormous amount of money

laid a foundation and which constructing a high wall to protect all

around. At that time once again a Syrian Bishop came to the place

in defiance of the orders of the Holy See and took over the charge

of Inany of the Syrian churches. As a result of the general

confusion that ensued the above mentioned attempt to open a

convent was sadly disrupted and it remained unacco~nplished for a

long time '' But w~thin sixteen years of his priorship Fr. Chavara

himself could establish seven other foundationis in Koonanmavu.

Plasanal, L/azhal<ulam, Elthuruthu, Pulinkunnu, A~nbazhakkat and

Muthol>

Fr. C'hava.ra gives a clear account about daily routine life in

his Mannanam Nalagamam. The whole day was spent in prayer

and study. They :recited three decades of the mysteries of rosary,

praver to St. Joseph, the rosary of the Seven Dolours and the

prayers to the lady of the ~ c a ~ u l a r . ~ % i s i n ~ at 5 a.m. they recited

morning prayers in cornmon, after which the fathers recited the

canonical c.ffice. Then the novices went to the chapel and recited

the loyful mysteries of the rosary, followed by a set of prayers

comprising of prayers in honor of the five !sacred wounds, the

Rosary of the !seven Dolours, as well as prayers to St. Joseph for

holy purity and a holy death. Then the fathers said holy mass, at

the end of which all joined for the litany of all saints. They

engaged in studies till noon, when they recited in comnlon the

sorrowful mysteries of the rosary, prayers to St. Joseph and

special prayers to obtain the love of God, a desire to endure

persecutions and grace to do rneritorious acts. Then the father and

sen~inarians betook thelnselves to their respective refectories for

dinnet-. At sunset at the sound of the Angelus bell they again

asse~l~bled, later the name of the following day was announced

one recited the prayer: "Create a clean heart to me. 0 God, and

renew a right spirit within my bowels to which others responded,

cast ine not away from thy face and take not thy holy spirit from

me"." After spiritual reading and meditation, they recited the

glorious mysteries of the Rosary, the litany of the Blessed Virgin,

prayers to our lady of the Scapular and the Glories of St. Joseph,

after which lthe fathers and seminarians returned for meditation

and studies t i l l 10 p.m. During the season of lent, however, after

supper they wlxe zealous in the performanc:e of spiritual exercise

till midnight2"

Fr. Chavara requested Bishop Bernadine to grant them a

constitution and approval fbr the congregation and also to affiliate

tiIern to the (~'arll,lelite order.'" After three years of rigorous test

H , ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ , canonil;ally declared this lay institute into a religious

conzregation..~il' With the blessings and orders of'Bishop Bernadine

Fr, C'ha"3l.a elt:vated the corninunity to a carlonically approved

religious congregation in 1855 and it was given the name the

Sel.\;ants of the Immaculate Mother of Mount ~arlnel." They

were given the rules of Discalced Carmelites with certain

modifications required by the local conditions."

f.r.Chavara paid attention to the reform of the liturgy. He

wished that the liturgy be celebrated with decorurn and soleinnity

SO that devoi.ion cnu!d be transmitted to the participants.

Fr.Chavar-'s. main liturgical reforms were with the perlllission of

('Illll.ct1 authol.ities. As regards the divine office, Chavarals lnain

contribution was to re-order and abridge it, and to ,nake a new

office for Christmas, Corpus Christi, Easter, the feast of BI.Vergin

Mar!. and St.Thornas etc. He prepared an office for the dead- a

, . long one and a !;hart one."' At the time of Chavara there was no

special lit~lrgical ceremony on Iioly Saturday in the Malabar

('hurch. .'Our (Ihurches lay closed like the Jewish Churches on

that day'. write:; C]lavara in the letter to the Cardinal Prefect of the

Congregation of Propaganda ~ i d e . ' ~ To ameliorate the faith of the

bl-etl~ren Chavara, according to the direction of the Vicar

Api~stolic. translated the entire liturgy of the Holy Saturday of the

Roman Ritual into Syriac.

It requireid twenty four years for the congregation to receive

the status of a canonically established religious congregation. On

I November 1859. Bishop Ludovic directed them to submit an

application requesting the ecclesiastical approval for the

.. . congregation:'"! that time they did not get the approval from

Kolne. "' Fr. Chavara prepared a liturgical calendar based on the

Syrian rite and prepared texts, dealing with the rituals of High

Mass celebrations and ~acrarnentals. '~ He codified the breviary.38

']'here was 110 unifonnity in celebrating the Eucharist and the

recitation of thc: divine office. He started the forty-hours adoration

at ~oonammavu.'" It was a manifestation of his great devotion to

the t-.ucharist. The Holy See had specifically mentioned the

particulars of the adoration and they were translated by Fr.

Cha\.ara into pldalayalain. The first such adoration was

perti,rmed in the monastery at Coonammavu.

Bishop Bernadine gave the title "the Servants of the

Immaculate Mother of Mount Carmel" when the congregation was

canonically instituted.'" Since it was founded on the first

anniversary 01' the proclamation of the dogma of faith of the

Immaculate Conception of Mother Mary the name 'Immaculate'

was added to the Mother of Mount arme el.^' At tiines the word

Mount Carme:l was left out and was called the servants of

Immaculate Mother or Amalotbhava Dasa Sangham (the Servants

of llnrnaculate Conception). In 1861, the. name of the

congregation was changed into Third Order of the Discalced

Carmelites (T.O.C.D.).

l'he vear 1861 once again became a year of nliracle and

ordeal in the history of the Carmelites. The Chaldean Patriarch

ordained Thomas Roccos in 1861 as the Metropolitan of the Syro-

Malaharians and on his arrival in Malabar with the support of

Kudakkachira Antony, a local priest, he tried to usurp the

churches. which remained under the spiritual sway of the

Carmelites and wrest the control of the ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

But the timely intervention of tliz Papacy through Fr.Chavara and

the Carmelites t.hwarted the attempts of Thomas Roccos. Pope

Pius IX in his encyclical papal letter42 Verurn hand made it clear

"Mar Thomas Roccos going there and falsely asserting that he was

sent by Our order by the Patriarch usurped ecclesiastical

.jurisdiction".'" The combined efforts of Roccos and Antony

attracted the Syriain Christians in large numbers to their fold.

When it becarne a major challenge to the erstwhile Christians

Roccos was excorninunicated and forced to retreat in 1862.

I'r.Chavara played a vital role in bringing back the Syrians who

went aftel. 1i.occos. He moved around churches after churches and

4 4 spoke. BLII 'Thondanat Antony got ordination as Mar Abdiso

from the Nesotorian Patriarch. After his return to Malabar he

became a potential enelny to the erstwhile Syro-Malabarians. The

Syrian (:llristians in large numbers assembled around him. He

claimed spiritual, and ecclesiastical powers. At such a juncture the

Arch Bishop of' Verapoly Fr.Bernadine sought the assistance of

Fr. Chavara to protect his fellow Inen from yet another schism. Fr.

C!iavara was appointed as the Vicar General of Syrian

denomination in order to protect them from perils.4' He regarded it

3s a decision of God and decided to save KeralaChurch froln such

a critical stage. He conducted a series of speeches about his

mission. The followers of Roccos failed to give any convincing

replies to the rnost pertinent charges leveled by Fr.Chavara against

their pretensions and preachings.

.4s pel- the direction of Bishop Bernadine, Fr.Kuriakose

C'havara. the Prior General of the Syrian Carmelites published a

circular among his fellowmen that Mar Roccos had come without

the approval of Pope and "warning them of the risk of falling into

Rocchos~an schism and endangering their s a l ~ a t i o n " . ~ ~ i s h o ~

Kocco5 and his followers tried their level best to influence

Fr.Kuriakose aind to win his friendship. But Fr. Icuriakose who

was not prepared to make any coinpromise followed an adamant

stand.". But those who were particular about a Syrian Bishop

recognised Tlnornas Roccos as their ruler and spiritual guide. As a

result, out of the one hundred and fifty four Syrian parishes in

Kerala at that period, eighty-six parishes extended their support to

Roccos. Only thirty nine percent of the believers stuck to their old

religious faiths and customs.

Fr. Chavara sent an official letter to this Holiness Pope Pius

IX requesting the correct infonnation regarding the claim of

- -

I ii , , I , , . , , \ , , i , , , ~ i , , i i ~ 7 < , t i i i 1 , l ; < , r \ ol. I . p. I ' ) I . !b, 1 ' I,,,, I\<>. / ; / < , \ 5 < , < 1 I~<,I/I~~J t i , , , . l < , / < , , > , 5 ~ , /,./,',5 ( ' / ,< , , .< , , . cI . pp.8 1-82

~occos.'")n 7 October 1861 he received a reply from the Perfect

ot. Propaganda stating that the Pope had not legally sent ~ o c c o s . ~ ~

On 30 October IS61 Fs. Chavara received the confirnlatory letter

with the signature and seal of His Holiness himself. The Bishop

of Verapoly e:tcommun~cated Roccos for injecting the spirit of

schism among the ~ ~ r i a n s . " ' The people who went after Roccos

voluntarily returned to their original fold.

l'he advent of schismatic Bishops from Bagdad and their

usurpation of the churches and laity were once again arrested

through the active assistance of Fr. Chavara. E ~ l t Fr. Kuriakose

Chavara the Vi,car General did not get the reward for the same. It

was not even appreciated. When the proposal came for a local

Bishop. Bishop Bernadine who was a friend Fr. Kuriakose was not

i n favour of his appointment as the native Bishop of the Syrians.

In the General Assembly of the cardinals met at Rome in 1865

Cardinal ~ o k k i m Peechi, who later became Pope Leo XI11 asked

Bishop Leonard about the possibility of appointing an native

Bishop for the Kerala church, the Bishop objected the proposal.

Fr. Leopold, a Cannelite monk argued for a separate Bishop for

the Syrians uncler a Carmelite missionar.y and under the

jurisdiction of the Vicar Apostolic of ~ e r a ~ o l ~ . ~ ' At times of

distress he remained a source of inspiration to Fr.Chavara. Both of

them decided to render immense service for the spiritual and

material melfare of the Syrian Christians through prayers and

services. They introduced forty hours adoration to reap the fruits

of spiritual knowledgei2.

New techniques were initiated in the methods of conducting

retreats. The old method of reading from a spiritual book was

replaced by preached retreat and meditation. Fr. Chavara and other

priests who attended the retreat found it very Fr.Chavara

wrote a book called Retreatjbr Priests for the use of diocesan

priests. Sermon was based on the topics such as salvation,

preparation for death, sacraments and obligation of the priests. He

taught the Syrian Carmelites to live in the true spirit of sannyasa

crrounded on u1nir.y and virtues. The true spirit is the spirit of love 3

for Jesus and F,egula, the observance of the greatest virtue

obedience. showing charity towards all, happy in being poor,

keeping silence and solitude. doing spiritual exercises with great

zeal and keeping a joyfill spirit in all circumstances. He exhorted

them to advance in virtues, to forgive offences and to pray for the

Catllolic ('hurch and entreated them to observe the rules and

regulations diligently. " ~ r . Chavara liked the instructions of Fr.

Leopold very much and he tried to practice the same in his life.

For instance ;as the use of silver was against religious poverty, he

decided to sell .the silver cross that was kept in Mannanain and to

spend that amount to buy the necessary articles for other

monasteries. '' He was such a saintly rnan who dedicated himself

to the cause of his fellow men. He earned the love and

appreciation of his superiors.

l'he Carinelites of Mary Iinmaculate marked the beginning

of' a new era iri the socio-educational activities of modern Kerala.

Fr. ICuriakose Elias Chavara had been working in the Christian

Bl~cikti Movement and the uplift~nent of the poor and inarginals of

the society. Even before the birth of social reformers, who are

acclai~ned as such. by the historians, Fr Chavara began his work

vigorously In the fertile soil of'Kerala to eradicate untouchability

and ~ h u s enabling, Harijans to become part and parcel of the inain

stream of'the society.

T h e missionaries of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate

perceived education as the only ineans to reform the church and

the societv. The congregation concentrated its attention on the

educational activities. Fr. Chavara regarded religion and general

education as two sides of the same coin. During those days

education remained the ~nonopoly of the caste Hindus. The non-

caste Hindus were never permitted to come anywhere near to the

teiilple ~~atasa ias and kalaris . that remained the centres of

education. Further the non- Brahmins were prohibited from

~nentioning a single term from the Sanskrit language. Just like the

Latin language Sanskrit language remained the monopoly of the

Brahmins.

In such a situation Fr. Chavara founded a Sanskrit School in

1 846 at Mannanam adjacent to the monastery5". He requested each

ot'tlic pal-is11 to send two students every year to the newly started

school at the expense of the respective parishes. The school started

fiinctioning in 1846. Bishop Bernardino Baccinelli also extended

his blessings and assistance for the propagation of the Gospel

through the medium of education. Fr. Chavara became

instrumental in establishing a series of schools attached to the

parishes. In an age of caste pollution and restrictions Fr. Chavara

invited the children who hailed from all the communities

irrespective of their caste and colour 57 .

('havara ,wanted to provide proper education to illiterate

Hariian C:hri:;tiims and other low caste people to uplift them in the

society. Education was an activity close to his heart.58 Fr. Chavara

regarded education as a means of uplifting the poor and his

comlnunlty. At first he formed separate schools for the Pulavas

and other depre:;sed classes in order to protect thein from the

puotest ol ot11r:rs. Chavara was able to find suitable land, building

and sincere teachers tbr the school. Land war; secured in

Arpoorkara ,~Tl~uruthi~nalikunnu '" and other near Mannanam

monastery. C'lassrooms were formed using bamboo screens with

the help of Hari.jans in both places. Chavara himself visited each

and every house and compelled children to go to school. More

over to attract the children to school he made arrangement to give

them noon meals uchu kanji clothing, book, pencil etc.. .

I o nlaintain the school of the Harijans and Christians he

received al~ns and contributions for economic needs. With that

contribut~on he bouglit some land for 1.7 acres, with the yield of

t h ~ s land Chavara thought of giving salary to the teachers and to

meet expenses of noon meals.") 1n addition to this he started

collecting p~diyavi (a small amount of rice) from houses by which

noon meals were prepared. This school was a great success.

Chavara's attention was turned to the teaching of Sanskrit

to Nari.jans. He wanted the study of sacred language by the

Harijans sitting along with the students of upper caste."' At that

time only suvurnas were allowed to learn Sanskrit. A Variar,

efficient in Ma1a:yalam and Sanskrit, from Trissur was brought to

this scliool as the main teacher. " '~l i is is the first Sanskrit scliool

in Christian history."' In deed it was a great challenge and a

highhanded revc~lutionary step. This school building can still seen

at Mannanan.

Chavara wanted to start schools adjacent to every church as

the temples and. mosques had their schools at that time. When he

became the Vicar General of the Syrians, he took a very bold step,

issued a mandate, calling upon all parish churches under his

jurisdiction to raise a school attached to each of them, and

threatened to close down all those parishes that failed to obey. 64~11

the beginning; these schools mainly concentrated their efforts for

the education of Christians. But later, with out any discrimination

the .suvuunu.s arld avarna.s were given admission in this school.

Even though there were protests against this the ultimate result

was a great success. The social renovation of Chavara for

improving the :social as well as spiritual condition of the depressed

classes was a cornplete success. The effort of Chavara was the

first phase of the literary cainpaign ainong the people of Kerala.

As schools were auxiliary to the churches, the schools were

known as pall~koodangal.65 Thus he had to develop them, bring

them slowly into the inainstreain of the society and help them to

equal theinselve:; to be eligible for the government ar,d for the

state service.

Later om similar educational institutions were started at

Edathuva, Pulincunnoo and Kainakary. As per the CMI

constitution:

"The aim of all education is the formation of the

human person for the fulfillinent of his individual and social

responsibilities. Christian education further aims at his

growth into manhood according to the mature measure of

Christ. C'onscious of these aims of human and Christian

education we shall give an excellent and all-round

f'orniatiol-I t.o the students in our educational institutions.

We shall concentrate more on quality than on quantity and

fostel- good interpersonal relations. Our exemplary life

should ;al~vays remain the most important factor in our

educational apostolate. We shall make special efforts to co-

ordinate our educational activities with the aims and goals

ot' the nation so that our students may grow up as

respon!;ible citizens fully involved in the task of nation-

huildingC'".

Phe spirit of CMC is the further manifestation of the spirit

ot' CMI. Fr. L,eopold imparted the rules and regulations of St.

Teresa of' .Avila to CMC. The inajor charism of CMC is

sanctification 'of all through prayer and Christian forination and he

education of women and ~hi ld ren ."~ The Christian formation

atte~npts to impart the Christian values to all.

l'lie aim of l.he congregal.ion is twofold. ITirst, the

sanctifica~ion of the members by means conteniplation and

penance and second, to ~vork for salvation of all through prayer

and education of girls"! It is a har~nonious association of

contemplation and action in which there is no place for allocating

the whole time to reading and recollection alone". The CMC

constitution of' 1976 has clearly defined the aims and objectives as

to be completely to our fellowmen is our subliine goal, the

greatest b!lss and the real scope of our life."

'The condition of the women folk in Kerala during the

nineteenth century was far from good. They became easy prey to

brute suppression and oppression7i. There were so many inhuman

abuses perpetuated on them. At that time women folk of the low

caste were not permitted to cover up the upper part of the body.

Education was strictly forbidden to them. Chavara wanted the

raise to stat~ls of women in general.

EIiminat'lon of untouchability was the need of the hour.

, / ~ ~ c , I . I I u . s and untouchables like Pulayas, Parayas, Chandalas and

the lower caste people were not allowed to come near the

Brahmins or ot:her upper classes, to walk in the public streets, to

entet- the places of worship and dress Schools were

stl-ange to them. The): mere considered only as the s cu~n of the

society. The nineteenth century Kerala church did not approve the

equality of women even in religious matters7". Women were not

permitted to artend the retreats meant for the spiritual growth of

the faithful. They were not allowed to witness the cultural

programmes staged in the premises of the Church. They were not

expected to be present tor ecclesiastical celebrations and social

gatherings such as sl-adham, adiyanthirarn, marriages e t ~ . ~ ~ L

It was such a pathetic situation which inspired the church

authorities to visualize and shape religious congregations for

women wliich became the centres of learning,, benevolence and

- asceticisn;. '?rhey tried to bear witness to Christ through service

to the neighboul- especially through the Christian, inoral and

creneral education of children and young women. '"hey a

concentrated their attention in services such as caring for the

orphans, the a.bandoned, the handicapped, the aged, the sick, the

poor and the needy through various socio-economic schemes.

They worked for the salvation of souls by prayer and by teaching

young girls. Apart from the secular subjects such as languages,

mathematics, science, music and handicrafts, the girls were taught

catechism and meditation too.77 It was a training ground of

character forn,lattion and making them housewives and mothers.

Blessed C:havara and Fr Leopold Beccaro, the Italian

Carinelite missionary, founded the Congregation of the Mother of

- < Ins\? . in (l ie Sl7a~ioiv of rhe ,bfo.st High, p.14.

' ( ' t ,tholi i Direcroi:v of indru, pp.1 108- 1 I 10.

7 ; ('hlC' Yala~amam.,Vol.Il,p.30.

Car~nel. the pioneer indigenous religious congregation of women

in Kerala. in 1806 at ~ o o n a m i n a v u . ~ ~ The relationship that existed

hetween the two rather became a deciding factor in shaping the

CMC' .-" I t \\.as Sounded on the spirit of "Bhakti- ~ a r m a - ~ o g a ' . ~ "

The most subli~ne goal ot'the congregation is that its members

dedicated themselves to the Almighty and lived for the happiness

of their tellow beings. The main apostolate of the congregation is

education aiming at the spiritual, moral, social, intellectual and

econo~nic advancement of the people particularly of woinen and

children.';' With great interest, and responsibility, they led the

people to brotherhood and unity so as to discover and nurturethe

spiritual wealth of India, transcending caste, creed and language.

I'hz Congregation of Mother of Carinel was started with the

capital of 18 rupees. He put up an enclosure for the convent at

Coonammavu. This convent was mostly made of bamboo mats

and coconut fittings. He built a colnmon prayer hall, dining hall

and three single rooms for the inmates all walled in from the

outside. 'l'he tirst members of this congregation were Elisha, a

widou, her daughter Anna. Thresia of Karthedeth parish and

Elisha of Putlienangady, Vaikom. They came to live in the new

convent on February 13"', 1866. But Chavara was not happy with

the temporary shed. He toured the Southern districts of Kerala

and raised Ks 8,0001- within eight months to put up a permanent

house for them as well as a school and boarding house for girls.

The building was completed in March 1867.

Fr. Chavara had clear objectives in starting this society.

1 ) to form a group of women living sc:rupulously the

religious way of life who were dedicated to the love and

service ot'Ciod and

2 ) to gel. these woinen to work among the woinen folk

as a catalyst and a liberative force. Hence one of the main thrusts

in their way of li~fe was to educate women, irrespective of caste

and creed. including Harijans and thus secured for them better and

reasonable living conditions and work.

'The CMC co~~gregation, following the foot steps of its

founder and drawi~ng inspiration from their brothers (CMI) started

schools in various places of Kerala. The first formal school for

sirls was started at the convent premises in Coonam~navu on 16"'

October 1872." ?These schools absorbed students not only of

liigher castes but also lower castes and outcastes. Hundreds of

girls from l-zhava, Pulaya and Adhivasi coin~nunities joined these

schools. They became conscious of their personal worth and

respect. They began to grow up intellectually. The women of all

castes who were convent-educated began to occupy a high

positions in every realm of Kerala society

C'olnmenting on the importance of social apostolate the

constitution of CMI inade it clear that God is in reality

experienced'by men in the concreteness of their daily lives, their

needs and aspirations, and their actual fellowship as brothers and

sisters. childrmen of the same father. Like Christ they too are sent

into this real !world to preach the good news to the poor, proclaim

release to the captives and liberty to the oppre~sed.~' Hence,

action for justice and participation in the transformation of the

world is a cc-~nstitutive dimension of the preaching of the gospel.

The specific contl.ibution of a religious community is to transform

human relationships, personal and structural , at all levels of thk

human society through the gospel values. Conscious of the unjust

social and econornic conditions, they should realize the obligation

to ~vosk towards a radical refornlation of society. In trying to

eradicate the social inequalities they should endeavor to help

others to help .themselves.

The cry of the poor should find an echo in their lives

and should prevent them from making any kind of co~npromise

\\it11 an! t'orrv of social injustice (ET 18). They should take bold

steps to critically evaluate their life -style, and the impact of their

social and humanitarian works, and their bearing on the message

of the kingdc,m of God we preach. Since human life, nature and

culture are intimately linked , and the human person can attain full

maturity only by cultivating the values of nature, the good news of

Christ called l i)~. a continual renewal of the life and cultures of

human PUSOO". The religious commitment should inspire them to

respond to the presence of Christ in different cultures through

actiie in~oI \ ,ement in various socio-cultural groups and activities

in order to be effective inessengers of the hope of his kingdom

ulicl-e\ er they are (GS 5 8 ) .

U hen the members of the Congregation are called upon to

undertake, for the sake of apostolate and the welfare of the people,

both in the nlissions and around their houses, socio-cultural,

ecu~lomic and such other activities, they should bear in mind their

basic objective in them. namely , making the presence of the

kingdom of Ciod in those areas concretely felt. 84

In the ]field of social services the CMI's emphasized the

need to begin houses and training centres for social out castes and

exhorted to tak.e proper measure for making poor families self

sufficient and self supporting'.85 The services for the uplift of the

poor and weak are classified into:

.-.~ ~-

',!,' , , ,onl ! i , , i I ,> , , L , / I < / I ) ! , , <.,o,:,. 109-. ,1.2.:-24, I I l b i . / l i i ~ i ~ ~ ~ ~ / ~ i i ~ ~ i : , i , i r l r i ! . Y ~ i r i ~ : ~ ~ ~ i i i , i n i . 19.17 . p.:!.;

1 . C'are for the destitute

2. Refuse homes

3 . tlomes for the aged. caterly exclusively to the elderly

1. I>av care centres

5 . Institutions which extend residential and non- residential

care to the disadvantaged groups like mentally retarded and

disabled

0. Other services.

'The Hoilse of Charity' was started in Kainakary by Fr

Chavara in 1869 as an ins~itution to receive sick, poor and

destitute people. Thus he took a revolutionary step in the social

field of Kerala. The people of Kerala had not heard about such an

insritution. This was intended to take care of orphans and poor

without any ca:jtf: discrimination. It was the first of its kind in

India. At Kainak.ary he started the organization named 'The

Helpers of the Dying who Desire a Peaceful Death.' These were

the symbolic expressions of his love for the homeless and unfed.

Chavara always advised his colleagues and fellow men not to let

the beggars go away from their door empty handed, not redicule

or inconvenience the poor. Proper wages for laborer and servants

s h o ~ ~ l d not be delayed. These were his clear cut instructions and

practices.

For rhe ~.enewal oi'the 'hurch Chavara felt the need for

having a printing press at Mannanam. In 1844, Chavara began the

preparations for a printing press. The primary objective was the

printing of prayer books and spiritual works. Two basic needs

were liturgical and other prayer books and spiritual books. The

liturgical books were in Syriac. The available prayer books were

in Syriac and 'Tamil. No books were available in Malayalam

In those days there were only two printing presses in

Icelala- 1 he C . 1U.S press and the Government Press at

Thlruvananthapuram. In 181 1 the C.M.S press was started at

Kottayarn with the help of British Resident, Colonel Munro.

Benjamin ~aldie," the author of a Malayala~n dictionary was the

founder of this press. In 1834 Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, the

Maharaja of .rravancore established the Government press at

~Tliiruvanantl~zpura~n.

Chavara and the fathers at Mannanaln had a hard time in

establishing.the press at Mannanam. Chavara wanted to see the

CMS press at Kottayain. Twice he went to Kottayam, to see the

working of the press. But they did not give him perlnission.

Therefore he went to the Government press at

Tliiruvananthapural~~ and the local carpenters on wood made

coining back to Mannanan with the model of the press made of

plantain the same thing. That was the first private press in Kerala,

which rvas established in 1846. The first Malayalam prayer book

Jnanapiyusharn was published from Mannanam. It was a book of

1"x 1.5" size with 332 pages. More books were printed in the

following years. Balanikshepam was printed in 1860,

Jnanaprajagaram in 1862, the monthly devotions os St. Joseph

in 1867, the prayers for the Mass in 1868, the book of Moral

Theology in 1862 on wards. Syriac was printed in Kerala for the

first time at Mannanam. The press was the third in Travancore.

But was the tirst one to be set up under private ownership in the

country.

flic pioneering work of Chavara and his companions were

continued in the fbllowing decades. The priests and lay people

under the leadership of Nidhirickal Manikkathan for starting a

ne~~spape r made combined efforts. Accordingl:~ the Nazvani

D e q ~ i k a was started from Mannana~n in 1887, six years after the

death of Chaval-a. This was the first Malayalam daily. The most

far reaching, enduring, illuminating, edifying and even sanctifying

field of activity, initiated by Fr. Kuriakose through monasteries in

general and primarily from Mannanam was that of printing. It

marked the beginning of a new epoch in the history of mass

media.

'l'here is the wooden printing press preserved at Mannana~n

as eloquent witness to his pioneering effort to educate people

through the printed word. His awakened social conscience would

stop nothing short of communicating enlightenment and

comprehensior~ to others. Thus through publication he tried to

highlight the problems of the people . Thereafter the newspapers

became a very effective medium to ventilate the grievances of the

people.

The l~tel.;~r!i contributions of Fr. Chavara is not fully

realized even by the people of Kerala. His abiding interest in the

history. culture and literature of Kerala is clearly manifested in

his poet~cal works. His poetic creation consisted mainly of

following (Atl7manzttha~1am) Co~npunction of the Soul, 'Dirge'

(Mur-anuveetil Padunnuthinulla Pana) and Anastasiayas

Martyrodorn (,4nastasiayuade Rekthasakshitham).. Dhyana

Sullupur7gal (Colloqiees). Deiva Vilimel Dhyanangal (Meditation

on Divine vocation) and Nalagamangal (Chronicles).

Among his writings Athmarnuthapam is considered as an

epic poem whicln portrayed the life and career of Jesus and Virgin

Mary. This poem has twelve chapters dealing with the birth, life,

teachings. death and events following the death of Jesus Christ. In

the firs1 chapter the author thanks God for the gift of his life and

regrets his unworthiness. In the second chapter he expressed his

sense of gratitude towards God for having saved hiin from a wide

spread epidemic in his village. The life of Christ is introduced in

the third chapter. The fourth chapter deals with the birth of Christ

in Bethlehem. 'The next chapter is a beautiful picture of shepherds

c o m i n ~ to worship the new born child. The sixth chapter is more

ilnaginativr especially the dialogue between Mary and a

Shepherdess Skrat~ti by name. It is followed by the worship of the

wise men fi.0111 the East, the presentation of Jesus in the tenlple

and the words of Sirneon , the heart rending prophecy of Mary

which are contained in the seventh chapter. The passion, the way

of the cross anti the death on the cross of Jesus are very vividly

pictured in the eighth chapter. In the ninth chapter there is a

sorrowful picture of a wailing mother and the attempt the disciples

make to console her. The growth of the Church, the conversion of

Paul. the journey of Mary, the lnartyrdom of Jacob etc are the

themes oi'the tenth chapter. The remembrance of Mary along the

path to Golgotha and other holy places fill the eleventh chapter. In

the final chapter :Mary is bidding farewell to the apostles and the

author concludes the epic with an intercessory prayer to ~ a r ~ . ' '

Amidst the hectic activities Fr.Chavara could find time to

write some spiritual books on Christian doctrine for the good of

the Malabar people." His writings can be divided into various

categories: I.e~ters, Chronicles, Liturgical books, Administrative

writings and Spiritual bool<s

A U I I ~ F ;~nd Anusthasiya i Mar-tydom are the two shorter

epics written b\r Fr.Chavara. Anasthasia 's Martyrdom is the

stor! that happened in Rome in the 3'" century A.D. The poet

narrates the various inodes of persecution in such a way as to

touch the heart:j of the reader. It was written in 1862, but printed

and published in 1936. 'I herefore it could not get proper

recognition. Anasthasia :r Martyrdom was the pioneer attempt at

the nod ern shorter epic ~nove~nent in Malayala~n literature, which

was written in Kerala twenty years before the innovation of the

semi-epic style: (Khandukavya). All literary circles in unison,

celebrate Malayavilas~n of A.R Raja Raja Varma as the budding

of shorter epic movement in Malayalam. It was written in 1895.

Anu.v/hsitr '.Y Ma~tyrdorn of Chavara was written thirty three years

before Valayavilasom 0fA.R. Raja Raja Varma.

,411l~u1r11rhupuw was also written before the formal epic

writing in Malayalam literature. It was printed allnost

simultaneously with its composition. Still it was known only

among the Christians as devotional song, and remained unknown

to the rest of'tl-ie Malayalain speaking populace of present Kerala.

' lhe literary worlc of Fr. Chavara has not been properly utilized by

the people of t.he present generation. But, it is expected that, at

least the people of the future generation would realize the

i~nportance of' his literal-y works.

Fr.C'havara was not destined to lead a long life. Without any

displeasure to his superiors he led a contented life as the superior

general and great prior. As the Vicar General he divided the

Syrian Church into four zones and a representative was appointed

for each zone. These representatives enjoyed the same power and

position as Vicar General. Their functions included visiting

churches, settling cases, transfer of priests etc. In order to keep

church and its belonging neat, special instructions were given. In

the niidst of his hectic schedule of life the health began to worsen

in August 186'3. On 3'" January 1871 Fr.Kuriakose Elias Chavara

died after a life of great innocence.'"