CMI

CMI Devamatha Province with its head quarters in Thrissur, India, is one of the main administrative units of CMI religious congregation

CMI Devamatha Province has at present more than 275 members including 197 priests, 12 brothers and 50 scholastics. We, the Carmelites in India, are very happy to welcome you to our home page. This home page provides you a detailed information about the communities and institutions of apostolate of CMI Devamatha Province Thrissur, India, The Province is one of the main administrative units of CMI religious congregation having more than 275 members including 200 priests, 12 brothers and 50 scholastics. Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) are the first and largest religious congregation for men in the Catholic Church in India. Having been founded at Kerala in 1831, our congregation has grown beyond the boundaries of Kerala and even India. We lead a life of prayer and apostolic service; there are among us contemplatives who live in ashrams, retreat preachers, pastors and missionaries directly engaged in spiritual ministries, educators who spend their whole life for the holistic growth of the young in schools and colleges, social workers with special concern and commitment for the poor and the marginalized, apostles of the media who spread the Good News through print and electronic means and so on. Manifold are the fields which await the young men who are ready to accept the challenge of Christ’s discipleship in the way shown by Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara and willing to carry on the charism he and other CMI founding fathers have bequeathed to the Church in India.

Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805- 1871)

Born at Kainakary in Alleppey, Kerala, India, on 10th February 1805, Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, lived through his motto, 'The Lord is my portion'. Shortly after his priestly ordination in 1829, he co-founded the congregation of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate for men in 1831 (CMI) and the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel for women in 1866 (CMC), the first indigenous religious congregation in India.

He revitalized the Apostolic Church of Kerala through his vigorous priestly minority and founding various seminaries. He restored the Syro-Malabar Liturgy, instituted Forty Hours' Adoration, installed the first catholic press, established schools admitting also the Harijans and the down trodden and started nursing home for the poor and the unwanted which he called 'Upavishala' (Charity Home). As the Vicar General of Kerala Catholics (1861- 1871) he fought the schism of the Persian Bishop Rocos and preserved the unity of the Church of St. Thomas. His prolific writing, historical, spiritual, literary and poetical bears powerful witness to the his wisdom and sanctity. Moments before his death on January 3, 1871 he humbly professed in gratitude to God that he could keep his baptismal innocence intact. His mortal remains lie buried in the CMI Mother House at Mannanam Kerala. It is this great sage of Arshabharatha who dedicated his whole life for others with vision and vigour that the Holy Father Pope John Paul II on his visit to Kerala raises to the honours of the Altar at Kottayam on February 8, 1986.

The C.M.I vision of education

THE Carmelites of Mary Immaculate was founded in 1831 by three eminent priests of the Syro-Malabar Church, viz. Father Thomas Palackal (1780-1841), Father Thomas Porukara(1800-1846) and BI. Kuroiakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871). The first indigenous Religious Congregation in India, from its very inception, aimed at the integral development of the local community irrespective of caste and creed. The people, on their part, generously contributed to the establishment of monastries and allied institutions.

BI. Kuriakose Elias Chavara started at Mannanam the first Catholic Sanskrit school in Kerala in 1846 and the first primary school in 1864, and later with all the other monastries and parishes. He admitted students of all sections of society, including Dalits. It paved the way for a social revolution when untouchability was at its summit. He emphasized that all children of God had an inalienable right for education. He placed great importance in the formation of children in their families.

In tune with the spirit of the Founders, the CMI Congregation started the first Catholic English School in 1885 at Mannanam, at a time when English education was still forbidden to Catholics. Later in 1944 our first University College was started at Thevara under the Madras University and in 1957 a Teachers graduate training college at Mannanam.

Today , in 1991, when Kerala has officially been declared 100% literate, we are proud of the pioneering work done by our fathers in the field of education. Until recently our main thrust has been on formal and institutionalized education. Now that there are so many other agencies for it in Kerala, in the pioneering spirit of our Congregation, our present task is to concentrate on the education for the people , especially through nonformal methods and to open out our existing institutions for this purpose. Hence we request the parents and staff to be aware of the CMI Vision of Education and to cooperate with us in this great formative role, and to follow these guidelines.

Drawing inspiration and guidance from the life of Jesus Christ and all the noble sages, rishis and prophets of our country, from the Gospel we proclaim, from the cultural heritage of our nation which is deeply and fundamentally religious, and from the spirit and tradition of the CMI vision of education, we respond to the demands of our times manifested in the needs of individuals and of society.

The C.M.I. Education Policy Statement

We, The Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, after the example of our Founder Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, consider education integral formation of the human person for the fulfillment of his/her individual and social responsibilities.

Our Educational Endeavours aim at forming leaders who are intellectually competent, spiritually mature, morally upright, psychologically integrated, physically healthy and socially acceptable; who will champion the cause of justice, love, truth and peace and who are ever open to further growth.

The Secret of the Success of our educational institutions is a community of teachers who are committed to their vocation, professionally competent, morally upright, just and human in dealings, and who grow in the true vision of education.

We Aspire Towards creating a just and human society where dignity of the human person is respected, where unjust social structures are challenged, where our cultural heritage of ahimsa, religious harmony and national integration is upheld, and where the poor and the marginalized are specially taken care of.

We Have to Reach Our to the families, primarily of the students, to assist them in their needs, to share in their joys and sorrows, and to help them experience love and freedom so that the students realize that our educational institutions are an extension of their homes.

Our Institutions Are open to all students irrespective of caste and creed; they are accepted and cherished as they are and are helped to grow in their cultural, social and religious traditions. As they are privileged to be in our institutions, they will also have the right to get acquainted with the person of Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Being institutions established by and for a minority community based on religion, they will give preference to Christians in admissions and appointments and have a special concern for the faith formation of the Christian youth.

Our Institutions Have To Be Open to society at large by making their resources available for the ongoing education and non-formal teaching. For the Realization of the CMI Goal of education, we expect students, parents and teachers to share this vision and to cooperate with us whole-heartedly.

Profile of a C.M.I. Educational Institution

Any CMI educational institution must have the following characteristics:-

It aspires towards creating a just and humane academic community where each student is respected, where unjust interpersonal relationships are carefully avoided and where the poor and the marginalized are specially taken care of;
It is a community characterized by shared vision and mutual love;
It stands for excellence both in academic and co-curricular as well as spiritual/religious/moral concerns;
All the relationships in the institution are characterized by love, truth, justice, partnership and mutual respect;
The curriculum promotes self-confidence, hard work, national feeling discipline and solid leadership;
The integral development of any student is the concern of all;
It provides enrichment programmes to the high achievers and special coaching to the promising students; it offers counseling facilities as well as career guidance;
It reaches out to the families around, especially of the students, to assist them in their needs, to share in their joys and sorrows, and to help them to be the pillars of truth, justice, freedom and democracy;
It provides opportunities and programmes for promoting national integration and inter-religious understanding among the staff, students and the community around;
It is inserted into the social milieu and has a programme for giving guided social exposure to the students and for inculcating in them social awareness and responsibility;
Its income and expenditure accounts are open to the public;
It does not receive any donation either directly or indirectly, in connection with the appointment of staff or the admission of students;
It has a policy of preferential admission and appointment to Christians and it has a definite pastoral plan for their catechetical, liturgical and faith formation;
It enshrines the person of Jesus Christ as the moving spirit of the institution and Starts functioning daily with prayer and reading of the Bible.

Profile of a student admitted in C.M.I Institution

Every student, enrolled in any of our institutions, should feel that he/she is a privileged person and is a special gift of God. As the word suggests, each of our students, is expected to be: