INTRODUCTION Nineteenth century was an epoch making era in …shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/134003/7/07... · 2018-07-04 · INTRODUCTION Nineteenth century was an epoch

INTRODUCTION

Nineteenth century was an epoch making era in the history of modern

Kerala Though North India was rocked by a series of socio-religious reform

movements led by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and others it did not affect Kerala

But the foreign missionaries initiated socio-religious reforms in Kerala^ The

humanism individualism and rationalism of the Europeans exerted

tremendous influence on the Kerala society Modern education was

introduced in Kerala by the missionaries who came to work among various

sections of the society The socio-economic transformation of Kerala and the

exalted position held by its residents owe a great deal to the educational

institutions that came into being in Kerala under the non-governmental

organisations^ Among the non-governmental organisations in Kerala the

Camnelites of Mary Immaculate Congregation (CMlf is the first religious

Congregation that was started by the Catholic Church in India in 1831

The Kerala society of the nineteenth century was rigid and static in

which no social mobility was allowed The static nature of the society could

be seen both in the social system dominated by caste discrimination and the

economic system which was exclusively in the grip of repetitive agriculture

with no scope for innovation Political system was controlled by the traditional

1 The nineteenth century India was given to a religious and cultural awal^ening and many of the indigenous leaders who spearheaded the religious and social reform movements in the country were influenced by Christianity and Western Education It was a time when the social systems of different castes and classes prevailed These were obstacles to the development of society until the nineteenth century

2 K S Mathew and TK Sebastian (eds) Indian Constitution Education and Minorities in Kerala Tellicherry 2009 p1

3 Here after the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate is referred to as CM Today the CMI Congregation is the largest Religious Congregation for men in the Syro-Malabar Church The CMIs are spread throughout India and abroad with a membership of around 3000 renders its service to humanity in educational social health care and other activities aiming at the integral development of the society

monarchy and the religious system did not conceive any need for change It

was during this period that the western educational system was introduced

and many evil social customs were eliminated The reforms exercised greater

efficiency when the British Resident Colonel John Monroe assumed the office

of Diwan (chief minister) under Rani Lakshmi Bai(1810-1815) in the

Travancore State The wheels of government were more modernized

The Protestant Missionary groups and the Catholic Church in Kerala

could be considered as pioneers in the field of modernization and they

contributed much for the progress of education in the nineteenth century The

Kerala Catholic Church was inactive in the field of education in the beginning

The Catholics were prohibited from attending the Protestant Missionary

schools and to study English Besides the ecclesiastical authorities of the

Catholic hierarchy feared that English education would divert them to be

influenced by the Protestants In those days the only schools were the

village kalaris^ conducted by asans^ and education was the prerogative of

upper caste male children others were denied any type of education

In such a situation the Catholics had only few opportunities for public

education The CMI Congregation realized that the Catholic community would

even remain downtrodden if they did not move with the times and so the CMI

Congregation should concentrate on educational work It was not merely for

4 Jose Kuriedath Catholic Priests and Socio-economic and Cultural development New Horizons of Indian Christianity living (ed) Saju Chakkalackal Bangalore 2009 p526

5 Mathias Mundadan Blessed Kuriakose Ellas Chavara Bangalore 2008 p253 6 Kalari was one of the means of education in ancient Kerala Kalaris were mainly military

gymnasiums where the youths of the country were trained in the arts of warfare 7 The village schoolmaster was known as asan in Kerala The asan gave instruction to

pupils in the three Rs (reading writing and arithmetic) at a very young age after the formal initiation ceremonies

their own community but also for the marginalized sections which were till

then denied any access to the tools of social mobility

The interest of the CM Congregation in the cause of education is as

old as the establishment of the Congregation itself Blessed Kuriakose

Chavara (1805-1871 f one of the founding fathers of the CMI Congregation in

addition to being a brilliant scholar was also a great educationalist His

educational activities began with the education of clergy In 1833 two years

after the laying of the foundation stone of the mother house of the

Congregation a small seminary was opened at Mannanam By the middle of

the nineteenth century Mannanam became the central seminary for the Syro-

Malabar clergy The contributions of CMI Congregation in the field of

education in Kerala is to be traced back to 1846 when Blessed Kuriakose

Chavara started the first Catholic Sanskrit school and the first primary school

in 1864 at Mannanam in Kottayam district Under the inspiration of the

Blessed Kuriakose Chavara members of this Congregation started a private

English class In 1874 deg and the first Catholic English School in 1885 at

Mannanam J Subsequently in the nineteenth century a couple of schools

were established by the CMI Congregation Among those who began the

study of English in 1874 were some who later on have distinguished

themselves in the history of the Catholic community like Bishop Aloysius

8 Blessed Kuriakose Chavara (1805-1871) one of the founders of CMI Congregation was a Saintly man declared Blessed by the Pope John Paul II on 8 February 1986

9 The Syro- Malabar Catholic rite is one of the major denominations of the Catholic Church which is under the control of the Pope of Rome These Christians trace their origin from AD 52 when StThomas the Apostle of Jesus Christ baptized many people in Kerala They were called Syrian Christians and StThomas Christians

10 Honere Secondary and Higher Education in Catholic Malabar (article published originally in 1924) Kuriachan PU KCSL Vidyabhyasa Rangathe Prakasa Gopuram Changanachery 1994 p 189

11 Valerian Plathottam The First Indian Saint Mannanam 1950 p29

Pazhayaparambil the first vicar Apostolic of Ernakulam Fr Bernard the

religious historian of the Kerala Church honoured by the Pope with the Papal

decoaration of Bene Merenti Fr Gerard Kannampally scholar and author

and Fr Stephen Thayyil

The CMI Congregation gives leadership to the Christian community

and society in Kerala While Blessed Kuriakose Chavara was in charge of the

Syrian Catholics of Kerala as its Vicar General he took a pioneering step to

start schools attached to every parish and admitted children even from lower

classes and castes in those days of severe caste restriction^^ Thus a

number of pallikoodams (settled schools) came into existence to meet the

educational needs of the people This was the beginning of the public schools

attached to the parishes in Kerala Now most of the members and institutions

of CMI Congregation are serving in the field of education The CMI

Congregation has grown over the years to become one of the nationally

prominent educational agencies with a wide net work of various types of

institutions to meet the growing needs of the modern society

Establishment of the CMI Congregation

The Congregation of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate the first

indigenous religious Congregation of India has its origin in the first half of the

nineteenth century It grew out of the intense God experience in Christ of the

founding fathers Thomas Palackal (1780-1841) Thomas Porukara (1799-

1846) and Kuriakose Chavara (1805-1871) who were priests of the then

Vicariate Apostolic of Verapoiy Kerala of the Apostolic Church of St Thomas

12 Christ College Souvenir Irinjalakuda 1974 p16 13 Chronicle Vol111 Mannanam 1865 p90 in StJosephs Monastery Archives

Mannanam

Christians in India Under the paternal direction and guidance of the Vicar

Apostolic Bishop Maurilius Stabilini these priests started a spiritual

nnovement at Mannanam on 11 May 1831 In course of time more and more

priests and seminarians joined with them On 8 December 1855 on the day

of the feast of Immaculate Conception the first eleven priests made their

profession of religious vows^ Thus the Congregation was canonically

erected and Blessed Kuriakose Chavara was appointed as the first Superior

General of the Congregation The name of the Congregation at that time was

Congregation of the Servants of Mary Immaculate of Mount Carmel

In 1860 this Congregation was affiliated to the Order of Carmelite

Discalced ^ as a Religious Congregation of the Oriental Rite and assumed

the name Third Order of the Carmelite Discalced Before that Blessed

Kuriakose Chavara was the Common Prior or Prior General directly

responsible to the ordinary^reg With the affiliation the Order of Carmelite

Discalced Prior General became the supreme authority in the Congregation

who appointed the Vicar Apostolic the provincial and governed the

Congregation through a delegate chosen by the vicar apostolic from the Order

of Carmelites Discalced Missionaries

14 Thomas Kadankavil(ed) History Carmelites of IVIary Immaculate StJoseph Province Kottayam Pala 2011 p12

15 Joseph Chirayil (ed) CM1175 Years 1831-2006 Kochi 2007 p14 16 Ibid p15 Mary stands for StMary the mother of Jesus Christ The word Immaculate

means having no stain pure and spotlessly clean When referring to the word immaculate we must understand the idea of the Immaculate Conception In the Roman Catholic fold Virgin Mary was preserved from the original sin by divine grace Hence she was considered pure and was redeemed from other sins The Carmelite refers to Mount Carmel of Palestine The Roman Catholic mendicant order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was founded in the 12th century and it spread its roots all over the world

17 The Roman Catholic mendicant order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was founded in the 12th century and it spread its roots all over the world This is a Latin order and these monks were called OCD - Ordo Carmelitarium Discalceatorum(Order of Carmelite Discalced)They used to walk barefooted

18 Alexander Kattakayam Directory of the CIVII Congregation Mannanam 1908 p8

In the 1878 report of the Fathers there is a strong protest against the

compromise with their indigenous autonomy Ever since 1855 the year in

which rules and constitutions were given to the community the members

began to harbour feelings of resentment against the Missionaries They

pointed out the dichotomy between the monastic contemplative tenor of the

rules and the activities in which the community was engaged^ The

Congregation from its beginning engaged in such activities as the Church in

Kerala was in need of at the particular times It started with preaching

retreats constructing seminaries and training of priests met the challenge of

educating the youth and disseminating Christian literature laboured for the

conversion of non-Christians and for the reunion of separated brethren

undertook work of mercy and started charitable institutions^

In 1885 the constitution of the Congregation were approved for the first

time by the Holy See and thereby the Congregation became juris pontific

Cpontifical right)^ In 1906 the constitution got final approbation In 1887 when

St Thomas Christian Church was separated from the Vicariate Apostolic of

Verapoly and two new Vicariates Apostolic Thrissur and Kottayam were

created for them the Holy See ^ separated the Congregation from the

jurisdiction of the local bishops This in the Canonical terminology is known

as exemption From then on the administration came directly under the Holy

See first Mgr Andrea Ajuti the delegate apostolic being given charge When

19 Thomas Kadankavil opcit p13 20 Ibid 21 Joseph Chirayil (ed) opcit p16 22 It means the Holy Chair The actual seat of the Supreme Pastor of the Church together

with the various ecclesiastical authorities who constitute the central administration

he left India in 1890 the Perfect of the Propaganda Congregation himself

took over the charge and carried on the administration through a delegate

chosen from among the members of the religious community and Fr John of

the Cross was appointed as the delegate In compliance with the request of

the general chapter the Holy See appointed Fr Bernard OCD the Prior

General of the Congregation who continued the office even after he was a

consecrated Bishop Vicar Apostolic of the Congregation and governed the

Congregation through a delegate chosen from among the members of the

Congregation

The General Chapter convened in 1902 by Bishop Bernard the Prior

General was authorized by the Holy See to elect the Prior General from the

Congregation itself which elected Fr Alexander Kattakayam the Prior

General of the Congregation From then onwards Prior Generals were elected

or appointed from among the members of the Congregation The Motu

Proprio Postquam Apostolicis litteris ^ promulgated by Pope Pius XII on

9 February 1957 provided the guidelines for a much desired radical revision

of the constitution of the Congregation It was in this context which the

General Chapter of 1958 met with the new guideline provided in the decree

Perfecta Caritas reg and the CMI Congregation started the reform afresh in

late 1960s and completed it by the promulgation of the revised constitutions

23 A Congregation of the Roman curia liaving jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions

24 Jubilee Committee The Carmelite Congregation of IVIalabar 1831-1931 Jubilee Special Trichinappally 1932 p 100

25 Letter by Pope Pius XII on 9 February 1957 inPrior Generals House Archives Kakkanad

26 Vatican Council II Perfecta caritas 28 October 1965 (ed) Austin Flannery Vatican Council II Documents Bombay 1991 p552

on 19 March 1984^^ It clearly defined the Identity and heritage of the

Congregation discovering Its triple roots Indian Eastern and Carmelite and

called for continued reform and updating

Blessed Kuriakose Chavara Is considered the pioneer of the work of

evangelization in the Syro-Malabar Church The work of evangelization was

further expanded In 1935 beyond the Syro-Malabar territory to British

Malabar even adopting the Latin Rite The Congregation took charge of a

Latin Parish on 31 July 1935^reg A year later the first CM monastery was

established in the Latin territory the St Pauls Monastery Kadalundy from

where CM Priests started working among the Syro-Malabar immigrants^reg

When Thalassery Diocese was established in 1953 there were only ten Syro-

Malabar parishes with parish priests The second half of the twentieth century

witnessed a rapid growth of the CM Congregation beyond the boundaries of

Kerala

Growth of the CMI Congregation

The CMI Congregation entered a path of rapid growth immediately

after its canonical erection in 1855 under the Holy and the able leadership of

Blessed Kuriakose Chavara Several diocesan priests as well as lay people

enthusiastically sought admission into the rank of the religious and apart from

Mannanam six more new houses St Philomenas Koonammavu (1857) St

Marys Elthuruth (1858) Carmel Vazhakulam (1859) St Sebastians

Pulinkunnu (1861) St Theresas Ambazhakad (1868) and St John of the

27 Norms for implementing the Decree on the up-to date Renewal of Religious Life Paul VI Ecclesiae sancta II 6 August 1966

28 it was Sacred Heart Parish Church Cheruvanoor in Calicut Diocese 29 Prior Generals House CMI Diary Kakkand 2012 p4

Cross Muhtoly (1870) came into existence in various parts of Kerala^deg

Starting from Mannanam the above seven monasteries are the now-existing

oldest monasteries in the Indian Church

By 1950 there were about 400 members in the Congregation with

about 37 houses or residences spread all over the state of Kerala^ The

congregation was governed by Prior General and his team elected by General

Chapter (synaxis) of the Congregation The members however desired that

it would be more convenient and more beneficial with regard to the

development and administration if the Congregation would be divided into

provinces In 1952 the Apostolic See^ appointed an Apostolic Visitor in the

person of Bishop Bonaventure Arana the then bishop of Vijayapuram who

studied the matter in detail and reported to the Apostolic See In the light of

the report submitted by the Apostolic Visitor the Apostolic See favoured the

division of the Congregation into Provinces

The Apostolic Visitor convened a General Chapter at Mannanam from

23 February 1953 to 25 February 1953 to elect the Prior General and the

general councilors^ After the General Chapter an extraordinary meeting of

the General Council was held at Mannanam It was presided over by the

Apostolic Visitor and it was decided to divide the Congregation

geographically into three Provinces South Centre and North and named the

south as St Joseph Province centre as Sacred Heart Province and the

30 Ibid p5 31 Thomas Kadankavil opcit p14 32 An ecdesiastical representative of the Holy See in a country that has no formal

diplomatic relations with it 33 ProtNo32551 Prior Generals House Archives Kakkanad 11 December 1952 34 Letter No753 Prior Generals House Archives Kakkanad 4 March1953

10

north as Devamatha Province They also decided the boundaries of the

Provinces and left It to the Provinces to find their permanent headquarters

In 1968 St Joseph Province Kottayam was bifurcated Into St Joseph

Province Kottayam and St Joseph Province Trivandrum The mission

territory of the province In Malabar was constituted Into St Thomas Province

Kozhlkode At the time of the bifurcation of the Province the mission territory

in Madhya Pradesh was constituted as an independent Province with the

name Nirmal Province Jagdalpur Sacred Heart Province and Devamatha

Province also have undergone a process of division by Internal bifurcation

and have erected their mission territories Into Independent Provinces^ There

are fifteen Provinces in the Congregation They are 1) St Joseph Province

Trivandrum (2)St Joseph Province Kottayam (3) Sacred Heart Province

Kochi (4) Carmel Province Muvattupuzha (5) Devamatha Province Thrissur

(6) St Thomas Province Kozhlkode (7) Preshltha Province Colmbatore (8)

St Pauls Province Mysore (9) Mar Thoma Province Chanda (10) Nirmal

Province Jagdalpur (11) St Pauls Province Bhopal (12)St Xaviers

Province Rajkot (13)St Johns Province BIjnor (14)Mary Matha Vice

Province Bellampally and (15) Chavara Vice-Province Bhavnagar The CM

Congregation has also one region five sub-regions and five mission dioceses

where the members are engaged in active and enthusiastic Apostolate They

are 1) Kenya and Madagascar Africa 2) Dhule 3) Jammu and Kashmir 4)

Kannyakumari5) Kolkatta and 6) Peru (South America)The Sub-Regions are

35 Thomas Kadankavil opcit p15

11

1) Chanda 2) Jagdalpur 3) Bijnor 4) Rajkot and 5) Adilabad the Mission

Dioceses^^

The CMI Congregation was governed by Prior General and his team

was elected by General Chapter (synaxis) of the Congregation The Prior

General has a team of four General Councillors and a General administration

and the General Synaxis elects them every six years^^ The Provincial level

administration is carried out by the Provincial-auditor elected by the

respective provincial synaxis every three years^^Now the CMI Congregation

is the largest religious Congregation for men in the Syro-Malabar Church

The CMI Congregation is spread throughout India and abroad It has a

membership of 3000 personnel including six Bishops 1586 Priests 32 Lay

Brothers and 1382 Brothers in formation 700 priests are working outside

Kerala of which 300 are outside India The CMI priests are actively involved

in missionary work and pastoral ministry in twenty four countries around the

world The main thrust of the CMI Congregation envisaged by the 36

General Synaxis is communication communion and community called to be

a welcoming presence always and everywhere^^

Congregations in Kerala Catholic Church

Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in the

Catholic Church are popularly known as Religious Congregations These

institutes are divided into the Eastern Catholic Church Lawdegas Monasteries

Hermitages Orders Congregations and Societies of Common Life in the

36 Ibid 37 Prior Generals House Constitutions and Directory Ernakulum 1997 p58 38 Ibid pp65-66 39 CMI Diary opcit p6 40 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO)

12

Manner of Religious Secular Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life The

difference between these institutes and societies are mainly based on the

nature of the vow they profess and the rigorousness or the less rigorousness

of their life-style The Church Law envisages also the emergence of new

forms of consecrated life

All these Institutes and Societies are further divided into three

categories namely Pontifical Patriarchal and Major Archiepiscopal or

Diocesan Right A religious institute canonically erected or approved by the

Pope is known as Pontifical Similarly those erected or approved by a

Patriarch is known as patriarchal and those by a Major Archbishop is known

as Major Archiepiscopal On the other hand Religious institutes canonically

erected or approved by diocesan Bishops are known as diocesan or

eparchial In an institute of Pontifical Right normally permissions are to be

obtained only from the Pope In other two cases they are to be obtained

from the Patriarch or Major Archbishop or the Diocesan Bishop as the case

may be

In each of the Churches that make up the Catholic Communion there

have come into existence various types and categories of Institutes of

Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life according to the needs of

time and place The institutes for men are divided into clerical and non-

clerical Clerical comes from the word clergy If the members of an institute

or Society are priests then it is called clerical In some institutes the members

41 ThomasJArulkalil(ed)Directory 1996 The Catholic Church of Kerala Kottayam 1996 httpwwwkcbcsitecomcongregations htm

42 Ibid

13

are not priests but they are known as brothers Such institutes are called non-

clerical

There is no clear evidence for the existence of religious institutes in the

Syro-Malabar Church before the arrival of the missionaries from the Latin

Church under the Portuguese padroado regime that was introduced in

India in the sixteenth centuries The reason could have been the Indian

tradition of having individual asceticai life There is iittie evidence for any

attempt on the part of the East Syrian Bishops who governed the Indian

Church until the end of the sixteenth century to found any Religious Institute

here With the arrival of the Portuguese there were some attempts here and

there to begin some form of organized religious life Finally the first Indian

religious institute for men Carmelites of Mary Immaculate came into

existence in May1831 under the initiative of Fr Thomas Palackal Fr Thomas

Porukara and Blessed Kuriakose Chavara The first institute for women

Congregation of the Mother of Carmel was started on 13 February 1866 by

Blessed Kuriakose Chavara and Fr Leopold The first institute with

43 The Syro- Malabar Church is an Apostolic Church originated by the Apostolate of StThomas in 52 AD at Kerala The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is an East Syrian Rite Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with Catholic Church

44 Roman Catholics of the Latin rite are the result of the European missions of the Jesuits and Carmelites during the last three hundred years Nagam Ayya V The Travancore State Manual Vol11 Madras 1906 p115

45 In 1493 Pope Alexander VI divided the newly discovered world and entrusted the western region to Spain and the eastern region to Portugal for missionary activities The Pope gave official recognition to the right of Spain and Portugal to the monopoly of economic and political activities in their respective regions and placed all religious activities under the patronage of the two conquering kingdoms It was called in Portuguese and Spanish Padroado (patronage) This mingling of military and religious colonialism harmed the Evangelization work in these places The Padroado lost its influence with the declining of the poiitical and economic power of Spain and Portugal and the establishment of a new Congregation of the Holy See Propaganda Fide in 1622 in charge of all missionary activities of the Church

46 Thomas JAmlkalil (ed) opcit p146

14

exclusively non-clerical members Congregation of St Therese of Child Jesus

was founded at Mookannur in 1931

Ever since the first Religious institute was founded by Blessed

Kuriakose Chavara a number of religious institutes and societies both for

men and women took origin in the Syro-Malabar Church There are also some

Institutes though their members imitate the life of religious are not

canonically erected as a religious institute They are called pious unions They

are capable of becoming religious institute in due course At the same time

many young men and women from the Syro-Malabar Church joined the

religious institutes that belonged to the Latin and Malankara Churches as well

In some of them there were considerable numbers of Syro-Malabarians

Following the teaching of the Church in the Second Vatican Council^ some of

them started their Syro-Malabar provinces or regions

In the middle of the twentieth century religious institutes of Latin

Church mainly of European origin began to recruit candidates from India when

they had a steep fall in the number of vocations in Europe Many of these

institutes eventually established in India their own houses some of them in

the Latin Church and some others in the Syro-Malabar Church In the course

of time the foundation of some in the Syro-Malabar Church became Syro-

Malabar regions or Provinces of those Latin Congregations Yet some others

who do not have the system of Provinces started entirely independent

branches in the Syro-Malabar Church

47 Ibidp153 48 The Second Vatican Council was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic

Church and the second to be held at StPeters Basilica in Vatican It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI on 8 December 1965

15

The Religious institutes that exist in the Syro-Malabar Church currently can be

put into one or other of the categories mentioned above There are a total of

209 Religious institutes in the Syro-Malabar Church Among them forty nine

are of Syro-Malabar origin one is of Syro-Malankara^ origin and all the rest

are of Latin origin either in India or abroad One of the unique and interesting

features of the Catholic Church is the existence of many religious

Congregations and the variety of different apostolic activities they are involved

in for a long period^deg The religious Congregations in Kerala were very active

throughout the past couple of centuries One of the major activities of the

religious Congregations was education Their great advantage was their total

commitment to their responsibilities

By their nature as Catholic educational institutions meaning Universal

Education in general terms the objective of all the institutions is educations

of the whole person^ This can be considered a common element which

reflects the basic charisma of the religious Congregations institutions Most

of the Congregations were inspired by the vision of their founders to extend

the resources for the advancement of knowledge and the upliftment of the

community

The educational institutions run by the Catholic men-religious in Kerala

are the following Carmelites of Mary Immaculate Congregation of Missionary

Brothers of St Francis of Assisi Little Flower Congregation Montfort Brothers

of St Gabriel Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament Oblates of

49 The Syro- Malankara Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with Rome The Malankara Catholic Church regains its Catholicity on 20 September 1930

50 Thomas JArulkalil (ed)opcitpp12-15 51 Vatican Council II Declaration on Christian Education 28 October 1965

16

St Joseph Order of the Discalced Carmelites Order of Imitation of Christ

Order of Friars Minor Capauctions Benedictine order Society of the Catholic

Apostolate Salesians of Don Bosco Society of Jesus and Vincentian

Congregations Education in general and womens education in particular got

a fillip with the establishment of various Congregations of women such as

Congregation of Mother of Carmel Franciscans Clarist Congregation Sisters

of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Congregation Sisters of the

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Sacred Heart Congregation

Congregation of the Holy Family and the Congregation of Sisters of Charity^

The many other Congregations that came up in the nineteenth century did a

lot for the development of education in Kerala

Importance of Topic

Education is a powerful and pervasive agent for an all-round

development of the individual and for social transformation The socioshy

economic transformation of Kerala and the exalted position held by its

residents owe a great deal to the educational institutions that came into being

in this region under the non-governmental organizations The educational

sector of Kerala at the close of the eighteenth century was totally in the hands

of the private agencies embedded in indigenous education imparted through

kudipallikoodam^^ and kalaris besides the ottupalli (madrasas) set up

exclusively for Muslim children Modern education was introduced in Kerala

52 Thomas JArulkalil (ed) opcit pp312-315 53 Kudipallikoodam Village primary schools were one of the means of education in ancient

Kerala 54 Madrasas are attached to the Mosques where the children of Muslim community were

given a course of religions instruction The curriculum laid special emphasis on the learning of the Quran the life at the prophet worship and tenets of Islams while the Arabic colleges have been functioning in select centres to facilitate advanced studies in Arabic and Islamic Scriptures

17

by the Missionaries who came to work among various sections of the people

The Protestant Missionary groups and the Catholic Church in Kerala could be

considered the pioneers in this field who contributed greatly to the educational

development in all the constituent political segments of modern Kerala

Public educational facilities were very meagre in the Travancore

Cochin part of Malabar in nineteenth century The Government started many

public schools But they did not meet the needs of the public n such a

situation The CMI Congregation realized that the Catholic community would


Congregation should concentrate on educational work Hence the proposed

thesis entitled Contributions of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate

Congregation to Education in Kerala 1831-2008 is taken up to find out the

impact and role of the CMI Congregation in the socio-economic progress of

the Kerala state

Review of Literature

The present study is an attempt to explore the contributions of CMI

Congregation to education in Kerala where the previous studies have not

been concentrated Though some general works on the historical and

biographical of the Congregation persons and institutions are available only

a few deal with the educational activities of CMI Congregation in the whole

region of Kerala Most of the works about the CMI educational history are

about the founder and the socio-economic religious aspects

The important earlier work on the history of CMI Congregation is A

Short History of TOCD in Kerala written by Fr Bernard Alanchery CMI

18

which was published on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations in

1905 This book deals with the foundation of educational work and various

activities of the CMI Congregation

The Carmelite Congregation of IVIalabar 1831-1931 edited by

General House Cochin is a short history of the CMI Congregation It is by far

the most comprehensive and systematic work on the centenary celebrations

of the Congregation This book is to a large extent on the original sources and

published the original version of the letters records and photos in archives It

provides a general picture of the religious history of the times

CM Sabhayude Charithra Samkshepam 1829-1969 A Malayalam

book by Gregory Neerakkal explains the general history of the CMI

Congregation It includes the various activities of CMI Congregation up to

1969 It was the flourishing time of the CMI Congregation

Civil 175 Years 1831-2006 was compiled by CMI central committee

in the M5^ anniversary of the foundation of the CMI Congregation This book

is a systematic presentation of the history of the CMI Congregation There are

separate chapters for the different provinces They collected photos of the

institutions churches and important persons This book deals with the brief

history of various CMI educational institutions Even though it had only a few

descriptions it helped to do research and get a link to collect other details of

the CMI educational institutions The photos records diagrams graphs etc

were helpful for my study

Documents of CMI Malabar Mission 1923-1953 compiled and

edited by Fr Sebastian Poonoly is a collection of letters and documents

19

These documents tell clearly and dramatically about what the CMI

Congregation did in Malabar region where an Archdiocese a number of

dioceses monasteries and the pioneers of educational institutions have been

established subsequently

Indian Constitution Education and IVIinorities in Kerala edited by

KS Mathew and TK Sebastian focuses on the very beginning of the formal

education in the region of Kerala where different religious minorities

congregations and individuals made efforts to accelerate the process of

spreading the light of knowledge irrespective of caste creed and gender

Therefore the significant role played by the minority institutions in the overall

educational development of the state is brought out succinctly by using

historical evidences

Vazhthappetta Chavara achante Dalit Darsanam a Malayalam book

by Wilson Kokkat reveals the activities of Blessed Kuriakose Chavara as an

indigenous revolutionary leader who worked for the cause of backward

classes This book gives details how earnestly he tried for the education of

the oppressed classes in Kerala CMI Sabha Eranakulam Athiroopathayil

another Malayalam book by FrMathew Koodail explains the Sacred Heart

provinces general history of the CMI Congregation This book contains only a

brief history of the CMI educational institutions in the Cochin Province of the

CMI Congregation History Carmelites of Mary Immaculate(CMI)

StJoseph Province Kottayam compiled and edited by FrThomas

Kadankavil is a systematic and research oriented work This book explains

the Eranakulam district educational activities of the CMI Congregation in

Kerala

20

The book on Role of the CMI Congregation In the Soclo-Economic

Progress of Kozhlkode District (1934-1984) by MD Jose that contains the

leadership and activities of the CMI Missionaries which led to the socioshy

economic progress of Kozhikode district from 1934 to1984 CMI and Socioshy

economic and Religious Transformation in Kerala In 19 Century was an

unpublished doctoral thesis of the Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam by

Mathukutty Thengumppilly This thesis explained the origin and the

development of the CMI Congregation and discussed the various activities of

the CMI Congregation in the Travancore State in the eighteenth and

nineteenth centuries CMI vision of Education is the statutes of CMI Board

of Education by Fr Jose Kuriedath the General Councilor for Department of

Education CMI Prior Generals House Kakkanad is a small book that

contains the vision mission and administration of the CMI educational

institutions

There is very little study on the educational history of the CMI

Congregation In fact there is no work so far dealing with the contributions of

CMI Congregation to Education in Kerala 1831-2008 and this is the first

venture undertaken in this respect All the mentioned above works contain

sporadic vision on the topic

Hypothesis

The CMI Congregation started by the indigenous Christian people gave

great importance to education during nineteenth century when there was an

urgent need for educational institutions in Kerala The CMI Congregation was

the pioneer group of education in the whole Catholic Church in Kerala

Education is the most socially visible activity of the CMI Congregation Social

21

pressure forced them to start educational institutions because education was

a must for achieving jobs The CMI Congregation deserves the credit for

spreading scientific secular rational and quality education to transform the

community in Kerala It gave much emphasis to educate women the

marginalized and the dalits^^ irrespective of caste and creed It takes special

efforts to co-ordinate educational activities incorporating the aims and goals

of the nation so that students may grow up as responsible citizens fully

involved in the task of nation building

Sources

The study is based on variety of sources both primary and secondary

collected from the archival repositories and other research centres The

primary sources comprise both ecclesiastical and secular documents The

secular data include Government Orders Government Files Cover Files

Proceeding Consultations Census Reports Administration Reports and

Reports of Education Commissions Directories Attendance Register of

students Acquittance Register of teachers and non-teaching staff in

institutions and personal interviews chronicles from various CMI monasteries

CMI constitutions and Directories The Book of Traditions Diaries and News

Papers the unpublished documents kept and preserved in the Churches

form a major part of the ecclesiastical sources of study The correspondence

of the founding fathers Prior Generals Provincial Superiors and similar letters

55 Dalit is the name of the people belonging to those castes at the very bottom of Indias caste hierarchy They are among the poorest and most deprived sections of society and have the fewest social privileges They are economically and socially ostracized denied equal access to education and political life Formerly they were known as Untouchables because their presence was considered to be so polluting that contact with them was to be avoided at all costs The official label for them is Scheduled Castes U Bhatt Dalits From Marginalisation to Main stream Delhi 2005

22

shed immense light on the progress of the educational activities of the

Congregation through the ages There are also works dealing with social

economic and political history of the area where CMI educational institutions

are established

Organization of the Thesis

The present thesis is divided and presented in six chapters including

an introduction and conclusion The first chapter Nineteenth century Kerala

and the Worlds of the Christian Missionaries analyses the socio-religious

and political background of the Kerala during the nineteenth century which

paved the way for the rise of the CMI educational institutions The Kerala

society of the nineteenth century was rigid and static in which no social

mobility was allowed The static nature of the society could be seen in its

social system which was exclusively in the grip of repetitive agriculture with

no scope for innovation The political system was controlled by the traditional


was in such a static society that education was an instrument of social

mobility The Protestant Missionary groups and the Catholic Churches in

Kerala could be considered the pioneers in this field which contributed greatly

to the progress of education in the nineteenth century

The involvement of CMI Congregation in the field of education in

Kerala is to be traced back from 1846 when Blessed Kuriakose Chavara

started the first Catholic Sanskrit School and the first primary school in 1864

at Mannanam in Kottayam district With the intention of extending educational

opportunities and to create awareness about the need for education Blessed

Kuriakose Chavara in his capacity as the Vicar General of the Syrian

23

Catholics ordered in 1864 all Churches to start schools failing which the

Churches are to be closed The decree was epoch making and it heralded

revolutionary changes in Kerala He not only fostered the need for basic

education but also paved the way for moral education He was able to

understand that the progress of the Church and society was possible only

through learned priests and so he introduced western method of teaching in

the monasteries In 1833 at Mannanam he established a training centre for

priests Many students of these institutions have engaged high-positions in

religious cultural and social fields of Kerala These are explained in the

second chapter CMI and Primary Education

The third chapter on Secondary Education focuses the CMI vision on

education in general and the secondary education in particular The CMI

Congregation attached much importance to English education which they

understood to be necessary for the uplift of Kerala English education had not

been much valued among the Catholics of KeralaFrCyriac Eliesus started

the first English school for the Syrian Catholics at Mannanam in 1885 under

the patronage of Saint Ephrem The High School and the boarding house

have been a real nursery of priests and of eminent Catholic leaders The CMI

Congregation now possesses 110 High Schools and 70 Higher Secondary

Schools In order to conduct the schoolwork more efficiently the

Congregation started a Corporate Educational Agency in different provinces

of CMI Congregation The CMI vision of education is founded on the idea of

Catholic education contained in the teachings of the Universal Church and the

Church in India CMI legacy of education inherited from the founders and its

history and the needs of the modern society The most important elements of

24

the CMI character of education are holistic formation value formation quality

education co-operation of the families and social commitment

The aim of higher education is to foster equitable social development

through the empowerment of individuals who can contribute to common good

Blessed Kuriakose Chavara had even planned a central college for the

Catholic students when he was Vicar General but it did not materialize then

owing to various unfavorable circumstances it is with his inspiration and

vision that CMI Congregation has established various higher educational

institutions such as engineering colleges medical colleges arts and science

colleges technical institutions nursing colleges nursing schools and teacher

training institutions The daring step in active consideration of the CMI

Congregation is the opening of Autonomous Colleges Deemed Universities

and Private Universities These are analyzed in detail in the fourth chapter

Higher Education

The fifth chapter is Non-formal Education Fine Arts and IVIass

IVIedia CMI Congregation considered education as a universal right of

people It should also enable the CMI Congregation to consider the education

of the physically and mentally challenged It took special interest in those

people who cannot afford to obtain quality education through financial

assistance for formal education and non-formal methods of education It

conducts programmes like various forms of non-formal education social

research centres literacy drive and job orientated training involving modern

methods and techniques to improve the quality of education in this field The

Congregation has initiated several cultural academies and centres in the

country for the cultural development of the people in India

25

The chapter on Impact of Education on the Society explains the

impact of CMI educational institutions on the society of Kerala If the women

in Kerala are educated today almost as equally as men the seeds of such a

change should be traced back to the foundation of a religious Congregation of

women chiefly dedicated to the apostolate of womens education in 1866 by

Blessed Kuriakose Chavara An important activity of the CMI Congregation in

Malabar was in the field of education Most of the schools were started

adjoining the Parish Churches where the priests served as pastors These

educational institutions helped in uplifting the cultural and behavioral

standards of the people Congregation makes special efforts to co-ordinate

educational activities with the aims and goals of the nation so that the

students may grow up as responsible citizens fully involved in the task of

nation building Congregation has grown over the years to become one of the

nationally prominent educational agencies with a wide net work of various

types of institutions to meet the growing educational needs of the modern

society They became more systematic and formal in course of time Thus

through the large number of various educational institutions quality education

is ensured

Both the political and spiritual authorities have recognized the

educational activities of the CMI Congregation If the missionaries had played

a leading role in the nineteenth century the Catholic Church of Kerala played

a major role in the educational activities of the twentieth century For the

founder Blessed Kuriakose Chavara education was the means for

transforming the community and helping it particularly its marginalized

sections to grow That is why CMI educational institutions are providing

26

education to the lower middle and as much as they can to low income

groups Thus education appears to be not merely helping the individuals for

building up a future career but also giving genuine leadership in transforming

the quality of life in the society


was during this period that the western educational system was introduced

and many evil social customs were eliminated The reforms exercised greater

efficiency when the British Resident Colonel John Monroe assumed the office

of Diwan (chief minister) under Rani Lakshmi Bai(1810-1815) in the

Travancore State The wheels of government were more modernized

The Protestant Missionary groups and the Catholic Church in Kerala

could be considered as pioneers in the field of modernization and they

contributed much for the progress of education in the nineteenth century The

Kerala Catholic Church was inactive in the field of education in the beginning

The Catholics were prohibited from attending the Protestant Missionary

schools and to study English Besides the ecclesiastical authorities of the

Catholic hierarchy feared that English education would divert them to be

influenced by the Protestants In those days the only schools were the

village kalaris^ conducted by asans^ and education was the prerogative of

upper caste male children others were denied any type of education

In such a situation the Catholics had only few opportunities for public

education The CMI Congregation realized that the Catholic community would


Congregation should concentrate on educational work It was not merely for

4 Jose Kuriedath Catholic Priests and Socio-economic and Cultural development New Horizons of Indian Christianity living (ed) Saju Chakkalackal Bangalore 2009 p526

5 Mathias Mundadan Blessed Kuriakose Ellas Chavara Bangalore 2008 p253 6 Kalari was one of the means of education in ancient Kerala Kalaris were mainly military

gymnasiums where the youths of the country were trained in the arts of warfare 7 The village schoolmaster was known as asan in Kerala The asan gave instruction to

pupils in the three Rs (reading writing and arithmetic) at a very young age after the formal initiation ceremonies

















































Mannanam























































Congregation





























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10
























11


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may be








42 Ibid

13


clerical



















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community







16












Importance of Topic













17














the Kerala state











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19

























Kerala

20














institutions






Hypothesis






21









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22




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23


























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26





















































Mannanam























































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13


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17














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20














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17














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20














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20














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19

























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20














institutions






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22




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23


























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17














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20














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23


























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26





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20














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11


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26





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17














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18

























19

























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20














institutions






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26





13


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26





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18

























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20














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26





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18

























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20














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25


















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26





16












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23


























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26





17














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20














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26





18

























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20














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23


























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25


















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26





19

























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20














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23


























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25


















is ensured








26





20














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Hypothesis






21









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22




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23


























24














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25


















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26





21









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26





22




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26





23


























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26





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25


















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26





25


















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26





26



