A Brief History of CMI Congregation and its Founder

Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara

Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born on 10 February 1805
at Kainakary, Kerala. At the age of five he began his studies in a village
school, called kalari. When he was 13, he joined the seminary at
Pallipuram for his priestly training. While he was in the seminary, his
parents and his eldest brother died of an epidemic. On 29 November                     ,
1829 he became a priest.
Blessed Chavara was instrumental in founding two Catholic
Religious Congregations – one for men, Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
of Mary Immaculate (CMI), and the other for women, Congregation of
Mother of Carmel (CMC), for the spiritual renewal and all round develop
ment of the society.

Starting seven ashrams and a convent in different parts of Kerala,
Chavara initiated a spiritual movement among the people of Kerala. He
established the first Catholic Sanskrit School, a major seminary and a
printing & publishing house at Mannanam. He directed that every church
should start a school attached to it and encouraged children even poorer
sections to attend the schools by supplying midday meal and dress for
them. He founded a ‘Home of Charity’ to take of the destitute, the beggars,
the uncared sick and the old. He also organized the first voluntary charit-
able association in Kerala for self-help among the needy.
Even in the midst of such manifold activities, he found time to write
several literary and spiritual books in prose as well as verse. Among
them,  Anastasyayude Rakthasakshyam’ is the first narrative poem and
‘Nalagamangal’ the first chronicle of history in Malayalam. He knew seven
languages-Malayalam, Tamil, Sanskrit, Syriac, Latic, Itatian and Portu -
guese.

Essentially, however, Blessed Chavara was a man of prayer and
great charity. He lived for 65 years and died on 3rd January 1871. His
sanctity was officially recognized by the Church, when Pope John Paul II
declared him ‘Blessed’ on 08 February 1986. Blessed Chavara is the
heavenly patron of all CMI and CMC institutions. Let us Pray to him to
intercede before God for all our needs, especially for success in our
studies.