Contributions to the Order

The Origin and Expansion of the Karnataka-Goa Province:

The present St. Pius X Province of Manjummel Province was a diocesan religious congregation from 1857, but began its amalgamation process to the Discalced Carmelite Order in 1951. Even though members were only on the probation period, the Generalate of the Discalced Carmelite Order in Rome sought   help from them for its survival of the existing Discalced Carmelites in Mangalore and Goa. The history with regard to them evolved in this manner. They were the off-products of the Flanders Province in Belgium.  The Flanders Province had their missionary endeavours in Trivandrum and had created a group of Indian Discalced Carmelites, belonging to the Syrian and Latin rites from Kerala and Tamilnadu.  Once the reins of authority were handed over to the indigenous religious, the Belgium missionaries left Trivandrum in 1940.  They started a monastery in Margao in 1942 and another in Mangalore in 1947.  They were 8 priests and 2 non-Chorist brothers and were natives of Belgium, Portuguese Goa, Mumbai and Tamilnadu.  Since the Independence of India in 1947, and Goa being under the Portuguese rule, the Belgium missionaries residing in Goa found it difficult to contact their confreres in the Mangalore.  They had also recruited new candidates for the religious life and kept them in Mangalore, but they were unable to give formation to them.  Economically also they could not afford to the needs of those religious and candidates residing in Mangalore. In this difficult historical situation of these Discalced Carmelite religious and their candidates, the Generalate in Rome requested the members of the Manjummel Province to take care of them economically and  look after the formation of the candidates. With generosity and good will, the Province accommodated the candidates in their Novitiate at Manjummel.  Thus the first novice from this region to make the first profession in Manjummel Province was   Fr. Fulgensius. Ever since candidates for Carmelite religious life from Goa and Karnataka were nurtured and formed under the care of the Manjummel Province.  Later in 1958, the province took over Mangalore monastery with all its economic liabilities and obligations. The Belgian Province had incurred debts for the construction of the Mangalore monastery. The Manjummel province magnanimously took up those debts by payng them through Mass stipends.  Later, when Goa was captured and made it part of India, the monastery at Margao too became within Indian Territory. The Flanders Province decided to close down there mission in Margoa and hand it over to Manjummel province. The full transition of the members was done in 1964.   In the span of 17 years, the small band of 8 priests and 2 non-chorist brothers increased to 51 (35 priests, 5 non-Chorist brothers and 11 Scolastics), thanks to the tireless and selfless efforts of the members of the Manjummel Province. Foreseeing the sure growth and expansion of the Order in India, the Province decided to request the Order to create a Karnataka-Goa region.  The Order complied with this request and this Region received legal autonomy, so that it could become a vibrant presence in this part of India with their Carmelite Charism.  In the course of time, this region became a full-pledged province on 12 March 1981. Until then the Manjummel Province carried under its protective wings these fledglings of the now robust, healthy Karnataka-Goa Province.

Tamilnadu Province: 

In the 1981, took place the formation of the Tamil Nadu as a separate entity in order to settle those members who were separated from Malabar Province. The General Definitory, in April 1981, legally established Tamil Delegation out of Manjummel and Malabar Provinces. As far as Manjummel Province was concerned, it was an unforeseen event. The contribution, at this juncture, from the part of Manjummel Province was 24 members (7 priests, 8 lay brothers and 9 scholastics) and two monasteries (Kumbakonam and Hanumathanpetty). The decision to hand over Podanur Monastery and Manalikarai Mission was postponed to a later period because of the insistence of Fr. General who held strongly that Manjummel Province has to have another Novitiate built on the one hand, and on the other, the members of the Delegation, at this initial stage, would not be able to run efficiently the Manalikarai Mission with its multiple institutions. Ten years had to pass for the Generalate to decide that the time has come to hand over these two entities to Tamil Nadu Delegation.

Manalikarai Mission is an example of the dynamic missionary endeavour. Apart from many conversions, the Mission had many developmental projects realized in a period of 30 years. Besides 15 churches, the missionaries built a cluster of institutions for the people without any distinction of caste and creed. A huge Higher Secondary School, a Central Government Recognized Technical Institute, Carmel Hospital with hundred beds and modern equipments, Boys’ Home, etc. are some of the achievements ever to be remembered. In 1991 Manalikarai Mission, Novitiate House and Monastery at Podanur etc were handed over to Tamil Nadu General Delegation.

 

Saint Francis Xavier Province of Andhra Pradesh:

In 1972 the Manjummel Province, with an agreement between the Bishop of Warangal (Alfons Berita) and Provincial (Jerome Payapilly), intiated the Mission of Andhra Pradesh. This embraced a territory of 13,000 sq. Km. and about 300 centres of rural population. Our Andhra Mission was growing fast and, as a recognition, it was made a Provincial Delegation in 1978. It became a Regional Vicariate in 1989. Then it had three monasteries (Kothagudem, Vijayawada and Tallada), 11 parishes, 71 substations and 180 out-stations (which spread out to 292 villages) and 21 institutions (schools, technical schools, boys homes, homes for the aged, leprosorium, etc.). Taking into consideration all these developments, was raised to a Commissariat in 14 November 2005. Its recent final canonical establishment as a Province under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier was on 8 June 2011. The new Religious Province includes all the civil state of Andhra Pradesh, with the exclusion of the Syro-Malabar diocese of Adilabad. It currently has nine Houses; Kothagudem, Palvoncha, Sathupally, Eluru, Thallada, Tenali and Vijayawada, all canonically erected, plus foundations in Pendurthy and Hyderabad.

San Jose Province of Indonesia

Responding to the call of Divine Providence, two missionaries set out for Indonesia in 1981, and took up a parish in Bajawa of the Archdiocese of Ende (Flores). In 1984, the first monastery was founded at Bogenga not far from Bajawa in a 15 acre land. Novitiate was built there in 1991 and the formation of Novices commenced. Though their study of philosophy was planned in the SVD Seminary at Maumere and the building was ready, it had to be shifted to Kupang, due to an earthquake in 1992. The students go to the Diocesan seminary for their philosophy. In 1995 the Mission was raised to Provincial Delegation, and in 1999 Regional Vicariate. Since then the Vicariate initiated the following foundations: Theology House in Yogyakarta in the island of Jawa in 2000, Aspirancy and Postulancy at Maronggela (Flores) in 2001, and a community in Manado in 2002.

On 8 June 2011 the General Definitory established this Regional Vicariate as a Commissariat under the patronage of St. Joseph. It includes the whole of Indonesia and has 8 Houses: Bajawa (2), Kupang, Jogyakarta, Maronggela, Manada, Denpasar and Sumba.

Regional Vicariate of Odisha

The Mission in Odisha started on 20 July 1993 with the blessing and inauguration of the first house, Carmel Bhavan, at Sindirappilly in Chatrapur. It functioned as monastery cum Boarding Home for the education of boys from Elementary to Plus 2. Later another Boarding house was built at Ramba 20 kms away from Chatrapur. In the year 2002, the Mission received the status of Provincial Delegation.The candidates to Carmelite life got their formation in Kerala starting from Initiation up to Theology. On 19 February 2006, Theology Students’House in Sambalpur was inaugurated. The students frequent the Regional Seminary Kristo Jyothi Mohavidyalaya for their theology study. When in the year 2007 a separate Boarding house for boys was built, it was possible to begin the Initiation Course of the Aspirants in the monastery building at Chatrapur.

In the year 2007, the Bishop of Berhampur Diocese erected a parish at Laighuda with 38 villages in Rayagada District and handed it over to our Mission. For a community to minister to the parish, we bought a land at Nuaguda and built there a monastery, Avila Bhavan. A unit of V-Guard, manufacturing stabilizer, was inaugurated at Chatrapur in the year 2008. It provides job opportunities for girls around the area. In 2009, Mano Ranjan Mallik, the first native candidate, who had his basic theology studies in Rome, was ordained priest at Laighuda parish. In the same year, the Initiation Course is transferred temporarily to Sambalpur and Chatrapur house became formation house for Plus 2 students. In 2011, a new initiation house was started at Tikona, Puri. On 8th June 2011 the General Definitory declared the Provincial Delegation of Odisha a Regional Vicariate, dependent on the Manjummel Province. It now has 6 communities: Chatrapur, Sambalpur, Rambha, Nuaguda, Tikona and, Kuchinda.

Zambia, Africa Mission

Zambia is a vast land of 752,617 km located in the south eastern Africa with an estimated population of 1,13,00,000. Zambia is a Christian nation since 1996. Total number of the Catholics in the country is above 32,74,000 that is about the 30 percentage of the total population. Catholicism was brought here by three French Missionaries of Africa called as White Fathers in 1891. At present the Catholic Church in Zambia is flourished into ten dioceses.
It was a call from God to the carmelites of manjummel province from kerala, India, through Very Rev. Fr. Saverio cannistra, the General Superior of the order of discalced carmelites and through the Bishop of the Diocese of Chipata, His Grace most Rev. Bishop George Cosmas zumaire lungu to start a mission in the Diocese of Chipata.  Bishop George Lungu expressed his desire to have carmelites in his Diocese to the General of the Discalced carmelites. Fr. General entrusted the mission to st. Pius X province of Manjummel, Kerala, India.

On January 18, 2013 then Provincial Rev. Fr. Jacob Palliparambil OCD with Fr. Benny Acharuparambil OCD set out for the visits to Malawi and Zambia.

At first manjummel province sent 4 friars to chipata to start the mission in the Diocese. On 17th January 2014 the friars namely- frs. Jacob paxy alumkal, Joseph Balummel, Robin Koimmakkatu and Francis Gladwin reached here at chipata. The first few months the friars were at diocesan pastoral center at chikungu to learn the language. Then from 1st July 2014 to 1st August 2015 the missionaries stayed in two parishes, namely Petauke and nyimba.

 The Diocese entrusted two mission stations to the carmelites, chamilala and mwanjawanthu.  On 9th August His Grace Bishop George Cosmas zumaire lungu blessed the first monastery at chamilala. The same day Bishop declared Chamilala as sub parish. It was bifurcated from Nyimba parish.

 On 18th December 2017 Bishop George Lungu declared Mwanjawanthu as a Sub parish and it was bifurcated from minga parish. On may 12th 2018   the second monastery at mwanjawanthu was blessed and inaugurated by His Grace most Rev Bishop Benjamin Phiri. At present we have six fathers and one brother in the mission. Fr. Jacob paxy Alumkal is the co-ordinator of the OCD mission Zambia.

 

 

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