St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born on 10 February 1805 at Kainakary, Kerala. At the age of five, he began 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 was ordained as a Priest.
St. Chavara was instrumental in founding two Catholic Religious Congregation-one for men, ‘Carmelites of Mary Immaculate’ (CMI) and the other for women, ‘Congregation of Mother of Carmel’ (CMC), for the spiritual renewal and all round development of the society.
Starting seven ashrams and a convent in different parts of Kerala, St. Chavara initiated a spiritual movement among the people of Kerala. He established the first Catholic Sanskrit School, a major seminary and a printing and publishing house at Mannanam. He directed that every church should start a school attached to it and encouraged children even from poorer sections to attend the schools by supplying midday meal and dress for them. He founded a ‘Home of Charity’ to take care of the destitutes, beggars, uncared, sick and the old. He also organized the first voluntary charitable 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. He knew seven languages- Malayalam, Tamil, Sanskrit, Syriac, Latin, Italian and Portuguese.
Essentially, St. 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 Church, when Pope John Paul II declared him ‘Blessed’ on 8 February 1986. He was canonized on 23rd November 2014 by Pope Francis.
St. Chavara is 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.
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