CMI-St. Joseph Province

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The Province of St. Joseph established on March 2, 1953 was formally inaugurated on April 23, 1953. The Provincial Curia which functioned temporarily at Mannanam was shifted to Kottayam in 1956 when the new building for the Curia was built. In 1968, due to some practical difficulties, the curia was shifted to St. Antony’s Monastry, Puthupally. The Calicut Region, entrusted to the Province became a Vice-Province in 1969 and a Province in 1978, named after St. Thomas the Apostle. In 1972 the mission territory of Jagadalpur was created and entrusted to the St. Joseph’s Province.

In 1979, the erstwhile St. Joseph Province, Kottayam was divided into St. Joseph Province Kottayam, St.Joseph Province Trivandrum and into Nirmal Vice-Province, Jagadalpur. St.Joseph Province Trivandrum had its headquarters at Mannanam and later moved it to Trivandrum in 1981. The Provincial House at Puthuppally continued to be the Provincial Curia of the St. Joseph Province Kottayam, till it was moved to Kottayam in 1990.

The St. Joseph Province Kottayam spreads over the entire dioceses of Pala and Kanjirapally and parts of the diocese of Changanacherry, The province is engaged in the education, pastoral work and social apostolate in these dioceses. The Province has established well-flourishing educational institutions in Bangalore, Kritujayanti College and Mary Matha School in Theni. The Province is trying to develop the Madura region of Tamil Nadu as an important locus of its missionary activities.

In 1985 two districts of the diocese of Rajkot were earmarked for St. Joseph Province Kottayam for mission work and later in 1987 a third one was added. The Chavara Sub- Region Bhavnagar was officially constituted on January 3, 1985 as a dependent region of the province. The Sub-region was made a region in 1996 and the Regional House (Devdarsan) is in Merubaugh. Bhavnagar is a well-flourishing vibrant mission field of the Province with 28 brethren working there with clear vision for its over-all development and nourishing it into the status of a mission Province.

In 1972 the Province sent two missionaries to work in Peru and later, a few others followed them. However this mission did not flourish much for some years. The province gradually began to feel Peru as an important area of its evangelising and pastoral mission. In 1990 a small group of missionaries were send to Peru with an intension to revive the mission effectively and efficiently, providing more vigour and vibrancy to the CMI missionaries already working there in Lima and Arequipa dioceses. As an effective and efficient strategy in the training of the future missionaries of Peru the province began to send scholastics there for practical training and for theological formation. In 2001 the sub-region of San Mateo Peru was established. The Sub-Regional house Villa Chavara is in Lima. At present, in Peru 12 of our confreres are working in the dioceses of Chosica (Lima), Arequipa and Chequibamba.

In 1991 a new Mission in Papua New Guinea was also started. A few of our confreres were send to the diocese of Vanimo and got actively involved in the activities in the hard pastoral fields of the diocese. Due to certain practical inconveniences this mission was discontinued since 2002. And new initiatives have started off to revive this mission in 2008 itself, After a short period of interval, the Papua mission is resurrecting with a renewed enthusiasm and hope. The province has also taken up missions in the developed countries like Australia, the USA, Germany and UK and is engaged in the pastoral works of the different diocese of these countries as part of its services to the universal Church. Five of our confreres are working there in two dioceses in Australia. One confrer is working there in one of the dioceses of UK. In the USA and Germany several of our brethren are working in the parish ministry of the different dioceses there. Besides these countries, some other members of the Province are working and/or studying in various other foreign countries. More than 47 priests belong to the province are engaged in oversees missions of the province.

At present the Province has 291 (213 Priests, 8 Brothers and 70 Scholastics) professed members engaged in spreading the Good News in different parts of the world through evangelization activities, pastoral involvements, education programs, communication and printing medias and through various types socio-cultural associations.

Contact

St. Joseph Province, Kottayam

CMI Provincial House P B No. 648, Kottayam - 686 001
Phone: 9448877476
E-Mail: Email us

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