St. Thomas Benedictine Monastery

St. Thomas Benedictine Abbey belongs to the Benedictine Congregation of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, originally known as the Belgian Congregation. Our Abbey is founded within the Syro-Malabar rite in Kerala. The new  Monastery in Kappadu was founded by three monks from Asirvanam Benedictine Monastery, Bangalore, which was a foundation of St. Andrew’s Abbey, Brugges, Belgium. The three monks were Fr. Bede Maniyankary, Fr. Anselm Maniyakkupara and Fr. John Kurichianil. In the year 1985 the three monks were authorized to explore the possibilities of a foundation in the Syro-Malabar church by Rt. Rev. Ambroise Watelet, who was at the time the Abbot President of the Congregation. The Abbot President himself accompanied the founders to Kerala to meet a few of the Syro-Malabar Bishops. The outcome was very encouraging. The monks were welcomed by Archbishop Joseph Powathil of Changanacherry diocese and they were settled in a house put at their disposal by a Catholic family in Changanacherry. They were allowed not only to live in the house free of charges, but also to cultivate the six acres of land around the house and to take its produce.

The three monks lived in Changanacherry for one and a half years. Meanwhile they kept looking for a site for the new monastery. The present site at Kappadu was finally found. Ten acres of land along with a house was purchased. The little community moved to Kappadu in October 1987. On January 20, 1988 the new monastery was canonically established as a priory depending on the Abbot President and his Council. Fr. John Kurichianil who was the leader of the group so far was appointed the Prior. This Priory was allowed not only to recruit new candidates but also to have our own Novitiate. For several years the monks and the candidates lived in the original private house on the property that had been purchased. Later four temporary sheds were built with bricks with asbestos roof. They served one as the chapel, another as the study hall, a third as the refectory and the fourth as a dormitory. That condition went on for over ten years. Gradually the community could acquire more land at Kappadu and to start building the new Monastery. First four small dormitories were built for the students. That was followed by a novitiate house. Then there came up a house for the finally professed monks. The present church was completed in 2000 and was consecrated on December 31, 2000. The same day five of our monks were ordained priests in the new church. A guest house with 33 self contained rooms and a spacious refectory were completed almost simultaneously. Kappadu was raised to the rank of a Conventual Priory on the occasion of the General Chapter of the Congregation in 2004, Within a couple of days the same General Chapter raised Kappadu to the rank of an Abbey. Prior John Kurichianil was consecrated its first Abbot on January 20, 2005, on the 17th anniversary of its foundation. He was re-elected the Abbot on January 20th 2013.