The Carmelites of Mary Immaculate () abbreviated CMI, formerly also known as the Servants of Mary Immaculate (), is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, and is the largest such congregation in the Syro-Malabar Church.
It was founded on 11 May 1831, by Indian priests Thomas Palackal, Thomas Porukara, and Kuriakose Elias Chavara who were priests of the Apostolic Church of Saint Thomas Christians in India. Brother Jacob Kanianthara was inspired by the vision of the founding fathers and served them in the foundation of the congregation. The core charism of congregation is contemplata et aliis tradere (to share with others the fruits of contemplation). The Identity and heritage of the Congregation is reflected in its triple roots of spirituality namely Indian, Eastern and Carmelite. The Congregation is involved in pastoral works consisting of teaching at all levels, taking care of aged and sick, apostolate of press, running several mission dioceses both in India and abroad.
The original vision of the founders was to begin a House of Vision (ദർശന വീട്) for priests rooted in Christian and Indian spirituality by combining contemplation and service, especially spiritual guidance with sannyasic elements.Schaeffer, Mary M. "India: Christian" in Encyclopedia of Monasticism edited by William M. Johnston, Pg. 640. Routledge Publishing, 2000. It was based on their understanding that "a lot of good had not been done due to the absence of a House of Contemplation (തപസ് ഭവനം ) and a House of Vision (ദർശന വീട്)." The influence of the Vicar Apostolic of Verapoly, who was a Carmelite resulted in the orientation towards Carmelite order and spirituality. The Congregation was affiliated to the Carmelite Order as a Religious Congregation of the Oriental Rite and assumed the name Third Order of Carmelites Discalced in 1860. Pontifical status was granted in 1885. The Congregation changed its name to Carmelites of Mary Immaculate in 1958. The Congregation was given Pontifical Exemption in 1967.
As of 2020, the Congregation has 2,692 members with 1 Archbishop, 7 Bishops, 2007 priests. Associates of CMI (ACMI) support the missionary activities of the congregation in different ways.
History Foundation The initial idea of leading a hermetic life came up in the minds of Malpan Thomas Porukara and Malpan Thomas Palackal. They approached the then Vicar Apostolic Bishop Mourelius Stabilini for permission to establish a religious congregation. Permission was not grant them by the Bishop, who cited three reasons namely the difficulty to begin a congregation, difficulty to get financial resources to maintain and continue it. Later, Bishop Mourelius Stabilini changed his decision and said, "If both of you priests, who are intelligent and prudent, are going to lead a life of silence and solitude, then who will teach the people? If you want, you can start a monastery. It will be useful for you and also for others." He approved their request and gave them Rs. 200 to begin the monastic life. The permission was granted by Vicar Apostolic Msgr Stabilini to start a religious house for the following purposes: (1) Educating the uneducated, (2) Helping them who desire to enter the Catholic Church, (3) Working for the reunion of the separated brethren, (4) Safeguarding the well being of all, (5) Aiming at the renewal of the Church, and (6) Willing to do all that are seen good for the people of God.
The first monastery of CMI congregation was established on 11 May 1831 at Mannanam, Kerala, India. The foundation stone was laid by Malpan Thomas Porukara in the presence of Vicar Apostolic - Bishop Mourelius Stabilini, the local ordinary, Malpan Thomas Palackal and Kuriakose Elias Chavara. The founders of the congregation namely Thomas Porukara, Thomas Palackal and Kuriakose Elias Chavara were assisted by Jacob Kaniathara. Jacob Kanianthara became the first professed 'brother' in the Congregation. Geevarghese Thoppil was the first to join the new religious movement. Several priests and young men from then on started to join the religious movement started at Mannanam.
On 8 December 1855, the Mannanam community was recognised canonically with the profession of vows of eleven priests headed by Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the first prior of the congregation. The original name of the movement was Servants of Mary Immaculate (അമലോത്ഭവ ദാസ സംഘം). In 1860, this congregation was affiliated to the Carmelite Order and its members began to use the postnominal initials of TOCD (Third Order of Discalced Carmelites). The Congregation grew leaps and bounds with the addition of new members and establishing of six more monasteries in a decade.
Kuriakose Elias Chavara governed the Congregation for 16 years as its Superior General under the name "Common Prior". There was only one Prior until 1885 and the monasteries were headed by his vicars. The constitution of the Congregation were approved for the first time by the Holy See in 1885 thus the Congregation became juris pontific (pontifical right) The Congregation was headed by Prior General's from outside the congregation (Bishops) and their delegates from 1885 to 1902. It was from then that head of each monastery was called Prior. The title Prior General was used for the elected member who headed the Congregation. In 1902, the General Chapter convened by Bishop Bernard, the Prior General was directed by the Holy See to elect the Prior General from within the Congregation. Thus Alexander Kattakayam was elected Prior General. The practice of electing Prior Generals from among the members of Congregation continues till date. The final approbation for Constitution was received in 1906. The congregation was divided into three provinces in 1953. The current name Carmelites of Mary Immaculate was received in 1958. The congregation was raised to one of pontifical right in 1967 by Pope Paul VI.
Founders of the Congregation Thomas Palackal (1775-1841)
The senior most among the three founders was Palackal Thomas who shared his vision of a religiius congregation to his friend Thomas Porukara and Kuriakose Chavara. Thomas Palackal was ordained priest in 1807. He was involved in the training and formation of the priests as a Malpan (professor of sacred sciences) of the Church. He was an aesthetic dedicated to penance, prayer and study. He lived a community life with his students, joining them in their spiritual exercises and sitting with them for study. What he had in mind as a spiritual ideal was a sort of Dominican way of life. The Dominican spirit was understood as to teach and proclaim what has been learned from sacred reading, subjecting it to deep meditation, or to study, prayer and teaching (Contemplata praedicare). Since books on theology, scripture and morals were not available in Syriac and Malayalam he collected Tamil books on these topics and copied them down, studied and translated a few of them into Malayalam. Palackal died on 16 January 1841 at the age of 66 and was buried in the parish church at Pallipuram.
Thomas Porukara (1799-1846) Porukara was ordained on 22 September 1823. In his priestly ministry in the parish, he made earnest effort to renew the life of the people in the parish. He set apart the Saturdays for the destitute and other homeless beggars to help them in their material deprivation and to give them spiritual guidance and sacramental assistance. It was Porukara who laid the foundation stone of the monastery at Mannanam on 11 May 1831 and the name of St Joseph was proposed by Porukara and all agreed to his proposal, though the Bishop and Palackal had their own views. Porukara had special devotion to St Joseph which he developed in Mannanam in 1843 and popularized the devotional practice of giving meal and clothing to parents and a child from an indigent family on Wednesdays in the month of March. Since the beginning of the monastery at Mannanam in 1831, practically Porukara was the Superior of the community as most of the time Palackal was at Pallipuram with his seminarians. Porukara died on 8 January 1846.
Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871) Kuriakose Elias Chavara was born on 10 February 1805 in Kainakary. In 1818, at the age of 13, he joined the seminary at Pallipuram under the tutelage of Malpan Thomas Palackal. During the early years of his studies Chavara lost his parents and his lone brother and he was compelled to return home to preserve his father's family tradition. But he solved the family and vocation crisis and continued his priestly studies and was ordained a priest on 29 November 1829 at the age of 24 by Msgr. Maurelius Stabilini at Arthunkal. It is recorded in the Chronicle that the main personal intention of Chavara in the first Holy Mass was the realization of the establishment of a religious house for priests at the earliest. His priestly ministry for 40 years shows an indomitable spiritual power embellishing the Church.
He collaborated with Thomas Palackal and Porukara in the establishment of the first indigenous religious house for men at Mannanam in 1831. After the death of Thomas Palackal in 1841 and Thomas Porukara in 1846, he led the congregation from the front. On 8 December 1855 on the first anniversary of the official proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Blessed Mother, Kuriakose made the profession of religious vows, adopting the name Kuriakose Elias of Holy Family. Then, his ten companions made their religious vows before him, himself being appointed the superior of the new religious community. The new religious community was known at that time as Servants of Mary Immaculate. It was Kuriakose who introduced the term Mary Immaculate in the name of the congregation. Later, from 1858, by the influence of the Carmelite missionaries, the community began to be known as Servants of Mary Immaculate of Carmel.
Kuriakose Elias Chavara established the first Syro-Malabar common seminary in 1833 at Mannanam, which continued up to 1894 and, then, got amalgamated to the Puthenpally seminary. He became the first Vicar General in the Syrian Church after the time of archdeacon in 1861. He implemented the idea of "a school for a church" in the Syrian churches when he was the Vicar General in 1864. He took pains to unify and codify the Syriac Divine Office, liturgical rubrics, calendar in the Malabar Church, etc. In 2008, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, former Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Archiepiscopal Church, wrote: "It is mostly thanks to Blessed Chavara's tireless and committed efforts that the Syro-Malabar Church is what she is today. The practical wisdom and common sense with which he introduced reform in the fields of liturgy, priestly training and pastoral ministry certainly provide us with unfailing guidelines even today in similar endeavours. He also presented well thought out proposal for regaining and maintaining Church's autonomy and identity, which would even facilitate the reunion of the separated brethren". He initiated spiritual reforms by starting 40 hour adoration, way of the cross, and various Marian devotional practices.