Part III. EFFORTS TOWARDS THE ERECTION OF THE NEW PROVINCE (2009-2011)

These three years in the history of our mission assume greater significance as they were years of transition from an indefinitive nature of the mission - whether it be in its juridical status or its membership – to a more definitive nature in all the senses. The triennium had its objectives clear to shape the commissariat into a full-fledged province.

CARMELITE ORDER

Until this year, Only Aspirancy and Theology study house are present in Andhra Pradesh. For all the rest of the formation the mission depended on the mother province. As we have seen above, all the formation stages were brought back to Andhra Pradesh and in different places formation houses were established. In 2011, St. Joseph’s Carmel Bhavan at Pendurthy was converted into the philosophical college of the circumscription, students going to the Kondadaba, St. John’s Regional Seminary of the Andhra Pradesh Bishops Conference. The first batch of philosophy students were 9 in number and Fr. Showry Salivendra as its first superior and Fr. Balaraj Mallavarapu as the first philosophy master. Thus all the 5 stages of formation are placed in 5 different localities or regions of Andhra Pradesh.

Though it was a commissariate from 2005, the membership of the circumscription was not defined yet. Hence the General Administration took up the task of defining the membership. This is an essential part of planning for a new province. As part of this process, options were given to the members to choose to be part of the Commissariate definitively or not. 8 members belonging to the mother province opted to go back to the mother province, while the other 13 of them opted to be part of this circumscription definitively.
The Eight of the fathers that have opted to be part of the mother province are: Frs. Francis Cheriakadavil, Bernard Kalloor, Nelson Kottiath, Antony Lopez, Thomas Thoppil, Urban Vallavunat, Antony Pulickal and Boney Rebeiro. They left the mission in August 2010. The mission is very grateful for their presence and service in the mission for long years. They certainly played their role in the growth and the establishment of this unit. They will be remem- bered with gratitude and their names will be written in golden letters in the history of this province. With this process the Commissariate is left with 32 solemnly professed members definitively belonging to the Andhra Pradesh Commissariate by the end of August 2010 (27 priests and 5 brothers).

The Generalate communicated its intentions of raising the Commissariate into a Province provided that with this reduced membership the unit continues to maintain its formation houses and the other monasteries and institutions. Though with initial struggles, the mission continued to function with renewed enthusiasm with the existing members.

During this triennium new houses were erected as the Non-erected monasteries of the province namely at Choutuppal (San Juan Vidhya Niketan, 2013), Sarapaka (St. Theresa’s Monastery, 2013) & Srikakulam (St. Therese of Child Jesus Monastery, 2013). With this erection, the province has 10 Erected Monasteries and 3 Non- Erected Monasteries.
May 5th, 2015 was the honorable day for the province because our dear Rev. Fr. Gorantla Johannes was elected as the 4th Definitor General of the Order in the 91st General Chapter held in Avila. And again on 16th Oct, 2015 Rev. Fr. Gorantla Johannes has been elected as the 3rd Definitor General of the Order. We wish Father all the Blessings of our Lord Jesus and His Mother Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
In the growth of the province we could find a little difficulty in training the formees of Novices, Philosophy Students due to the ecclesiastical Structure of the studies at Kondadaba Seminary in Vizag ( Where our brothers go for philosophical studies). So it was decided by the Provincial Council to send brothers to other prov- inces like Manjummel and Karnataka-Goa for the philosophical Studies.

From the Mother Province (Manjummel) Rev.Frs.Johnson Kuruppassery , Bernard Kalloor and Michael have come to render their service for a period of time. Services were privileged and glad to have them amidst us.
In the journey of St.Francis Xavier Province another three foundations have taken place and in special way three of our fathers are serving in USA , four of our fathres Serving in Anzio and three of our fathers serving in Germany.
This is not a comprehensive history. Rather, it is only a glimpse at what our missionaries have achieved through their simple and humble work accompanied by the good Lord all these years. The following pages offer a glance at the present state of Carmel in Andhra Pradesh.

Whatever we are today, thanks to the tireless, selfless, cou- rageous and hardworking great missionaries from the Manjummel Province, of the past beginning with Rev. Fr. Bernadine till the present; those who have returned back to their Lord and Master, and others who have returned back to the province and others still part of this great endeavour.

If this unit of the Carmelite Order exists, it is due to the vision and desire of the then provincial Very Rev. Fr. Jerome Payyappilly and many other provincials who held this mission at heart and the early missionaries from the Manjummel Province who dedicated their lives for its establishment. A special tribute should be paid to Rev. Fr. Raymond Kodiparambil OCD who had been the Provincial delegate, Regional Vicar, Commissar of Andhra Pradesh and served relentlessly for the growth of this mission. May his soul rest in peace! He would have been extremely happy to see the birth of this new province! He will do the same from heavens! Not to forget many of the present mission- aries who built and brought the mission to its present stage. We as a new Province feel indebted to their efforts, achievements and pay tribute to their efforts and pledge to continue and realize their dreams. As Fr. Bernadine reminds that though there was no any program- matic plan for the progress of the mission from the beginning, God was mysteriously present and guided it till today. We place our trust in the same guiding Spirit, providing and protecting God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and our Blessed Mother, queen of Carmel and look forward to establish Carmel in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.


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