Sacred Heart Minor Seminary
Chethipuzha
ESTD: 1979

About

Though the monastery was established only in 1883, Blessed Chavara himself had thought of having a monastery of the congregation in Changanacherry. Fr. Mathai Mariam Palakunnel, a disciple of Blessed Chavara, had offered his bunglaw and estate at Koothrapally for the monastery. But the locality was not found suitable to establish a monastery. Subsequently Blessed Chavara made negotiations with Fr. Cherian Chakkalackal, the then vicar of the cathedral church, Changanacherry to have a monastery of the congregation started at a suitable place in Changanacherry. It was according to the latter's suggestion that Chethipuzha was finally chosen for the proposed monastery.


The construction was taken up by Frs. Alfonse Mukkatt and Jacob Palakunnel. Fr. Alexander (Sr.), the then prior of St. Joseph’s Monastery Mannanam laid the foundation stone. The chapel in the present site was begun by Fr.Chacko Aykara in 1940s. In 1918 the monastery became the common study house of the congregation. From 1930 Fr. Placid Podipara, after having taken his doctorate from Rome, was appointed professor here for theology and canon law. Providentially Chethipuzha became the cradle of the reunion movement. Mar Ivanios and others lived here to study Catholic theology. Fr. Placid considerably helped them in their Catholic formation.



The chapel as we see today was partially completed in 1940s. Mar James Kalacherry, bishop of Changanacherry instructed the prior of the monastery to erect a throne with a canopy permanently in the sanctuary at his expense to confer holy orders to the clerics studying there.


In 1957, when the common study house was established in Bangalore, it ceased to be a scholasticate. From then on it became the novitiate house of the St. Joseph Province. The chapel, as we see today, was completed in 1966 by Fr. Probus Perumalil, the then prior of the monastery. This chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart was erected as a parish of the archdiocese of Changanacherry in 1968 and today it works as a model parish.


In 1956, as Archbishop Mathew Kavukatt wished to establish a mission hospital near Chethipzha, the monastery donated 10 acres of land (the present site of the mission hospital) for the project. When the SD Sisters wished to establish a house for the handicapped, Mercy Home the monastery donated them another acre of its property.