St Kuriakose Elias Carmel House
Kainakary
ESTD: 1955

About

Vettathu Thomy Ouseph donated 85 cents of his property (the site where the ashram stands) to the CMI congregation in 1938. Fr. Skaria Kalapurackal established a small house at the site with the help of the local parishioners to teach catechism to children. The vicar and the parishioners of Kainakary sent a petition to Mgr. Bonaventure Aranja, then visitor apostolic of the CMI Congregation, in 1952 to establish a monastery. In 1954 a similar petition was sent also to the provincial of the St. Joseph Province. In 1955 Jesu Dasa Sangam donated Rs. 750 to the fathers staying in the house with which a small chapel was built in the place and mass was said there, which marked the beginning of the St. Elias Carmel House, at Kainakary.

In 1958 Mr. Joseph Chacko Kalapurackal constructed a modest building in his property with the scope of establishing a small hospital and the building was donated to the St. Elias Ashram for this purpose. The ashram accepted the donation in accordance with the intention of the donor and a small hospital was established. In 1998, the administration of the hospital and the management of the property attached to the hospital, retaining however the ownership of the hospital, were given to CMC sisters of Changanacherry Province. Today the hospital is efficiently run by them. St. Elias Carmel House was rechristened as St Kuriakose Elias Chavara CMI Ashram in 2015.