SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF CHAVARA

Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, a great spiritual man and social reformer, was born on 10th Feb. 1805 at Kainakary, near Allappuzha, Kerala.From the age 5 to 10, he attended the village school (Kalari) to study languages, different dialects, and elementary sciences under the guidance of a Hindu teacher (Asan). Inspired by the desire to become a priest, he began the studies under the parish priest of the church of St. Joseph. At the age of 13 in 1818 he entered the seminary at Pallipuram where Malpan Thomas Palackal was the Rector. He was ordained priest on 29th November, 1829 at Arthunkal and celebrated his First Holy Mass at Chennankari Church. After the ordination he was engaged for some time in pastoral ministry; however he soon returned to the seminary to teach and also to officiate for the Malpan Thomas Palackal during his absence. Thus he joined Malpan Thomas Porukara and Malpan Thomas Palackal when they were planning to found a congregation.

In that period, kerala society was scattered by caste system and other social evils. Chavara was wounded by the systems and he realized that only through education we could eradicate such social evils. So as a social reformer, he worked for that by establishing a sanskrit school at Mannanam for the public. This is the first social reform movement in kerala against cast system and other social evils.

In 1830 he went to Mannanam to direct the construction of the first house of the congregation of which the foundation stone was laid on 11th May, 1831. After the death of both the Malpans, Blessed Chavara took up leadership. On 8th December, 1855 he made the religious profession along with other 10 companions, under the name "Kuriakose Elias of Holy Family".

He was the Prior General of all the monasteries of the congregation from 1856 till his death in 1871. When, in 1861, a schism threatened the Church of Kerala with the arrival of Mar Thomas Rokos without proper credentials from the Pope, Blessed Chavara was appointed the Vicar-General of the Syro-Malabar Church by the Arch-Bishop of Verapolly. Blessed Chavara is gratefully remembered and acknowledged by the later leaders of the Church and by the Catholic community in general for his strenuous fight, strong stance , and effective leadership in thwarting `Thomas Rochos' intrusion and saving the church of Kerala from schism.

He is considerd as one of the most important social reformers in Kerala. His concept of “Pallikkoru Pallikkoodam” brought great changes in Kerala society especially among backward communities. In that period education was reserved only to high caste people and Chavara was the first person opened a school for the public. He broght many other social reformes in kerala Known as Pidiyari Prasthanam, Agathi Manthiram, etc... He was a well known wrighter and his poem ‘Anasthasyayude Rakthasakshithwam’ is considered as the first Khanda kavya in malayalam.

In 1871, on January 3rd, Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, with a painful illness, died at Koonammavu monastery in Kochi, preserving his baptismal innocence. His mortal remains were later transferred from Koonammavu to Mannanam in 1889 and are piously kept in the St. Joseph's Monastery church.