CMI Congregation

CMI (Carmelites of Mary Immaculate) is the first indigenous congregation of Catholic Priests founded by St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara in 1831 at Mannanam, Kottayam, State of Kerala, inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. For St. Chavara, education was the only medium of transformation of the person, the family and the society. With this vision in mind, St. Chavara opened a Sanskrit School in the year 1846 at Mannanam, Kerala. In an age when Sanskrit education was the privilege of the elite caste and the privileged, this school was the first of its kind open for all, irrespective of caste and creed.

Thereafter, he was instrumental and inspiration in the establishment of several schools. He admitted students belonging to all sections of the society, including the Dalits. This reformist feat paved way for the social revolution at the time when caste prejudice was widespread. St. Kuriakose emphasized that all human beings have an inalienable and undeniable right to education. He attached great importance to the growth and development of children in their homes.

The vision of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara was carried forward by the members of CMI Congregation after his death on 3 January 1871. After the establishment of several Schools and Colleges and strong roots in Kerala, CMI congregation moved to other parts of India to render their services to the people through Education and Social Apostolate.

The CMI Priests reached Gujarat in the year 1972 and took over the first Catholic Educational Institution of Saurashtra and Kachchh (St. Xavier’s School, Jamnagar) from the Jesuit Priests who started it in 1952. Thereafter, number of Educational and Social Service institutions were established in different parts of Saurashtra and Kuchchh with the aim of providing quality education and better living conditions to all sections of the society and the journey has completed 50 years successfully benefitting a large group of beneficiaries from different walks of life.