CMC Holy Queen's Province Changanassery
Our History
The history of CMC Holy Queen’s Province, Changanassery dates back to the year 1888 when the delegated sisters from Koonammavu Convent (TOCD) opened a branch convent at Mutholy in the then Apostolic Vicariate of Kottayam. Started in the year 1893, CMC Sisters had their second house at Changanassery by the name Mount Carmel Convent, commonly known as Valiamadom because of her presence in the vicinity of the Cathedral Church, Changanassery, and also because of her unique privilege of having been the Aramana of Bp. Charles Lavinge for a particular period of time. Commissioned by the Local Hierarch and wholeheartedly invited by the Parishioners, Mother Treasa Catherine Thoppil had the good fortune to be the foundress of this convent. With the advance of years, other houses were established in various parishes of the Archdiocese; and from the year 1948 CMC
Noviciate was conducted at St. John of the Cross convent Arpookara. On July 25, 1950, however, the Eparchy of Changanassery was bifurcated by the Bull Quo Ecclesiarumof Pope Pius X11 and the new diocese of Pala was created. Consequently, all the convents within Pala Diocese's territory came under the Bishop of Pala; and the Noviciate was shifted from Arpookara to Lisieux Carmel, Ithithanam in the period of a decade, in 1960.
The Unification of the CMC Congregation took place after three years in 1963, giving birth to different provinces and Provincial Houses. Consisting of the CMC Convents in the Archeparchy of Changanassery, CMC Holy Queen’s Province came into being, with the Holy Queen’s Provincial House as its headquarters and Rev. Mother Treasa Margaret Kalathil, the first provincial Superior. The Changanassery Archeparchy was again divided on February 26, 1977, by the Bull Nos Beati Petri of Pope Paul V1and the new Diocese of Kanjirappally was set up. Accordingly in the same year, CMC Amala Region Kanjirappally was separated from the Holy Queen’s Province and later in 1980 it was raised to the status of a Province of the Congregation. In accordance with the General Synaxis decision of 1988, Mount Carmel Mission Region was formed in May 1988, bringing together the then existing six mission stations in MP, UP and Orissa, under the newly appointed Regional
Superior Rev. Sr. Pius, declaring Carmel Convent, Bhopal to be the Regional House. In about a decade, in 1997, the present Region was declared Mount Carmel Province, in appreciation of the wonderful progress achieved by the Mission Region.
The Archeparchy was again divided when its Kanyakumari Mission was elevated to the status of a new diocese by the Bull Apud IndorumGentesof Pope John Paul 11, dated December 18, 1996. With the formal inauguration of the new eparchy of Thuckalay with Mar George Alencherry as its first Bishop, Holy Queen’s Kanyakumari Mission also had attained deep roots in the Chavara Region, our ‘Thekkan Mission’. As a result, on April 28, 2015 Chavara Region, Kanyakumari was elevated to the position of a Vice Province; and four years later, in 2019 it has been raised to the status of a full fledged Province viz., Chavara Province, Thuckalay, comprising of 11convents and 52 members. At the same time, the 8th renewal General Synaxis conducted at Aluva Generalate on March 31- April 5, 2019 entrusted the two South African Mission houses at Louisa
Trichardt and Pretoria back to CMC Holy Queen’s Province, Changanassery. At present the CMC Holy Queen’s Province has 385 members residing in 45 houses trying to witness to the merciful love of Christ within the Motherland and abroad.