FOUNDATION IN INDIA INITIATED IN 2002

UNDER THE PROTECTION OF:

(Saint Mary the Virgin and our Father Saint Dominic).

In the silence of your heart, like Samuel the young prophet, you implore God: " Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening". There you will listen to the voice of God. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He will guide your way. Don't be afraid; open your heart to Jesus. If He comes to your life you will experience real joy and peace. Think and decide... the time has come... do not delay. The time that you lose will never come back to you.

 Who are We

We are a group of Contemplative Nuns, dedicated to the glory of God, remaining in the love of Jesus, and living in a community... like an island cast off into the middle of an Ocean. When we were like you...we chose this life in Jesus, with Jesus and for him only. Sisters came from Spain in the year 2001 and began this foundation in India. Though we began only a few years ago, already many young girls from India - in answer to their call - have joined us courageously to glorify God. We live a life of happiness, peace and serenity, with contented hearts immersed in the love of Jesus.

What do we do here?


Our main apostolate is prayer. We pray for the entire world. We do not run any schools and hospitals or have other forms of active apostolate. Many should know and love God: that is our great desire. For this purpose we are here.

How is our life?

Our life is beautiful...affirm those who stay with us. It is well founded on four values: Prayer, Study, Work, Community Life. And our daily recreations together help us with everything!

Prayer

Each day we spend many hours in prayer. These precious moments are spent in God...He fills our hearts with peace and reveals his love for us.

Study

We study the history of our Dominican order, its char-ism and spirituality;
we study the Bible and the Catechism, and other religious subjects.

Work

We are involved in different kinds or work! gardening, sewing, candle-making, housekeeping, etc.

Recreation

We recreate together in community twice each day, by singing, playing games, conversations...this makes our hearts more joyful.

 

Qualification to join our congregation.

• You must feel that you have God's call.
• Be courageous to follow him.
• You should have passed S.S.L.C.
• Those who join us will have one year of training in our congregation and would be allowed to continue their +2.
  

We don't require anything in cash or kind...your presence is more important. After each stage of formation you are allowed to go home and reflect on your vocation and then come back again. Encourage yourself.

When the love of God calls you, follow him to become his spouse. To follow the path of Jesus, who offered his life as a sacrifice..., where the love of God gushes forth from the stream of prayer...Come...see and experience his peace and true happiness. A hearty welcome to this contemplative life!

HISTORY  OF THE DOMINICAN CONTEMPLATIVE NUNS IN INDIA

At the end of the year 2001 ,  Dominican nun, Sr. Maria Luz, from a convent of contemplatives in Northern Spain (the Monastery of the Incarnation, in Cangas de Narcea) unexpectedly had to travel to India. After this trip, the idea arose very strongly in her community of establishing in India  the first house of the contemplative nuns’ branch of the Dominican Order. There were several conversations and agreements with the Master of the Order, Fr.Carlos Aspiroz Costa, with Fr, Manuel Merten, Promoter of the Nuns  of the Order, and with Fr.Quirico Pedregosa, Assistant to the Master for the Asia Pacific Region of the Order.

After a positive vote of the Council and Chapter of the nun’s community in Spain, the same Sr.Maria Luz came again to India in 2002, accompanied by an Indian nun, one of the many who have entered Dominican convents in Spain in recent years. Three girls joined them to try out their way of life, living for a year in a rented house in Aluva, Kerala. In the following year, they moved to the diocese of Quilon where they would be permitted to receive candidates from the Syro-Malabar Rite. They stayed in rented quarters for more than two years, and began to build a convent in Keralapuram at the end of 2003. Although this is not yet the monastery they hope to construct, they occupied it in March of 2005 and began to live their contemplative life with tranquility, in a pleasant and functional building.

Because of India’s immigration laws, nuns coming from Spain cannot remain in India more than six consecutive months, though they can return as often as they wish. This fact did not frighten them and they have come back again and again, to continue the mission God seems to have entrusted to them. From the beginning they were joined by young women whom God allowed them to meet in various ways, although not all of these persevered.

The fruits of the first period of the foundation have been the following:

In 2004, the three young women who had been candidates in Aluva received the Dominican Habit. The Master of the Order decided that after one year as novices, they should go to Spain for their canonical novitiate year since that would not be possible in a community not yet formally established.

In 2005, the first three novices went to Spain, accompanied by Sr.Rani, a sister from an active Dominican community – the Union of St.Catherine of Siena School Missionaries. She had spent a year experiencing contemplative life more closely, to determine whether that is the way of life to which she called.

(Sisters of the Cangas community in Spain with a group of Indian sisters who are in formation).

Also in 2005, in March , the convent was blessed, with the participation of various members of the Dominican Order in India:

Fr.Provincial, Fr.Paul Kuruvilla, Vicar of the Master for the convent, the Friar’s postulant master Fr.Biju Sebastian, Fr.Dominic Mendoca, subsequently the Father Provincial, and other Friars, and Dominican Sisters, as well as Brothers and Sisters from other congregations. The nuns gave thanks to God that in only three years they had a house suitable for their contemplative life. In August of 2005, three more postulants received the Dominican Habit.

In 2006, in August, three more novices went to Spain like their seniors, to begin their canonical year. In Spain then were six novices and one professed transfer sister, all from India, who would return there after completing their formation. In October of 2006, the first three novices who went to Spain in 2005, made their Profession of Vows, an important moment for the foundation.

The Father Master of the Order, enthusiastic about the beginning of Dominican  contemplative life in India , sent to the ceremony as his representative Fr.Manuel Merten, official Promoter of the Nuns throughout the world. Once the canonically required number of  nuns is reached –i.e., nine professed sisters- the Father Master can if he wishes establish the convent as an autonomous monastery, like all other monasteries of the Order.

In Keralapuram there were in 2006-2009 two solemnly professed nuns: Sr.Maria Luz or a temporary replacement for her from Spain, and Sr.Mary of the Savior from the United States. They were always accompanied by one or other of the sisters from India who are in temporary vows. There were also two postulants, and four resident candidates studying at the plus one and plus two levels, after which they are allowed to become postulants.

In October 2006, on world Mission Sunday, after consultation with the them promoter of the Dominican Laity in India, Fr.Joseph Karukayil (Now the Father Provincial of India), a fraternity of Lay Dominicans was formally established by Fr. Dominic Mendonca (then Provincial) and entrusted to the care of the Dominican nuns at Keralapuram.

Some twenty five persons indicated a serious interest at that time, receiving a “Dominican Cross”. About twelve have persevered to this time. They have elected their own President; several have made their first Commitment; a Malayalam translation of the Rule has been made, and a local directory in Malayalam and in English has been composed and adopted.

In August of 2007, the convent celebrated the feast of St.Dominic, the Jubilee year of the Dominican nuns (800 years) and the profession (in Spain) of a second group of novices from the foundation in India.

At the end of September 2007, the Prioress of the founding monastery, Mother Mary Alegria, visited the Indian foundation for the first time, accompanied by Sr.Maria Luz,

who by now remained in Spain during most of every year in order to guide the novitiate there. During the visit of the two superiors, a postulant, Dalia Das, received the Habit, on Sept.30, and the convent received a visit from Fr.Brian Pierce, OP, from St.Martin’s Province in the Southern United States, whose appointed had just been announced as the next Promoter General  for the nuns, succeeding Fr.Manuel Merten in that post in January of 2008.

The Keralapuram community has been for various periods assisted by several sisters from Spain, both from Cangas and from other monasteries, Indians as well as Spanish. Sr.Mary of the Savior,

from the Michigan monastery in the US, came in June 2006 at the invitation of Fr.Master Carlos (through Fr.M.Merten) and of the Cangas monastery, and with a three-year permission from her community. In spite of her own visa restrictions she was the only foreigner who was present in the convent for almost three years. It seemed that her presence might facilitate the reception and formation of English-speaking candidates and assist the foundresses with translation needs. In fact, Sister replaced the Spanish sisters as local superior when they were absent for visa needs or because of illness, and also taught religion, English and music. In this period Santa Maria Convent made the transition from reciting the Spanish breviary to singing the Divine Office in English. Breviaries were donated by the Friars of the Province of India. The intention of Sister’s community had been to make a loving gift to India during the nun’s 800th Jubilee year.

In September of 2008 occurred perhaps the most important event in the history of the foundation to date: the profession of solemn monastic vows by Sr.Rani Judit Valiyaveetil, the first of the foundation.

The ceremony which took place in Spain on Sept 7 , was presided over by Bishop Raul Berzosa, Auxiliary Bishop of Oviedo in Spain. Just a few days later she returned for good to the Indian community. She was accompanied by the foundress, Sr.Maria Luz,  and was assigned as the local superior. After SML departure for Spain the community consisted of one other solemnly-professed nun, Sr.Mary of the Savior (USA), one novice, two postulants and six aspirants. On Sept.29, the two postulants, Neena and Felmy entered the novitiate. (A few months later Felmy decided to leave the convent).

On Feb.19, 2009, Sr.Dalia Das left for Spain to continue her novitiate and the rest of her formation and on April 4, Sr.M.of the Savior returned to the US, via another month in Spain for wok on the Divine Office by the novitiate sisters still there.

THE FIRST VISIT OF FATHER MASTER CARLOS TO THE NEW FOUNDATION IN INDIA:

On March 17th, 2009, Fr.Master Carlos Aspiroz Costa arrived in India for a canonical visitation of the Friars of the Province of India. Of course he could not leave India without visiting the nuns in Keralapuram, so had kept room in his schedule for a day and an overnight with them. H had been accompanying us throughout all these founding years.

On the 27th of March, Father Master arrived in nearby Kollam with his assistant for Asia Pacific, Fr.Hilario. They traveled all night by train from Mangalore and reached here early in the morning. Without even going for rest he joined us for the Liturgy of the Hours followed by breakfast. Then he met the whole community together and in the afternoon only the two nuns. In the evening he presided at a Eucharistic celebration with the Dominican Laity. The next day, after Eucharist and breakfast, he and Fr.Hilario left for Sri Lanka. Since it is his last year as Master of the Order, when we asked him to come back again he told us he would be happy to return, to preach a retreat for us, for example. The time with him was very pleasant.

Sr.Mary of the Savior left for the USA via Spain in early April, Sr.M.Luz came again in the Advent-Christmas months, and when she returned to Cangas early in 2010, and novice Sr.Agnes (Neena) left with her to continue her novitiate in Spain. At the kerala house, several candidates decided to leave the convent toward the end of their school year. Angel finished her year and was joined at the convent in the spring of 2010 by a new candidate.

In the spring of 2009, two Indian sisters from Kerala, Sr.Mercy and Sr.mary Jincy, completed their three years of temporary vows (one of their first group had left the Order), and after making a year’s renewal of vows, came to Keralapuram to enter into the last year of their formation before their Solemn Profession – which, it is hoped, will be made in Keralapuram.

The sister of the foundation have given thanks to God with all their heart because during these years, that is from 2002 until now, He has guided all their process – all their joy and also their sufferings – with His powerful hands, saving them from the difficulties they confront on the way. They never tire of saying that He is the authentic founder of the Indian house. The community has been trying hard to attract contemplative vocations, and will host a vocation day for a dozen interested girls in the month of April, 2010.