Kurisumala Ashram

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Holy cross on top of Kurisumala Hill, Vagamon Kurisumala.JPG
Holy cross on top of Kurisumala Hill, Vagamon

Kurisumala Ashram is a Trappist monastery of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, located in the Sahya Mountains of Vagamon, Kerala, India.

Contents

History

In 1956, Zacharias Mar Athanasios, then the Bishop of Thiruvalla, [1] [2] invited Francis Mahieu, a Trappist monk from Scourmont Abbey in Belgium, to Kerala to establish the ashram.

He was later joined by Bede Griffiths. On 1 December 1956, Mahieu and Griffiths laid the foundation at Tiruvalla in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church [ citation needed ]. They acquired 88 acres (360,000 m2) of land [2] and, on 20 March 1958, traveled sixty miles to a mountain known as Kurisumala. The monastery was officially established on 21 March 1958. [1] They soon started a dairy farm with cattle imported from Jersey to support themselves . [2] [3]

Within three years, the population of the monastery grew to fifteen individuals. [3] [4] Prayer services were initially held in Syriac. [3]

Francis Mahieu later changed his name to Francis Acharya [5] and became an Indian citizen. [6]

The monastery was incorporated as an abbey into the Cistercian Order of Strict Observance in July 1998. [1] [3] [7]

After Acharya's death, Yesudas Thelliyil became the monastery's second abbot in March 2002. [1]

Bede Griffiths spent the last years of his life at Shantivanam in Tamil Nadu. [8] Francis Acharya became the sole religious leader of the Ashram at Kurisumala. A couple of years before his death in 2002, Acharya, who had remained in touch with the monastery of his youth, had the Kurisumala Ashram affiliated with the Trappists [ citation needed ].

Name

"Kurisu" is the Malayalam translation of the word "cross," the language of Kerala, while "mala" means mountain and "ashram" means monastery. [4]

Practice

In the monastery, the liturgical services follow the Syro-Malankara tradition and use the Indian Rite Mass. [4] [9] [10] The Mass includes chants, ceremonies, and symbols adapted from Hindu tradition. [4] [11]

The ashram also emphasizes the importance of "bread-labour," where monks engage in farming and housework for several hours each day. [12]

The monks have a nightly satsang , a time of reflection that may include readings from Christian or Hindu texts. [9] [10] Kurisumala is seen as a place for both Catholics and those who follow Gandhian philosophy. [13]

The monastery has hosted Hindu guests and religious leaders. [10]

In 2023, the current abbot is Tarrawarra, who succeeded Ishananda Machiyanickal in 2018. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Origin and Growth". Kurisumala Ashram. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Bose, Abhish K. (23 April 2017). "Kurisumala ashram at Vagamon rejuvenates the visitors". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Our Founders". Kurisumala Ashram. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Kurisumala Monastery". www.keralaonline.in. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Kerala Backwater website
  6. ↑ Vagamon website
  7. ↑ "Kurisumala". Ordre Cistercien de la Stricte Observance. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Tradition in Action website
  9. 1 2 Wilkes, Paul (18 May 2016). "Kurisumala made it clear I couldn't walk away". www.ncronline.org. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 Ulrich, Edward T. (1 January 2009). "Book Review: "Kurisumala: Francis Mahieu Acharya - A Pioneer of Christian Monasticism in India"". Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies. 22 (1). doi: 10.7825/2164-6279.1447 . ISSN   2164-6279.
  11. ↑ Tradition in Action website
  12. ↑ Vagamon website
  13. ↑ Kerala Backwater website
  14. ↑ OCSO website, Retrieved 2023-06-06

Bibliography

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