The area of the present Preshitha Province was allotted to the Devamatha Province, Thrissur as a mission to be developed by the letter from Rome, Rescript Prote No. 585/49 dated May 08, 1959. The same area was an extension to the diocese of Thrissur, granted on April 29, 1955 by the bull of Pope Pius XII, “Saepe Fideles”. The area was erected as a dependent Region of the Devamatha Province on December 30, 1964, and Rev. Fr. Clemens Thottungal was appointed the first Regional Superior by the provincial council with Fr. Malachias Kannanaickal, as the Provincial. The permission to erect the first house of the Region was given by Mar George Alappatt, Bishop of Thrissur, on January 5, 1965 (letter No. 795/65), its foundation stone was laid by Fr. Malachias, provincial on August 15, 1965. The House was inaugurated by Mar George Alappatt on August 15, 1966.

The Regional Superiors who succeeded Fr. Clemens were Fr. Joshua Chiramel, Fr. Leontius Kanjirathingal (1969), Fr. Primus Alappatt (1970), Fr. Eymard Uruvath (1972), Fr. Callistus Maliekal (1973) and Fr. Oliver Inchodi (1976). On February 1972, a Regional Administrative Council was formed with Fr. Eymard as Superior, and Fr. Malachias and Fr. Benizi as Councilors. After one year the above council was expanded, the number of the councilors being raised to four. The new members were Fr. Zacheaus Edakkalathur and Fr. George H. Ambooken.

The Region was declared a Vice-Province by the General Synaxis on March 11, 1979. The Little Flower Vice-Province was renamed Preshitha Vice-Province in the Provincial Synaxis on September 25, 1979. The Vice-Provincials were Fr. Joshua Chiramel (1979-81), Fr. Callistus Maliekal (1981-84), Fr. Eymard Uruvath (1984-87), Fr. Rapael Kannanaickal (1987-93, 1999-2002) and Fr. Francis Thaivalappil (1993-99). It was made a Province on April 6, 2002 by the General Synaxis in 2002. Fr. John Peter Muringathery was the first provincial (2002-05). In 2005 Fr. Francis Kizhakkumthala was elected the provincial.

* below we see the old map of preshitha province. See new Map under Houses in the Province

Territory

The area of Preshitha Province, according to the aforementioned letter from Rome promulgated by the Prior General on May 31, 1959, is the “Region to the east and north of Devamatha Province” (the area of the main road from Shoranur through Pattambi, Perinthalmanna, Malappuram, Kondotti and Nallur to the Southern branch of the Baypur River ) and “the region covering the whole of the Latin Diocese of Coimbatore and the region to the west of Madras state from the Bhavani River in the south to the Calicut-Gudallur road in the north and the south of the Gudallur-Calicut road to the crossing of the Baypur River and its southern branch to the sea”. The General Synaxis entrusted to Preshitha Province as its extended territories the dioceses of Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Kumbhakonam, Salem, Madurai, Thanjore, Trichy, Vellore and the Arch-dioceses of Madras-Mylapur and Pondicherry.

With enhanced number of personnel, the province could successfully engage in various ministries such as pastoral ministries, education, social service, frontier ministries, inter-religious activities, etc. The Silver Jubilee of the Little Flower Mission Region and the decennial of the Vice-Province were celebrated in 1989. The Preshitha Mission celebrated the Silver Jubilee of its erection as the Vice-Province in 2004. At present Preshitha Province has 79 priests, 33 scholastics, 8 novices and 22 aspirants. Among the 79 priests five are engaged in pastoral activities in Germany, five in Kenya, and four in other countries.

This province has three canonical houses: Little Flower Monastery, Coimbatore, Viswadeepthi Monastery, Pollachi and Bharathamatha Ashram, Palakkad; four houses: Carmel Monastery, Erode, Arulmalar Illam, Saravanampatti, St.Joseph’s Bhavan, Pakulam, Lisieux Home, Karimba and five residences and eleven centres.

Area and the Population:          

The PreshithaMissionProvince has an approximate area of 32,000 sq. kms. With a population of about 60,00,000 and a Catholic population of 1,50,000 speaking Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and English and belonging to Latin and Syro-Malabar rites. The Syro-Malabar Catholics will be approximately 70,000, most of whom are emigrants.

Since 1953, when the Tellicherry Diocese was formed, and since 1955 when the area of Latin Diocese was given by the Holy See as the extended area of the Thrissur Diocese, our members realized that they are called upon to take up various responsibilities in the area.

The first among them was the pastoral care of the Catholics who had migrated to the area and the second challenge was to work for the uplift of the tribal of the remote villages of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In course of time the Fathers realized the need to venture into other areas of apostolate.

English Medium schools were developed in Coimbatore, Pollachi, Erode, Chennai, Palakkad and Shoranur: a school for the disabled children is instituted in Chennimali.

Social activities were started at various centres in the Province. Major social Projects are implemented under the auspices of PSS and ASSO at Pollachi and Attapadi respectively. ‘Akasaparaval’ a new social institution for the homeless and the abandoned, started at Karimba, is receiving much encouragement and support. Suhruth Bhavan, another new social institution for the orphan children started at Pallipuram near Ottapalam.

The effort to promote harmony among religions forms a new dimension of the work of evangelization. The mission started with the establishment of Divyodaya Inter-Religious Centre in Coimbatore in 1980 was extended to Madurai (Deepaham) in 1993 and to Salem (Arutcholai) in 1999. The work in this field has received the co-operation and encouragement from all the sections of the Public. New centres have come up also in extended territories like Chennai, Pondicherry and Bangalore.

We are enthusiastically responding to the pastoral needs of the Dioceses when called for.

The Province has undergone tremendous growth in the number of the personnel as well as institutions.