HISTORY OF LITTLE FLOWER CONGREGATION
Little Flower Congregation has its origin on 19th March, 1931 at Mookkannur, as a society of Brothers with the name ‘’Little Flowers Brotherhood” by Fr. Thomas Panat, later known as Fr. Basilius CST, with necessary permission from Mar Augustin Kandathil, the then Arch bishop of Ernakulam archdiocese. It was reorganized as clerical congregation in 1945 and began to admit the candidates to priesthood. The constitution of the reorganized religious institute, thereafter called Little Flower Congregation, was written by Fr. Basilius, and was approved by Arch bishop Kandathil on Oct 8, 1947.
The bifurcation of the congregation into clerical section (CST fathers) and lay section (Congregation of St. Therese) took place on 8th December 1978. Again the constitution was revised, and was approved by Cardinal Joseph Parecattil. With the missionary zeal of St. Little Flower, we began to work in North India. Years later, the Congregation decided to erect into two provinces as St. Thomas Province and St. Joseph Province in 1994.
In 2003 two new provinces which Khrist Jyoti and Little Flower vice Province were erected in North India. Thus now the Little Flower Congregation is functioning as four different provinces. Our priests serve in Europe, Africa, Papua New Gunea and America as missionaries.
PATRONESS
St. Therese of Lisieux
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St. Therese of Child Jesus, our heavenly patroness was born on 2nd January, 1873 in France as the youngest child of Saints Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin. St. Therese entered Carmel and became a nun in 1890 and died due to tuberculosis on 30th September, 1897. She was canonized on May 17, 1925 and in 1997 she is declared as the Doctor of the Church. |
CHARISM
"Be little Serve the little". Inspired from the life and spiritual insights of St. Little Flower and founder Fr. Basilius Panat, ardent devotee of St. Little Flower, our Congregation derived the charism, "Be little Serve the little".
VERY REV FR. BASILIUS (THOMAS) PANAT CST
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Father Basilius Panat was born on 15 February 1891 at Kothanalloor. He grew up in Chalil, a coastal village near Cherthala, Alapuzha. After completing his schooling he joined the diocesan seminary, Eranakulam in 1909 and was ordained priest in 26 December 1918. He began his priestly ministry as assistant parish priest at the Forane Church, Vaikom and as the parish priest of Mookannur in 1924 along with the charge of nearby Orphanage caused the beginning of the "Little Flower Brotherhood" in 1931. In 1945 it was reorganized as clerical Congregation. It was raised to Pontifical Status in the year 1996 and spread out in many countries. Fr. Basilius, the man of humble origin and simple life, inspired by the words of our Lord "go and do likewise" (Lk.10:37), responded to the varied experiences of the common people continues his saga still today through Little Flower Congregation. He was called to Eternal rest on 4 October 1976. |
ST. THOMAS PROVINCE
St. Thomas Province is one of the four Provinces of the Little Flower Congregation (CST Fathers). This Congregation is founded by Very Rev. Fr. Thomas Panat aka Fr. Basilius (1891-1976). As a congregation began to grow into various parts of the world, it is decided in the Ninth Ordinary Synaxis of 1991 to erect two Provinces and thus St. Thomas Province came into effect on March 19,1994. Geographically St. Thomas Province consists of North Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, North East. Members of the Province tirelessly work to spread the Gospel Values through various social, apostolic and educational ministries throughout these places keeping in mind the charism of the Congregation; “Be little and Serve the little”.
The basic thrust of St. Thomas Province of the Little Flower Congregation.
- To have a spirituality of integral vision
- Solidarity -founded on respect and love
- Total and integral rural development
- Theresian aspiration ‘to be love in the heart of the Church’
- The Restoration of harmony between God, the humanity and the world
Our Target Groups
- The rural youth
- The dispossessed and dehumanized Tribals and Dalits
- The unorganized small farmers and agricultural workers
- The victims of communalism’
- The broken families and victimized women
Our Priorities
- Priority of Values: Personal communion with God, simplicity, hard work, justice and peace, sense of responsibility and self-sacrifice, sense of belongingness.
- Priority of Activities: Struggle for social justice, promotion of universal brotherhood, care for the environmental order, youth apostolate, activities for rural uplift.
AT A GLANCE
| Bishop | 1 |
| Priests | 145 |
| Novices | 5 |
| Major Seminarians | 43 |
| Minor seminarians | 27 |
| Ashrams | 21 |
| Station | 1 |
| OUR INSTITUTIONS | |
| Colleges | 3 |
| Schools | 4 |
| ITC | 2 |
| Social Centres | 2 |
| Formation Houses | 3 |
| Dispensaries | 1 |
| Home for aged | 2 |
| Pain and Palliative | 1 |
| Parishes | 8 |
| Counselling centre | 2 |
| Organizations /Trusts | 9 |
| Retreat Centre | 1 |
| Hostel | 3 |
OUR MILESTONES
| 1931, March 19 | Beginning of the "Little Flower Brotherhood" by Fr. Thomas Panat at Mookkannur. |
| 1945, December 27 | Reorganization as a Clerical Congregation |
| 1947 Oct. 08 | Approbation of the Constitution by Mar Augustine Kandathil |
| 1949 May. 17 | The Novitiate for the first batch of Novices begins after reorganization |
| 1950 May. 17 | First profession of Fr. Thomas Panat (Fr. Basilius CST) and 9 Members, after the Novitiate |
| 1956 June 01 | First ordination to priesthood in the Congregation. |
| 1961 Mar. 12 | Blessing and inauguration of our Little Flower seminary Aluva |
| 1969 | First Mission Venture in Bhopal |
| 1970 | Mission in Benaras and Gorakhpur |
| 1973 | Mission in Punjab |
| 1975 Feb. 13 | The Generalate of our Congregation starts functioning at Thrikkakara |
| 1976 Oct. 04 | Death of Very Rev. Fr. Basilius CST, our Founder |
| 1978 Dec. 08 | Division of the Congregation |
| 1982 | Mission in Rajastan |
| 1984 August 11 | Erection of the Diocese of Gorakhpur |
| 1984 Oct. 04 | Episcopal ordination of Rev. Fr. Dominic Kokkat CST, first Bishop of the Diocese of Gorakhpur |
| 1992 February 15 | Reorganization of two regions |
| 1994 Mar.19 | Erection of St. Thomas Province and St. Joseph Province |
| 1994 June 10 | Two mission regions of Khristu Jyoti and Little Flower |
| 1994 | Mission in Nepal |
| 1995 Dec. 21 | Declaration as Religious Institute of Pontifical Right by His Holiness Pope John Paul II |
| 1996 February 2 | Official elevation to the Pontifical Status |
| 1999 August 5 | Mission in Africa |
| 1999 | Mission in Papua New Guinea |
| 2003 March 5 | Erection of Mission Provinces Khristu Jyoti and Little Flower |
| 2006 Oct. 01 | Episcopal Ordination of Rev. Fr. Thomas Thuruthimattam as the Bishop of Gorakhpur |
