Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara

Amala Matrimony

Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara

Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, C.M.I., an Indian Syro-Malabar Catholic priest, philosopher, and social reformer, lived from 10 February 1805 to 3 January 1871. He was a member of the Syro-Malabar Denomination, an Eastern Catholic church, and the first canonised Catholic male saint of Indian descent. He was a co-founder and the first Prior General of the Community of the Mother of Carmel, the first congregation for women in the Syro-Malabar Church, and the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (C.M.I.) for men (C.M.C.). He has made numerous firsts. St. Joseph's Press at Mannanam was founded by him in 1846. It was the third printing press in Kerala and the first one to be started by a Malayali without the aid of outsiders. This printing machine produced Nasrani Deepika, the oldest Malayalam newspaper still in print.

Saint Chavara was a strong advocate for the significance of the family and family values. He believed that the family is the foundation of our existence and that family values are crucial to our advancement. Anchor was formed as a tribute to his great dreams of having happy families all around us.