Devamatha Province of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the first indigenous religious congregation in India. This congregation is the embodiment of the dream and vision of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara who was a nineteenth century educationist and social reformer in India. Kuriakose Chavara was born in 1805, Kerala. In 1829, he was ordained as priest at Pallipuram seminary in Alapuzha.Kuriakose Elias attained eternal peace on 3rd January 1871, aged 66, Kuriakose Elias was beatified at Kottayam on 8th February 1986, and later on 23rd November, 2014 he was canonized at St. Peter’s Square by Pope Francis.

In cooperation with Palackal, Thoma Malpan and Thoma Porukara, Kuriakose Elias founded an Indian religious congregation for men, now known as the ‘Carmelites of Mary Immaculate’ (CMI). He believed that intellectual development and the education of women was the first step towards overall social welfare. Towards this end he founded the ‘Congregation of the Mother of Carmel’ (CMC), the first religious congregation for women. Kuriakose Elias attained eternal peace on 3rd January 1871, aged 66, Kuriakose Elias was beatified at Kottayam on 8th February 1986, and later on 23rd November, 2014 he was canonized at St. Peter’s Square by Pope Francis.