Piusnagar is a small hamlet located in the civil district of Idikki, in the state of Kerala. The nearby small town is called oMarayoor, and the area is better known in this name. The Carmelite Fathers who sett;ed in the vicinity of Marayoor christened their place with a new name i.e. Pius Nagar in honor of their patron pope St. Pius X. Pius Nagar village stands in the middle of two towns namely Kanthalloor and Marayoor. Pius Nagar now has now a population of 3000 people. The majority of the people are Hindus. There live a number of Christian families and Muslims. The extended village of Piusnagar has about 10 square kilo meters of habitable and cultivable landscape.
Before the arrival of the Carmelite monks the village of Pius Nagar was sparsely populated. In fact it had no identity of its own. It just formed the northern end of the larger village of Kanthalloor.
The Carmelite fathers who settled here in 1960 built here first a small monastery and little chapel under patronage of Pope Saint Pius X. The main reason that the fathers came here was to establish a major seminary, namely, a philosophical institute for the education of the young carmelite clerical students. In view of this plan the construction of the seminary building was begun in 1962. The institute was intended to offer a 3 years course in philosophy and general humanities. The first batch of students were enrolled in 1965. With nearly 50 students on the rolls and 10 priests on the staff and 5 other personnel of the monastery the philosophy institute functioned reasonably well. Good academic standard was maintained, and great spirit of prayer and contemplation pervaded the atmosphere.
Very soon the St. Pius X Monastery and its philosophical institute made a name for itself as a centre of refuge to the poor and destitute people of the locality. The very presence of the monastery was a great inspiration and source of edification to all who came into contact with its inmates. A lot of poor agricultural workers, both men and women, were employed regularly in the fields of the monastery. They were all supported and cared for with great love and affection by the fathers here. The monks of the monastery worked with missionary zeal for the uplift of the people of the locality. They instilled in the minds of the poor a true spirit of fellowship and brotherly involvement.
Everyone in Kerala, Hindus, Christians and Muslims, believe that a church automatically ushers in great economic progress and development. This is proved to be all the more true when we consider the case of the Carmelite monastery in Pius Nagar.
In the sixties here there was no electricity, no public transport facilities, no telephone or any of the modern amenities. The fathers here were resolved from the very beginning to contribute their share to bring in every possible facilities. The first thing that they undertook in this connection was the establishment of a post office. Till then the people of the locality was dependent on a post office in Marayoor which was nearly 9 kilometers away from Pius Nagar. A well-furnished room of the monastery was set apart for the post office free of cost. This post office is functioning till date here.
Over the years the continued smooth functioning of the philosophy institute for the seminarians did not seem viable. Initially the institute was established with view to imparting rigorous religious training on the line of traditionally valued carmelite spirituality. Great emphasis was laid on personal prayer, solitude and retirement. Nothing of the worldly influences had ever a chance to penetrate into the premises of the seminary. Life in the monastery was extremely simple. It had to put up with many wants. There was no electric power, no telephone, no TV, no radio, no newspaper, no transport facilities, and very little of medical help. The lack of basic amenities forced the superiors to give second thought to the continued functioning of the seminary. In the year 1970 the major seminary and its philosophy institute was suppressed, and the candidates were transferred to a new major seminary in Alwaye.
With the suppression of the major seminary the huge building complex was almost forlorn. The monastery continued its life with a reduced number of 5 priests. However, the locality had begun to exhibit signs of steady social development. A number of catholic families migrated to Pius Nagar. Very soon the small church in Pius Nagar was raised to the status of an independent parish.
In 1974 a wing of the monastery was set apart to accommodate a Boys Home. This center housed nearly 80 destitute children from far and near. The monastery gave free food and accommodation to the children and also met partially the costs of their education. The Boys Home is still functioning in the apartments of the monastery complex.
There remained a lot of room-space of the monastery vacant and unutilised. In 1973 a one year seminary initiation course was started here for the benefit of the boys aspiring for becoming Carmelite monks. This major seminary has brought fresh life and vigor to the monastery.
In the year 1975, under auspices of the monastery, a convent of the Carmelite nuns was established in the vicinity. Very soon the nuns opened a Girls Home for the destitute children of the region. This institution is doing laudable services to the poor girl children of the locality.
The children of the area had to traverse kilometers on foot to get to their schools. The fathers keenly felt their difficulties and initiated measures to remedy the situation. A government recognized and aided primary school was established in the monastery premises in 1979. Within a short period of time the school has grown into a middle school status. Plans afoot to establish a high school here.
The occasional dry spell of weather causes acute water scarcity in the village. To remedy the situation, in 1993 a check dam with a large storage capacity was built in the monastery compound. This reservoir greatly alleviates the difficulties being caused by severe dry spells. The children of the Boys Home and the Girls Home and the children at school as well as the villagers in general get enough water for their daily needs.
The fathers in the monastery are also undertaking several social service programs such as non-formal education to women, housing projects, health care programs, social awareness studies etc. Recently the monastery authorities took the initiative to introduce a new bus service for the convenience of the commuters of the village. The government owned bus has its terminus in the monastery compound. The staff of the bus is given free food and accommodation at night hours. The new bus service and its schedule is of great help to the ordinary people here.
It might be recalled that all the amenities now available in the village here were brought by the dedicated efforts of the fathers here. Electricity, telephone, drinking water supply, public transport etc. are now available now due committed efforts and intervention of the priests here. There remains much more to be be for the welfare of the people. The Pius X monastery in Pius Nagar is sign of God's blessing to his people.
With sincere regards yours Fr. Joseph
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