The Friary, Kotagiri (Ooty Diocese–Estd. 1949)
Founded in 1949. It is situated in the hill station of Ootacamund with fresh air and a calm atmosphere. From 1949 to 1981 it was the house of Theology for all the Indian Provinces. It was also the headquarters of the Indian Commissariat from 1949 to 1956. It was a Novitiate house from 1981 to 1985. From June 1985 onwards it became the Philosophical College of the Amala Annai Province. One year of post-Novitiate was here along with the Philosophate in 2001 - 2002. With the bifurcation of the Tamil Nadu Province in 2012, it has become the Common Philosophate for the Tamil Nadu Provinces. We also admit North Indian Capuchins and seminarians of other congregations at times.In 1994, St. Francis Children Home was established within the Friary Campus. It sheltered school-going boys and girls, the majority of them orphans and semi-orphans. We had to close down the service in 2014 as the admissions diminished. Part of the left-wing with an Auditorium, Refectory, and Chapel serve for retreat purposes from 2001.
Shanthi Ashram,Coimbatore (Coimbatore Diocese-1949)
Founded in 1956. It was the headquarters of the United Indian Province from 1956-1972 as well as the Tamil Nadu Province from 1972 - 1987. It houses the students of initiation. The Friars are in charge of Fatima Parish, Gandhipuram. A spacious multipurpose hall was built in 1986 as a Silver Jubilee Memorial. Brindisi Matriculation School came up in June 1998. We raised another community hall – The Golden Jubilee Hall and an adoration chapel underneath it in 2005. The sisters of Seva Missionaries opened their convent to serve our Parish and School from 2007.
Nirmala Ashram, Thirumangalam (Madurai Diocese) - 1970
Founded in November 1970. It looks after the spiritual needs of the Catholics of Thirumangalam and part of Peraiyur Taluk. It is officially a Parish from 1996. Friars run St. Francis Matriculation Higher Secondary School. We founded a Tamil Medium High School in Sathankudi in 1989 and handed it over to the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pondicherry. We bought the Sacred Heart Primary School at Kallikudiin June 2008. Two women religious congregations work in this Parish. Our mission area has reduced as T. Kallupatti, V. Ammapatti and Peraiyur have been handed over to the Norbetines who located themselves in the Sempatti mission from 2017.
Paduvai Ashram, Pathinathapuram (Tuticorin Diocese - Estd.1970)
Founded in December 1970. The Friars look after St. Jude Shrine. It became a Parish in 1992. From 1985, the Orientation students (Aspirants) undergo one year of English coaching here. In 1987, we built a retreat house to conduct renewal programmes for the clergy, the religious and the laity. We handed it over to the Diocese in 1997. An agreement over our pastoral service in the Parish was made in 2002 .
Assisi Ashram, Pampanvilai (Kottar Diocese-Estd.1979)
Founded in 1979. The Friars are in-charge of an Animation Centre. It caters to the clergy, religious and people. It is our Novitiate since 1985. During the years 1997 -98, 1999 - 2000 and 2004- 05, the Post Novitiate Programme was conducted here. On 1st May 2014, Bp. Peter Remigius consecrated the new Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Pampanvilai and declared it a Parish. Br. M. Jegadhees became the first pastor of this Parish. The Friary and Animation Centres were renovated in 2021.
Arulagam, Vickramasinagapuram (Palayamkottai Diocese- Estd.1987)
In view of starting our own Theologate at Amalashram, we needed to shift the higher secondary students from there. V K Puram was found an ideal alternative as the Sacred Heart Brothers run a Higher Secondary School. The students stayed here and attended classes until 1994 when the requirement for admission to the Order was fixed as XII. On June 26, 1994, it was canonically erected as a Parish with six substations. Assisi Matriculation was started in the year 1998, upgraded with the CBSE syllabus and named Assisi Public School in the year 2016. A new solid Parish church dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi has been constructed and consecrated on June 30, 2002. The facade underwent a dramatic change with 3 gigantic towers in 2011.
St. Francis Anbgam, Okhur (Sivagangai Diocese- Estd.1991)
Founded in June 1991. Bp. Edward Francis of Sivagangai knowing the spiritual needs of his clergy and people had graciously offered a large piece of land. He blessed open St. Francis Anbagam Friary on 6th Dec 1992. The Friars are catering to the spiritual animation of the clergy and the laity. Anagram became the place of the Post-Novitiate programme from June 2002- 2007. Br. Aubin Amalan initiated De-addiction and rehabilitation programme in 2014. We have animal husbandry and an agricultural training centre.
Arunodaya, Vannampatti (Dindigul Diocese- Estd.1996)
Founded in 1996. The Province purchased some 38 acres of land at Vannampatty for the development of the Province. We built a new Friary and had it blessed on July 6, 1996. It has an orphanage under the patronage of St. Pio. Abp. Arockiasamy of Madurai raised Vannampatti a Parish on 24th January 1999 and handed it over to us. It has two substations, a Middle School and a Primary School. From the bifurcation of the Diocese, the Parish and our Friary is under the Diocese of Dindigul.
St. John's Friary, K.M. Kottai (Sivagangai Diocese - Estd.1996)
The Capuchin Ministry began here in June 1996. The Parish was established in 1928. It is a vast mission in the extreme southwest of Sivagangai Diocese and Ramnad district. The Catholic population is 3000 and most deserving. Br. Clement opened a boarding for Children and upgraded the middle School. Now it is a Higher Secondary School with 400 students including 250 boarders. Amidst disputed attempts to give up, the Ordinary Chapter of 2002 has empowered the Council to carry on the ministry. The School and hostels are the venues of our service to the brethren of other faith too. We meet with visible progress in education, discipline and above all respect and support to our efforts.
Anugraha Animation Centre, Nochiodaipatty (Dindigul Diocese- Estd.1998)
Two priests of Dindigul Diocese donated around six acres of land to us for the purpose of a counselling ministry. We built the Anugraha Counselling Institute and had it blessed on 25 November 2001 and started Counsellor Training Programme from the year 2002. The courses started increasing year after year. The Counselling Institute received recognition of Canadian association of Pastoral Education practice in 2005 and started signing MOU’s with local institutions to offer counselling training. To enhance the training, the Anugraha Institute of Social Sciences was established as a sister concern in July 2010, affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University. The courses increased and the students' strength also increased, and it necessitated establishing a full-time community in Animation Centre itself in 2012, separate from the Parish community. St. Clare's Girls hostel was established on 03 December 2013 in this campus. Growing further, the counselling program was affiliated to Alagappa University in 2018, offering post-graduate programs from Anugraha Centre. With the growth of the Centre, a separate Friary building was blessed on 28th October 2019, with the name of Anugraha Friary. To meet the growing need of the college, an extension block of the college in this campus was blessed in February 2021.
Anugraha Friary, Nochiodaipatty (Dindigul Diocese-1998)
Originally the intention here was the Counsellor Training Programme. With the erection of the Diocese of Dindigul on 28-12-2003, Nochiodaipatty became a Parish in 2005 and given to us. The Province bought the land for the Parish Church opposite our Friary. We constructed a spacious church and consecrated it on November 24, 2009. With the recommendation and persuasion of Madurai Kamaraj University staff, we inaugurated Anugraha Arts and Science College with a focus to Counselling subjects in July 2010. The Parish community was separated from Anugraha Centre in 2012. Anugraha College is attached to the Parish community but Friars from both the communities make the staff. There are 2 Religious Congregation of Sisters working around this Parish.
Kaviyalaya, Okkur(Sivagangai Diocese - Estd.2001)
A Parish dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi came into being on 15 June 1997 at Okkur. The Parish takes care of 10 substations in all. We built “Kaviyalaya” in order to take care of the pastoral needs of the people in October 2001. We also constructed St. Clara Home for the orphans and the poor boys who stayed here and attended the local Schools. We had to close down the orphanage in 2014 since admissions decreased.
Reaching the Unreached (RTU) James Kimpton Illam (Madurai Archdiocese - Estd.2009)
Reaching The Unreached (RTU), a social work organisation based in G. Kallupatti in Theni District started in 1974 by Bro James Kimpton FSC, a De La Salle Brother and a UK national, who lived in India from 1964 onwards. He is the founder and pioneer of this multifaceted project. He registered it under the Societies Registration Act in 1978. It works for the poorest people at the grass root level in many small villages all around Batlagundu, a small town on the way to Kodaikanal. It’s main activities are 1. Child Welfare by running Children Villages, Hostels etc. 2. Clinical services to the poor 3. Children Education - Day care / Pre - Schools - 14, Higher Secondary -1, Open School for drop-out children - 1, Study Centres and Trade School, Computer Centre and Tailoring, 4. Community organizations, Self - Help Groups, 5. Rural health programmes, 6. Care & Support of HIV/ AIDS affected 7. Free low-cost Housing 8. Installing hand-pumps, 9. Livelihood Programme. The Society has the membership of men and women of all religions from different careers. We, Capuchins have taken the responsibility of running this Society from March 2009.
St. Francis Mercy Home, Karungulam (Tuticorin Diocese - Estd. 2011)
This 8.52 Hectares of land was given by Mr. Sundarlal George to Capuchin Friars through the instrumentality of Br. Bose on 22nd Jan. 2006, in Muscat where the latter was serving in the mission (Ghala) as an Assistant Parish Priest. The intention of Donor is to have shelter for the people who were rejected by their families. Besides donating the land, he too founded in building the existing structure, which contains 11 Rooms, Refectory and Kitchen blessed by Br. S. Arockiam, the Provincial Minister on 14th April 2015 along with Mr Bala Brajapathi the temple priest of Ayya Vaikundar in Samythoppu who lighted the Kuthu Vilakku, reiterating the example of our Father St. Francis, the harbinger of interreligious dialogue. Br. Bose began the ministry on 11.05.2016 with a single person Mr Jesu Dass. The place began to flourish with service to the destitute men with the loving support of the benefactors. The campus too supports the spiritual needs of the people after the establishment of a Fraternity blessed by Br. John Arumainathan on 02nd Feb.2017.
Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Themanur (Kuzhithurai Diocese - Estd. 2016)
The Diocese of Kottar, the fourth biggest in India and first in Tamil Nadu had the population of 5,60,000 with 190 Parishes. The Diocese of Kuzhithurai was born as on offshoot of Kottar on 24-02-2015. We volunteered to open a house in the new Diocese. Bishop Jerome Dhass SDB, welcomed us and offered us the existing Parish of Themanur for a span of 10 years. We are doing a lot of pastoral, confessional, and counseling ministry.
The Capuchin Provincial Curia, Thirumangalam (Madurai Archdiocese-Estd. 2017)
With the bifurcation of the Province, Tamil Nadu South had its temporary Provincial office at Nirmala Ashram, Thirumangalam. Br. John Arumainathan, the Provincial took extraordinary efforts to build the new Provincial Curia at Boys’ Town on the outskirts of Thirumangalam town. Fr. Mauro Johri- General and Fr. Michael Fernandez - General Councillor blessed open the house on May 13, 2017. The office had its formal shift from Nirmala Ashram and began to function from Oct 04, 2017. The Friars here extend all the possible service to the surrounding convents and Substations of Thirumangalam mission Parish spread out in a radius of 30 km.
Holy Cross Church, Menonpara (Sultanpet Diocese - Estd. 2017)
The District of Palghat along with the Northern part of today’s Kerala was known as the Malabar Region in Tamil Nadu before 1956. Pondicherry ArchDiocese administered the Catholics in this region. This region came under the jurisdiction of the Coimbatore Diocese in 1846. The reorganization of the States in India in 1956 claimed this region to Kerala and ceded Kanyakumari to Tamil Nadu. But the ecclesial government remained unhindered with the Diocese of Coimbatore as the Catholics were fully Tamils. It became a Diocese on 16 - 02- 2014. Rt. Rev. Peter Abir of Pondicherry was the first Bishop. He invited religious men and women from Tamil Nadu to administer the existing Parishes and create new institutions of their own in course of time. We responded to his invitation and administer the Parish of Menonpara. The contract is for 6 years. Meanwhile a memorandum of understanding with the CCMSI, we might need, to create a counseling ministry to concentrate on the empowerment of families and individuals with addictions. Bishop Abir blessed open the grotto dedicated to St. Martin de Porres along with the adoration chapel constructed by Br. Sathian.