Brief History of the Congregation of the Carmelite Religious

MOTHER VERONICA
(FOUNDER OF CCR)

The Congregation of the Carmelite Religious was founded by Mother Veronica of the Passion on July 16, 1868, in France.

Mother Veronica (then Sophie Leeves) was born on October 1, 1823 in Constantinople of English Anglican parents. The atmosphere of love in her home culminated in her outstanding love for God which was expressed in her tendency to serve the helpless, the afflicted and the sick. She received a liberal education in this happy, religious and cultured atmosphere. Thus we have in Mother Veronica, a highly accomplished woman of strong faith, fluent in Greek, French, German, her native English and several other languages. She came to India as a Sister of St. Joseph of the Apparition. She concentrated on the education of girls, empowerment of women and the less privileged. She even learnt the regional language Malayalam to reach out to the poor and the needy along the Malabar Coast. Her strong desire for a life of contemplation led her to opt for the Cloistered Carmel of Pau France. Prior to her entry into Carmel she trained young Sisters at Bayonne, France, to work in India. She was a great visionary and she braved many hardships to fulfill her dreams. Her first batch of Sisters arrived at Mangalore in 1870. It was from here that the Carmelites gradually spread to the Malabar Coast. In 1880, the Holy Angels Convent was started at Trivandrum, Kerala. From here the Congregation has spread to most of the States of India and abroad. She passed into glory on November 16, 1906.

Following in the footsteps of Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ and our foundress Mother Veronica, we her daughters, seek to enkindle the fire of Divine Love in the hearts of all God’s children. Through education and other works of mercy, we seek to promote the Kingdom Values of Justice, Fellowship and Freedom, thereby bringing harmony in Society especially to the ‘target group’ of the locality.