1. ORIGIN

The Little Flower Congregation has its origin on 19th March 1931 at Mookkannur, a village 7 kilometeres north east of Angamaly, in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam, Kerala. It was started as a society of Brothers under the name Little Flower Brotherhood by Fr. Thomas Panat later known as Fr. Basilius, by admitting two members. He had the necessary permission to do so from Mar Augustine Kandathil, the then Archbishop of Ernakulam.

As the originator Fr. Basilius was all in all of this lay community. After 15 years of whole-hearted and strenuous efforts and prayers he found that even with his sweat and blood the Community had a poor growth. So in 1945 with the consent of the members who were all lay Brothers, Fr. Basilius sought the permission of the Archbishop to re-organise the Congregation by admitting also candidates for priesthood.

2. REORGANISATION
On December 27, 1945 Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil issued a decree giving permission to admit students for priesthood for “better realization of the aim of the Congregation” (Ernakulam Missam Jan. 1946). In June 1946 the first batch of students for priesthood was admitted. As a result there emerged new enthusiasm and vigour in the life and activities of the Congregation. A petit seminary was started at Mookkannur on 1 June 1948. The first ordination to priesthood in our Congregation took place in June 1956. Many new houses were established and members embarked on several new projects in accordance with the charism of the Congregation.

The Constitution of the re-organized religious institute (thereafter called Little Flower Congregation) was written by Fr. Basilius and was approved by Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil on October 8, 1947. Later the Constitution was revised according to the new Oriental Code of Canon Law and was approved by Mar Joseph Cardinal Parecattil on April 18, 1963.

3. BIFURCATION
On the basis of the desire expressed by the Brothers for greater autonomy, the Oriental Congregation directed Mar Joseph Cardinal Parecattil to appoint a special Commission to study the question and to report to Rome its findings. In the light of the findings of this commission and the information gathered from the two sections viz. Priests and Brothers by holding discussions with them, Cardinal Parecattil sent a report to the Congregation for the Oriental Churches on September 15, 1977 recommending the division of the Congregation into two autonomous bodies: Clerical and Lay.

Accepting this recommendation the Oriental Congregation appointed Very Rev. Fr. Cyril, the then Superior General of the Order of the Imitation of Christ (now Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram) its delegate to pave the way for the smooth division of the Congregation. On the basis of the report submitted by him to the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the Sacred Congregation directed Cardinal Parecattil by decree Prot. N. 512, 68 dated Nov.9, 1978 to issue two decrees for the erection of two distinct Congregations Iuris eparchialis.

Hence by virtue of this decree the Cardinal officially and canonically erected the community of the Fathers as a clerical Congregation luris eparchialis on the 8th December 1978 and named it the Little Flower Congregation (CST Fathers).

4. THE FIRST SYNAXIS
As per instruction issued by the Cardinal along with the decree of erection, a General Synaxis was convoked in 1979 for revising the Constitution. The Cardinal approved the Constitution and Statutes thus revised and finalised in the General Synaxis on April 1, 1981. The legislative texts were translated into English and submitted to the Congregation for the Oriental Churches together with an application to grant Pontifical status to our Congregation.

The Congregation for the Oriental Churches after careful study and thorough examination of the texts made certain observations and asked the Superior General to revise the Constitution in accordance with the guide-lines given. Thus revised Constitution and Directory were approved by Mar Antony Padiyara the then Archbishop of Ernakulam on February 14, 1986.

5. DIOCESE OF GORAKHPUR
On August 11, 1984 the Holy See erected the new diocese of Gorakhpur bifurcating the diocese of Varanasi and Fr. Dominic Kokkat, who headed the Congregation’s missionary activities in the diocese of Jalandhar, Punjab, was nominated its first bishop. Mar Joseph Cardinal Parecattil together with other bishops ordained him Bishop at St. Mary’s Basilica Ernakulam on October 4, 1984. The installation ceremony took place on the 14th of the same month at St. Joseph’s Cathedral Church Gorakhpur. 

6. PROVINCES
Considering the further growth and development of our Congregation and taking into account the increase of the number of members and ashrams and the wide expansion of the area of our apostolic activities, the IX Ordinary General Synaxis 1991 of our Congregation, has reorganized the administration of our Congregation into two Regions with delegated powers to the Regional Superiors and their Councillors. Thus two Regions were erected – St. Joseph’s and St. Thomas in our Congregation on February 15, 1992. The same General Synaxis of 1991 in its fourth session, in accordance with Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (Canon 508 §2) and our Constitution Art. No. 194 unanimously decided on November 29, 1991, to erect these two Regions into Provinces with effect from March 19, 1994.

As per the decision of the Ordinary General Synaxis of 1991, the St. Joseph’s Province and St. Thomas Province were erected in our Congregation on 19 March 1994. And heralding further growth of the Congregation Punjab-Rajasthan Region with name Khrist Jyoti Region under St. Joseph’s Province and Gorakhpur-Nepal Region with name Little Flower Region under St. Thomas Province were erected on 10th June 1994.

7. VICE PROVINCES
In recognition of the missionary activities and heralding the further growth of our Congregation the X Ordinary General Synaxis of the Little Flower Congregation held at Little Flower Generalate, Thrikkakara in its second session from 9 - 20 June 1997 in accordance with CCEO c. 508 §2 and our Constitution Art. No. 297 and Directory Art. No. 49 unanimously decided to raise the Khrist Jyoti Region and Little Flower Region to the status of Vice Provinces with effects from 2nd January 2000. As per the decision of the above-mentioned General Synaxis of 1997, Khrist Jyoti Vice Province and Little Flower Vice Province were erected in our Congregation on 2nd Janury 2000.

Marking another milestone in the history of the C.S.T., His Holiness Pope John Paul II raised our Congregation to the status of a Religious Institute of Pontifical Right on December 21, 1995. And the Decree declaring the elevation of our Congregation to the pontifical status was officially signed on February 2, 1996.

His Eminence Achille Cardinal Silvestrini, the prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches, has personally handed over the Papal Decree to our Superior General at Mount St. Thomas at Kakkanad, the Major Archiepiscopal Curia of the Syro-Malabar Church. The official declaration of the Decree and the celebrations connected with it took place in our Generalate on March 16, 1996 in the presence of Mar Antony Cardinal Padiyara, the then Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church.

It is a matter of great joy and edification for the entire Church and for Little Flower Congregation in particular that our Patroness the Little Flower was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in Rome on October 19, 1997 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II. The late Fr. Felix C.S.T., the then Superior General took part in the ceremony.

8. AFRICAN MISSION
As a new venture our Congregation started mission works in the diocese of Musoma, Africa. The first 2 pioneer missionaries were sent there on 5th August 1999. One more priest is added to this group in August 2001. We have also launched Mission work in Papua New Guinea in the year 2000.

9. JURIDICAL STATUS OF OUR  CONGREGATION
The Little Flower Congregation is a clerical religious institute of priests and professed candidates for priesthood, of pontifical right, which constitutes ipso jure a juridical person of the Syro-Malabar Church. It is governed by the common law and its own Constitution and Directory. 

It is a religious and charitable society of a religious minority group within the purview of the Constitution of India.

The Congregation has chosen the path of prayer and service to witness to the love of God and aim at the integral growth of all people without distinction of caste, colour or creed through educational, social, developmental and charitable activities.

10. PATRONS
St. Therese of Child Jesus, known as the Little Flower, is the patroness of the Congregation. St. Thomas the Apostle, our father in faith, St. Francis Xavier, the second apostle of India, are our sub-patrons. Mary, the mother of God and St. Joseph are our protectors.