The CMI Congregation

The Congregation of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) is the first indigenous religious congregation in the Catholic Church of India. The founders, led by St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, were convinced that it would be possible for them to do a lot of good to the Church and everyone with such a congregation. The nascent religious congregation started its first house at Mannanam on May 11, 1831. In 1860, the congregation was affiliated with the Order of Carmelites Discalced with the name “Third Order of Carmelites Discalced (TOCD).” In 1958, the name of the congregation was changed to “Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). The congregation was granted pontifical exemption in 1967.

The congregation, right from the very beginning, adhered to the Indian, Oriental, and Carmelite spiritual traditions. Being contemplatives in action, the members of the Congregation engaged in all sorts of activities aimed at rejuvenating and strengthening the Kerala Catholic Church. They served the Church as retreat preachers, educationalists, and pastors and focused their attention on the welfare of the people on the margins of society, such as the differently abled. The apostolate of the congregation gained a new dimension and momentum when it was entrusted with mission centers beyond the borders of Kerala. Now the CMI Fathers render their service as missionaries in various parts of the country and the world.

The Prior General, assisted by four councilors, is at the helm of administration. The congregation is divided into 15 provinces, 1 region, and 7 sub regions. There are about 3,000 members in the congregation, including nine bishops.

History of the College

St. Joseph’s College started as a junior college affiliated with the University of Kerala in 1981. The institution owes an immense debt of gratitude to Rev. Frs. Melanius CMI and Colombiere CMI, the founding fathers of the institution, and also to Fr. Clerus CMI, who, in his capacity as the Education Councillor, did yeoman service in the initial stages of the institution.

Rev. Dr.Thomas V. Kalarickal, CMI, was the first principal of the college. Being a psychologist and a broad-minded educationalist, he felt the pulse of the newborn institution keenly and helped it grow, lavishing on it all the care and concern it required.

Rev. Fr. Aloysius CMI was appointed as the principal in March 1983. He continued to be at the helm until 1990, for seven years. It was evidently a period of consistent growth for the institution, and it emerged as one of the best colleges for pre-degree results under Mahatma Gandhi University.

 Rev. Fr. K. C. Chandy, CMI, became the principal of the college in 1990, and he continued in the office until 1996, for a period of six years. In his tenure as the principal of the college, he laboured hard to make the college a prestigious institution. The college was upgraded with the start of a graduation course in chemistry in 1991. The B.A. degree course in Economics was started in 1993, and the B.B.M. degree course in 1995. Fr. K. C. Chandy constructed the college library, auditorium, various laboratories, and the rest house for the girl students.

Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Jose Joseph CMI took charge as the principal of the college in 1996. He was ably assisted by the then bursar, Rev. Fr.Jacob Poriyath, CMI. They served the institution for six years. They had vision and foresight and devoted themselves to providing the institution with the infrastructure it had so far lacked. Academically, the college also made deep strides during its tenure. B. Sc. Physics (V) Applied Electronics was started in 1998. The college was elevated to the status of a senior college in 1999 with the start of M. Sc. Chemistry. In 2001, B. A. English (V) Copy Editor was started. He also took the initial steps to secure the recognition of the UGC for the college.

Rev. Dr. C. J. Paul, CMI, took charge as the principal of the college in April 2002. He was ably assisted by the then bursar, Rev. Fr. Thomas George, CMI. They laboured incessantly to usher in a culture of quality and excellence at the institution. They installed an EPBAX system and brought out a newsletter called Throbs to ensure the smooth flow of information on campus. The academic front witnessed a breathtaking metamorphosis under their leadership. The college was included under 2(f) and 12-B of the UGC Act, which paved the way for UGC aid for the college and faculty improvement programs for the staff. The development of the Department of Chemistry into a Research Center, the start of self-financing courses in M.A. Economics and B.Com., the introduction of UGC-sponsored career-oriented add-on courses, and the start of out-of-reach programs and extension services to help the local community were all remarkable events that took place in their tenure. However, the greatest and most memorable achievement of Rev. Dr. C.J. Paul, CMI, was the NAAC accreditation of the college in 2005 with a B+ (78 points) grade.

Rev. Fr. Thomas Maliyackal, CMI, took charge as the principal of the college in June 2005. With a view to making the college academically more relevant and career-oriented, he introduced several coaching sessions with the aid of the UGC. A postgraduate course in M.S.W. was started in August 2005 in the self-financing stream. The institution remembers him gratefully as a man destined to govern it during a very turbulent period of its history.

Rev. Dr. Gilson John CMI was appointed the principal of the college in 2009. He ably led the college in its second cycle of NAAC accreditation in January 2012, in which the college was accorded a high B grade with 2.82 points.

Dr. George V. Thomas was appointed the principal of the college, and he was, in fact, the first layman to serve the college in that position. During his tenure, the institution underwent its third cycle of NAAC accreditation, and it was crowned with an A grade of 3.12 points. Dr. George V. Thomas retired in 2019 after two years of service as principal.

Dr. Saju M. Sebastian was appointed principal of the institution in 2019, and he retired in 2020. He laboured much to run the institution during the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, when it was hardly possible to conduct the usual regular classes for the students.

Dr. Ebey P. Koshy assumed office as principal in 2020, and he served the institution for a year. He tried his utmost to run the institution during the pandemic period by arranging online classes for the students.

Dr. Sabukkutty M.G. served the institution as principal from 2021 to 2023. During his tenure, it was possible to start a five-year integrated M.Sc. programme in computer science and data science. Another remarkable event during his tenure was the laying of the foundation for a new administrative block in 2022.

Rev. Dr. Thomas George, CMI, was appointed principal of the institution in 2023. Being a committed educationalist, a broad-minded psychologist, and a research guide in sports science who pledged to take the institution to greater heights of excellence.