Karnataka Goa Carmelite Province, Bangalore : Sadbhavana

Cloistered Carmels

The Mysore Carmel

Founded : 1986
Patron : St. Joseph & St. Teresa
Diocese : Mysore

Address:
Cloistered Carmel
Bogadi P.O.
Mysore - 570 026
Karnataka, India
Tel. 0821 –2598214
E-mail: carmelmysore@dataone.in

Community:
1. Sr. Maria Teresa of Jesus (Mother Prioress)
2. Sr. Anne of St. Bartholomew
3. Sr. Camelia of Jesus and Mary
4. Sr. Veronica of the Holy Face
5. Sr. Therese of the Child Jesus
6. Sr. Ines of Our Lady of Fatima
7. Sr. Carmen Maria of St. Joseph (Extern Sister)
8. Sr. Maria of St. Joseph and St. Teresa
9. Sr. Eliza of Jesus (Extern Sister)
10. Sr. Helen of the Cross
11. Sr. Mercy of the Sacred Heart
12. Sr. Arokia of the Holy Spirit
13. Sr. Sophie Therese of Queen of Carmel
14. Sr. Jacinta of Jesus
15. Sr. Savitha of Christ the King
16. Sr. Shanti of the Trinity
17. Sr. Viswasi of Christ (Novice)
18. Sr. Mary Vimala of Jesus Crucified (Novice)

His Lordship, Bishop Mathias Fernandez of Mysore Diocese invited the Carmel of St.Teresa's Mount, Kottayam, to make a foundation in his diocese in 1970.They could not accept it immediately as they had just given 9 sisters for the foundation of Cordis Jesu Carmel at Kottiyam, Quilon. It was only after 12 years that they could respond positively to the Bishop at the suggestion of Fr.Nemesio Alzola who was the provincial of Karnataka - Goa province then, and a close friend of Kottayam Carmel. Mysore is a cultural city with a long history of university education and as the seat of Mysore kings. It has a benign climate that fosters contemplative life more easily.

Unable to acquire a parcel of land in the vicinity of Pushpashrama the nuns had to accept to purchase the land near Bogadi village some 15 Kms. to the east of Pushpashrama.. The foundation was delayed, as there was no one to guarantee daily Eucharist for the nuns. But God's providence brought the Capuchins to a plot adjacent to it. It gave a boost to the construction. If today that area has a very thick concentration of religious communities the lonely start was made by the cloistered Carmel.

The parlour section was constructed first and Mother Rosario and Sr. Imelda came along with a few sisters to reside and look after the construction of this Carmel. Friars from Pushpashrama were involved very much, from the day one, in this building work, and the whole campus has come out as a typical Carmelite Monastery for India. The second batch of nuns came from Kottayam on the termination of the construction, to make a community of 8 sisters. The community had to part with its extra lands to pay of the debt of construction.

The year of official inauguration was 1986, and the patrons of this foundation are St. Joseph and St. Teresa of Jesus. When all was ready, God had other plans, Mother Rosario the prioress and then Mother Imelda who took over from her, died in fast succession leaving the community in serious difficulty. As twist of Providence, precisely the Goa Carmel responded by sending Sr. Camelia. She was elected shortly thereafter as the prioress and thereon the community saw a steady flow of vocations and formative consolidation.

The community is young, multicultural, vibrant and numerically strong. It has been generous to send volunteers to other carmels, even to Bunda in Tanzania. The local Church appreciates the spiritual witness of this community as a powerhouse of prayer especially for the women religious who approach the community for prayers and spiritual support. The community earns its living on making altar bread and cultivating vegetables and fruits.

In the jubilee year 2000 the community made a gesture of unconditional offer of a stretch of land to the friars on which the friars have built Dhyanasadhana, a complex to conduct formative courses for the church personnel and religious and occasionally also for the cloistered nuns.