Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, CMI (10 February 1805 – 3 January 1871) was an Indian Catholic priest, religious, philosopher and social reformer.

[8] Kuriakose Elias Chavara initiated reforms in the Kerala society much before Narayana Guru (1853) Chattambi Swamikal (1853) and Vakkom Abdul Khadar Maulavi (1854).

[9][10] Though he hailed from a Syriac Christian family,[11] which occupied a higher social status, he played a major role in educating and uplifting people especially of the lower ranks of society.

[citation needed] A tutor belonging to the Variar community was brought from Thrissur, to teach at this Sanskrit institution.

After establishing the Sanskrit institution in Mannanam, Chavara took the initiative to start a school in a nearby village called Arpookara.

[13] It was during this time Bishop Bernadine Baccinelly issued a circular in 1856 which would act as the root cause of tremendous growth of education and hundred percent literacy in Kerala.

Kuriakose Chavara was the motivator for such a movement and he successfully convinced Bishop Bernadine to issue a circular, apparently as an order.

[15][14] Kuriakose Chavara knew that the schools he started in Mannanam and Arpookara would be successful if the poor students especially dalits were given midday meals.

Kuriakose Chavara started a charity practice known as Pidiyari (a handful of rice) to encourage people to make daily small donations to help the needy.

[17] The Pidiyari scheme was implemented in the following way: Participants would daily set aside a small quantity of rice in a special collection pot.

[16] A pious organization was formed by Kuriakose Chavara called “Unnimishihayude Dharma Sabha” who took care of the Pidiyari collection.

[23] The activities of the members of CMI congregation under the leadership of Chavara created huge transformation in the society.

[26] Kuriakose Chavara hoped and prayed for the establishment of a religious congregation for women in the apostolic Church of St. Thomas.

[27] He conceived the convent as a house of sanctity where the girls could learn spiritual matters, grow up as good Christians and work for the intellectual development and education of women to achieve social welfare.

[28] Leopold Beccaro – who was a close associate and confessor of Kuriakose Chavara – with whom Eliswa had communicated her desire to lead a life of chastity, during her meetings with him for confession and spiritual direction, wrote in Italian in his personal diary on 3 January 1871, the day of the death of Chavara: “The founder and the first prior of the Tertiaries of the Discalced Carmelites in Malabar, who with extreme fatigue has founded the monastery of the sisters [e fondato con somme fatiche il monastero delle Monache]...”[29] Again, in another important document, a short biography of Chavara written by Beccaro himself, we come across the following affirmative statements: “Among these, specially, [he] earnestly desired to bring into existence an abode of virtues for the girls of Malayalam and a convent of sisters for learning doctrines and traditions of the Catholic religion as well as to make them grow as good Christian children...[30] It is a fact known to all that even after the starting of the convent, he showed great fervour and interest to conduct everything in order and with virtues...” These two statements made by Beccaro give credence to the fact that Chavara had not only a deep and long-lasting desire to establish a convent for sisters, but had also made every effort, including the spiritual and administrative guidance in the realization of the project.

Second, even after a century after the Kuriakose Chavara wrote, there are limited number of literary works with reference to Christianity.

[32] The writings of Kuriakose Elias Chavara can be divided generally into following categories during the namely:[33][32] The Chronicles (Nalagamangal) narrates the daily events not only of the monastery but also of the society.

The articles of faith related to the death of a man are enumerated and beautifully illustrated with stories or incidents, the poet heard or read.

This insightful and down-to-earth document is the first of its kind in the known history of the Church, offers practical direction to families in leading a God-fearing as well as socially commendable life.

[32] Kuriakose Chavara wrote a number of liturgical texts that played an important role in reforming liturgy.

"This is to make you realize that myself and all men are weak and faltering and don’t have long life even as these mango trees which give sweet fruits.

Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, who later became the first saint of India, has testified in 1936 that Kuriakose Elias Chavara had appeared to her twice during her illness and relieved her suffering.

Alphonsa had a holy relic of Chavra's hair which was taken by one of his disciples Varkey Muttathupadathu and which she believed allowed her to pray to Kuriakose Chavara and receive miraculous cure.

[49] The miracle which Rome approved for the beatification of Kuriakose Chavara was the cure of the congenital deformity of the legs (clubfoot) of Joseph Mathew Pennaparambil happened in April 1960.

They continued their prayers and on 30 April 1960, while Joseph and his sister was on the way to elder brother's house, the left leg too became normal.

[50] The miracle that was approved for canonization of Kuriakose Chavara to sainthood was the instantaneous, total, and stable cure of the congenital squint (alternating esotropia) in both eyes of Maria Jose Kottarathil, a Catholic girl of age 9 from Pala in Kottayam District of Kerala State in India.

On 7 April 1984, Pope John Paul II approved Kuriakose Elias Chavara's practice of heroic virtues and declared him Venerable.

[52] Kuriakose Elias Chavara was beatified at Kottayam on 8 February 1986 by Pope John Paul II in the course of a papal visit to India.

[52] On 3 April 2014, Pope Francis authorised the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decrees concerning the miracle attributed to Kuriakose Kathanar's intercession.

[55] Pope Francis stated that "Father Kuriakose Elias was a religious, both active and contemplative, who generously gave his life for the Syro-Malabar Church, putting into action the maxim “sanctification of oneself and the salvation of others.