The reason for the establishment of Kurisumala Ashram was John Machieu's (later Francis Acharya) in response to the divine call, he received. By birth, though he is a Belgian, the seeds of his vocation, which culminated in the oblation of his life at Kurisumala as true Indian, were sown by none other than the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
After making profession at the Cistercian monastery in Scourmont Belgium, he followed a persistent call to India and set foot in this "Cradle of monasticism" in 1955. After an extensive ‘stay-and-study' at major Indian Ashrams, he had a short stay with the founders of Saccidananda Ashram (Shantivanam) in Thiruchirappalli. Eventually, he accepted the invitation of Zacharias Mar Athanasios, the then Bishop of the Syro-Malankara diocese of Tiruvalla, and officially established Kurisumala Ashram near Vagamon on 21 March 1958 in the company of Fr. Bede Griffiths, an English Benedictine monk, and a couple of aspirants. Fr. Francis Acharya, who blessed as Abbot in 1999, passed away on the 31 January 2002, and Fr. Yesudas Thelliyil was subsequently elected and blessed as the second Abbot of the community.

Spiritual Objectives, ideals and observances

Monastic life is something common to the great religious traditions of the world. In India, it originated centuries before Christianity, prompting the noted theologian Raymundo Panikkar to term it the ‘primordial religious dimension'. And yet it is well and truly a mystery, a spiritual reality that eludes clear explanation.
The ancient tradition manifests itself at Kurisumala in three distinct strands; the three charisms of Kurisumala, as Francis Acharya liked to call them Syrian Liturgy, Indian Monastic Lifestyle and Benedictine-Cistercian Spirituality. Syrian liturgy is replete with poems by the likes of St. Ephrem - aptly named "harp of the Holy Spirit" - and Jacob of Serugh. The Syro-Malankara Qurbono celebrated on Sundays and feast days, the Bharatiya Pooja on week days, the hymns sung at the regular prayer services, the bhajans and keertans sung at the Satsang.
In the Benedictine-Cistercian tradition, the monastic vocation is pursued in a monastery under a Rule and an Abbot.

Activities

The Benedictine - Cistercian tradition lays great emphasis on hospitality, ‘receiving each visitor as Christ Himself'. There are buildings for male and female guests and hermitages for those who prefer more solitude.
Another important ministry is the publication and distribution of religious classics, Bibles and other books. Pride of place goes to the four-volume set, ‘Prayer with the Harp of the Spirit', translated from Syriac by Francis Acharya. The publication of a Malayalam translation of that gem of Eastern Christian spirituality, the ‘Philokalia' was a major event. It was an inter-religious and inter-denominational effort, and is now into its third edition. Another book of note is a translation of ‘The Ladder of Divine Ascent', again a classic of the Eastern tradition. These and other books are available for sale at the Ashram book-stall.

Associate
1.    John M.R.