Jeevadhara

Dominican Sisters of the Presentation being faithful to Mary, Model of fidelity and of gift, the spirit of St. Dominic and the vision of Blessed Marie Poussepin have come forward to answer the signs of the time through service of the parish, education of the youth and care for the sick, poor. The aim of the community is the service of charity. Marie Poussepin founded the congregation in 1696 and now, her service is extended to 36 countries.

Jeevadhara

The State in which our first sisters from the USA took the trouble to plant the Charism of Blessed Marie Poussepin in the Indian Soil, Kerala, a small coastal state with green and lustrous vegetation, a land of coconuts and paddy fields, rivers and back waters anda land of festivals and rich cultural heritage welcomed them in the year 1971. They started our first foundation in Kuttikad, a Forane Parish which lies below the hilly and forested boundary of Trichur district and belongs to the diocese of Irinjalakuda. It is 22 Kms away from the Diocesan headquarters.

The stream of life (Jeevadhara), which began to flow in 1971 continues its flow with ever more enthusiasm to its destiny. Even though the care for the sick was the original project of Jeevadhara, over the years it has evolved.

Following the example of Blessed Marie Poussepin who dedicated herself to educate the poor girls of her time, Jeevadhara opened its doors for young girls who due to financial or other reasons are unable to continue their education. They find a home away from home in Jeevadhara. They continue their study in St. Sebastian's Higher Secondary School, Kuttikad, St. George's Higher Secondary School, Pariyaram and St. George's Upper Primary School, Thoombakode.

Reading the signs of the time and recognizing the call of the Church, our community collaborates with the diocese and other congregations in rendering services to the poor through Apex Voluntary Agency for Rural Development (AVARD), care for the sick through St. James Hospital Chalakudy, Education of the youth through St. George’s High School Pariyaram. Service to the Parish includes teaching of Catechism, animation of Basic Christian Communities and Pious Associations, family visits and visits to the sick and suffering. Tutoring the weaker students of the area, spoken English classes for the youth and family counselling are some other ways through which the community reaches out in service. The community fosters vocation by welcoming young women who are desirous of following the Charism of Blessed Marie Poussepin.

To answer to the present needs, we ventured into Family apostolate through Jeevadhara Family Renewal Centre.

Jeevadhara Family Renewal Centre

Vision: Transformation of the families, the basic units of the church into missionary communities to build up the kingdom of God.

Mission: To equip the Christian families to fulfil the missionary responsibility entrusted to them through Baptism. To empower the individuals and families to radiate the joy of the Gospel by actively participating in the life of the church and the society.

After a long period of search, prayer and reflection,we came to realize that Family Apostolate is a basic need of Kerala. As we reflect on the "Signs of the Time" we understand the fact that family bond is deteriorating faster than we imagine. The result is the "New Gen" which,does not receive any Gospel values which should be sown by the family. More seriously, it is almost impossible to inculcate these values in them later. The dream came alive as we had the blessing of Jeevadhara Family Renewal Centre (JFRC) on 28th May, 2005.

Spiritual values were the basic foundation for the old generation. Their motto was not "Self Help" but "Help comes from God". The result was that almost all things, happenings, situations etc. were taken and accepted in the spiritual realm. Love for each other was very strong; co-operation was natural; sensitivity for all were existing. Honesty and sincerity were found everywhere. Hence, the possibility of evil creeping in was very little. So, adjustments were possible; obedience and submissiveness overpowered; hard-working nature was in-built; anger was controlled and channelized.

During these latest years, the above values are overthrown. The development of our modernized world brought forth facilities. That led the humanity to seek for momentary happiness. Individual freedom took precedence. Hence, the differences in the personalities of husbands and wives, the difficulties in understanding and accepting one another and lack of vision about human relationships have brought families into a conflicting atmosphere. Therefore, the love relationships of husbands and wives, their enthusiasm, commitment and stability of the families are at a crucial point.

So, we came forward to bring families to God and God to the families bringing renewal and commitment. Family is a gift of God and the original cell of the society. Family, the sacred altar of couples, when love and life are shared, reaches its fullness. Children are the supreme gift of marriage, and the fruit of the moral, spiritual, and supernatural life is extended from parents to children. Youth are the powerhouses of the society.

In this situation it is our duty to assist to read the reality of the world and its effects.