Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

The Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux also known as Little Flower Congregation CST is the first religious brothers' congregation founded in the Syro-Malabar Church in India, and the first congregation in the name of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in India. The congregation was founded by Thomas Panat, a priest from the Archdiocese of Ernakulam, who was later known as Fr. Basilius CST. The congregation was later bifurcated to congregations for brotherhood and priesthood.

Fr Basilius translated Navamalika, the autobiography of St.Therese of Child Jesus. The congregation of St. Theresa, CST was founded on 19 March 1931 in a small village called Mookkannur by Thomas Panat with the permission of Mar Augustine Kandathil, Bishop of Ernakulam. On 27 December 1945 Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil upon request of the founder Fr. Basilius permitted to admit seminarians for priestly vocation.

The Constitution of reorganised Little Flower Congregation was written by Fr. Basilius and approved by Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil on 8 October 1947.

Fr. Basilius was appointed in 1955 as the first Superior General of Little Flower Congregation (C. S. T) by the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Rome. As requested by the Congregation of Oriental Churches the Constitution was revised by Fr. Basilius Panat according to the New Oriental Code of Canon Law. The new Constitution was approved on 19 April 1963 by Archbishop Mar Joseph Parecattil who later was made Cardinal of Ernakulam Archdiocese.

Fr. Basilius Panat founded the Little Flower Seminary, a major seminary to form future priests, in 1960, having started a formation house in 1958 and started the construction of the present seminary at Aluva as early as in 1944. The Little Flower Seminary was blessed and inaugurated on 12th August 1961 by Archbishop Joseph Parekattil. Fr. Basilius had sent several seminarians to the Papal Seminary, Pune and priests to Rome.

Pope John Paul II raised Little Flower Congregation (CST Fathers) to the status of a Religious Institute of Pontifical Right on 21 December 1995. The decree was signed officially on 2 February 1996 by Achille Cardinal Silvestrini, the prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The papal decree was given to The Superior General Little Flower Congregation on 10 February 1996 at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia of the Syro-Malabar Church on the visit of Achille Cardinal Silvestrini for the centenary celebration of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam.

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