Kurisumala Ashram is a Trappist monastery of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, located in the Sahya Mountains of Vagamon, Kerala, India.

History

In 1956, Zacharias Mar Athanasios, then the Bishop of Thiruvalla, invited Francis Mahieu, a Trappist monk from Scourmont Abbey in Belgium, to Kerala to establish the ashram. He was later joined by Bede Griffiths. On 1 December 1956, Mahieu and Griffiths laid the foundation at Tiruvalla in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. They acquired 88 acre of land and, on 20 March 1958, traveled sixty miles to a mountain known as Kurisumala. The monastery was officially established on 21 March 1958. They soon started a dairy farm with cattle imported from Jersey to support themselves. Within three years, the population of the monastery grew to fifteen individuals. Prayer services were initially held in Syriac. Francis Mahieu later changed his name to Francis Acharya and became an Indian citizen. The monastery was incorporated as an abbey into the Cistercian Order of Strict Observance in July 1998. After Acharya's death, Yesudas Thelliyil became the monastery's second abbot in March 2002. Bede Griffiths spent the last years of his life at Shantivanam in Tamil Nadu. Francis Acharya became the sole religious leader of the Ashram at Kurisumala. A couple of years before his death in 2002, Acharya, who had remained in touch with the monastery of his youth, had the Kurisumala Ashram affiliated with the Trappists.

Name

"Kurisu" is the Malayalam translation of the word "cross," the language of Kerala, while "mala" means mountain and "ashram" means monastery.

Practice

In the monastery, the liturgical services follow the Syro-Malankara tradition and use the Indian Rite Mass. The Mass includes chants, ceremonies, and symbols adapted from Hindu tradition. The ashram also emphasizes the importance of "bread-labour," where monks engage in farming and housework for several hours each day. The monks have a nightly satsang, a time of reflection that may include readings from Christian or Hindu texts. Kurisumala is seen as a place for both Catholics and those who follow Gandhian philosophy. The monastery has hosted Hindu guests and religious leaders. In 2023, the current abbot is Tarrawarra, who succeeded Ishananda Machiyanickal in 2018.