Administration
In the early phase, the administration of the Congregation was carried out by the Founder, Mar Thomas Kurialacherry with the help of Mother Mary Francisca de Chantal, who was the first Superior of the convents at Champakulam and Thuruthy. When more convents were started, local superiors of the respective convents carried out the administration under the directions of the Founder. He appointed Rev.Fr.Geevarghese Kattarath, the Founder of the Vincentian Congregation, as the Chaplain of Adoration convent at Champakulam in 1916 and as the Superior General (Pothusreshtan) of the Adoration Congregation in 1922. Residing at the presbytery near the Oresalem church at Champakulam, he gave spiritual guidance to the Sisters till 1927. To help him in the administration of the Congregation, four Councilors – Mother Mariam Magdalena de Passi, Mother Cicily, Mother Thresia and Mother Chantal – were elected from among the senior sisters. Before leaving for Rome, on 18 March 1925, Mar Thomas Kurialacherry entrusted the financial responsibility of SABS with Rev. Fr.Joseph Kandathilparampil, his personal secretary. In 1928 Mar James Kalacherry appointed Rev. Fr.George Ambiathu, the Chancellor of the Vicariate as the Superior General of the Adoration Congregation. He stayed with Rev. Fr.Joseph Kandathilparambil, the Chaplain of the Adoration convent, Vazhappally and thus Vazhappally became the pivot of administration of Congregation.
According to the SABS constitution given by the Founder in 1921, the Adoration convents in different dioceses should be under one Mother General. Hence before starting a new convent in the archdiocese of Eranakulam, the Superior General was elected from among the senior sisters in April 1930. Sr.Philomina Punnappadathu of Edathua was the first Mother General and Sr.Clara, Sr.Angela, Sr.Kochuthresia and Sr.Cicily were the General Councilors. Sr. Mary Rose was the General finance officer and Mother Magdalena de Passi the General secretary. Thus from 1930 onwards the administration of the Congregation was vested with the sisters themselves. In 1948 the convents in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam became an independent unit and in 1952 convents in the Pala diocese formed another unit with separate Mother Generals. Even though the administration of the units in different dioceses was carried out by separate Major Superiors, they followed the same constitution given by the Founder.
After the apostolic visit of Cardinal Eugene Tissarant, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches to Kerala in 1954, the process for the unification of the different units of SABS in various dioceses was started. Under he guidance and leadership of Rev. Fr. Eliseus OCD, an application for the unification was sent to Rome. In 1963, Rev. Fr.Francis Sales CMI was given the responsibility of unification process. In an assembly of the Major Superiors of different units convened at Athirampuzha on 15 September, Mother Mary Espirith from Changanacherry was elected the first Superior General of the unified Adoration Congregation. The Mother Generals of each unit continued as the Major Superiors and were also the Councillors to the Superior General. On 20 November 1963, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches gave an order that the different units be called Commissariates and the Major Superiors, Mother Commissaries. On 24 April 1965, the unification of the Adoration congregation became complete. The Constitution of the unified Congregation was approved by the Holy See on 11 February 1968 and the Congregation was raised to the status of iuris Pontificii (Pontifical atus). In accordance with this decree of the Holy See, the Commissariates began to be called Provinces and Mother Commissaries Mother Provincials. The Mother Province with its Provincialate at Vazhappally was named St. Thomas Province after the name of St. Thomas the first Apostle of India and the father of our faith. Considering the increasing number of convents in the Highranges and north India, for transport facilities, the Provincial house at Vazhappally was shifted to Koothrappally in 1975.
Provincial Team 2015 – 18
SABS ST. THOMAS PROVINCE CHANGANACHERRY 