Apostolates

Marian Pro-Life Movement

Pro-life is a movement, which stands for the protection and promotion of life. It is a worldwide organization started in United States in the early 1970’s as a movement against abortion. Later it spread to different parts of the world and got wide range of meaning. Now a days it denotes the movement which stands not only for life but also fighting against the acts such as, abortion, contraception, sterilization, suicide, mercy-killing, capital punishment, violence against women and children, environmental pollution etc.

The Pro-Life Movement in the diocese of Thamarassery is known in the name ‘Marian Pro-Life Movement.’ In Thamarassery diocese it started in the year 1997 as a laymen movement under the leadership of Dr. Abraham Jacob, Dr. Fiju Chacko, Mr. Johnson Poovathinkal, Mr. Josekutty Thadathil, by taking inspiration from Dr. John Iype the earliest proponent of this movement. However, it was the above said team under the leadership of Dr. Abraham Jacob, which promulgated the pro-life message throughout Kerala at first by travelling thousands of kilometers by conducting seminars, classes and workshops. They have even given training to the leaders of the other dioceses at the request of the KCBC. In order to give proper guidance and orientation to this Lay Movement late Mar Paul Chitilappilly, the then bishop of Thamarassery, appointed Fr. Sebastian Embrayil in 1998 as the first diocesan director of the Movement. “For the protection and promotion of life in this beautiful world”, is the motto of this diocesan movement. The Marian pro-life team conducted classes in most of the parishes of the diocese.

The Marian pro-life Movement in the diocese of Thamarassery worked under the department of Family apostolate till 2012, but in August 2012 Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil appointed Fr. Jose Pennaparambil as the director and separated Marian Pro-life Movement from department of Family apostolate. This gave great impetus to the movement and Fr. Jose has conducted classes in all the parishes of the diocese by the demonstration of banners, placards, leaflets, and exhibition, by the span of three years. In 2013, at the request of the Bishop Remigiose Fr. Jose convened a meeting of well-wishers and supports of pro-life and elected a diocesan executive committee. This executive committee worked hard, by conducting seminars, workshops, medical camps, gatherings of the big families of the diocese, seminars and retreats for youths and families, and gave a great momentum to this movement.

In 2014 Marian pro-life movement registered as a Charitable Trust (Marian pro-life Charitable Trust-MPCT) and in the same year it inaugurated ‘Jeevanidhi’-a fund mobilization program, to help financially the big families of the diocese. The movement could collect a good sum of money from the generous benefactors, especially from the participants of the Pre-Cana course and the kind hearted well-wishers of the various parishes of the diocese of Thamarassery. The fund is using for the educational, medical and housing needs of the big families of the diocese. As a reward for commendable and humanitarian works for the protection and promotion of life KCBC Family Commission has selected the diocese of Thamarassery as the best pro-life diocese of Kerala in the year 2018.

Diocesan Executive Committee

Parton- Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil

Director- Fr. Jose Pennaparambil

Animator- Sr. Merin Jose SH

President- Mr. Sajeev Joseph Purayidathil

Secretary – Mr. Johnson Thegumthottathil

Treasurer- Mr. Tomy Plathottam