Kurisumala Ashram is a Trappist monastery of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, located in the Sahya Mountains of Vagamon, Kerala, India.
In 1956, Zacharias Mar Athanasios, then the Bishop of Thiruvalla,[1] [2] 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 88acres 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 .[3]
Within three years, the population of the monastery grew to fifteen individuals.[4] Prayer services were initially held in Syriac.
Francis Mahieu later changed his name to Francis Acharya[5] and became an Indian citizen.[6]
The monastery was incorporated as an abbey into the Cistercian Order of Strict Observance in July 1998.[7]
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.[8] 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 .
"Kurisu" is the Malayalam translation of the word "cross," the language of Kerala, while "mala" means mountain and "ashram" means monastery.
In the monastery, the liturgical services follow the Syro-Malankara tradition and use the Indian Rite Mass.[9] [10] The Mass includes chants, ceremonies, and symbols adapted from Hindu tradition.[11]
The ashram also emphasizes the importance of "bread-labour," where monks engage in farming and housework for several hours each day.[12]
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.[13]
The monastery has hosted Hindu guests and religious leaders.
In 2023, the current abbot is Tarrawarra, who succeeded Ishananda Machiyanickal in 2018.[14]