The CMC and Education

St. Joseph Training College for Women, Ernakulam dedicated to St.Joseph was established, owned and run by the Vimala Province of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC). CMC is a religious and charitable association of a religious minority group within the purview of the constitution of India (CMC Con.No.002). CMC is the first indigenous congregation for women in the Syro-Malabar Church founded on February 13th 1866.

Education, the Chief Apostolate of CMC

From the beginning, education has been the chosen field of our apostolate (CMC Con.097). Our founders blessed Chavara Kuriakose Elias and Fr.Leopoid Boccaro bequeathed to us the noble mission of dedicating ourselves for the uplift and faith formation of our fellowmen especially of women and children. We ventured out into this field with the establishment of a school at Koonammavu on October 16,1876.The benefits of education were made available to more and more people in different places according to need. CMC Institutions are established on the basis of the right of minorities in our country to have educational Institutions of their own for fostering their religious and cultural identity, their specific aim is the formation of the young women of the Christian community according to the ideals and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Launching into the Teacher Education field

It is universally acknowledged that education is an effective means of social reconstruction and to a great extent; it offers solutions to the problems a society is faced with. "Enlightened, emancipated and empowered teachers lead communities and nations in its march towards better and high quality of life. Teachers are the torchbearers in creating social cohesion, the national integration and a learning society. The surest, safest and cheapest way to a knowledgeable and enlightened society is through the medium of its teachers."

Realizing the significance of teacher education. Vimala Province entered into this realm through the establishment of the St.Joseph Training College for Women in 1957.As women, we consider it our special call to promote the status of women every where especially in our country, with the specific object we started this college exclusively for women .CMC has invested money, manpower and materials mainly in the apostolate of education. Ever since its inception the successive provincial superiors of the province have been pioneers and pillars of this institution acting as the educational Agency.