CCWI
The CCWI - Thrissur unit is a sub unit of this organization and is one of the pioneer units of CCWI. It is one of the first organizations of Catholic women in Kerala working in the service of God and the Church. The main purpose of this unit is to see with compassion, the poor and the needy around us and to give them a helping hand to improve their standard of living or help to make their ends meet. We also aim for our own spiritual development through the activities of the Council and the guidance and leadership of the Ecclesiastic Advisor/ Director. We also wish to serve the socio-economic, educational, spiritual and emotional needs of the poor and needy women and children; irrespective of their class, caste, creed or community.
The Council of Catholic Women of India (CCWI) was inaugurated in 1964 at the time of the Eucharistic Congress with representatives from 15 diocese. Now CCWI has emerged as a strong body of women, with around 45 units spread across the length and breadth of the country. The CCWI is recognized by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and is affiliated to the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO). CCWI works with the CBCI women’s Commission in many dioceses of India.
It was established in Thrissur in 1965 under the patronage of the then Bishop of Thrissur, Rt. Rev. Dr. George Alapatt, with around 25 ladies from different parishes of Thrissur. During the 60’s and the 70’s and till mid 80’s the unit was very active and provided various types of humanitarian services to the less fortunate around them. Unfortunately the initial vigour and enthusiasm of the members gradually died down and the unit went into a state of hibernation.
However, 1996 due to the efforts of a few enthusiastic ladies and a lot of encouragement from the Alleppey CCWI unit, the Thrissur unit was revived with Rt. Rev. Mar Joseph Kundukulam as its patron and Rev. Fr. Raphael Vadakkan as its director. As this organization come within the Archeparchy of Trichur, it is under the organisations that comes under The Family Apostolate. Therefore, the director of the Family Apostolate is the Director of CCWI Thrissur Unit. In pursuance of its motto “in the service of the Church and the nation” the main activities of the council were focused on the physical and medical needs of the destitute and sickly and their families and also the spiritual growth of its members.
As on 01-01-2018 CCWI - Thrissur has 38 members belonging to as many as 13 parishes within the Archdiocese of Trichur. Meetings are held regularly on every 2nd Monday of the month with the Director on the chair. The Agenda includes; prayer, reading of the report, homily by the Director, President’s address, review of the activities of the month, programmes for the following month, discussion on relevant matters, vote of thanks and tea.
