On Thursday, 26 July 2007, the Major Archbishop, His Beatitude Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil blessed the beautiful chapel of the Good Shepherd Major Semianry Kunnoth in the presence of many Archbishops and bishops, priests, religious sisters, seminarians and a few benefactors and invited guests. During the Holy Qurbana presided over by the Major Archbishop, His Grace Mar Jacob Thoomkuzhy delivered the homily. After the solemn Qurbana, His Grace Mar Joseph Perumthottam, the Archbisop of Changanacherry blessed the newly built theology block. In his inaugural address in the meeting after the blessing, the Major Archbishop called the newly blessed chapel as the heart of the seminary and wished that the seminarians draw their spiritual strength and noursihment from this centre as the source and summit of their lives. His Grace Mar Joseph Powathil, His Grace Mar Jacob Thoomkuzhy, His Grace Mar Mathew Moolakkat, and a number of bishops congratulated the seminary authorities on their success. His Grace Mar George Valiamattam thanked everyone for their help and support in completing this project.

Good Shepherd Major Seminary, the third Major Seminary of the Syro-Malabar Church canonically erected at Kunnoth by the Synod of the Church on 1 September 2000 was inaugurated on 16 June 2001. The Synod of the Church decided to establish it in North Kerala or in the erstwhile Malabar district. The migration of the former Malabar district and its phenomenal growth, both ecclesiastically and socially, get the due recognition by the establishment of this institution. The increase of vocation in the ecclesiastical divisions of Malabar also was another reason for the founding of this seminary in this region. There were various other compelling factors that paved the way for the establishment of another major seminary.

Focus and Thrusts

Different factors contributed to the establishment of the Good Shepherd Major Seminary. The eternal Good Shepherd is the model and goal of the seminary and its inmates. Regarding the formation of priests, the conciliar document Presbyterorum Ordinis states that in major seminaries “the whole training of students ought to provide for the development of true shepherds of souls after the model of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was teacher, priest and shepherd. … Let them be readied for the ministry of a shepherd. They should know how to represent Christ before men. He did not ‘come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (PO 4). Having this end in view the seminary focuses on the integral formation of the candidates. The seminary is pledged to impart suitable human formation in order to enable the students to take up their ministry as shepherds for the people. The erosion of human values among the shepherds becomes a great threat to the priestly ministry of today and the distance between the shepherd and his sheep is alarmingly increasing. An effective shepherding needs human qualities in plenty. A reawakening of human and social qualities becomes a must for the priests of today. Thus the candidates are trained to be good shepherds after the model of the Good Shepherd, who “came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The Good Shepherd personally knows each one of his sheep. In order to be formed as good shepherds, the candidates should be known personally and intimately, so that he can be prepared for the mission more effectively. Moreover, mindful of the council teaching that “the students should be suitably organized in smaller groups, to enable more personal attention to be given to each student, while retaining unity of discipline and scientific training” (PO 7) the number of candidates admitted in each batch is limited to twenty five. It was also in response to this disposition of the Council Fathers that the Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church decided to establish a new major seminary common to the Church. Hence personal attention and care are the avowed objectives of the training here. The student gets various opportunities to know their own strengths and weaknesses; he can avoid a formation in anonymity, where neither he himself nor others know who he is. Here both the animators and the students stay together in the same block- the student knows his guru and guru knows his student. Speaking about the nature of major seminary the encyclical Pastores Dabo Vobis states that “it should strive to become a community built on deep friendship and charity, so that it can be considered a true family living in joy (60).

The constitution on Sacred Liturgy states that “in seminaries and houses of religious, clerics are to be given a liturgical formation in their spiritual life. … Thus life in seminaries and houses of religious will be thoroughly influenced by the spirit of liturgy” (17). Furthermore, the Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches instructs that “All Eastern rites should know and be convinced that they can and should always preserve their lawful liturgical rites and their established way of life, and that these should not be altered except by way of an appropriate and organic development” (6). Thus, being a major seminary of the Syro-Malabar Church, the Good Shepherd envisions that the seminarians be given adequate and authentic formation in its liturgical as well as ecclesiastical traditions.

History of the Seminary

The seminary was started in a house that belongs to Nazareth Sisters. The foundation stone for the new seminary building was laid on 3 August 2002 and the Philosophy Block was blessed on 18 June 2003 by His Beatitude Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil. Foundation stone for the Theology Block was blessed by His Beatitude Ignace Cardinal Moussa I Daoud, Prefect, Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Rome, on the occasion of his visit to the seminary on 10 January 2004.

The First Rector was Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Kuzhinjalil from Palai with Fathers Simon Valloppily (Thamarassery), Thomas Neendoor (Tellicherry) and Jose Vettickal (Tellicherry) as members on the staff. Frs. George Pulickal (Tellicherry), Jose Pulavelil (Palai) and Thomas Poovathanikunnel (Kanjirapally) joined the staff in the academic year 2003-04 and Fr. George Myladoor joined the staff in the academic year 2004-05. Frs. Paul Mudathotty MST, Jose Muthanattu from Palai and Thomas Kuzhuppil from Changanassery joined the resident staff in the academic year 2005-06. Fr. Jacob Chanikuzhy from the Archeparchy of Ernakulam–Angamaly and Fr. Thomas Padiyath from Changanassery also joined the resident staff in the year 2006-07. Fr. George Mangalathil from the Archdiocese of Changanassery is the new entry into the resident staff in the current academic year. The seminary, which has already passed through its infancy, is growing in all dimensions with 126 students in 6 batches and 11 members on the resident staff. The consecration of the chapel and the blessing of the theology block took place on 26 July 2007.