“In God we have boasted continually and we will give thanks to your name forever.” (Psalm: 44: 8)
Carmel Hill Monastery Vazhuthacaud, popularly called the Pangode Church, is the oasis of prayer and spiritual nourishment, under the Holy orders of Carmelite spirituality and rooted within the Catholic faith. Situated in the heart of the city of Thiruvananthapuram, people from all walks of life, near and far, gather in the church for divine graces, intercession, solace and spiritual growth. The liturgical services at the church and monastery, the sacrament of reconciliation and prayers brings anyone to surrendering their lives to the blessed intercession of the Mother of Carmel and the Holy Family. The constant flow of the faithful, and the populace irrespective of their religion, caste and class is a testimony that no soul is left untouched by our Blessed Mother, who gathers everyone towards Her son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Carmel Hill Monastery, at its core is the church of sacramental administration. Regular Holy Masses, celebrated with great solemnity, brings faithful both near and far to the Eucharistic Lord. The church, from its beginning to this day, is the considered as the Church of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Being not a parish church, it is open without distinction of region or rite.
With its humble beginnings as the fruit of the missionary zeal of the Flanders province of Belgium, the monastery is the seed of Indian Carmel – the first novitiate for natives to the Order of Discalced Carmelites.
Having being the powerhouse of spiritual life in Thiruvananthapuram more than 100 years, the monastery combines the Carmelite life of regular observance of prayer and community life with its apostolic activities of pastoral and spiritual care.
From the very beginning, the monastery several spiritual services to nourish the people of Trivandrum. It offered the service of teaching catechism to the children, and prepared children for first communion. The priests serve as chaplains to religious houses, Catholics in the Central prison, inmates at leprosarium and mental hospital at Oolampara.
In 1937, the catechism services amalgamated to form the Pious Union, in honour of St Teresa of Lisieux. The Christian Cultural Movement (CCM) works in the continuous spiritual formation of the laity and their social and cultural upliftment. The church also has a unit of the Order of Discalced Carmelites Secular (OCDS) working as the lay wing of the Carmelite Order.
The tombs of Servants of God Archbishop Aloysius Maria Benziger and Fr Adeodatus of St Peter bears testimony to the missionary zeal of the Carmelite order and the divine providence that gave us these powerful intercessors, who Deo volunte be venerated at the holy altar in the fullness of time.
The Carmel Hill Monastery, as it stands today is the harmony of contemplative witnessing of the religious through their life of fidelity to the religious charism and the fruitfulness of pastoral care and sacramental administration.