Beginning of S V D Prarthana Niketan

 In May 1978 Fr. Sebastian Pottanani S V D was given the task of finding different possibilities of Apostolates based at, then existing, St. Paul’s Apostolic school. He spent over one year to find out different possibilities of Apostoloates which could be carried out in the Institution. During this period, he consulted many people, visited many Institutions, and studied the needs of the people in Kerala. Fr. Sebastian also, during this time, equipped himself with skills in counseling, and in different types of retreat preaching which he was doing as part-time Apostolate from 1964 on wards. St. Paul’s Apostolic School was given, in view of the future Apostolate, by Provincial council a New Name in 1979 as “S V D Prarthana Niketan”. Thus Prarthana Nikeran came into existence. And after many consultations and considerations Fr. Sebastian Pottanani came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to start Charismatic Retreats. So, a Charismatic Retreat was organized for grown up lay people, both men and women, of the locality. The response was very encouraging and therefore another retreat was conducted for youth which was also very much appreciated. A prayer group was formed, as a result, for those who participated in those retreats and about 100 people were regularly attending weekly prayer meetings which helped them to grow in the Christian life. Regular residential Charismatic retreats were being conducted in Prarthana Niketan for various groups from January 1980 onwards.

  Charismatic Retreats

Every month two different Charismatic retreats were conducted in Prarthana Niketan till 1998. We had Initiation retreats, Growth in the Spirit led life retreats, Prayer experience retreats, Discipline training retreats, Marriage preparation retreats and Couples Retreats. Besides these retreats Bible study programmes and mission animation sessions were conducted in the beginning. The Initiation retreat helps people to experience the liberation from all bondages of Soul, mind and heart. It also helps people to come in to deep personal relation with Holy Trinity and with one another. During Initiation retreats people are helped to make a commitment to Jesus and accept His Lordship in all areas of their life. Because of this commitment Jesus gives an awareness of His Spirit’s presence in their hearts and people surrender themselves to The Spirit to be led by Him. And The Spirit gives them an experience of Heavenly Father’s Love which transforms their lives. Thus a personal relationship is established with Three Persons of Holy Trinity. This deep personal relationship leads also to the brotherhood of fellow men. Through Initiation retreats lots of reconciliation have taken place in Kerala.

Christian Brotherhood

The brotherhood experience has brought about the formation of communities of deep sharing of personal experiences and sharing of material goods. Very many families share one tenth of their total income with the Poor and marginalized of Our Lord Who said that whatever you do to the poor, you do unto Me. There was a marked increase of spirit of service among these people. Many who have experienced Heavenly Father’s Love through these retreats, started also to intercede in groups, for various needs of fellow men and the Church.

Growth retreats have helped lay people to be messengers of The Good News. As a result we have very  many Lay Preachers of the Word of God and also Counselors to minister to those who need it to live a better Christian life amid the faithless life of modern world.

Couples Retreat

Since retreat centers have proliferated over the past years all over Kerala offering many varieties of retreats, by God’s guidance, from the year 1998 Prarthana Niketan has been specializing and offering only Couples Retreats and Marriage Preparation Retreats, to build a good base for Family renewal programmes. In fact Prarthana Niketan was the first retreat center in Kerala to offer Couples Retreat already from 1985. Couples Retreats are the hall-mark of our Retreat center and it is well appreciated by one and all throughout Kerala. Fr. Sebastian has been given by God, a special Charisma to preach to the couples in a special way and it touches them very deep in their hearts. This retreat is meant to help the participants to appreciate their unique vocation to participate in the life of Trinity and to concretize the unseen Trinity to the Domestic Church members. They are helped to see the obstacles that prevent them from achieving the Unity of heart, mind and body according to the likeness of Holy Trinity. This leads them to sincere repentance and reconciliation with God and spouse. During retreat ample opportunities are provided, besides Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration, Preaching the Word of God, for deep and personal sharing between the marriage partners which helps them to realize the oneness of heart and mind.

Follow up Programmes

 Besides the Couples retreats and Marriage preparation retreats follow up programmes too are conducted for those who have participated in these retreats in our Institution. Around Eighty Couples gather together as a family on every second Saturday of the year to Praise and Worship Triune God and to strengthen the fellowship bond between themselves. They also bring a part of their tithing to build up a fund for helping those who belong to the community and financially in need. Slowly a community is being formed in the likeness of the Early Church. Every Sunday evening a fixed group of people from neighborhood come together to build a community where they feel free to Praise and Worship their Lord and Master, Jesus, and share their weekly God experiences to strengthen the brotherly bond. On each Sunday they take a decision to eradicate a sin and to practice a virtue so that they can grow weekly more and more in the likeness of Jesus. Once a month the retreat preaching team consisting of five Couples whom Fr. Pottanani helped to grow very much in family life and trained to preach the Word of God and bear Witness publicly of the wonders God has done in their family life, come to our Institution for prayer, celebration of the Eucharist, intercessory prayer, deep personal sharing of their one month’s life experiences, and to evaluate and to correct themselves and the retreat programmes. This gathering lasts one full day.

Bible Apostolate : Together with different types of Retreats. Prarthana Niketan had conducted Bible Courses with the help of local Bible Scholars. This course was lasting about six weeks spread out during two years time. Many have profited from these courses and we had such courses. We also distribute Bible at subsidized  prices. The needed fund was collected from those who participated in our retreats and a fund is established to continue this Apostolate.

Intercessory Ministry :- We have different intercessory prayer groups to pray for the blessing of God on various needs of the church, our apostolate and especially for the family renewal.

Extended Apostolate:-  Along with the retreat ministry Prarthana Niketan provide ample opportunities to people around the Institution to participate in daily Holy Eucharist and confession. Many profit from this apostolate. We also occasionally help out in the nearby Parishes according to their need.

Out side Apostolate :- God has given, through Superiors, Fr. Joseph P K who became a part of Prarthana Niketan in 1992, an Apostolate of Proclamation of Word of God, mostly out side Prarthana Niketan. Father preaches retreats, conducts one day seminars and evening conventions in different parishes according to the need of the parish people. Father leads Initiation retreats, Inner healing retreats, and Anointing of the Holy Spirit retreats in some of the retreat centers. Many religious congregations have invited him to preach retreats for Postulants, Novices, and Junior sisters during last few years. Father Joseph P K is associated with Children’s ministry called “Christen” a wing of Kerala Charismatic renewal programme. Through guidance and counseling many children were helped to solve their problems and face their life with confidence and courage. Fr. George Mudakkampuram who was a member of Prarthana Niketan for many years and was transferred recently to Pilathara, works for the renewal of youth. That Ministry is called “Jesus youth” Ministry. At present he is Spiritual Director, All Kerala level, of Jesus Youth. Father George is more involved with Campus Jesus Youth ministry.

S V D Staff

 During last 20 years different S.V.D. members have actively involved in the apostolate here in Prarthana Niketan. Fr. P S George and Brother Xavier Kunnath of Happy memory were in Prarthana Niketan to help in the Apostolate. Frs Anand Anithottathil and Augustine Karamel were here as Rectors for some years. Besides these two  Br. Thomas K, Frs Joseph Lopez, Kuriakose Perepaden, Francis Thurithimattom, Paul Vattathara, Thomas Kavumkattayil have served people of God through Prarthana Niketan in different ways, according to His Will and Plan. Fathers from St.John’s Mission Seminary  too have helped Prarthana Niketan to carry on the Apostolate entrusted by God.

Present Staff

 Fr. Chacko Parekatt  is the Superior & Director of the center  Fr. Sebastian Pottanani, who was the instrument in God’s hands to convert St. Paul’s Apostolic school into Prarthana Niketan as a center for renewal of People of God and Families, is the main Retreat preacher in Prarthana Niketan from the beginning till now. Fr. Babu  Kakkaniyil is assisting as  the  Treasurer and  preacher. Besides S V D members, two full time lay persons are actively involved in the administration wing of Prarthana Niketan.

Alternations and Additions

 In 1979, as soon as the last batch of students of Apostolic School left the house, some urgent and very necessary remolding of the house was done to accommodate grown up people for the residential Retreats. When the number of participants increased some more additional building was necessary. Therefore a hall was made in the year 1984, to accommodate large number of people who came for one day programmes. This hall is also used to take classes during residential retreats. As our Apostolate increased, better facilities were required to accommodate people of all walks of life and so the Society allowed to construct 40 residential rooms as a separate block.. Now we can accommodate very well 40 couples for each residential retreat. The new building was blessed and inaugurated on 15^th of January 1993. Together with this, a major repair was done to the oldest part of the building which was bought in the year 1959 for the Apostolic School. And during this Great Jubilee Year, 2000 A D, our small Chapel got a very good look in side. It is made very conducive for prayer and liturgical services. The front part of the whole Institution is also given a good look by tarring the courtyard.

Financial helps

 We have received financial helps from many, who participated in the retreats, for above works besides Society’s help which was the major portion of the needed sum. We also get some financial helps monthly, for revenue expenses. Some retreatants were willing to adopt our Seminarians of D W S Pune and contribute financially for the seminary training expenses.

All Kerala “Lord’s Couples” Ministry :-

Charismatic renewal programs are oriented to Three main groups according to the state of life. We have in Kerala “Christen” for high school children, “Jesus Youth” for youth and Lord’s Couples for Married grown up people. This helps to cater to these different groups according to their needs. In 1998 Fr. Sebastian Pottanani was requested by Kerala Service Team which is the Apex body of Discernment in Charismatic Renewal of Kerala Region, to be the spiritual director of “Lord’s Couples”. This is the second time, Father was given this great responsibility. In consultation with Fr. Provincial and Kerala Unit Members Fr. Sebastian took up this task. This Apostolate involves forming Married Couples to lead their married life under the Lordship of Jesus, in complete Union with one another,  resembling the Unity in Holy Trinity. Couples retreat conducted in Prarthana Niketan is the beginning of this committed life. Kerala  is divided into 21 Zones for better catering to the Lay people and in every Zone, efforts are under way to form committed couples who have made the Couples retreat, into communities. These communities meet regularly to Praise and Worship Father in Heaven and to share their God experiences and failures. Thus communities are being formed which would be the leaven of family renewal in each parish in Kerala. Fr. Pottanani is fully devoted to this great task. We find steady growth in the families and in Lord’s Couples communities. There are 10 Couples besides the preaching team couples, who were helped by Fr. Sebastian to better their Family life, to work with him as a team in this LORD’S COUPLES MINISTRY.

Social dimension of Lord’s Couples :-

Those who have gone through the Couples retreat have contributed, during last two and a half years, about Nine Lakh Rupees to help Poor unmarried girls to settle in their life and this amount will be given to one each worthy girl from every Zone selected by Zonal leader during this Great Jubilee year 2000. The Lord’s Couples ministry is also helping financially very much, to allow poor Couples to participate in the Couples retreats without out fully paying the retreat expenses.

 Literary Apostolate :-

Answering family life oriented questions which come up from couples, in a monthly called “Jeevajwala”, the official organ of the Charismatic Renewal Programmes in Kerala. It is appreciated very much because couples find solutions for their own problems which they face in their lives. And it also helps them to prevent rising up of problems. This Apostolate is one of the many activities of Lord’s Couples ministry. We have compiled a Song book for the use during the retreat which participants can carry home after the retreat. We have also produced an Audio cassette of 12 Hymns which are used during Couples retreats. This will help retreat participants to keep alive the memory of the retreat, which they have made.