to be known as Servants of Mary Immaculate of Carmel. Kuriakose Elias Chavara established the first Syro-Malabar common seminary in 1833 at Mannanam, which continued up to 1894 and, then, got amalgamated to the Puthenpally seminary. He became the first Vicar General in the Syrian Church after the time of archdeacon in 1861. He implemented the idea of "a school for a church" in the Syrian churches when he was the Vicar General in 1864. He took pains to unify and codify the Syriac Divine Office, liturgical rubrics, calendar in the Malabar Church, etc. In 2008, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, former Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Archiepiscopal Church, wrote: "It is mostly thanks to Blessed Chavara's tireless and committed efforts that the Syro-Malabar Church is what she is today. The practical wisdom and common sense with which he introduced reform in the fields of liturgy, priestly training and pastoral ministry certainly provide us with unfailing guidelines even today in similar endeavours. He also presented well thought out proposal for regaining and maintaining Church's autonomy and identity, which would even facilitate the reunion of the separated brethren". He initiated spiritual reforms by starting 40 hour adoration, way of the cross, and various Marian devotional practices. In the midst of diverse and manifold activities, he found time and leisure to write a few books, both in prose and in verse, like Atmanuthapam (The Lamentations of a Repentant Soul-a poem), Marana-Veettil Padunnathinulla Pana (A Poem to Sing in the Bereaved House), Anasthaciayude Rakthasakshyam (The Martyrdom of Anasthacia), Dhyana Sallapangal (Colloquies in Mediation) and Nalagamangal (Historical Notes as Chronicles). He took initiative in codifying the liturgical books like canonical prayers for priests and prepared the liturgical rubrics called Thukkasa, liturgical calendar, Solemn Sung Mass, Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Office for the Dead. His Eclogues are 10 Shepherd Plays related to the birth of Jesus Christ. His counsels to the Christian families given in 1868 in the form of the "Testament of a Loving Father" are universally applicable and are relevant to this day even after 150 years. As an instruction manual for families, already lakhs of copies in 32 editions were circulated among the Christian families. He started catechumenates attached to Mannanam and other monasteries and many received faith and joined the Catholic Church. He was known for his personal holiness and was acclaimed popularly as a true mirror of virtues.