St. John's Leprosy and HIV Care Services is a charitable undertaking of the Major Archieparchy of
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
of the
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of Ca ...
.
At present the hospital is giving shelter for 50 leprosy patients. In the rehabilitation centre, some 20 HIV/Aids patients are getting care and treatment. Fr. Jose Kizhakkedath is the current director of St. John’s Health Services.
History
In the early 1960s, there was a leprosy clinic at Koppam run by the Church of South India. The programme of the clinic was carried out by Miss Dunn from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. In the beginning of 1963, Miss Dunn was looking for some agency to carry out the work and she met late Archbishop
Benedict Mar Gregorios
Benedict Mor Gregorios (1 February 1916 – 10 October 1994) was the second metropolitan archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
Life
Gregorios or "Thangalathil Thirumeni" was born and raised in the Malankara Orthodox Church in Kalloo ...
. He agreed to carry out this noble work. That was the beginning of St. John’s Health Services, Pirappencode. Fr. Lawrence J. Thottam (later Lawrence Mar Epraem) joined the Health Services as the first Director of St. John’s Health Services in 1963. Sisters of Imitation of Christ (
Bethany Madhom
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ (SIC) or Bethany Madhom is a congregation in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. It was founded by the Servant of God Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios on 1 May 1925, originally in th ...
) and
Little Sisters of Jesus
The Little Sisters of Jesus are a community of Catholic religious sisters inspired by the life and writings of Charles de Foucauld, founded by Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus (Madeleine Hutin).
Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus 1898 - 1989 ...
took up the Community Services of the centre. St.John’s Hospital was formally inaugurated on 15 February 1964 by Health Minister Mr. Willington and the late Archbishop
Benedict Mar Gregorios
Benedict Mor Gregorios (1 February 1916 – 10 October 1994) was the second metropolitan archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
Life
Gregorios or "Thangalathil Thirumeni" was born and raised in the Malankara Orthodox Church in Kalloo ...
. In 1999, the Leprosy & TB Control Program was launched at Trivandrum City Corporation under the leadership of this Hospital. On 5 July 2007,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
State AIDS Control Society recognized St. John’s Health Centre as a community care centre for HIV/AIDS.
Sources
*''Manual of St. John's Health Services''
External links
St. John's Health Services
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Charities based in India
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