PilgrimstaysJeevadhara Divine Centre, Warangal is part of the Kristu Jyothi Ashram at Karunapuram. It is run by fathers of the Society of Holy Spirit which is headquartered at Hyderabad. Rev Fr Christu Raj SHS, is the Rector of this Institution. Inspired by Saint Arnold Janssen, Fr Christuraj a young and aspiring priest, was saddened by the struggles of men and was determined to reach out to them. He fixed his eyes on Jesus his Master and with prayer and fasting, headed towards his goal, his vision. He worked and visited various parishes and other places where he found the people everywhere in search of something. “Yes Lord, I will go!” said Fr Christuraj and took up the mission of healing, deliverance and reconciliation. He went around spreading the Good news of Jesus on a two-wheeler. “Give us souls Lord! Give us India!” was the cry in the hearts of few more lay people who joined him over the years. Their goal being the gifts and fruits of Holy Spirit should empower everyone on this earth. The ministry at Jeevadhara Divine Centre involves a team of priests, religious and laity who include worship leaders, preachers and intercessors who organize and conduct retreats, conventions and special programs in and outside the Centre. With the increasing number of broken families, domestic violence and the like, many come to Jeevadhara Divine Centre looking for a solution for their problems and a way out of their sinful ways. To minister to the needs of such persons, the Centre at Warangal has experienced and dedicated lay people and priests. They counsel, guide and help them triumph over their addictions and sinful ways and guide them back on the right path towards Jesus, our Saviour. During every retreat at the Jeevadhara Divine Centre there is a special time set apart for people to avail this opportunity of getting counselled and make clear their purpose of living.
Inspired by Saint Arnold Janssen, Fr Christuraj a young and aspiring priest, was saddened by the struggles of men and was determined to reach out to them
To minister to the needs of such persons, the Centre at Warangal has experienced and dedicated lay people and priests
Jeevadhara Divine Centre, Warangal is part of the Kristu Jyothi Ashram at Karunapuram
It is run by fathers of the Society of Holy Spirit which is headquartered at Hyderabad
The chapel at Jeevadhara is the source of the living water the centre is named for — the place where Mass is celebrated daily, where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, and where pilgrims come to drink from the divine stream. The Telugu devotional music and the local expressions of Catholic prayer give the chapel its distinctive character.
The Jeevadhara teaching programme draws on the image of living water — Jesus at the well in John 4, the river from the Temple in Ezekiel 47, the river of life in Revelation 22 — to present Christian renewal as hydration: the soul, dry and thirsty, coming to the source. The image resonates particularly in the Deccan, where water is precious and its absence is acutely felt.
Warangal Fort and the Thousand Pillar Temple, nearby, are among the finest examples of Kakatiya architecture — the sophisticated stone lattice work and the architectural complexity of the 12th and 13th century temples is remarkable. A visit to Warangal combines the Jeevadhara retreat with a pilgrimage through India's Hindu architectural heritage.
The Diocese of Warangal includes significant communities of Dalit and tribal Catholics for whom conversion to Christianity was partly an act of social emancipation from caste discrimination. The Jeevadhara centre serves this community — the living water of the Gospel has social as well as spiritual dimensions in this context.
Telugu devotional music, one of the richest traditions of south Indian Catholic worship, fills the retreat sessions. The bhajans and praise songs in Telugu — drawing on classical Carnatic musical traditions reinterpreted for Catholic devotion — are among the most beautiful expressions of Indian Catholic inculturation.
Jesus sat down at a well in Samaria and asked a woman for water. She was the wrong ethnicity, the wrong gender, the wrong marital status. He spoke to her anyway. She asked him about worship and living water. He told her that the water he gave would become a spring welling up to eternal life. She left her water jar and went to tell the village. Many believed because of her testimony. The Jeevadhara centre is named for that conversation. It takes place every day in the chapel, every time someone comes thirsty and leaves carrying something they did not expect.
“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →Jeevadhara Divine Centre, Warangal is part of the Kristu Jyothi Ashram at Karunapuram. It is run by fathers of the Society of the Holy Spirit, which is headquartered at Hyderabad. Rev Fr Christu Raj SHS is the Rector of this institution.
Inspired by Saint Arnold Janssen, Fr Christuraj, a young and aspiring priest, was saddened by the struggles of men and was determined to reach out to them. He fixed his eyes on Jesus his Master and, with prayer and fasting, headed towards his goal, his vision. He worked and visited various parishes and other places, where he found people everywhere in search of something. “Yes Lord, I will go!” said Fr Christuraj, and took up the mission of healing, deliverance and reconciliation. He went around spreading the Good News of Jesus on a two-wheeler. “Give us souls, Lord! Give us India!” was the cry in the hearts of a few more lay people who joined him over the years, their goal being that the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit should empower everyone on this earth.
The ministry at Jeevadhara Divine Centre involves a team of priests, religious and laity who include worship leaders, preachers and intercessors who organise and conduct retreats, conventions and special programs in and outside the Centre. With the increasing number of broken families, domestic violence and the like, many come to Jeevadhara Divine Centre looking for a solution for their problems and a way out of their sinful ways.
To minister to the needs of such persons, the Centre at Warangal has experienced and dedicated lay people and priests. They counsel, guide and help them triumph over their addictions and sinful ways and guide them back on the right path towards Jesus, our Saviour. During every retreat at the Jeevadhara Divine Centre, there is a special time set apart for people to avail this opportunity of getting counselled and make clear their purpose of living.
