• SOYA MATHEW

Abstract Women empowerment is one of the main concerns of our country today. St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara was a greatest leader, social reformer and educationalist of Kerala who lived in the 19thcentury. Women were grossly under privileged religiously, socially, economically and educationally during his time. The education of women is more important for the development of human resources, improvement of homes and character development of children. This was realized by St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara in the middle of the 19th century. The great vision of St. Chavara was that women themselves should become agents of their progress. He started the first indigenous religious congregation for women. The convent was meant for enabling the sisters to devote themselves to prayer and meditation to provide education and social service to the women in the locality. The starting of boarding schools and the vocational training given for the girls were the important attempts to actualize the vision of St.Chavara for the empowerment of women.

Keywords: Women Empowerment, Social Reformer, Religious Congregation, Vocational Training.

"ST. KURIAKOSE ELIAS CHAVARA: THE PROPHETIC PRACTITIONER FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 2, page no.657-661, February-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1902790.pdf

"ST. KURIAKOSE ELIAS CHAVARA: THE PROPHETIC PRACTITIONER FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 2, page no. pp657-661, February-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1902790.pdf