• Br. Raphie Paliakara

Kristjyoti Province has its orgin from the hard and sustained missionary work of the European Capuchin missionaries and later by the Indian Capuchins. Presence of the Indian Capuchins was formally established in 1970 as a mission/region with a mission superior under the province of St.Joseph. The area was then spread out in the civil states of Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and western part of Uttar Pradesh (Meerut Diocese ). By 1974 it was raised to a custody under the same mother province of St.Joseph of Kerala. Kristjyoti was raised to a vice province in 1999 and further it was erected to a full pledged province in 2007. The area of missionary work of the province was declared to be the diocese of Jammu-Srinagar, Jalandhar, Udaipur, Ajmer, and Meerut. In all these dioceses capuchin presence is established through capuchin Ashrams, Churches, Sub-stations and various ministries like school, VTC etc.