ST MARY'S MALANKARA SEMINARY

Mar Gregorios Library of St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary began its functioning in the year 1983, the same year when this seminary came into existence. The seminary library is named after the founder of St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary - Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregorios of Happy Memory. Initially the library owned only a handful of books and ecclesiastical journals. Rev. Fr. Thomas Kulangara was appointed the first librarian. All possible resources were explored under his leadership sparing no pain to build up the library on a scientific and methodic manner. Many contributed generously in cash and kind and as a result soon a huge number of books and journals were added to the catalogue. Its stock was on steady increase.

Mar Gregorios Library of St. Mary’s Malankara seminary facilitates the intellectual and creative pursuits of our Faculty, Staff and students and supports their academic, educational, and spiritual development. The library serves as a place of study, research, and exploration and enables the discovery, creation and expansion of knowledge through collections of books, journals, commentaries, magazines and e-journals etc. St. Mary’s Seminary aims at enhancing the theological studies of the future priests by promoting the sustainable use of library resources, and improving intellectual and social, spiritual and pastoral wellbeing.

From the humble beginnings, our library has achieved a remarkable growth during a brief span of thirty six years of its existence. Over these years the library has established direct contact with almost all the reputed publishers of theological and philosophical books within India and abroad. We receive regularly catalogues from all these publishers and thereby we are familiar with the latest publications on various subjects. The library has now developed into a well-organized library of more than 47,000 volumes. Every year around thousand new books are added to our catalogues, from current publication. Of the 47,000, nearly 19,500 books are related to Philosophy, culture, anthropology and creative writing. The remaining 27,500 books have religious and theological content. Apart from a good collection of books on lives of saints, spiritual well-being and formative psychology etc. we have 22,500 books catalogued specifically under various aspects of Christian Theology. Our recent purchases are more focused on Biblical studies, Christology, Patrology and Liturgy. A good collection of rare sources on the history of Malankara (Puthenkoor) tradition, of which our Church is the latest offshoot. A considerably strong collection of the sources on our liturgical tradition is maintained among the books we have here.

The reference section includes hundreds of invaluable books for immediate reference and study. Even non-resident students and scholars are welcome to make use of the reference section and other facilities of the library. Serious efforts are on to obtain and preserve all the available documents related to the history and traditions of the Malankara Church; sooner than later we have to have well-maintained archives which will be at the service of all interested scholars. Maintaining the present pace of development, and even accelerating it, we hope that the Mar Gregorios Library will become a centre for study and research to be reckoned with, especially in the field of philosophy, theology and other ecclesiastical sciences.