st johns hospital kattappana

In the Beginning More than four decades ago when Bro. Fortunatus Thanhauser came to Kattappana the whole High-range region of the present Idukki district, Kerala, was still a very remote area. The nearest hospital was 110 kilometers away. Patients could not be transported there in time due to lack of proper roads. Most of the serious patients died on the way. Malaria also took the lives of many. The Vincent de Paul Society and the Franciscan Clarist Sisters of Kattappana were trying their best to start at least a small dispensary. Knowing the situation Mar Mathew Kavukatt, the Archbishop of Changanacherry, invited Bro. Fortunatus Thanhauser from Germany, and Kattappana was selected as the suitable place for the foundation. The Archbishop entrusted Fr. Joseph Meprakarot, the parish priest of Kattappana, with the responsibility to take the necessary steps. Humble Beginnings:A Temporary Dispensary With the help of the Brothers in Germany Fr. Joseph bought a plot of land for Brothers, ...