- Divine Retreat Centre, Potta
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The Divine Retreat Center or Potta Ashram is a "Catholic" Charismatic Renewal (Neo-Pentecostal) ministry in Muringoor on the banks of the Chalakudy River 6 k.m. from Potta in Kerala, India. Since 1950, the Vincentian Fathers have been conducting Popular Mission Retreats in parishes in Kerala, India.
Contents
History
Charismatic Renewal history
The Divine Retreat Center has its origins in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, an import of a modified Pentecostalism into the post-Vatican II Catholic Church.
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal began in 1966 at the Duquesene University in the U.S.A. and was imported into India by Minoo Engineer, a Parsee (Zoroastrian) who married a Hispanic American, Luz Maria, and "converted;" husband and wife have together spread this ideology in India (Origins of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal).
Foundation of the Potta Ashram
The Potta Ashram was founded in 1977 as the Popular Mission Center. The directors of the Center, Frs. George Panackal and Romulus Nedumchalil, etc., used to conduct Popular Mission retreats and visitations from there and they also made it their residence and headquarters. A few years later Fr.Mathew Naickomparambil was transferred to Potta. Naickomparambil was involved with propagating the Charismatic Renewal. Fr. George Panackal became impressed by Naickomparambil's sermons which were the result of his involvement in the Charismatic Renewal. Naickomparambil's propagation of the Charismatic Renewal drew in thousands of people. After a few years a three storey building was put up to conduct the retreats, primarily intended for the people coming to the Ashram for further consultations from places where the Vincentians' Popular Mission Retreats were being conducted. But as Naickomparambil's Charismatic Renewal retreats grew in popularity, the Potta Ashram itself became a center for numerous retreats.
Facility at Muringoor
As the Potta Ashram was inadequate for the increased numbers, under Fr. George Vempilly, the new director, a sprawling new site was acquired at Muringoor, on the banks of the Chalakudy River, six kilometers away from Potta, and Fr. Jacob Athickal was tasked with preparing a new and more extensive facility. This was given the name of Divine Retreat Center, and as inaugurated in 1987. At this new site, as increasing numbers visited, retreats were begun in six other languages besides Malayalam: English, Konkani, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi.
Expansion
The Potta Ashram quickly set up branches in other cities and regions of India, including one in the Chembur suburb of Bombay (St. George's Ashram, Chembur), and Tabor Ashram near Kalyan, an ancient city to the immediate east of Bombay (Tabor Ashram). However, as the popularity of the Ashrams grew, controversies also began. Today, the Divine Retreat Center is allegedly the largest retreat center in the world. Since 1990, over 10 million pilgrims from all over the world have attended retreats here. Weekly retreats are held back-to-back non-stop every week of the year. DIVINE RETREAT ASHRAM-Faridabad-Delhi, TABOR RETREAT ASHRAM-Kalyan-Mumbai, DIVINE MERCY RETREAT CENTRE-Elavur-Chennai, ARULALAYAM RETREAT CENTRE-Ambattur-Chennai, KOVAI DIVINE DHIANA ILLAM-Coimbatore, LOGOS RETREAT CENTRE-Bangalore, JNANODAYA RETREAT CENTRE-Hubli, SINAI DIVINE DHANASHRAM-Kurnool, DIVINE MERCY DHAYANASHRAM-Mangalagiri, DIVINE LOVE RETREAT CENTRE –Jalalkhali, DIVINE RENEWAL RETREAT CENTRE –Margherita, PARITHRANA RETREAT CENTRE-Kottayam, JUBILEE RETREAT CENTRE-Calicut,
DIVINE TV MINISTRY
Divine TV first went on-air in UK, Europe and the Middle East on 24 December 2008. This was quickly followed with the launch of Divine Vision Network in USA and Canada on 25th May 2009.
There is a great demand from the rest of the world to view Divine TV, the 24-hour commercial-free television channel of Divine Vision Network (DVN) from Divine Retreat Centre – the world's largest Catholic retreat centre.
With much joy, we are pleased to announce the launch DVN Online TV on 04 October 2009! Divine TV is now available on the Internet in every country across the globe, at any time, every single day
Controversies
The Bishops of Bombay have for unstated reasons tried to suppress the Chembur center, largely through the official organ, the Examiner. The Kerala High Court has ordered the Kerala Police to investigate alleged rapes and murders at the Potta Ashram (Divine Retreat Center); the police say that over a ten year period from 1996 to 2006, there have been at least 975 unexplained deaths or suspected murders at the Potta Ashram. This could be, however, due to the fact that the centre hosts a hospice for patients with AIDS and other incurable diseases.
References
External links
www.divinetv.in
www.dvnonline.org
Categories:- Christianity in India
- Christianity in Kerala
- Vincentians
- Charismatic Renewal
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