We the Capuchins trace our heritage back 800 years to the little poor man of Assisi, called St. Francis who searched for the real foot prints of Jesus Christ and therefore the Holy Mother Church named him ‘The Second Christ’. In the holy gospels he found the real way to Jesus Christ and chosen the very gospel as his rule of life. We live in fraternities and we are called friars minor which mean lesser brothers. Thus universal brotherhood is the corner stone of our life. Looking at the poor and obedient crucified Christ we lead a life of poverty, obedience and chastity. By our prayer and social activities we make ourselves visible to the surroundings.

The Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans), in its attempt to remain faithful to the intentions of the founder, St. Francis of Assisi, went through many difficulties in the course of its history, which led to disagreements and divisions. The three major branches of the First Order for Religious men, the Franciscan Friars Minor, the Conventual Friars Minor and the Capuchin Friars Minor have their own organization and legal structure, but share Francis as their Father and Founder. The arrival of the Capuchins in India dates back to the year 1632 when a band of foreign Capuchin Missionaries landed in Pondicherry as Chaplains to the French Trading Company. The friars left India when the company closed its branch in India in 1634. Re-establishment of the capuchin presence in India was in 1639 with the arrival of Father Zeno of Beauge and two companions in Goa. The year 1972 was a landmark in the history of the Capuchins in India. The Province of Immaculate Heart of Mary, India was divided into four independent Jurisdictions, namely, Holy Trinity Province of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, the Amala Annai Province of Tamilnadu, the St. Joseph Province of Kerala and St. Francis Vice – Province, Kerala. St. Francis Vice–Province had a slow but steady growth and was declared a Province on December 6, 1987 by the Minister General Fr. Flavio Robert Carraro at St. Antony’s Friary, Quilon. From the very inception of the Province, it was having the mission territory of Delhi and the states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh as its mission territories. Ever since, those friars of the true province were working commitedly to stabilize the mission. They were able to reach to new mission stations, take care of parishes and establish new schools. The growth of the province is visible in the number of the fraternities and friars. At present we have 17 fraternities and 191 professed friars. By our words and deeds we are trying to reach the footprints of St. Francis Assisi.