KPRP Bhopal

How it all started:

Khrist Premalaya Regional Philosphate (KPRP) initially named as the Madhya Pradesh Regional Philosophate and late as Bhopal Regional Philosophate, is the philosophy section of Khrist Premalaya Seminary envisaged by the Bishops of Madhya Pradesh notably His Grace late Eugene D’Souza, former Archbishops of Bhopal, Msgr. Late Francis Simons SVD, former bishop of Indore and Msgr. Late Conrad Doublemann, former Bishop of Jabalpur, in order to make the priestly formation more suitable and relevant to the mission a context and to act the pastoral needs of Madhya Pradesh region after Vatican II.

Khrist Premalaya Regional Philosophate was opened in July 1978 in the Asha Niketan campus, Bhopal. Since then it has imparted philosophaical training to more 958 seminarians. It has also been admitting students on special consideration from regions which have the mission context like that Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. This year it has 53 resident students and 16 day scholars. Along with the three year philosophy programme, the students are also offered the opportunity to complete their graduation in the Bhopal School of Social Sciences (BSSS), a college affiliated to the Univery of Bhopal. Hindi is taught as part o the regular curriculum in the seminary to enable the students to develop their skills in the language.

The Society of the Divine Word accepted he management of MP Regional Seminary, Khrist Premalaya Bhopal on July 20, 1981 and on the same day, formally installed the new staff of the philsophate in the presence of Archbishop Eugene D’Souza and all the Bishops of the seminary executive Committee. The staff consists of Fr. Joseph Veluthedath SVD, Rector, Fr. Joseph Chetany SVD, Vice Rector, Fr. James Maria Kumar, Professor and Br. Jayaraj Treasurer. In the student body, SVD is represented by Martin Sabas who has started his philosophical studies from this year. Since 1981 the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) has been running the philosophate. The orientation course offered is so designed that within a period of three to four weeks the students obtain sufficient knowledge of English to study philosophy in a scholarly manner. The course lays the foundation for the academic and spiritual formation of the students which would last for three years.

Admissions to KPRP are primarily determined by the result obtained by the students in the entrance test conducted by the seminary staff under the guidance of the dean of studies. Whether a student is admitted to not would be communicated to the concerned authorities by the Rector of the House by the end of March of every year. In matters of admission evidently preference would be given to those dioceses of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh civil states.  Admissions are always for the pre-philosophy course conducted by KPRP. Simultaneously the students attend regular classes at the archdiocesan college, namely the Bhopal School of Social Science towards obtaining the r secular undergraduate degree. Reasonably good academic performance couple with acquisition of other qualities of character and conduct befitting of a candidate for priesthood in pre-philosophy year is required for further continuation of philosophy studies in KPRP.

Milestones:

1981 Society of the Divine Word takes over the administration.

1992    35 final year men graduated room this institute. Shaji Sebastian of SVD Vidya Bhavan has the honour of being the first rank holder with a total of 73% marks for Philosophy.