World · India Bureau
Two tea plantation workers ordained as CSI priests in Kerala
In a significant milestone for religious inclusion, two women from tea plantation communities in Idukki district have been ordained as priests in the Church of South India. The ordinations mark a rare step toward greater representation of marginalised communities within the CSI denomination.
LSN India ·
Indira Iyyappan, 49, and Vijaya Karuppuswamy, 48, were formally ordained to the ministry on September 2 at CSI Christ Church in Munnar, a hill station in Idukki district, Kerala. Both women hail from families with deep roots in the region's tea plantation workforce, communities that have historically faced economic and social disadvantages.
The ordinations represent a notable development in Christian ministry in South India, where women priests remain relatively uncommon and those from tea plantation backgrounds even rarer. The CSI, one of India's major Protestant denominations formed through a union of various churches, has been gradually expanding its pastoral leadership to include women and members from traditionally excluded communities.
Munnar, situated in the Western Ghats, has long been a centre of Christian activity with a significant tea plantation population. The ordinations at the historic Christ Church reflect evolving attitudes within the denomination toward inclusive religious leadership and the recognition of pastoral vocations among workers in the plantation sector.
The appointments underscore broader efforts within Indian Christian churches to democratise ecclesiastical structures and ensure representation from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Both women will now serve in pastoral capacities within the CSI fold, bringing lived experience from their communities into formal ministry roles.