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Special mention is made here of the heroic activities of the
Archdiocese of Kottayam, for the poor, aged, mentally challenged and
orphans. By the generous contributions of the members and the Archdiocese
together, a number of institutions carry out meritorious activities that foster
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the dignity and living standards of these differently-abled persons. The
Christian witness of the activities of these institutions is a proclamation of
the gospel of life and the pro-life implications of the family traditions of
Knānāya community. The table below provides an overall view of these
institutions:

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PRO-LIFE INSTITUTIONS
Table 6
Type Of Institution No. Of Institution Total Inmates
Homes for the Poor Children 7 348
Homes for the Disabled 4 84
Homes for the Mentally 9 301
Challenged
Homes for the Aged 7 124

4.3.2.2 Transform Life

Among the Knānite families, the tie among the family members is
strongly maintained. Children feel and experience the love of parents in a
concrete way. In the contemporary context, another important issue is how
the parents teach their child to grow in altruistic love and how they can do it
concretely. In recent times, the majority of Christian families in the West,
and a great number in India, do not have more than one child, or two at the
most. This holds the risk of the child becoming narcissistic in the future.
What is important is that parents teach the child love through word and
example. Moreover, case studies have been made demonstrating that when a
child missed the experience of love and care from its parents, and had
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another sibling, it experiences that love from the sibling. Parents also teach
their child to love in a concrete way by the love they share and manifest to
each other. The fact is, unless the child has experienced the love of its
parents, that child cannot love self or another truly.

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Cf. Ibid., p.34.
92 Cf. DIRECTORY: ARCHEPARCHY OF KOTTAYAM, Catholic Metropolitan’s House,
Kottayam, 2011, pp. 177-178.
93 Cf. STAFFORD, LAURA and CHERE L. BAYER, Interaction Between Parents and
Children, Sage Publications, New Delhi, 1993, pp. 136-137.

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