Initially Fr Alfonso Elengikal and Fr Francisco Thazathel (a regent then)who were stationed in Eluru managed the book centre in Vijayawada. Most Rev. Joseph Thumma, the then bishop of Vijayawada, was deeply impressed by the performance of the Pauline Fathers and Brothers at the National Book Exhibition held in the city in 1986. Immediately he invited the Paulines to open a Book Centre and gradually also a community in Vijayawada, and generously offered the use of the shop adjacent to the Bishop’s House and accommodation in the Bishop’s House for two years. 

While continuing to run the Book Centre, the Paulines moved from the Bishop’s House to a nearby rented house because a group of our Juniors were sent to Vijayawada to do their university studies at Andhra Loyola Colllege.

Later we bought a piece of land at Enikapadu outside the city and built a house of our own. This house was blessed on 16 July 1992. Fr Emmanuel Mundumoozhikara was the first Pauline sent there. The book centre, named Jeevan Dhara Book Centre, is located near the Catholic Cathedral of Vijayawada on Nirmala Convent Road in the city. Jeevan Dhara means stream of life. The Province’s first mobile book centre, acquired with financial help received from MISSIO, began functioning from here.
The community carries on both apostolate and formation. Its inmates include a group of aspirants and a group of juniors studying for Bachelor’s Degree. Recently the community has opened a book centre at Guntur, about 40 kilometres away from Vijayawada, with a lay person as manager.