Works in Different Fields

 SPIRITUAL - PASTORAL WORK - FORMATION - RETREAT - HQ - VOCATION PROMOTION

In the direct care of souls, the Jesuits have used all the means which experience had demonstrated as efficacious elsewhere in the world. Of these the sodalities of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Retreats deserve special mention.

The first sodality to be established in Mangalore was Men's Sodality of the Immaculate Conception at Codialbail in 1879. It was started by Fr Urban Stein. During a hundred years it has faithfully maintained the high traditions and has been a model to other sodalities as well. To keep the members together and to promote healthy social life among them, a Recreation Hall was constructed at Hampankatta which came to be known as the Catholic Club, where library and reading room facilities too were provided.

For women, the Sodality of the Christian Mothers was started by Fr Torri at Milagres Church. These and other parish sodalities were the means of propagating true and filial devotion to the Blessed virgin Mary, love of prayer, regular use of sacraments, cultivation of Christian virtues in hundreds of men and women. For the students of St Aloysius College, The Sodality of the Presentation was started in 1881 which was bifurcated later on to form the Sodality of the Assumption for Junior boys of the High School. These two have in particular been the seed-bed of vocations to the priesthood and the religious life.

As it is well known, a new orientation has been given to the sodality movement with a change in name and of programme as Christian Life Communities in which much greater responsibility is given to laymen with the aim of forming a capable laity and a more solid spiritual basis of Gospel values and the Spiritual exercises of St Ignatius. They are yet in their infancy and will have to be tended with great care and solicitude.

The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius popularly known as retreats have always been considered a potent means to instill a deep spirituality and to renew it regularly. The first retreat for the clergy was held in the first year, namely 1879. Since then, the clergy retreat has been an annual feature in the Diocese of Mangalore. Retreats for boys and girls were introduced in schools and colleges. In the parishes, 'missions' were preached from time to time. 'Closed retreats' or residential retreats for small groups were introduced by Fr Emmanuel Coelho as Director of the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception and so to say exploited by Fr Denis A. Pai as producing the night atmosphere and disposition for youth to choose their state of life or, in the words of St Ignatius, 'to make an election.

Fatima Retreat House

It was however left to Fr A. Le Tellier S.J. to give a push to the movement and to give it a "local habitation and a name", "Characteristically he swooped down upon Mangalore and started the work. He took the town by storm as he knocked and knocked at the door of each prospective benefactor. Mr James Britto gave the present compact 3.5 acres of land at Jeppu as a gift for the retreat house, wrote Fr William Sequeira in 1953 describing Fr Le Tellier's activity in Mangalore between 1938 and 1948. Fatima Retreat House had begun! In the decades which have followed, successive directors have made additions to buildings and improvements. In keeping with the spiritual atmosphere of the place, a life size Calvary and the stations of the Cross in cement concrete have been erected on the grounds, around the shrine of Our Lady of Karnataka, Patroness of the Karnataka Jesuit Province. The Fatima Retreat House has all the advantages without any of the disadvantages of a roadside location.

The Fatima Retreat House today is more than a retreat house merely: it is a complex of apostolates: the press apostolate with the publication of the monthly paper, Jesu Rai, religious books and liturgical-music publications; the School of music already known as 'Sangeetalaya' teaching vocal and instrumental music: the West Karnataka Jesuit Regional Vocation Centre. It is, owing to its location, a meeting place for scripture studies, Alcoholic Anonymous, conferences for clergy, courses in counselling and spirituality for religious etc.

While there was limited response for the retreat movement in Calicut, it caught the attention of the people in Banga lore, thanks to the numerous houses of formation for religious. This led to the establishment of Dhyanashrama, the house for retreats on the Bannerghatta Road.

Dhyanashrama (1968)

In name and structure, in location and appearance, Dhyanashrama is truly a house of contemplation and prayer. Its location in the heart of a grove of mango trees fringed by lush green paddy fields, and a quiet atmosphere make it an ideal place for peace so necessary for prayer and retreats. Misgivings about the feasibility of a retreat house at a distance of 10 miles from the city were perhaps the reason why it took four years in the building. But thanks to the encouragement of Archbishop Lourduswamy who as Coadjutor Bishop had laid the foundation stone in 1964, the building was completed in 1968 and inaugurated on December 8. Ever since its inception, Dhyanashrama has been utilized: not only for Ignatian retreats but also for other forms of spiritual renewals-charismatic retreats, retreats of the Better World Movement, cursillos for young and old, seminars, leadership courses, vocation camps and the like. Individuals also come to spend some days in quiet reflection, recollection and prayer.

The special feature of Dhyanashrama is its inter-religious retreats linked with the inter-religious dialogue at Ashirvad in Bangalore. They are also called 'live in-experience. For three consecutive years they have been conducted success fully with a participation exceeding sixty, including Christians, Muslims, Hindus and even a few avowed rationalists. After spending a few days in this hallowed atmosphere, many have spontaneously exclaimed like the Apostle Peter on Tabor: "It is good for us to be here".

Ashirvad (1975)

With the majority of their men involved in schools and colleges, the Karnataka Jesuits were open to the criticism that there was little diversification of apostolates. In these circumstances the offer of a spacious house on a long-term lease, situated in the heart of the city of Banga lore was a god-send. After much discernment in which the heavy financial investment was compared with the advantages of diverse apostolates for the benefit of the people, the Province decided to start a house for these apostolates. It is appropriately named 'ASHIRVAD₁ for it is a real blessing to the city, as a lay man put it. Ashirvad has enjoyed the full backing of the Archbishop of Bangalore and earned the appreciation of the public.

More than money, the personnel was a real problem here. Fr Ronnie Prabhu was the only person available for quite some time, and he had to fall back on the services of guest speakers and the cooperation of the other Jesuits in the City. The service of lay volunteers too was used. The main fields of the apostolate at Ashirvad have been inter-faith dialogue, spiritual training programmes and counselling. A unit of the C. L. C. attached to Ashirvad is apostolically vibrant with life. It is also a convenient place for the follow-up of long programmes conducted at Dhyanashrama. In fact, Dhyanashrama and Ashirvad have functioned in very close collaboration. For the past two years, Fr Henry Nunn of Darjeeling has teamed up with Fr Ronnie and made a very significant contribution to the work of counselling. Ashirvad is also the centre for the promotion of service of faith', the Newman and Humanist Association which are looked after by Fr A. Agnoletto, of the Promoter of vocations of the East Karnataka Region and of the Province Treasurer. Inter-faith prayer meetings held twice a month, with themes of living interest, draw together a number of prominent people of the metropolis and thus the circle of friends of Ashirvad grows from day to day.

Pastoral work which the Jesuits of the Mangalore Mission began to some extent in Mangalore in 1878 continued in the Diocese of Calicut unabated till 1955. The first Jesuits to go to Calicut were Fathers John Baptist Rossi, Otto Ehrle and Quintinus Sani. They began their work at the Church of the Mother of God. Later Bishop Perini took this church as the Cathedral of the Diocese. Finding it too small for the growing Catholic congregation, he ordered its reconstruction which was begun by Fr M. F. Barboza and continued by successive parish priests.

Of the other churches and pastors cannot do more than give their we names:

St Joseph's Church, Gandhi Road, was constructed by Fr Romeo Porta and he was the first and only Jesuit vicar. Kallayi, Calicut, Lombardini in railway Cheruvannur, Airoldi. Westhill was for the benefit of Sebastian from 1935 to 1945. episcopal city of Calicut, churches were: the Most Holy Trinity in Fr Gallo was the first the Holy Rosary, Telli rebuilt by Fr Barboza and Holy Cross Church, Manjeri, and St Sebastian's Badagara, owe their to the missionary zeal of Fr M. St Joseph's Church, Malap constructed by Frs and J. B. St Anthony's Shoranur, by Fr John Coelho (1923). Fr P. C. Thomas worked for the flock at St Peter's Church, it was developed further by Fr Taffarel. St Paul's Church, Taliparamba, founded by Fr R. Porta was the of reconnaissance of Fr Caironi Chirakkal Mission. He founded numerous missions in the area, chief among which are Sacred Heart Church, Cherukunnu, our Lady of Dolours at St Joseph's Church, Payyanur. Of the other churches, Holy Cross Church, Madai, was the work of Fr Leo Lombardini and the one Kunhimangalam was developed by Frs Aloysius del Zotto Montanari.

The mission stations and parishes of Wynaad became part of the diocese of Calicut when that taluk was added to the Calicut Diocese in 1923. The most important of these are Manantody with which Frs Lombardini, Barboza and Aloysius D'Silva are associated: St Joseph's Church, Vayittiri, with Fr Edward Beretta and Fr Victor Rosario: St Jude's Shrine, Chundale, copiously decorated by Br Bignami: St Joseph's Church, Meppadi, which became a parish under Fr John Coelho; St Thomas Church, Tala poya, which became an independent mission under Fr Anthony Zearo.

Ever true to their Constitutions, Jesuits seek devotion in spiritual practices rather than cultivate devotions. A concrete expression of devotion in this sense is that to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, as it were, the quintessence of the Spir. Exercises and thus the touchstone of Jesuit life. It is but natural that the Society should make it the centre of their preaching and the means of drawing souls to God. Hence it is that from the very start of their apostolate in Mangalore, the Jesuits sought to propagate this devotion with the practices associated with it, namely the Apostleship of Prayer, the observance of the First Friday, the Communion of reparation, the holy hour and the Consecration of Families. It derives all its force from its Christo-centric character, and is based on the belief in the power of united prayer, reparation out of love for Christ who first loved man, and finally a total consecration to Jesus as the Way to the Father. It thus blends deep truths of faith with practices within the reach of everyone. Time was when it flourished among every class of people in the Diocese of Mangalore and it could still be the means of renewal for all who need particularly to rise above the tendencies of secularism.

Of the activities which were under taken to maintain Christian ideals especially among the educated were the 'Catholic Academy', 'The Study Club', 'The Summer School of Bangalore' and 'The Newman Association'. Frs D. Ferroli, A. Agnoletto, Gregory Sequeira and Charles Andrade were the Jesuits behind these activities. Although they have to be adapted both in content and method to the needs of the day, their relevance cannot be denied. Greater stress may be need ed on ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue, etc. after the directives of Vatican II.

As far as the formation of Jesuits is concerned, not merely for the eighties but in keeping with the teachings of Vatican II, every effort is made to gear it up to the needs of the times. This has no doubt called for some experimentation chief of which has been 'ANKURA' the year of Juniorate following the two-year novitiate and the programme of the novitiate itself: to adapt to times, places and circumstances but ever pursuing the same goal is in the vocation of a Jesuit.

FORMATION

The Society of Jesus is what it makes of its members in the years of their training. From the very beginning the Jesuits of the Venetian Province who took up work in Mangalore and Calicut with great fore sight and boldness planned to recruit and train local youth for the work of the Mission. In 1883 they opened at the St Joseph's Seminary also the Jesuit novitiate with Fr Zanetti as the Novice-Master. As this venture paid rich dividends, it is difficult to understand why the novitiate was closed in 1895 and from then on the novices were sent to Shembaganur for training. The second epoch in the history of the novitiate begins with the opening of Christ Hall in 1933, exactly 50 years after the opening of the first. One important reason given for its open ing was that it would encourage vocations both in Mangalore and in Calicut. The steady increase in recruitment from then on proved that the hope was well found ed. Although after the formation of the Karnataka Vice-Province the novitiate continued to be in Calicut, it was due to sheer force of circumstances. As soon as a proper location and the necessary funds had been collected, Mount St Joseph was opened as the Novitiate and Junio rate of the Vice-Province.

The sixties affected recruitment of candidates in Karnataka as in India and the rest of the Society, and for a few years when the number of novices was too small Mount St Joseph ceased to be the novitiate, and the few novices were sent to Belgaum and Bombay. With the reopening of the novitiate there is a serious effort to recruit candidates in a systematic way. However, a vocation is a call from God: "I chose you", said Jesus to his apostles. Our effort is to dispose youth to listen to the call when it comes and to pray to the Lord to call many more: "For the harvest indeed is great but the labourers are few". Answering a vocation today probably implies greater sacrifices and more generosity on the part of youth, and hence it is a greater challenge. 

Karnataka in Common Works

While it is in the interest of every Province to have a novitiate of its own, common houses for the study of philosophy and theology have been the practice. The heavy investment in Staff, libraries etc. also make such an arrangement imperative. Jesuit scholastics of India do their studies in philosophy either at Sacred Heart College, Shembaganur (Kodaikanal, in the Palni Hills) or at De Nobili College, Pune, and their Theological studies either at Pune or at Vidya Jyothi, Delhi.

As all the provinces derive benefits from the common works and houses of study, so do all the provinces help to staff these works. There is a sizable proportion of our men who are engaged in the 'Common Works' of the Assistancy. The services of some are lent to other provinces in the spirit of inter-provincial cooperation. We too appreciate and are grateful to the Superiors of the Ranchi Province and the Regions of Darjeeling and East Africa who have lent us the services of their men. Inter-Provincial cooperation demonstrates more than anything else the essential unity of the Society in spite of the division into provinces, which is an arrangement for purposes administration. There is one work, however, which is of nation-wide importance, though it is not considered a common work of the Indian Assistancy: it is the AICUF, of which Fr Claude D'Souza of Karnataka Province is the National Chaplain at present.

Gonzaga House

Gonzaga House on the premises of St Aloysius College was opened in 1957 as an apostolic school, with Fr Denis Pinto as the Director and Fr Alexander Castelino as the assistant, and spiritual father. Within a year of its starting there were fifty boys. The highest number reached was 65. Of these about 60% were candidates for Karnataka, the rest were candidates for other provinces or for seminaries. As the boys hailed from poor families, the entire expense was borne by the Province. In 1959, its status was) raised to that of a Jesuit residence. In 1960 additional accommodation was provided by the construction of a new building. The boys attended classes at St Aloysius College or High School. The number of those who joined the novitiate fluctuated: but in 1967 ten joined for Karnataka. During ten years-from 1957 to 1966- a total of 62 boys joined various Jesuit novitiates in India.

Gonzaga House became a 'Collegium or formed house for Jesuit Scholastics in 1966-67. There were eight Scholastics at the time. The presence of the Scholastics proved to be a great advantage in as much as they were ever ready to help the boys who needed help in their studies. In 1971, the number of Scholastics rose to thirteen and that of candidates dropped to four as a decision had by then been taken to discontinue the practice and to recruit candidates directly from their homes after they had completed the course of studies in the college. The last 'historia domus' available is dated 1972.

Jesuit Students' Residence, Dharwad

To equip themselves for the work awaiting them in schools and colleges, where university degrees are essential, several of our priests and scholastics between the years 1966 and 1970 attended the Karnataka University from a residence specially set up for them at Dharwad. The initiative was taken because the University granted the privilege to those who had secured the Licentiate in Philosophy from the Athenaeum of Pune to register themselves straightway for the Master's Degree in certain subjects in the Faculty of Arts. There were a few also from Goa Pune in the group. Though conditions of life were far from pleasant, the students made their mark in the University and there was a deep spiritual impact on those around them. There was possibly some alarm caused by this and the privilege was withdrawn. As a consequence, the residence too was discontinued.

Westbrooke - Holiday home

In the early years of the Mangalore Mission when most of the Jesuits were foreigners, a summer villa in the hills was considered a necessity to recuperate and an escape from the scorching heat of the plains. The villa at Kudremukh called the Kuppamudi Estate served this purpose when there was no other. But access to Kudremukh was from Belthangady and very difficult. Fr Aloysius Coelho in 1927 as Superior of the Mission decided to return the villa to the Mangalore Diocese and open Westbrooke in Kotagiri which had been bought in 1913. As the accommodation at Westbrooke was rather limited, it was extended by the addition of two wings to the bungalow and the Fathers and Brothers went there in two batches. It became a meeting place once a year for Jesuits from Mangalore, Bangalore, Calicut and the Diaspora. It was a wonderful experience-the joy of meeting, living together and sharing experiences of the year. The annual retreat made together was a spiritual refreshment which crowned the community experience and gave good start to the next academic year of study or work. When Fr D. Pinto became the Procurator of the Province, he further added a two-storeyed block to one wing, obtained electric supply and improved the facilities.

Some years back, the idea of planting tea as a source of a little income appeared good. So a couple of acres of land around the pear garden planted by Br Baviera and Br Nalato was cleared of eucalyptus trees and a start was made. Br Joseph Alvares was posted there in 1962 and has been looking after the little estate. Year by year more forest has been cleared and replaced by tea, which brings insufficient income for the physical maintenance of the villa. On 22nd April 1977, St Ignatius Villa, Westbrooke, celebrated, on a very modest scale, the fifty years it has served as a summer villa of the Karnataka Jesuits. In the past two years it has also been found to be a convenient place for conducting counselling courses and retreats for religious. This is definitely a good purpose and a positive contribution to the Jesuit apostolates.

The Apostolate of the Purse Few will read this title without raising their eyebrows, Yet whatever others may say, Fr Eugen Hillengass, Treasurer General of the Society, thinks that preparing good treasurers and procurators is a necessity, and the work of securing the necessary funds for the various apostolates and works is itself an apostolate. And in this Fr Pedro Arrupe would whole-heartedly support him! One does not therefore have to emphasize the saying of St Teresa of Avila: Teresa and Jesus and six pence can definitely do more than Teresa and Jesus! While members think rightly that Providence would take care of them. Superiors know that in the concrete circumstances the burden of providence. falls on their shoulders. The burden may be passed on to a specialist in finance but, that is no solution unless he does his job of 'procuring'.

The history of the finances of the Mangalore Mission is one of ups and downs. At the very beginning there was a set-back when the original donation was presumed lost due to bank crash in Europe. Barring the war years and the years of acute inflation in Europe, benefactions have not failed. Mostly they have been made to individual houses or institutions for putting up buildings. But here we are concerned with the expenditure of the Vice-Province, mainly on the training of personnel: and that over a pretty long period of 13 or 14 years for every Jesuit priest. The hard and unpleasant task of securing benefactors and funds to balance the budget on formation of personnel has been that of the Procurators from Fr A. Mutti, Fr J. B. Polese and Fr M. Lunazzi down to Fr L. P. Colaco and Fr D. Pinto. It has been a quiet, unostentatious and often a thankless task. They have certainly gone through days of anxiety, perhaps of fear. The plan of Fr L. P. Colaco of building up burses by contacting benefactors in Europe and the States through "Gleanings' has been followed by Fr Denis Pinto since 1959.

The effort of the Province Treasurer has been supplemented by the Province Procurator in Milan, Fr Joseph Zambon. After serving the novitiate at Christ Hall as Rector and then as Minister in the 50's and putting the St Joseph's Industrial School on a firm foundation as its superior in its early years, Fr Zambon returned to Europe partly for reasons of health and partly to take up position as publisher of Popoli e Missioni, a pictorial periodical giving news of the Italian Missions.

Attempts have been made to stabilize the financial condition by investing available funds in estates: but owing to the lack of technical knowledge of estate administration, they have never been the success they were expected to be. The Kuppamudi estate at Kudremukh, the Muttil estate in the Wynaad and a couple of farms have all gone the same way. The attempt to start a carbon factory on the premises of Christ Hall too in 1935 proved abortive. Fortune has smiled at the present attempt of Fr A. Cantoni to build an estate of moderate size with diversified plantation at Thorapalli near Gudalur on the Ooty-Mysore Road. The land, mainly forest, was the gift of Mr Victor Coelho, an experienced planter. Much thought and care have gone into the task of clearing the forest, preparing nurseries, planting and providing the water supply in view of the vagaries of nature. The rest is in the hands of the Father who provides.

Mission/Province Headquarters

The first band of Jesuits went directly to the Rosario Cathedral. But Mgr N. Pagani, the Pro-Vicar Apostolic, who was also the Jesuit Mission Superior, pitched his tent at Jeppu in 1879 where now stands the Catechumenate and where the Seminary first began. In the same year his residence was transferred to Codialbail, the site of the Bishop's House today. With the Jesuits moving to Malabar, the Jesuit Headquarters too moved south. In 1926 we find Fr Alberti residing at the Catholic Church at Calicut - the present Cathedral had not yet been built. During the period 1934-37, the Mangalore Mission had two Superiors-one for the Kanara District (Fr Ambruzzi) with headquarters at St Aloysius College and the other for the Malabar District (Fr Ranzani) with headquarters at Bishop's House, Calicut.

When Fr Zanolin became the Superior of the Calicut Mission in 1937, the headquarters changed practically every year for some time: the Seminary, Mangalore, the Calicut Cathedral, St Joseph's College, Bangalore, and once again the Cathedral in Calicut when he was made the Vicar General of the diocese of Cali cut. Fr Patroni, who was appointed Superior when he was Novice Master at Christ Hall, Calicut, shifted the Mission headquarters to Christ Hall, and there it remained till 1959 when the Karnataka Jesuits left Christ Hall and the novitiate moved to Mount St Joseph, Bangalore.

Fr Boniface D'Souza was the Vice Provincial then. He moved to Fatima Retreat House, Mangalore, where he re sided till the end of his term (1961), though a suite of rooms was ready at Mount St Joseph for the Vice-Provincial and his secretary. When Fr Monteiro, till then the Rector of St Aloysius College, was made the Vice-Provincial, he preferred to stay on at the College itself. Fr J. C. Pereira moved to Mount St Joseph for a year or so, and then shifted the headquarters in 1967 to Loyola Mandir on Lavelle Road, Bangalore, where it has been till today.

- Taken from the Karnataka Jesuit Centenary, Souvenir, 1878-1978