"History is a storehouse of human experience and as such an irreplaceable educator. For sure knowledge of the past lets us draw upon earlier human experience, facilitating our leap into the future with a sense of ease and confidence." Fr Vijay Kumar Prabhu, SJ in"The Burning Bush: The History of Karnataka Jesuit Province"by Fr Devadatta Kamath, SJ
The Karnataka Jesuit Province, originally the "The Mangalore Mission" today comprises the whole of the territory of Karnataka State. Started in 1878 with an international group of Jesuits from Italy and Germany, in a small town of Mangalore, the Jesuits continue to follow in the footsteps of the early Fathers and Brothers who gave themselves to the service of faith, education, health, language and happiness. They made our land richer by establishing educational institutions, hospitals, parishes, retreat houses, etc. The Jesuits in Karnataka continue to strive and to live the spirituality in word and action taught by the founder St Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) which inspired the first Fathers and Brothers who set their foot on our soil. The founding Fathers and Brothers even though being foreigners not only learnt our mother tongues Konkani, Tulu, Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, etc., but also ate our food and integrated themselves in our society as any one of us.
"The mission territory inherited by the Jesuits from the Carmelites and called Mangalore Mission comprised then what would later constitute the dioceses of Mangalore and Calicut and later still Kannur too. Having laboured in this territory for nearly three-quarters of a century they would disengage themselves from a part of it called Malabar and move over to the rest of Karnataka and even to North East." Fr Devadatta Kamath, SJ The author of "The Burning Bush: The History of the Karnataka Province."
Their labours, both in their successes and failures, spread through 146 years are what this web blog contains.
Map of Karnataka, where Jesuits are working
The depository of Karnataka Jesuit archives continues to gather material from Jesuits and their institutions as a way to keep the memory of our predecessors and institutions alive. With its thorough record maintenance and systematic organization, the experience of the past continues to inspire the present and future generation of Jesuits and their collaborators in striving to bring Glory to God in all things. You are always welcome to contact us if you would like to get the history of our Fathers and Brothers better known to others.
Karnataka Jesuit Province archives contain a very interesting and resourceful depository of handwritten manuscripts of Jesuits like Fr Angelo Maffei (1844-1899), Fr Augustus Diamanti (1848-1919), the handwritten consult meetings from 1880, the novitiate diaries, letters to Rome and Jesuit Superior General's letters to the Mission Superior of Mangalore since 1879, contracts with various institutions and persons, photographs like the visit of the Diwans of Mysore Kingdom to the St Aloysius College, Mangalore, edifying letters and memoirs written by the early Jesuits of Mangalore Mission to the Venice-Milan province Jesuits, the books written by the Jesuits of the Karnataka Province, Historia Domus of all the Jesuit communities, publications of various institutions and apostolates, correspondence with various dioceses and provinces of the Society, philately and so on.
The archives also contain unpublished works of many Jesuits like Fr Devadatta Kamath's II part of Burning Bush with four volumes, Fr Francis Rebello's theatrical drama, etc. Karnataka Jesuit Province which is 144 years old, preserves in its archives all material and matters connected with its works, members and communities. Hence, every individual Jesuit, community, apostolate and its ventures are recorded and preserved in the archives. It is hoped that such a collection of material will help in preserving the memory of the past, assist in writing the history of the province and communities and enable the researchers to carry out their academic works.
Until recently, Karnataka Jesuit Province treasured artifacts collected by many Jesuits including Fr Lawrence D’Souza(1932-2009) and postal stamps and coins by Brother Gabriel Ferruccio, SJ(1939-2013) and Fr Alexis P. Menezes(1922-2002). Now, most of it has been donated to the upcoming Museum of St Joseph's College, Bangalore and St Joseph's School CBSE, Bangalore and St Aloysius College Museum, Mangalore.
Fr Hilario Fernandes SJ, aged 93 with 72 fruitful years in the Society of Jesus went to his eternal abode around 8.45 PM on 10 May 2024 at Mount St Joseph, Bengaluru.
Fr Hilario was truly a man of the heart because of which he touched the hearts and lives of so many Jesuits, religious and the laity. He was a formator both in the province and in Singapore and his forte was Cura personalis. He came across to one and all as a perfect gentleman: gentle, decent, peaceful, and loath to hurt anyone, not even the most difficult people. His love for the Society of Jesus, his knowledge and appreciation of Ignatian Spirituality, his wide general knowledge and his rich repertoire of humorous anecdotes made him a much sought-after and well-appreciated Jesuit. His love of books, his artistic temperament and his love for literature both secular and spiritual had been important factors in making him a well-integrated Jesuit. During his earthly sojourn he shared passionately his companionship with the Lord and may he now in his heavenly sojourn enjoy the eternal companionship of his Master and Lord.
