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BY REV. FR. L. V. NEWTON, S.J.
BEFORE the building of the scholasticate at Shembaganur, courses of philosophy followed by theology had been given in St. Joseph’s College. First at Negapatam, then at Trichinoploy. Among the professors of those days known to ne were Fathers Lafaye, Talon, Besse, and Faisandier. A novitiate, too in the sense of a family of novices, had been in existence uninterruptedly since 1887; but it was still in a sort of nomadic state, with no permanent home, and wandering from place to place, to wherever a Novice- master was to be found, or room was available. And so we se it starting in 1887 at Madura, then migrating the following year to an abandoned orphanage half an hour’s walk from Dindigul, then back to Madura, then up to the hills to the Mount Perumal estate, then down to the plains again to Madura, then to Trichy either in the Residence or at Pandamangalam.
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Some Reminiscences
(1892-1897)
By Rev. Fr. J. MAHE, S.J
I SAW Shenbaganur for the first time in 1892. After Easter of that year the Novices left Trichy for their holidays at Perumal, led by their new Master, Fr. Faisandier, who had replaced Fr. Cros in February, immediately after taking his last vows. Mgr. Barthe accompanied us. Transits were the ordinary conveyance then. At Batlagundu his Lord-ship's bullocks took fright and in the dark bolted towards the river , but stopped just before rolling down the bank. " A just man! A good man!" people cried, "God protects him." At Shembag two of us somehow found ourselves separated from the rest of the Novices. Mgr. Barthe, whose destination was the old Shembag bungalow, gave us two loaves of bread, off which we dined at Silver Cascade.
In May the "fusion" took pace at Shembag as was already the custom; and we also were invited. Pangusamis were few, the College numerous. Fr. Laporte in particular interested us: he was a good talker and fond of young men. He had been a companion of Fr. Trincal and shared his zeal; Irudayakulam was his foundation.
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Eco Sanctuary And Heritage Centre |
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Shembaganur Jesuit campus emerged out of the community of love of Jesuit formators and formees. Besides their religious and academic pursuits, they dedicated themselves to the Mission and Ministry of Mother Earth by admiring, exploring and conserving Nature and the natural resources of the Palnis, worshipping the Creator through their stewardship and service of earth and creation. They walked humbly with joy on the hallowed land of Shembaga trees in the joyous company of myriad Kurinji blossoms. As sons of St. Ignatius and being contemplatives in action, they continued the work of God the Creator of Earth and Heaven by their wholehearted commitment to conservation.
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On one of his pastoral visits to Periakulam, as missionary in charge of Dindigul, Palani, and the Kumbam valley in 1852, Fr. Saint-Cyr saw the Kodaikanal plateau rising almost perpendicularly out of the plains. After climbing to the top through the jungle, Fr. Saint-Cyr was convinced that the Madurai Mission should have a house there for the acclimatization and initial training/induction of missionaries coming from Europe. When he became the Superior of the Central District he came to Kodaikanal and bought the bungalow of Mr. Baynes, former district judge of Madura in 1860.
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