A BRIEF HISTORYOF ST JOSEPH'S MONASTERY
CARMEL HILL MANGALORE
The
Carmelites in Karnataka:
The Teresian Carmelites had established themselves in Goa and in Kerala
in the seventeenth century. And since the region formerly known as the
Carnatic, lies between Goa in the north and Kerala in the South, the
Carmelites had inevitably to pass through Karnataka when proceeding by
land from Goa to Kerala. And it is not surprising to find them residing
at least on a temporary basis, in places like Bijapur, which form part
of today's Karnataka. In his ‘Viaggio alle Indie Orientali’ Fr. Vincent
Mary of St Catherine, has left us interesting descriptions of the
beliefs, customs, feasts of the Canara of his time, and even of the
scenic beauties and the cultivation and other aspects of life. But he
found the Christians greatly neglected. And, on his reporting the need
of the Canara Christians to the Holy See, Mangalore secured its first
Vicar Apostolic in 1677.
In the eighteenth Century, the headquarters of the Carmelites in
Karnataka, was at Sunkery near Karwar, from 1709. From Sunkery, the
friars administered to the Christians in north as well as South Canara,
especially after 1773 the year in which the Holy See entrusted to the
Carmelites, the erstwhile Jesuit missions in Canara and in Mysore.
Several religious from Sunkery were appointed Vicars Apostolic of Bombay
and Verapoly, and one of them, Bishop John Dominic of St Clare, who had
acquired a mastery of Konkani, died at Sirva while on a pastoral visit
in 1772. It is reported that on previous visits of this kind he had
conferred Confirmation on more than 15,000.
The Carmelite church in Sunkery suffered, at the end of the eighteenth
century the fate of more than thirteen other churches, at the hands of
the Tiger of Mysore. But it was re-built by Fr. Francis Xavier of St.
Ann, a Genoese who acquired enough knowledge of konkani to write an
Italian - Konkani dictionary as well as a Portuguese - Konkani
dictionary.
Focus on Mangalore:
As Christianity waxed stronger in Mangalore after the death of Tippu
Sultan, notwithstanding the conflicts that continued to flare up
occasionally between the Propaganda and the Padroado, the Catholics
plucked up the courage to request from Propaganda of Vicariate Apostolic
headquartered in Mangalore. Their petition was heeded and Msgr.
Bernardine of St. Agnes took charge as Pro-Vicar Apostolic in 1845.
The Carmelite bishop's first concern was the seminary. In 1850 he raised
the Rosario Church to the rank of Cathedral. The second Carmelite bishop
of Mangalore was Rev. Fr. Michael Antony who was consecrated bishop in
Bombay in 1853 and reached Mangalore in September, and set about
governing the diocese which he ruled for seventeen years.
A variety of difficulties and problems mushroomed during his regime, and
finally, having a list of achievements to his credit, he retired in 1870
- after predicting that the Jesuits would take over the diocese. He
departed this life in Bombay on 18th December 1878. And the Jesuit team
arrived from Europe on 19th December the same year.
But before the Jesuits took over, there would still be one more
Carmelite bishop for Mangalore, namely, Msgr. Marie Ephrem, who went in
1869 as Vicar Apostolic of Quilion, and returned in 1870 as Vicar
Apostolic of Mangalore bringing into the diocese the first Carmelite
cloistered Sisters. He had also a share in the founding of the Apostolic
Carmel. His demise in 1873 seems to have followed from an attack of
malaria. He had been the only child of his parents; and, conversing
casually with his familiars a few days before his departure from this
life, he remarked, “I learnt from my father, the practice of charity,
for, I may say that I never heard him speak ill of anyone.”
While Msgr. Marie Ephrem was bishop, the Milagres parish of Mangalore
was governed by a French priest who, though belonging to the diocesan
clergy, habitually donned the Carmelite habit, and brought it great
honour through his assiduous practice of pastoral zeal and unusual
asceticism. This was Father Alexander Dubois who, on 14 September 1873,
laid the foundation-stone for the Church of the Holy Cross at Cordel,
where his mortal remains were laid to rest in 1877 in the odour of
sanctity. The following year, there remained only two Carmelites in
Mangalore, one of whom, Fr. Victbr of St. Antony, a Belgian, handed over
the keys of the Cathedral and the charge of the diocese to the Jesuits.
A NEW BEGINNING:
The Belgian Carmelites, especially those staffing the erstwhile
Quilon seminary, decided on founding a house of monastic observance in a
Mangalore in 1947 for which purpose they sent Fathers Marcel and
Hyacinth as pioneers in 1947. After exploring the city in search of a
suitable site, Heaven guided them to what today is known as Carmel Hill.
The people were hospitable, especially the Apostolic Carmel community at
Maryhill where the Fathers stayed for more than a year. They shifted to
Angelore when the construction work on the monastery commenced, and came
to Carmel Hill finally to form the new monastic community.
However, the foundation of the monastery, canonically speaking, was in
1947, because that was the year when the Sacred Congregation for
Religious in Rome, granted the indult for the founding of the new house,
for which the Sacred Congregation of propaganda gave its ‘nihil obstat’
on 5th June, 1947, and the General Definitory gave its permission on 6th
June. Shortly afterwards we find Msgr. Victor Fernandes, Bishop of
Mangalore, visiting Belgium and the Carmelites monasteries there,
especially Ghent where he was - according to an official chronicle -
from 25th Aug till 12th September.
Fathers Constantine, Nicholas and Herman Joseph left Antwerp for India
on a Norwegian cargo ship in 1948 on 14 October. By this time, Fr.
Irenaeus had already come to Mangalore from Margao. By the time Fr.
Herman Joseph arrived in Mangalore (1950) Fr. Hyacinth had already left
for Belgium.
From Margao, Br. Louis came to Mangalore in 1952, to be followed by
Fathers Constantine and Boniface in 1953, by which year the chapel and
the central part of the construction had already been constructed.
The long-awaited day to which especially many Carmelites in India were
eagerly looking forward, came in March 1954. The frontiers of the jungle
had been pushed back, the hard, unyielding earth had been leveled, the
terrain had been cleared, and a lowly monastic structure had been raised
atop the elevation that would henceforth be known as ‘Carmel Hill’.
On 18th March Bishop Victor Fernandes - during an open air reception
with eight petromaxes lighting up the late evening sky - blessed
solemnly the new chapel with its adjoining structure. And the following
day Auxiliary Bishop Peres said the first Holy Mass in the newly blessed
Chapel.
Fr. Constantine was the first superior of the new community and he was
in charge till 1959 by which year Fr. Marcel as well as Br. Louis and
also Fr. Herman Joseph had already left Mangalore.
Mangalore under Manjummel:
Before Fr. Constantine completed his term as superior, the
Carmelites in the Karnataka region had to be amalgamated with the Kerala
Carmelites of the Manjummel unit because of political disturbances
between Goa and the rest of India (still Goa continued under Portuguese
rule). Hence, candidates joining from Mangalore were sent to Kerala for
their Carmelite formation as well as their priestly studies. During this
period which lasted till 1981, the local superiors of the Mangalore
Community were:
-
Rev. Fr.
Bernard Nunes (1960 - 1966)
-
Rev. Fr.
Theophin (1966 -1972)
-
Rev. Fr.
Gregory D'Souza (1972-1975)
-
Rev. Fr.
Anthony D'Silva (1975 -1978)
-
Rev. Fr.
Patrick Lobo (1978 -1981)
In 1978, Fr.
Gregory D'Souza became one of the Provincial Councillors of the
Manjummel Province, and, considering that the time had come for
autonomy, moved for the formation of a separate unit for Karnataka.
Hence, in 1979 a Provincial delegation for this region was set up. By
this time, the number of candidates, most of whom had been nurtured in
the Kulshekar Carmel Hill Vocation Home, had risen to 46 - including 29
priests.
The Karnataka - Goa Province:
Finally, in 1981, Fr General constituted the region into an autonomous
Carmelite Province, and the Carmel Hill Monastery became the Provincial
Headquarters as well as the residence of students who would henceforth
be frequenting the Jeppu Seminary, while staying at Carmel Hill.
Provincial Superiors Local Superiors
-
1979 -
1981 Rev. Fr. Gregory D'Souza (Del. Prov.)
-
1981 -
1984 Rev. Fr. Nemesio Alzola
Local Superior : Fr. Richard Castellino
-
1984 -
1987 Rev. Fr. Nemesio Alzola
Local Superior : Fr. Michael Morris
-
1987 -
1990 Rev. Fr. Joseph D'Souza
Local Superior : Fr. Richard & then Fr. A. Gomes
-
1990 -
1993 Rev. Fr Gregory D'Souza
Local Superior : Fr. Lawrence D'Mello
-
1993 -
1999 Rev. Fr Lawrence D'Mello
Local Superior : Fr. Joe Tauro and then Fr. Egidio Monteiro
-
1999 –
2005 Rev. Fr. Joe Tauro
Local Superior : Fr. Dominic Vas and Fr. Gregory D’Souza
-
2005 –
2008 Rev. Fr. Dominic Vas
Local Superior : Fr. George Santhumayor and Fr. Patrick Lobo
-
2008-2014 – Rev. Fr. Archibald Gonsalves
Local Superior: Fr. George Santhumayor (2008-2011)
and Fr. Pius James D’Souza (2011-2014)
-
2014 May - : Rev. Fr. Charles Seravo
Local Superior: Fr. Joe Tauro (4th May, 2014 - )
|