Madura Mission - A History

Madurai Province is the oldest and the biggest Province in India. It has a glorious past and rich and eventful history. Jesuit province in the Tamil country began since the times of St. Francis Xavier. He arrived in Goa on may 6, 1542. After four months of stay in Goa, he worked in Manapad, Tuticorin, Madurai, Madras-Mylapore etc. preached the Gospel and planted the Catholic Church. Having accomplished his mission successfully in India, Sri Lanka and Japan, he was keen to begin his work in China as well. And he set sail on April 17, 1552 from Goa never to return alive. He died in the Sancian Islands on December 3, 1552. For a period of 450 year (1552 –2002), his mortal body has withstood the heat and insects of India and is incorrupt. At the time of his death, there were 64 Jesuits in the Portuguese India and all of them were Europeans. 
After St. Francis Xavier came Antony Criminali (1520 – 1549) who was killed by the Badagas in a raid near Vedalai, Ramnad District on the Fishery Coast, Henri Genriques (1520 –1600), Goncalo Fernandez (1541–1621), Robert de Nobili (1577 –1656) and others were sent from Goa to the Tamil region to continue the work of evangelisation. When Robert de Nobili visited Madurai in 1606, he found it an ideal place to learn Tamil and to start the process of evangelisation and so he founded a mission know as “Madura Mission” (1606), dependent on Goa Province for men and material. After Robert de Nobili, great personalities like St. John de Britto (1647–1693), Constantine Joseph Beschi – Veeramamuniver 1680–1747 and others (122 Jesuits) have worked in this Mission till 1759. Enmity and oppositions were growing strong in Portugal and in its colonies against the Jesuits. The villain was certain Pombal who succeeded in poisoning the ears of the King against the Jesuits. In 1759, Pombal ordered all the Jesuits working in the Portuguese India to be arrested and deported to Portugal. Since oppositions against Jesuits were gaining strength in Europe, Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society of Jesus in the whole world on 21 July 1773. Jesuits ceased to exist openly and officially in Madura Mission and all over India. However, the Society of Jesus was re-established on 7th August 1814 by Pope Pius VII. Rev.Fr. J. Roothann, General of the Society of Jesus, entrusted Madura Mission to the Provincial of France, Fr. Francis Renault who at once sent four French Jesuits to the Mission in 1837:: Joseph Bertrand (1801 –1884), Louis Garnier (1805 – 1843), Louis du Ranquet (1801 –1843) and Alexander Martin 1799 – 1840). When the Toulouse Province was created in 1852, Madura Mission was entrusted to its care till its independence in 1952.


Madurai Province 

“Madurai Province“ derives its name from ‘Madura Mission’ which stands for two Jesuits Missions, namely the ‘Old Madura Mission’ (1606–1759–1773) run by the Portuguese Jesuits of the old Society of Jesus and the “New Madura Mission’ (1937 – 1952) by the French Jesuits of the New Society. The name ‘Madura is very significant here because since its foundation in 1606, all the European Jesuits, both of the Old and New Society, continued to keep the name ‘Madura and called their mission ‘Madura Mission’.While the Old Madura Mission had Madurai as its headquarters, the headquarters of the new Mission was Tiruchirapalli. Though the foundation of the Mission was laid by Robert de Nobili, the real base for the present Madurai Province was laid and developed the French Jesuits who worked for its development and consolidation. Madurai Mission was raised to the status of a Vice–Province in 1929, still dependent on the Toulouse Province; In the Centenary Year (1852 – 1952) of the Toulouse Province, Madurai Vice-Province was raised to the status of an Independent Province in 1952. The fruits of the tireless efforts and heroic sacrifices of the French Jesuits left behind for the new province: St. Joseph’s School and College, Tiruchy (1844), St. Mary’s School, Dindigul (1850), St. Mary’s School, Madurai (1855), St. Xavier’s School (1880) and College (1923), Playamkottai, St. Francis Xavier School, Tuticorin (1884), Loyola College, Chennai (1925), De Britto School, Devakottai (1943) and St. Xavier’s College of Education, Palayamkottai (1950).

Madurai Province - A brief history

Why would the Jesuits of Tamil Nadu call their Province the Madurai Province ? The reasons are historical. Incidentally quite a few Indian Jesuit provinces have names of cities like Bombay , Patna , Jamshedpur and Ranchi . Others – like Andhra, Kerala and Gujarat – have the names of States. Madurai Province is the oldest Province in India . Jesuit presence in this land of Tamils began since the times of St Francis Xavier. He arrived in Goa on 6 May 1542 and, after four months of stay in Goa, travelled to Tamil Nadu and worked in Manapad, Tuticorin, Madurai and Madras-Mylapore, preaching the good news of Jesus and founding Catholic communities. After Francis Xavier came Antony Criminali (1520 – 1549) who was later killed by the Badagas in a raid near Vedalai, Ramnad District,Tamil Nadu. Henri Henriques (1520 –1600), Goncalo Fernandez (1541–1621), Robert de Nobili (1577 –1656) and others were sent from Goa to the Tamil region to continue the work of evangelisation

Jesuits Madurai Province

Year

Description

1606

The European Jesuits named their mission as "Madura Mission"

1837-1925

The French Jesuits laid the real base for the Present Madura Province.

1852

The Madura Mission was entrusted to the care of Toulouse Province in the South of France

1886

Tiruchirappalli was assumed as the first Jesuit Diocese.

1923

Tuticorin turned out to be the first Indian Diocese of the Latin rite

1938

Madurai was assumed as the first Indian Diocese of the Latin rite.

1929

Madurai Mission was raised to the status of a Vice-Province

15th Aug 1952

Rt.Rev.Jean Baptise Janseens, Superior General of the Society of Jesus announced the creation of independent Jesuit Madurai Province.

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