An enduring or permanent administration centre is an integral component of any institution. Such a concern is crucial to a growing institution like a religious congregation. Defying this median, the Ursuline Franciscan Congregation managed in short-term or temporary administrative units. Not merely the Franciscan spirit of renouncement of chattels but also its meagre economic resource made the administrative body hop from place to place attempting to squeeze itself in seeking a suitable venue within the accessible facilities. St Ursula Convent at Bolar functioned as the administrative house ever since its beginning in 1901 until 1957 when the administration team consisting of Sr Genevieve Castelino, Superior General, and her Council shifted itself to the Holy Rosary Convent at Jeppu, Mangalore. After 29 years, in 1986 Sr Severine Barrows and her team moved to the ‘Upper House’ a house located in the campus of the Holy Rosary Convent, which was purchased in 1960. Sr Edilburga Monteiro and her team after spending one year at the Upper House, moved to the ‘Somarpann’, Novitiate building in 1993. They converted a part of the top floor of the Novitiate building into administrative block of the Generalate. This venue was the Generalate of the Congregation for thirteen years until 2006 when Sr Doreen D’Souza, Superior General and her team erected a new permanent administrative block of the Congregation.
The reasons of shifting the venue of administration are several. Basically, the settings did not meet the stipulations required for an administrative centre. While St Ursula Convent and Holy Rosary Convent were jam-packed due to their diverse apostolic activities including the formation programme, the Upper House proved to be unfeasible due to upsurge of frequent ant hills within the house. At Somarpann, the presence of the Generalate was a disturbance due to its several programmes for which the novitiate block had to be often utilized. Moreover, the work load of the Generalate was excessive due to the fact of multifarious activities of the Congregation. This means that the general administration had to take upon itself the responsibility of administering the whole Congregation until 1997 when the provinces were formed in the Congregation. In the backdrop of this reality, establishing a separate administrative centre was inevitable. The pressing need was formulated as a mandate in the eleventh General Chapter held in 2004. Sr Doreen D’Souza, the newly elected Superior General and her Council received a mandate to construct a separate building for the General administration, to equip it with needed infrastructure and to establish it in Mangalore.
Don Francesco Saverio Buzzoffi, a holy man was God’s exceptional instrument to fulfil both the mandate and dream of the Congregation of erecting the Generalate building. He is acquainted with the Congregation ever since 2002, when he had taken charge as the parish priest of San Remigio parish in Florence, Italy, after the death of Mgr Gian Carlo Setti. He had learnt from the Sisters at Casa Padre Pio, Jacintha P D’Souza, Irene Ralte, Robertine Rodrigues and Apoline Rodrigues who were rendering pastoral service at San Remigio parish and Padre Pio Centre regarding the presence and the work of the Sisters amidst the marginalized of society. Sr Doreen D’Souza, along with Sr Jeraldine D’Souza established personal contact with Don Francesco in 2004 during her canonical visit to the European Region. On January 27, 2005, he visited the Generalate along with his Associates Mr Gebriele Gensini, Mr Daniele Mannocci, and Mr Marco Tabellini. The day (Feast of St Angela Merici) marked the laying of the stone for the new Generalate building. Amazingly, the location of the building was that of the Lourdes Cottage in the Somarpann campus, from where the Sisters had looked after that property for 28 years until the construction of the Novitiate building in 1993. The construction of the building was complete exactly after one year, namely, on January 27, 2006. It was inaugurated by Sr Doreen D’Souza, Superior General, and blessed by Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza and Don Francesco. Mr Gabriele, Vice President of Casa Santi Arcangeli and other Associates of Don Francesco – Daniele, Marco, Nicola Lombardi and Anna Rita Zazzaroni were present at the occasion. It was a day of celebration of the triple events, namely, the inauguration of the long-awaited Generalate building, the feast of St Angela Merici, patroness of the Congregation, and the Golden Jubilee of the Franciscan Affiliation of the Congregation. To commemorate the Franciscan Affiliation, a CD and an audio cassette named ‘Golden Strings’ were released, which were dedicated to Fr Pacificus Menezes OFM Cap as a tribute to him for his Franciscan touch to the Congregation. In the later years Maria Tarducci, Ullisse Rapparini, Gabriele Grillini and Matteo Galassini visited Generalate and other missions where the help is extended along with Don Francesco.
A few observations of the Generalate building at its inauguration are in place. At the occasion of the inauguration, Don Francesco rightly pointed out to the objective of the existence of religious institutions as being at the service of the Church. He said that he is ‘pleased to hand over the Generalate, the gift of his love to Sr Doreen D’Souza and through her to the Congregation and through the Congregation to the Church’. Fr Remigius Sequeira, spiritual director of the Congregation, said that the new Generalate building is like a beehive where the nectar is converted into honey, from which one drinks deeply. Pointing at the intrinsic significance of a Generalate building, he counselled the Sisters in the words of St Francis of Assisi, ‘If you are driven out from the front door return to it from the back door, for it is your cradle, your home’. Fr Francis Serrao SJ, Provincial Superior of Karnataka Jesuits, contended that the Generalate house is an institution that inspires, coordinates, evaluates, guides, and supports the apostolic activities of the Sisters, whose houses are situated in distant rural outposts. He also added that the house is a beacon of hope to the Sisters whose work brings no glamour, no recognition and no creature comfort; it is also a symbol of hope to the marginalized people whom they serve. Fr Gerry Lobo OFM, having opined that the Congregation deserves such a building given its rapid growth, prayed that the humility of God reign within its walls in order that it be a power house of the Eucharistic service offered to the broken humanity through the life and example of the Sisters. He wished that the house facilitates ‘widening the space of its tent’ to those seeking compassion and that the house turns out to be a ‘blessed home of understanding to whoever comes in’.
