Diocese: Mangalore
Pioneers: Sisters Martina D’Almeida, Josephine Pinto, Marceline Rodrigues and Eliza Pinto (1936)
Tracing a historical sketch of the Sacred Heart Students’ Home at Madanthyar leaves one in a dilemma on fixing the date of its foundation as July 5, 1936 or June 20, 1997. This is because both these dates are equally significant from the view point of their interrelatedness. As necessitated by the guidelines to recording history, we take the latter date; however, we trace the history from the former date.
Madanthyar is situated at a distance of 45 kms from Mangalore to the north-east and 14 kms from Belthangady, towards the highway to Dharmastala and is surrounded by Nainadu, Uppinangady, Nirkan, Belthangady and Badyar parishes. Greenery – crops, cash crops, plantation, and agriculture distinguish Madanthyar. In 1930s, while its well-to- do populace moved to cites in search of better prospects, the less privileged remained at the place. Realities such as lack of basic necessities pertaining to transport, health, and hygiene exacerbated their condition. Geographical distance from the parish church kept the believers from practising their faith in the parish community.
In such circumstances, Fr Denis J D’Souza the parish priest of Sacred Heart Church at Madanthyar contacted the Ursuline Fransiscan Sisters who were known to him; he requested them to assist him in uplifting the people of God. The Superior General Sr Rose Saldanha agreed to the request; the request accompanied assurances of a residence close to the Church, three teaching posts in the primary school and three acres of land, all of these had to be surrendered to the parish church in case the Sisters withdrew from the place for any reason. The proposal came into view at a time when the first batch of novices was professed in 1935, which also marks the canonical erection of the congregation of the ‘Catechist Sisters of St Ursula’. Bishop V R Fernandes endorsed the proposal and signed the agreement on July 3, 1936. He also instructed the Sisters to sign an agreement that spelled out guidelines for mutual expectations along with responsibilities with respect to both spiritual and temporal needs. The Sacred Heart Students’ Home was erected on the same day. Sr Martina D’Almeida headed the community along with Sisters Josephine Pinto, Marceline Rodrigues and Eliza Pinto who were to be teachers and community members. The Sisters commenced teaching in the Guardian Angel Primary School on July 5, 1936.
The Sisters undertook commendable missionary programmes and activities. The ‘Community Book’ records their zeal for catechizing, for instilling religious practices and devotion in the school, in the parish community, and in distant villages. Their beneficiaries were the poor, ignorant and illiterate most of whom belonged to low castes. As was the practice of the time, the Sisters baptized the dying infants, adults, and the aged, the records of which are found in the church register. The event book records the names of villages the Sisters visited – Piladabettu, Machina, Ranngedoddi, Malady, Gardady, Nala, Balmanja, Punjalkatte, Arthil and Paranki village. In Paranki village Sr Alicia Suarez, the animator of the Convent, acquired three plots of land measuring 3.76, 0.65 and 0.6, totalling 4.47 acres. This immovable property facilitated official return of the Sisters in 1997 almost 61 years later.
The Sisters assisted in the formation of faith of people; they undertook this by identifying themselves with people and sharing their joys as well as sorrows. The event book evidences this fact. They also shouldered several church-related activities such as cleanliness of the House of God, leading prayers and choir in liturgical activities; they monitored the Altar Servers’ Sodality, Children of Mary Sodality, and the Christian Mothers’ Sodality; they catechized youth and children, administered the Holy Communion to the sick. In brief, they were evangelizers
in its true sense. The Sisters had established a bond of affinity with the people. Taking advantage of this factor, the Sisters took up the task of reprimanding people when they saw them deviating from their faith. Precisely this reality generated tension which the Sisters in their simplicity were unable to perceive. Neither were they able to deal with the indifference and disrespect showed towards them and the convent. In such a stressful situation the way out they could see was to return to the Mother House, Holy Rosary Convent on February 18, 1958. The Superior General Sr Genevieve Castelino in consultation with her team and in a prayerful discernment permitted the Sisters not to return to Madanthyar; neither were the Sisters replaced. This perhaps is the only remarkable yet painful decision they could take at the moment and thereby let time heal the sores.
In the meantime, the 4.47 acres of land acquired by Sr Alicia was converted to the Congregation through a ‘gift deed’. The Superior General Sr Genevieve entrusted the upkeep of the property to the Sisters at Belthangady and also entrusted the charge to Mr Walter Rodrigues the brother of Sisters Maria and Margarita Rodrigues from Madanthyar. Mr Walter while doing his best appealed constantly to the Sisters to take possession of the land. In the later years the Superiors General-Sr Ernestine, Sr Reparata and Sr Severine kept a follow-up of the property and the possibility of restarting the mission at Madanthyar!
The time was ripe in 1996 to re-enter Madanthyar. During the tenure of Sr Edilburga Monteiro as the Superior General, the General Council decided to take possession of the land. When Sr Alphonsa Fernandes, the Councillor General for land and building, approached Bishop Basil D’Souza of Mangalore Diocese, the first reaction was displeasure at the past events. However, he suggested them to survey the land and fence it. The process of survey was certainly thorny. At surveying it was discovered that 27 cents of land was encroached upon by a private party as well as the Salesian Sisters who had established themselves at Madanthyar ever since 1985. It was decided not to claim the impinged piece of land. The 4.20 acre of land was fenced with granite polls and barbed wire.
When the Bishop was approached with the information on the decision of the Congregation to reside at Madanthyar, he categorically denied the possibility of permitting a second religious house at the place. The only chance left to the Sisters was to obtain permission to start a farm house. At the near completion of the structure, Sr Edilburga personally approached the Bishop on August 28, 1996 with a request to permit the student candidates to reside at the house in view of their pursuing pre-university education. At the notification of the Bishop to make a written request in this regard, Sr Edilburga sought a written permission on January 31, 1997.
At the completion of the construction of the house, on May 10, 1997 Sr Alphonsa and Sr Olinda Sequeira (Councillor General in charge of formation) met Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza and briefed him on the developments at Madanthyar. Sr Edilburga informed him in writing on June 15, 1997 that the blessing of the House will take place on June 20, 1997 by Fr Charles Noronha, the parish priest of Madanthyar Parish.
The house was inaugurated on June 20, 1997. At the simple yet graceful occasion Sr Edilburga gave in brief the history of the Sacred Heart Student Home (SHSH); she also assured those involved of a vibrant presence of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters at Madanthyar. Sr Alphonsa thanked wholeheartedly all those who had assisted in erecting SHSH. As a cultural gesture implying prosperity, Mr John Rodrigues rolled a pack of rice (mudo). Sr Leena Mathias was put in charge of the newly blessed SHSH. Later Sr Tressy Dias animated the community. Sr Apoline Mascarenhas succeeded her. The student candidates from the North and North-East Provinces began residing at SHSH from June 1997 onwards. In view of catering to their necessities, a multi-purpose hall and some other extension were added in the course of 1998.
As the Sisters began to reside at SHSH, they felt strongly the need to install the Blessed Sacrament at the Home. Referring to this need Sr Edilburga on June 18, 1997 requested in writing Fr Henry Castelino, the Episcopal vicar for religious. His response stating that such a permission ought to be sought from the Bishop of the Diocese and that he is entitled to permit installation of the Blessed Sacrament only to a newly established religious house was a setback to the Sisters. As the persisting woman in the Bible, the Sisters did not give up their demand to establish the Blessed Sacrament. Sr Edilburga requested the Bishop in writing on May 8, 1999. She also explained the problem in writing to Fr Edwin Pinto, the Vicar General, on May 8, 1999. He guided the Sisters to approach the parish priest who would do the needful. Sr Edilburga sent a written appeal to Fr Charles Noronha on May 17, 1999 and the Bishop sent a reply to Sr Edilburga reasserting his position that SHSH ‘is not a religious house’. No further correspondence is available regarding the issue. However, the Event Book notes that the Blessed Sacrament has been installed on January 1, 2002 by Fr Herald Mascarenhas, the parish priest after having celebrated the Eucharist. Ever since then, the SHSH has the privilege of celebrating the Eucharist weekly.
While obtaining educational benefits from the college at Madanthyar, the student candidates, student Sisters and other Sisters of SHSH have been involving themselves fully in pastoral activities such as catechizing, conducting and participating in SCC prayer meetings, keeping the Church clean and ready for prayers and Eucharistic celebrations, visiting families and praying with families etc regularly. One Sister has been teaching in the English medium school. The Sisters are involved with total commitment in all they do at Madanthyar in the service of God and God’s people.
The property at Madanthyar that caused the return of the Sisters after several years has been made productive in the course of time. Five hundred rubber saplings planted in 1999 have been yielding rubber ever since 2009. A tube well has been bored in 2003; a pump set has been installed for agricultural purposes. A smokeless oven has been set up as well.
The date March 8, 2007 marks a transition in the life of SHSH. Complying with a request of Sr Leena Mascarnhas, the Provincial Superior of Mysore, to grant a house to the Province in Mangalore, the Superior General Sr Doreen D’Souza in a letter dated March 8, 2007 transferred SHSH to the Province with all its documents of land and establishments. The student candidates and Sisters of Mysore Province reap the benefits of SHSH ever since 2007. Sr Lucy D’Souza animated the community; she was succeeded by Sr Lavina D’Souza in 2010. At present Sr Santhan Rodrigues is the animator of the community and also takes care of the student candidates.
The ‘farm house’ with all its inconveniences catered to the Sisters till 2012; it offered them a Franciscan setting – poor, simple, green all around. In 2012 the Mysore Province has put up a spacious, sturdy, beautiful structure for which Sr Lavina has put in a great share of her hard toil. The spaciousness of the house must explain the fact that even the Regional CRI (Conference of Religious India) meetings are held at SHSH.