St. Thomas the Apostle Heavenly Patron of the Province 2 Commemorative Souvenir Establishment of the Province of India Establishment of the Province of St. Thomas the Apostle, India Commemorative Souvenir Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Poonamallee, Chennai, India June 15, 2005 Commemorative Souvenir 13 Establishment of the Province of India Establishment of the Province of St. Thomas the Apostle, India Commemorative Souvenir Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Poonamallee, Chennai, India June 15, 2005 Editor : Bro. George Kizhakkekara OH, sac. © Rights Reserved 2005 Design, Layout & Printing : S.R. Graphics, Kottayam, Kerala. Tel. +91 481 2301142 Published by : The Hospitaller Order of St. John of God 53 Queen Victoria Road, Poonamallee Chennai 600 056, India 42 Commemorative SouvenirSouvenir Establishment of thethe ProvinceProvince ofof IndiaIndia Owing to the great devotion of St. John of God towards Our Lady the ever-Virgin Mary, and the innumerable favours and benefits received both by himself and his sons in the houses of this Order throughout the world, a commemoration of the Patronage of Mary has always been kept with filial devotion. Entrusting to the heavenly Queen all the spiritual and temporal needs of the Order the commemoration of the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary is kept with great solemnity each year in all our houses as one of our major feasts, on the third Saturday of November. The Brothers place themselves, their patients, and services under the protection of the Immaculate Mother of God. (Adapted from The Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours for the Order of Hospitallers of St. John of God) Commemorative Souvenir 53 Establishment of the Province of India EDITORIAL 6 PHOTOS 7 MESSAGES 12 INAUGURAL FUNCTION 29 u Programme 30 u Homily during Mass - Fr. Pascual Piles OH, Prior General, Rome 31 u Province Document - Fr. Pascual Piles OH 32 u Words of Welcome - Bro. Benedict Nadayil OH, Provincial, India 33 u Inaugural Address - Bro. Pascual Piles OH 35 u Presidential Address - Dr. Lawrence Pius Dorairaj, Auxiliary Bishop, Madras-Mylapore 36 u Felicitations - Bro. Donatus Forkan OH, General Councillor, Rome 37 - Bro. Brian ODonnell OH, Ex-Prior General, Australia 38 - Bro. Rudolf Knopp OH, Provincial, Bavaria, Germany 38 - Sr. Rosy Joseph SCJG, Sister General, Kerala 39 - Bro. Paulus Kohler OH, Provincial, Austria 41 - Fr. Prasad Ignatius Y.J., Rector, S.H. Seminary, Poonamallee 42 u A Hospitable Act (Souvenir) - Bro. Brian ODonnell OH 43 u Vote of Thanks - Bro. Yanka Sharma OH 44 u Greetings to the New Province 46 u bpK¸pecn (A Tribute to the New Province) - Fr. Peter Thomas Kandavanam CMI 47 u Photos of the Province Event 48 THEY INSPIRE US (PHOTOS) 56 WE REMEMBER YOU WITH GRATITUDE (PHOTOS) 57 THE HOSPITALLER ORDER: A BIRDS EYE-VIEW 61 u tlmkv]n-äeÀ HmÀUdnsâ NnÓw 69 The Emblem of the Hospitaller Order u Some Significant Events in the History of the Order- Bro. Brian ODonnell OH 70 u History of the Hospitaller Order (Chronological) 72 u Statistics of the Hospitaller Order 73 u The Hospitaller Order Around the World (Illustrated) 74 THE HOSPITALLER ORDER IN INDIA 75 u The First Beginning (in Goa) 76 64 Commemorative Souvenir Establishment of the Province of India ST. THOMAS PROVINCE, INDIA 78 u The Second Beginning (in Kerala) ( & Photos) 78 u Members (Photos) 84 u Presence of the Order in India (Illustrated) 86 u Some Major Events of the Order in India 87 u The Unfolding of Events (Chronological Narration) 90 COMMUNITIES & CENTRES 93 u St. John of God Community, Kattappana (& Photos) 94 v St. Johns Hospital 98 a) St. Johns School of Nursing 102 b) St. Johns College of Nursing 103 Photos 106 v Pratheeksha Bhavan (& Photos) 110 v Kaithiri (& Photos) 114 v Welfare Activities Initiated by Bro. Fortunatus Thanhäuser (& Photos) 116 v Chaplains at Kattappana 122 u St. Thomas Community, Poonamallee (& Photos) 123 u St. Richard Pampuri Community, Deshgaon (& Photos) 130 u Mary, Health of the Sick Community & St. John of God Special School, Velloor (& Photos) 136 u NEW PRESENCES: Trichy, Bangalore, Dindigul 145 PHOTOS u Profession of Brothers 147 u Hospitallers for 25 Years and More (Jubilarians) 149 u Classes, Seminars, Assemblies... 151 ARTICLES u St. John of God 155 u Saints of the Hospitaller Order 160 u Fundamentals of Hospitaller Spirituality - Bro. Francis Mannaparampil OH, sac. 164 u Hospitality Today - Bro. Francis Mannaparampil OH, sac. 168 u My Experiences in India - Bro. Alfons M. Höring OH 169 u Geschichte einer gelungenen Inkulturation - Bro. Alfons M. Höring OH 172 u ae-\m-«n Hcp a\pjykvt\ln (A short life-history of Bro. Fortunatus Thanhäuser) (& Photos) 176 u As a Co-Worker ... - Dr. M.C. Abraham 186 u Benefactors of the Hospitaller Order in India - Bro. Vincent Kochamkunnel OH 187 & Photos 190 u The Origin and Growth of SCJG - Sr. Rosy Joseph SCJG 192 MISCELLANEA u Address Directory of the Hospitaller Order in India 196 u Address Directory of the Sisters of Charity of St. John of God 198 u Words of St. John of God 200 u Man of compassion (Song in honour of St. John of God) Commemorative Souvenir 75 Establishment of the Province of India It was indeed one of the historic moments for the Hospitaller Order in India, when Brother Pascual Piles Ferrando, Prior General of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, raised it to the status of a Province on 15th June 2005, at Poonamallee, Chennai. The Patron of the new Province is St. Thomas the Apostle, who preached the Good News, was martyred and buried in this land. We have decided to make an attempt at recording in a commemorative souvenir, the history of many of the traceable charitable works of the Hospitaller Order in India. So, this is an effort to bring into the limelight the struggles and achievements, the birth pangs and heartbeats of the Hospitaller Order from the time of its inception in India up until now. Apart from being a peep into the past, it is a salutation of homage to the undaunted missionary zeal of the pioneers, especially Bro. Fortunatus Thanhäuser, who brought Hospitality to India. They shed their life- blood here in India establishing new houses and centres to serve the poor and the sick. The main reason behind this souvenir, the Province Event, is presented in the form of different messages of well-wishers, the homily and speeches of the day, the Province Establishment Document, and photographs of special moments of the event. The Order is in a very special way thankful to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for his apostolic blessing on all the Hospitaller Brothers in India. I thank our Provincial, Rev. Bro. Benedict Nadayil, for his encouragement and support. It is my duty to thank the members of the Souvenir Committee: Bro. Francis Mannaparampil, Bro. Pius Manithottiyil and Bro. Prakash Madappally. Our sincere thanks go to those who sent their messages and contributed articles. The encouragement and help of Bro. Brian ODonnell OH, Fr. Abraham Kadaplackal SDB and Fr. Charles Panackal SDB are recalled with special gratitude. I thank and pray for all those who contributed through articles, words of encouragement and prayers for the success of this souvenir. It is our fervent hope that this Souvenir will be an apt tribute to the past 36 years of service of the Order in India. May St. John of God, our founder and heavenly patron and St. Thomas, the Apostle of India, inspire us all in the road we will follow to better serve the Church, the sick and the poor. Bro. George Kizhakkekara OH, sac. Editor 86 Commemorative Souvenir Establishment of the Province of India St. John of God Our Founder & Patron O glorious Saint, full of tenderness and compassion for the afflicted, who, as a reward for your charity, merited to minister to Jesus Christ under the appearance of a patient, obtain for us the grace to ever see Jesus Christ Himself in the person of our neighbour, so that we may be found worthy to receive the eternal bliss promised to those who serve the Divine Master in the person of the sick, the poor and the needy. Amen. Commemorative Souvenir 97 Establishment of the Province of India St. Raphael the Archangel Heavenly Helper of the Hospitaller Order O most glorious prince, Raphael the Archangel, be mindful of us; here and everywhere pray to the Son of God for us. 108 Commemorative Souvenir Establishment of the Province of India His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI Commemorative Souvenir 119 Establishment of the Province of India Rev. Bro. Pascual Piles Ferrando OH Prior General Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Rome 1210 Commemorative Souvenir Establishment of the Province of India Bro. Benedict Nadayil OH Provincial St. Thomas Province, India Commemorative Souvenir 1113 Establishment of the Province of India 1412 Commemorative Souvenir Establishment of the Province of India It is with great satisfaction that I am writing to you at this time regarding the presence of the Order in India, since its foundation in 1969 by the Rhineland Holy Family Province, Germany. We are about to solemnly erect the General Delegation created by the Mother Province, following its approval by the General Council at the end of 1996, as the Province of St. Thomas the Apostle. We must give thanks to our Lord for enabling the hospitality of St. John of God to take root in the hearts of todays Indian Brothers, and in the hearts of the Sisters of St. John of God and in the Co- workers of both these Institutions. Today, we are pleased to be able to offer quality services to the sick and the needy, which are admired by the local society and express the charity of Christ through hospitality.