c.1864 — Stuart 1879 · Little Rome

A government clerk remembered them

In the mission's returns for about 1864 a British district manual counted three convents in the whole Jesuit mission of Tinnevelly: one at Tuticorin, one at Adeikalapuram, and “A Convent for Native Nuns at Vadakankulam.” It was the only one away from the fishery coast. There were seventeen Indian sisters in the whole mission and twelve European ones, and a house of the Indian sisters stood here, inland, while the great church was still a building site. They were not yet an order: the mission had been gathering Indian women into religious life since 1859, but did not constitute them as a congregation until 1876, so the sisters in this village belonged to those patient years before there was a rule to profess. No parish paper remembers them. A government clerk did.

DocumentedThis moment rests on 2 sources.

Stuart 1879p. 62

62 MANUAL OF THE TINNEVELLY DISTRICT. Cuarren 111. Kaitér. Subsequently he went to Madura and Trichinopoly, Fourmioal where he became for some years Dewan to Chanda Saheb. At his overthrow he fied into the Maravar country, Ramnad, and settled at Manapérai in Tinnevelly, where in 1746 he died. Some years after Besche’s death troubles began to gather round the missions of the Jesuits allover the world. In 1755 the support of the Missionaries from Europe ceased. In 1760 the Jesuits at Goa were deported to Lisbon by Pombal’s orders. Those Jesuits that remained in Tinnevelly, at Vadakankulam, Talai, Manapar, Virapandiun-pattanam, &c., died one by one, and their places were supplied by native priests from Goa. In 1778 the Society of Jesus was formally suppressed by the then Pope, Clement XIV. Tn 1814 the society was restored by Pope Pius VII, and in 1838 two Jesuit Missionaries, ‘Fathers Martin and Duranquet, arrived in Palamcottah to recommence their mission in Tinnevelly. Tinnevelly has always been attached to the Madura Mission, the history of which, associated with the names of Fathers Robert deNobili, deBrito, Banchet, Arland, from 1616 to 1748 is of much interest. At the latter date it was estimated that there were 385,000 Christians in the eastern part of India ; then, as above stated, there followed the suppression of the Jesuits, by which the Madura Mission was for the time destroyed. About the year 1881 the restoration and return of the Jesuits to Madura took place and the Mission recommenced afresh. One branch of this Mission is that of Palamcottah, and is now divided into two districts, viz , Palamcottah with five residences : Palamoottah, Anakarai, Vadakankulam, Andipatti, Kannunaikerpatti; and the fishery coast with six residences : Tuticorin, Panneikayél, Adeikalapuram, Virapandiun-pattanam, Manapad, and Obary. The superior is Father Verdier; the total number of Catholic converts in 1864 is given as 51,000. The staff consisted of— 11 European Missionaries 4 Native do 1 Lay Brother. 12 European Nuns. 17 Native do. The Mission had— 99 Churches. 50 Chapels. A Convent and a School at Tuticorin. A Convent and Orphanage at Adeikalapuram. A Oonvent for Native Nuns at Vadakankulam. Two Boys’ Schools. One Girls’ School.