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A BRIEF OUTLINE |OF THE Q

P R O G R E S S n

0LAHORE CAPUCHIN MISSION IQ

FROM

1905 to 1926

By

An old Missionary.

T w a i 5-AO

jforetoorfc.H AVI MG been in the Punjab Lahore Mission since 1890, I have sseri it

from

r & y i/ïv A /Cr/yj

ise-

UT. Leo, o. c.The activities of the Mission

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jforetoorfc.j_|AVING been in the Punjab Lahore-

Mission since 1890, I have sseri it rise from very humble beginnings and grow into a flourishing Mission. It has often struck me how interesting events, nay, even the main facts connected with an Indian Diocese, are so frequently forgotten. Hence, I think it will be useful to record, in its bare outlines, the progress the Lahore Mission has made during the time of the episcopate of the Right Revd. Dr. F. A. Eestermans, 0. C., i. e., from the year 1905 to 1926. The progress the Diocese had made before this period is recorded in ‘Dix Années D’Apostolat* of Mgr. Pelckmans, and in the ‘History of the Punjab Mission’ by Revd. Fr. Leo, 0. C.

The activities of the Mission

the last 20 years have been so great and so diversified that I find it difficult to group all the facts under a few separate headings. I have come to the conclusion, therefore, that the easiest way of giving a clear idea of the progress made is to proceed station by station, jotting down facts as they oceur to me"

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T h e R t . 'R e v d . D r. F. A. EESTERMANS, o.C, Bishop o f Lahore, (1905-1926).

A brief outline of the progressOF THE

LAHORE CAPÜCHIN MISSIONFROM

1905 to 1926.

iU ïjore*The Cathedral of the Sacred

H eart.—This church, architecturally one of the finest in India, was begun in 1902 and was stili under construction in 1905. The entire liquid assets of the Mission at that date, however, were far from sufficient to effect its completion. Realising this, Mgr. Eestermans at once set about coliecting funds with great energy and success. Two years later the Revd. Bro. Joa- chim, by dint of ceaseless endeavour and able direction, had the building xeady for consécration which took place on the 19th November, 1907. A

3

few years later the electrification of the building was taken in hand and completed at a cost of several thousands of rupees.

St. Anthony’s High School for boys.—The growth of the Catholic population in Lahore combined with the good reputation the school had acquired, led to a large increase in the number of pupils on the Rolls. Consequently, the buildings erected in 1900 proved all too insufficient and new spacious class-rooms and a large play- shed were put up about the year 1907.

On the 1st November 1911, the management and teaching were transferred to the Patrician Brothers. They, by their zeal and strenuous efforts, have made the Institution the premier High School for European boys in the Punjab.

Congregation of the Sisters of

• Charity (from Ghent).—This Congregation which had been introduced

.. into the Diocese by the late Mgr. Pelckmans, has to-day a flourishing college—the College of the Sacred H eart—on Thornton Road for high-caste Indian girls. The Government grant-in- aid has, however, never been accepted by the Sisters for their Institution. The college buildings which were badly shaken by an earthquake in 1905 were rebuilt by the Sisters. In 1913 they also put up new buildings to house an orphanage and an industrial school for about 200 girls of the .Indian Catholic ■community. Mention should also be made of the institution of a Congregation of Oblates of Indian Catholic girls.

Congregation of the Niins of Jesus and Mary.—This Congregation, so^well-known in North India, had their convent and school located in Anarkali

as far back as in 1876, and catered for the educational needs of the daughters of the European and Anglo-Indian communities. This want continues to be supplied by them but in a more spacious new building on Durand Road, erected by the Mission in 1914. The change was forced on the Diocese owing to the gradual transformation of what was then a part of the CiviL Station into Indian residential and trading quarters. The new block contains a separate chapel and a wing intended as a home for a few Catholic working girls.

Church and Parish of th e Immaculate Conception, Anar» kali.—The number of Indian Catholics having increased considerably in Lahore, the church of the Immaculate Conception in Anarkali (formerly the Pro-cathedral) was set apart for their

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use by Mgr. . Eestermans. This com- jmunity is slowly but steadily growing in numbers and influence. One of its members—Dr. M. B. Utarid—was the honoured recipient of the Papal Decoration, Pro Ecclesia et P o n t i f ic e for valuable work done in a literary direction. Of the four young men of the community who felt themselves called to the priesthood, one joined the Jesuit Fathers in South India, another the Propaganda College} ip.Rome while two are in the Capuchin House of Studies at Mussoorie.

Whereas in 1905 the charge of the Indian community was confided to the assistant Priest of the Pro-cathedral, there is now a special establishment of three Priests and two Lay- Brothers maintained by the Diocese fo r the spiritual needs of the community in Lahore and in the surrounding:

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villages. Missionary work in these villages dates from about the year 1909.

The Catholic Association of Lahore.—The Catholic Association of Lahore was established on the 27th November, 1911. Its head-quarters are located in Mission property, at 27 Empress Road, for which a reduced rental is charged. The Bishop of the Diocese is ipso facto the patron of the Association. The Association has rendered valuable services to the community. Very recently, steps have been taken to establish an Indian Section, which should, in course of time, strengthen the position of the Association. The Catholic News of Lahore, a weekly, was started in 1916 for the benefit of the Catholics of the Diocese.

Varia.—Electrification was effected of all Diocesan houses and buildings

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in Lahore as well as of all other houses of the Mission where and when electric current was made available, viz., a t Multan, Sialkot, Lahore Cantonment, Ferozepore and Jullundur.

Balïjouste.Since the year 1905, the following

-Mission properties have either been erected or acquired in Dalhousie

(1) A presbytery and a large soldiers’ club in Baiun Cantonment, at a cost of Rs. 17,000. Government, however, built the church in Cantonments for the use of the military ; it was blessed and dedicated to St. Patrick, on the 25th April, 1909.

(2) A new residence for the Bishop in 1911, in Dalhousie.

(3) “Lourdes Villa”—a summer residence in Dalhousie, in 1923, for the Franciscans Sisters in charge of the Pemale Mental Hospital, Lahore, and

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of the convents of Maryabad and Rahimpur, to enable them to take much-needed respite from their arduous work.

(4) “Strawberry Bank” Hotel, also in Dalhousie, was acquired with, its extensive grounds. The Sisters of Charity who had been conducting a Middle School in the adjoining property for European and Anglo-Indian girls, were able, with the additional accommodation placed at their disposal, to raise their school to the HigL Standard.

The above particulars have been supplied by the Revd. Fr. Theophane, Chaplain of Dalhousie. Fr. Theophane who is also the Diocesan Inspector of Schools, adds, “Do not forget, please, to mention in the ‘sumîîïary,, the institution of the Diocesan examinations in Christian doctrine ; it is a

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grand..,...and meritorious work”. ̂ I might add "that a complete syllabus of C h ris t ia n d o c tr in e h a s b e e n la id d o w n . A g o ld Cross is a w a rd e d , y e a r ly , to t h e most deserving pupil, a n d th e various schools compete, annually, for a Silver Shield ;

%ullunïiur Cantonment.Jullundur Cantonment continues

to be served by a “resident military chaplain who also attends to the spiritual needs of the Civil population in cantonments and in the City (some three miles distant), and in a few out- stations. A large presbytery, and a new billiard room for the use of Catholic soldiers, were erected about the year 1908, at the expense of the Mission,

Ualtoal.The Anglo vernacular High School

at Dalwal is conducted by the Capu

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■chin Fathers assisted by lay-tcachers. In 1905, six class-rooms with a residence for the Fathers and a small hostel for Catholic boys were in existence. At the present day the High School buildings comprise fifteen class-rooms ; a large boarding-house (120'X30'), with a separate well, for non-Christian students ; and a large block measuring' 85'X22', for Catholic boarders with a room attached for one of the Fathers. Pais latter structure was erected to serve for a small seminary.

i l a r p b a ï ) .The Catholic Colony of Maryabad

was founded by the late Mgr. Pelck- mans to whom all honour is due for this splendid wcrk. The missionary in charge of the colony supplies the following particulars on the extension

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of his Mission :—“Before the year 1905 no villages outside of Maryabad were visited : there are now 36 villages with about 1,000 Catholics visited from Maryabad. Two ecoles chapelles and two small schools have been erected at Burianwala and Rati Tibi. In Maryabad . itself f ; a f new ^primary school has been opened ; the dispensary has been enlarged and a small hospital built for in-patients. The grandest work, however, is the foundation, on the 24th June, 1922, of a Congregation of Franciscan (Indian) Sisters and I fully agree with a remark made by His Lordship sometime ago that this work will be his greatest consolation on his death-bed” .

Great hopes are entertained of an extension of this Mission into Hafiza- bad.

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j& ïj t ts f jp u r .

Khushpur Colony was established in 1900 with house, church, convent, etc. The next few years were spent in its consolidation so that it was not till 1909 that the work of evangelising the surrounding villages was taken in hand. This effort met with great success, and the work is now confided to two special missionaries assisted by eight catechists. There are now five subsidiary small chapels in the district with about 6,000 Catholics and 4,000 catechumens. The chapel at Gojra with two small rooms for the Priest is a permanent structure. It was built in 1914 and dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. Gojra will form a new missionary centre in the hear future. A large new school with an industrial department attached thereto*.and... also

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a new dispensary have recently been . built in this colony by the Sisters of Charity. A fact worthy of note is that there were 16,420 Holy Communions in this Mission last year.

.jfranctjsatoato.The colony of Francisabad was

projected in 1904 by the German Brothers who, however, left the Diocese shortly afterwards, for various reasons. The first priest appointed to the colony in October 1907 was the Very Revd. Fr. Philip, O.C. At that time there was just a small mud-built chapel for the 84 colonists and a presbytery on no grander scale. But the Good Shepherd is not unmindful of the sacrifices made by His servants. The colony from that time onwards progressed wonderfully and it has at present a well-built church, (blessed and

15

dedicated to our Seraphic Father on the8th July 1916) a school and a presbytery. A convent for some of the Indian Sisters of Maryabad is under construction. The erection of a ‘European’ flour-mill may also be mentioned, not forgetting that the Catholic colonists maintain their own Padre Sahib. Truly, Francisabad has developed into a model Catholic parish.

§?taUtot JHt0£(tons.The Sialkot Missions include the

Centres of Adah, Sahowala and Sialkot, and are, practically, co-existent with the beginning of the Diocese. In the true sense of the word, they may be considered the 'mother’ of all our Mission centres. All honour to Mgr. Pelckmans who laid there the firm foundations of our Mission, and to the Superior Regular who maintained

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them with their entire establishment till the year 1910 when they were taken over by the Diocese. These three stations have progressed sir.ce then. All the buildings have been improved and a new dispensary and a school have been built in Sahowala. The number of Catholics and catechumens and the villages visited have increased ten-fold. The thousands of children who have been sent to Heaven by the two Brothers, through their work connected with the dispensary, deserve special record. A further extension of missionary activity is being made in the Gujranwala District, where land has already been acquired for house, chapel and school. The future of this centre is distinctly encouraging.

C p a l l p u r .This new centre was begun in 1907. A

church and bungalow were constructed and the Mission placed in temporary charge of a priest from Maryabad. At the end of 1911 a resident priest was appointed. This Mission centre has progressed very satisfactorily since then, and it has, at present, 2,303 Catholics with 1,844 catechumens scattered in about 100 villages.

jtflultan.New and spacious convent school

buildings were constructed for the Sisters of Charity in Multan in 1911. The station church was fitted with electric lights and fans in 1925.

The Mission-centre of Sangla was opened in the year 1911. The priest- in-charge supplies the following particulars anent his Mission. “Sangla as a Mission-centre was non-existent in

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1905, and as far as it is known, there was not a single Catholic in the district. Now, there is a chapel and presbytery in Sangla and three small subsidiary chapels in the district. Village schools were opened at Roras (1908), Tetramvaley (1912), and at Raliana and Bhuler (1913). In the sweepers’ quarters land and kutcha houses were purchased in 1911-12. The resident priest is assisted by three catechists. The number of Catholics is 1,460 with 979 catechumens.”

$asrur.This new Mission-centre was start

ed in 1912-1913. The church and school then built still exist but the presbytery was demolished in 1920 and a new one built at a cost of about Rs. 13,000. Our Christians have a well for their own use.

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The, résident priest with six cate- chists looks after 109 villages in which there are 2,500 Catholics and about 1,700 catechumens. The meritorious work of ‘First Communions’ has been instituted in this mission, and the number of Holy Communions which was only 250 in 1913-1914, had increased to 2,316 in 1925.

§fcargofc|ja.Missionary activities in the Shah-

pur District date from the year 1911, when applications for a missionary were received from several of its villages. From that time onwardd the station of Sargodha was visited by a priest from Sialkot up to 1913. In that year the first resident priest was appointed and he occupied a hired bungalow. A chapel was built in 1916 and the new Mission residence not long after.

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The statistics for July 1925 give one resident priest, 1,8 j 3 Catholics, 2,140 catechumens with 184 villages, divided into 7 sub-districts with 7 catechists in charge. The Superior Regular has undertaken the entire actual maintenance of this Centre.

Sntûtttaïiaïi.This Mission was started on the

17th May 1914 and it is developing Into an exemplary community. I t has a church, house and school, and is served by two priests and three catechists. There are at present 2,863 Catholics in Antoniabad itself and 817 in the villages around. Holy Communions during last year totalled about 7,000.

19.14— 1 9 1 8 .Anni calamitatis et miseriae. I

Nobody can realize the anxious times the Mission found itself in during

these unfortunate years. Of necessity, all progress came to a standstill, but thank God, by strenuous efforts no existing works were checked. In a way it is one of the greatest achievements of the period under consideration. Thanks are due here, in a special manner, to the Catholic Association of Lahore and to every Catholic of the Diocese for their generous endeavours to help the Diocese in its great need, by initiating a “ Mission Fund”, which in its palmy days yielded, monthly, a sum of about Rs. 500.

W u Cfwrittrs.It is worthy of note that although the

Mission was in dire straitr, “ War charities” were not overlooked. On this subject the following notes (contributed) will be read with interest.

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“ Everybody has heard of the straitened financial circumstances to which the Diocese of Lahore was- reduced after the outbreak of the w ar,, when all supplies—monetary and. others—from Belgium were cut off. But it may not be so well-known how, notwithstanding these difficulties, aid was rendered to the soldiers especially the Belgian soldiers, with gifts of clothing, cigars, cigarettes and other comforts sent to them through thé good offices of the Belgian Sisters of Lahore.

It was also with the heartiest good-will that on Christmas Day of 1916, the Catholic Association of Lahore took up the work of the speciaL collection in aid of the starving children of Belgium, in answer to an appeal issued by the Lord Mayor of London.

Through the untiring and combined efforts of some noble-hearted and enthusiastic Catholics, a door-to-door collection was made on that Christmas morning, with the magnificent result that a cheque for Rs. 4,556 was forwarded to Mr. H. A. Metcalf, 1. C. S. Honorary General Secretary to the Belgian Children’s Christmas Fund for India.

Apparently, these generous efforts of the Catholics o f Lahore have never' been brought to the notice of the Belgian Government, as no acknowledgment of this charity has ever been received from the authorities concerned.

As soon as these calamitous years liad past, missionary activities were resumed with renewed»vigour.

Incidentally, I may mention that owing to the high cost of living after

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the War, His Lordship increased the monthly subsistence allowance, disbursed to each mission-centre, by Rs. 50, the Superior Regular binding' himself to contribute half this amount.

(Okara.)

The Punjab—the land of the five rivers—lends it^glf, admirably, to the building of extensive canals, and the Punjab Government has not been slow in turning this physical feature to good account. Large tracts cf land are now watered by an elaborate network of these artificial waterways, and thousands of acres which, formerly, were barren land are now smiling fields of w’heat, cotton and other staple crops. When one such area commanded by the Lower Bari Doab Canal was opened, the Govern-

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ment recognising the valuable work carried out by the various missionary bodies in raising and improving the condition of the Depressed or ‘Untouchable’ Classes, reserved some 30,000 acres of land in this district for their protégés. Land was sold to these bodies at full value but payment to •Government was spread over a period of 30 years. The grantees, moreover, were given the option of selling the land, in certain fixed allotments to the members of their own communities.

His Lordship, desirous of not losing this opportunity to assist our Catholic converts from this downtrodden class, purchased 1,083 acres ofland in 1919 for about Rs. 1,80,000, and soon had a full complement ofwould-be agriculturists settled thereon. Thus, the Catholic Colony of

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Rahimpur came into : .existence... Well- built houses, suited to their wants, have been erected and two powerful engines have been set up to irrigate the crops—the canals running through the colony being below land level. Rahimpur has now a beautiful ecolë- chappelle; a convent for two European and five Indian Sisters and a commodious house for the two resident priests and the lay-brother. It has also two schools, one for boys and the other for girls, and a well-stocked dispensary where the poor are treated daily without charge.

j t t o t i t g o m e r p .In 1914 a piece of land measuring

seven acres and a half was acquired and a chapel and a presbytery were erected thereon in 1923. In the same year the first resident priest took

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charge of this centre. Though ohly in its infancy, it has about 600 Cathô- lies and over 400 catechumens, distributed over 29 villages.

jjarotoal.The Mission-building (house, and

church) in this centre were erected in 1925, and its., first resident priest was appointed on the ISth Dôceïribèr of that year. The number of Catholics is now 935 with 1,480 catechumens. The future of this centre is full of bright hopes.

jfrto^cjporr ifltsstons.Ferozepore has for long years

been the residence of a military Chaplain. Mission-work, however, has been started in its environs quite receiitly. As it is still in its experimental stage no buildings4 have as yet been erected,

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Besides other sources of income, the Indian Mission of Ferozepore is supported, monthly, by a direct substantial grant from the Diocese.

A new Mission-centre in this, district is projected at Raewind.personnel of tJn jfEtsstou.

In 1905 there were 28 Priests, 6 Lay-brothers, 50 Nuns with 4,551 Catholics. These numbers have increased yearly and the statistics for 1925 give 42 Priests, 12 Brothers, 95 Nuns with 33,223 Catholics and about 22,000 catechumens.

Conclusion,This brief outline of the Mission’s

activities :s much too short and superficial to show the real work done in it since the year 1905. .Let, therefore, the reader endeavour to realize the tremendous sacrifices made and the

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heavy financial outlay incurred by the Diocese, month by month and year by year, in acquiring land and erecting buildings, in placing and maintaining each Institution and Mission-centre on a solid and permanent foundation and in ' maintaining its missionaries with their establishments—not to mention the non-recurring items of expenditure, which are unavoidable in every large Diocese. He will feel that God has visibly blessed the zeal and sacrifice of our priests, working under the prudent and hearty leadership, and the all-embracing interest and administration of our revered Bishop. He will realise too that the confidence placed by Mgr. Eestermans in Divine providence in all the countless vicissitudes and difficulties through which the Mission has pàssed during the last twenty years has been amply rewarded.

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The Diocese is greatly- indebted to the Superior Regular for financial assistance in providing for some cate- ehists. It is, likewise, indebted to all the kind and sympathetic benefactors of the Missions for without their generous alms it would have been well- nigh impossible to achieve this splendid record. Verily, their alms have not been wasted.

Before ending these outlines I must refer to the sincere regret expressed by everyone of the missionaries, at the retirement of Mgr. Eestermans. When the official news of Mgr’s resignation was made public, I asked every missioner whether he was agreeable to join in making a small presentation to His Lordship as a token of appreciation, 'on his leaving the Diocese. The response was exceedingly hearty ; each one, without

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a single exception, out of his scanty means sent a generous contribution, and in one week the amount received was Rs. 390. The private letters addressed to me when these contributions were forwarded deserve mention. Several priests wrote, “ I am sending all I can, possibly spare this month: if more be needed let me know and I shall send a second donation next m onth/’ One who sent Rs. 10 wrote, “ Please enter cnly Rs. 5 against my name, and Rs. 5, as anonymous.” Priests who had nothing at thèir*disposal wrote, Write me down for as much as you require of me, and send me Mass Intentions ; I shall say them on my ‘ free ’ days.” Or again, “ I received the unwelcome news of Mgr. Eestermans resignation last evening. It kept me awake throughout the

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night and brought ;an' attack of fever. I am exceedingly sorry ; he has been a real father to everyone of u s /’ Yet another letter says, “ I have nothing, but all the same I shall be pleased to give Rs. 10 or even Rs. 15 ; send me Mass Intentions or if you have none I am prepared to do without butter and such like things till, the amount is made up. I have reasons to be grateful to His Lordship.” One letter I must quote in its original Flemish, as the fine sentiment it contains would be lost were it translated into English. It runs thus :

“ ’K stuur u met den zelfde post Rps. 10 ; moest het te weinig zijn met de koord wat toe te snoér- en zoude we daar in tijd van nood nog wat bij lappen. Voor

_ onzen ouden *• brmen Bischop geef ik geern. ’K ben maar

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kwaâd voor den toer die hij ons gelapt heeft van 't spel op te geven”

I could quote several more extracts from letters but let these suffice ; each letter expressed regret in no small measure. Not a single discordant note was noticed. Truly, these contributions and letters prove the sterling worth of our retiring Bishop, and the love and appreciation he is held in by the Fathers of the Diocese.

God bless our dear Bishop Mgr. F. A. Eestermans, God bless everyone of our zealous missionaries, God bless all our generous benefactors, is the prayer of

An o l d M is s io n a r y

OP 37 YEARS’ SERVICE.La h o r e: i

15th May 1926. i

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