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| Our
Genesis And Growth : An Overview |
| The history of a religion community is not just a narration of
phenomenologically variable facts, instead, as inalienably interlaced to the history of
salvation, it is the realization of its instrumentality in establishing God’s
Kingdom. This lies beyond the perceivable, like mustard seed that grown mysteriously into
a huge tree, leaven that ferments the entire dough of history. God alone sees it, directs
its actualizing energies, and we leave to him to judge the success or failure in our
attempts to be carriers and serves of his Good News. What we attempt to gather from the
archives and the page of the chronicles of its brief history in India is the process by
which the sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is planted, flourished and spread out in
this ancient land of religions. It is retrospect in gratitude for the past, to commit more
fully in the present and to look toward the further with trust and hope. |
| The ‘Sign’ and the Initial Attempts |
| Many of the good things that have happened in the world are guided by
signs and events in our life. It is the same that had moved Fr. Schweiger to pursue the
plans for the Claretian foundation in India. |
| Fr. Jose Maria Vinas was appointed perfect of the International College,
which was functioning on the 3rd floor of the present General Curia in the year
1953. While he visited Fr. General in his room he found a map of India hanging under the
image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He asked Fr. General what it signified. Fr. General
told him that he wished very much to found the congregation in India and he said, "we
the superiors have no one to order us, but we must be very much attentive to the signs
through which God wants us to know His Will". He continued to say that he received a
sign during the holy year (1950), when he participated in the procession of ‘Corpus
Domini’ in the candles were put off. Mine remained lightened and immediately one
Indian seminarian or a priest approached me asking for the light. At that moment I felt in
my heart that this question was a ‘sign’ that the Church in India needed our
presence. My desire was more strengthened by this incident." {Fr. Vinas wrote about
this encounter with Fr. General on my ( Fr. George Kollamparampil} request on June 12,
1995,}. He acted upon this sign by writing to the Mons. L. Raymond, the then nuncio, In
Delhi on November 7, 1951. " I shall be very much grateful to you, Reverend Monsignor
if you would find something for us in India, possibly that allows us to develop in the
future. Meantime we pray and keep ourselves ready to the call of the Lord. |
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