Duc in Altum

Published in Dominican Ashram , Vol. 4 No. 4 (December 2022), pp. 176-179. Reproduced with permission. M Y RECENT STUDY of the history of the Catholic Missions in Central India roused my desire to know something about the history of the community where I am assigned, namely, St. Dominic Ashram, Nagpur and the Province of India that eventually took its birth from it. Since I was not content with the fragmentary information available in the public domain, one of the friars suggested that I request access to the community chronicles. My Prior readily obliged and I was handed a voluminous red ledger book, its pages slightly yellowed with age and its binding in a delicate condition. As I opened it in search of a few historical facts, I was pleasantly surprised to find a captivating picture of those early days which, although not too distant in the past, are still quite a treat for the modern reader. I invite you to join me as I try to recount and re-paint this engrossing account. Building...

Published in Dominican Ashram , Vol. 3 Issue 3 (September 2021), pp. 117-121. Reproduced with permission. In the year 1321, seven centuries ago, a zealous Dominican missionary, Jordan de Catalani of Severac, together with four Franciscan companions, arrived in India, having left from Tabriz in Persia and sailing along the coast to reach Thane (off present-day Mumbai) on the shores of the West Coast of India. They were not the first friars to visit the country. About thirty years earlier, the Franciscan Giovanni da Monte Corvino and the Dominican Nicolo di Pistoia had arrived in South India en route to their mission in China. However, due to the promising prospects of missionary work in India, Nicolo was asked to stay on in South India to care for the small Christian community in the Mylapore region. Unfortunately, his plans came to an abrupt end with his untimely sickness and death. So, Jordan and his companions had stepped in to fill this vacancy, hopeful of reaping an abundant harves...