Apocalypse
Forewarning: This may not be history, but
it is some story alright!
That's the best my school could come up with to honor Mother Enrichetta Dominici who was proclaimed "Blessed" by Pope Paul VI, in acknowledgment of her heroic virtues. She extended the apostolic commitment of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Ann's to the farthest regions of the world (Hyderabad!) that were not enlightened by the preaching of the Gospel.
I found a romanticized version of the early beginnings of the school in The Hindu, which begins with
Orphans of which war? Why couldn't the bishop wait until daylight to enter the convent? And why would a burglar ring the bell before entering a convent! The lack of logical reasoning in this legend should have dissuaded my family from putting me in this school, but as fate would have it, I, like my aunts and uncles, cousins and many victim friends, endured the teachings of the legend makers.
My aunt seems to be celebrated as popular alumni in all the articles, including the "balmy spring" one. I don't think she realizes her fame, or that she shares it with Astronaut Rakesh Sharma and wait.. Sonia Gandhi (!)
I have always wondered how the catholic missionaries set themselves up without incident in Nizam's dominions. I know now that it wasn't easy. There's an interesting article called the "Diocese of Hyderabad", which speaks of the spread of christianity across the country between the early 1500s and late 1800s. The Diocese of Hyderabad seems to be the only one that had no regularly appointed missions in three centuries, although missionaries visited the dominions from time to time for short periods. However, there were Portuguese and Armenian Catholics in Golconda and Hyderabad during the 1600s and missionary activity of some sort throughout these four centuries.
The 1800s was an exciting time. Hyderabad was under the The Vicar Apostolic of Madras and then Calcutta for sometime, until Bishop Carew built a beautiful cathedral and church in Bolarum, (there is a brilliant business lesson in this - "marking territory by erecting huge symbols of supremacy"). This led to the envitable ---- missionary activity picked up dramatically, and the mission of Hyderabad-Deccan was made the Vicarate Apostolic with Bishop Murphy as its first vicar. Ironically, the bishop had to live in Chuderghant on the borders of the Nizam's dominion owing to the intolerance, not of the Nizam, but Sir Henry Pottinger.
Pottinger has his own interesting story. He came to India in the early 1800s to serve in the army and travelled extensively between Indus and Persia disguised as a Muslim merchant and studying local languages under the orders of Sir John Malcolm. He eventually joined the British East India Company, fought the Marata war, and became resident Administrator at Sindh and eventually Hyderabad. (Much later, he was also the first Governor of Hong Kong)
Despite all obstacles, the Bishop Murphy applied to the Foreign Mission Seminary at Milan for more missionaries, and Fathers Pozzi and Barero were sent to him. There were british regiments quartered near Secunderabad, and the catholic population of the place thus went up to 4000. Between 1857 and 1864 six other missionaries came from Milan, and the Christian communities began to increase. But in 1864, owing to failing health, Bishop Murphy was forced to leave India and stayed on in Tasmania until he died.
The vicariate was then entrusted to the Milan Seminary of Foreign Missions. Father Giovanni Domenico Barbero (the burglar in the St. Ann's legend) became vicar Apostolic, and was consecrated Bishop of Doliche, at Rome, 3 April, 1870. He procured some Sisters of St. Anne from Turin, and in 1871 established them at Secunderabad where they opened an orphanage and a girls' school. There ends the story!
Today, the intimidating school building, whose forbearing grey walls ran from one end of the long street to another, and went all along, and all around the other side of the main road, with no beginning or end, plan or direction, has been brought down and with little protest! It feels like the end of an era!
Despite all the folklore surrounding it, St. Ann's was a simple school with simple people. We couldn't possibly feel strongly enough about anything. Our aspirations are only for that which is realizable without much effort! (This is the sort of generalization that gets me in trouble! I can feel it coming.)
Blessed Enrichetta
O pray, o pray to the lord
Mother Enrichetta
O pray, o pray to the lord
Lover of Nature, Lover of Creatures
Lover of God, Lover of All
That's the best my school could come up with to honor Mother Enrichetta Dominici who was proclaimed "Blessed" by Pope Paul VI, in acknowledgment of her heroic virtues. She extended the apostolic commitment of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Ann's to the farthest regions of the world (Hyderabad!) that were not enlightened by the preaching of the Gospel.
I found a romanticized version of the early beginnings of the school in The Hindu, which begins with
In the balmy spring of March 1871, six sisters from St Ann's Convent, Turin, Italy came to India, precisely Secunderabad. The mission on hand was to teach orphans of the war accommodated here. Sister Enrichetta, the Superior General of the Sisters of St. Ann was elementary in sending the sisters from Italy when Bishop Barbero knocked at the convent one Friday requesting for help. Legend says it that the sisters thought him to be a burglar to be ringing the bell at that time of the day.
Orphans of which war? Why couldn't the bishop wait until daylight to enter the convent? And why would a burglar ring the bell before entering a convent! The lack of logical reasoning in this legend should have dissuaded my family from putting me in this school, but as fate would have it, I, like my aunts and uncles, cousins and many victim friends, endured the teachings of the legend makers.
My aunt seems to be celebrated as popular alumni in all the articles, including the "balmy spring" one. I don't think she realizes her fame, or that she shares it with Astronaut Rakesh Sharma and wait.. Sonia Gandhi (!)
I have always wondered how the catholic missionaries set themselves up without incident in Nizam's dominions. I know now that it wasn't easy. There's an interesting article called the "Diocese of Hyderabad", which speaks of the spread of christianity across the country between the early 1500s and late 1800s. The Diocese of Hyderabad seems to be the only one that had no regularly appointed missions in three centuries, although missionaries visited the dominions from time to time for short periods. However, there were Portuguese and Armenian Catholics in Golconda and Hyderabad during the 1600s and missionary activity of some sort throughout these four centuries.
The 1800s was an exciting time. Hyderabad was under the The Vicar Apostolic of Madras and then Calcutta for sometime, until Bishop Carew built a beautiful cathedral and church in Bolarum, (there is a brilliant business lesson in this - "marking territory by erecting huge symbols of supremacy"). This led to the envitable ---- missionary activity picked up dramatically, and the mission of Hyderabad-Deccan was made the Vicarate Apostolic with Bishop Murphy as its first vicar. Ironically, the bishop had to live in Chuderghant on the borders of the Nizam's dominion owing to the intolerance, not of the Nizam, but Sir Henry Pottinger.
Pottinger has his own interesting story. He came to India in the early 1800s to serve in the army and travelled extensively between Indus and Persia disguised as a Muslim merchant and studying local languages under the orders of Sir John Malcolm. He eventually joined the British East India Company, fought the Marata war, and became resident Administrator at Sindh and eventually Hyderabad. (Much later, he was also the first Governor of Hong Kong)
Despite all obstacles, the Bishop Murphy applied to the Foreign Mission Seminary at Milan for more missionaries, and Fathers Pozzi and Barero were sent to him. There were british regiments quartered near Secunderabad, and the catholic population of the place thus went up to 4000. Between 1857 and 1864 six other missionaries came from Milan, and the Christian communities began to increase. But in 1864, owing to failing health, Bishop Murphy was forced to leave India and stayed on in Tasmania until he died.
The vicariate was then entrusted to the Milan Seminary of Foreign Missions. Father Giovanni Domenico Barbero (the burglar in the St. Ann's legend) became vicar Apostolic, and was consecrated Bishop of Doliche, at Rome, 3 April, 1870. He procured some Sisters of St. Anne from Turin, and in 1871 established them at Secunderabad where they opened an orphanage and a girls' school. There ends the story!
Today, the intimidating school building, whose forbearing grey walls ran from one end of the long street to another, and went all along, and all around the other side of the main road, with no beginning or end, plan or direction, has been brought down and with little protest! It feels like the end of an era!
Despite all the folklore surrounding it, St. Ann's was a simple school with simple people. We couldn't possibly feel strongly enough about anything. Our aspirations are only for that which is realizable without much effort! (This is the sort of generalization that gets me in trouble! I can feel it coming.)
