India, the new MSC Province
Saturday March 16th was indeed a memorable day for the Indian branch of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart:
Four celebrations rolled into one.
Present for the occasion were Father Mike Miller, General Secretary, Rome and Father Michael Huber, Provincial South Germany/Austria.
- The first of the four celebrations was the Ordination to the Diaconate by the Archbishop of Bangalore, Peter Machado of the following three MSCs :
Vinodh Kumar from the Bangalore Archdiocese, Karnataka State, aged 39;
Karthik Raja Sekar from the Madurai Archdiocese in Tamil Nadu State, aged 30; and
Sesu Raj from the Mysore Diocese, Karnataka State aged 31.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, Bellandur Gate, Bangalore.
Michael Miller MSC
- The second celebration involved the Formal Erection of MSC INDIA as a Province.
It had been established as a Union back in 1997.
Successive Union Superiors were:
Fr. Malcolm Fyfe (1997 to 2004);
Fr. Tijo John Arukalil (2004 – 2009) ;
Fr. Joseph Christy (2009 to 2012) ;
Fr. John Peter (2012 to 2016) ;
Fr. Charles Babu (2016 to 2019);
Fr. Darwin Thatheus (2019 to 2024);
Now that MSC INDIA has become a Province, Father Darwin Thatheus will continue on until December as Provincial, assisted by the current Council members. Father General has indicated that a Provincial Chapter should be held sometime in August 2024 to approve our new Provincial Statutes.
Subsequently an Elective Assembly should be held in October to elect a Provincial and Council. Whoever is elected (or re-elected) will take office in December.
Father Joji Babu an Father Tijo John congratulate Father Darwin Thatheus
Father Mike Miller with Father Darwin Thatheus
- The third celebration was that of the 200th Birthday of our Founder, Father Jules Chevalier.
Lighting of the Vilakku Pooja Lamp:Father Mike Miller, Father Michael Huber and Father Tijo John Arukalil
- The fourth celebration involved the Official Blessing and Opening of the Chevalier Academy.
This Primary and Secondary School has been built on the site that formerly housed the MSC Formation House at Bellandur Gate. The Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church occupies the other major portion of this property. The Chevalier Academy will serve the needs of many of our parishioners’ children in what is now a major growth area of Bangalore. The Academy actually started enrolling a small number of Grade 1 students last year utilizing the few classrooms that were ready. Now that the Construction has been completed, a Formal Opening and Blessing of the Academy was appropriate.
Chevalier Academy
L to R: Father Mike Miller, Archbishop Peter Machado, Father Darwin Thatheus, Father Michael Huber, Father Tijo John, Father Ravi Paul.
Felix Joseph, from the first batch of students receives a Certificate of Merit from Father Mike Miller, MSC General Secretary.
With special thanks to Father Tijo for the photos.
Father Malcolm Fyfe msc
March 18, 2024
The Australian Province congratulates our new Province, India. We are proud of our connected history: Malcolm Fyfe, Founder; the longtime presence of Dennis Murphy; many who assisted over the last 40 years, Vyn Bailey, Albert Yelds, Michael Fallon, Tom Fitzgerald, Tyson Donneley……
